woodward eyes brennan for lions toulouse s former irish international trevor brennan could be one of clive woodward s many surprises when the 44-man lions tour squad is announced.  brennan  who last played for ireland against samoa in 2001  is held in high esteem by the former england coach.  if you speak to the players there s a huge amount of respect for the guy   woodward told the sunday independent.  players tend to know better than most coaches. it s not just the irish  but welsh and english players as well.  the 31-year-old former dublin milkman moved from leinster to toulouse in 2003 and immediately picked up a heineken cup winner s medal in an all-french final against perpignan at lansdowne road.  brennan is highly-rated at stade toulousain  where he is used anywhere in the back five. woodward is ensuring his preparations for the trip to new zealand in june are as thorough as possible.  i ve spoken to quite a few players  and they probably don t know what they re actually saying when we re having these conversations   he told the newspaper.  but you talk about certain players and they ll say if they think they re up to scratch or that they don t want them in their team.  i haven t heard a bad word said against trevor  which  considering he has a pretty tough guy reputation  is  to me  impressive.


david blunkett in quotes david blunkett - who has resigned as home secretary - built his reputation as a plain-speaking yorkshire man.      i fell in love with someone and they wouldn t go public and things started to go very badly wrong in the summer  and then the news of the world picked up the story.  i tried for three years to make something work.      trust  plain-speaking and straight talking is something which matters so much to me as a politician and as a man that i have decided  of my own volition  to request an independent review of the allegations that i misused my position.    i don t think anyone can say i have said one thing in public and done another in private.   it would be dangerous territory if i wasn t practising what i preach which is to always accept responsibility  always accept the consequences of your actions.     none of us believe countering terrorism is about party politics.    i accepted by necessity we have to have prevention under a new category which is to intervene before the act is committed  rather than do so by due process after the act is committed when it s too late   he said in reference to new anti-terrorism measures.     our work with the french government...has been hugely successful   said mr blunkett.  the number of illegal immigrants detected in dover has dropped dramatically.      strengthening our identity is one way or reinforcing people s confidence and sense of citizenship and well-being.      i foolishly thought as this was a celebrity edition it would be more relaxed than normal.      you wake up and you receive a phone call - shipman s topped himself. you have just got to think for a minute: is it too early to open a bottle


games help you  learn and play   god games  in which players must control virtual people and societies could be educational  says research.  a us researcher has suggested that games such as the sims could be a good way to teach languages. ravi purushotma believes that the world of the sims can do a better job of teaching vocabulary and grammar than traditional methods. the inherent fun of game playing could help to make learning languages much less of a chore  said mr purushotma.  there must be few parents or teachers that do not worry that the lure of a video game on a computer or console is hard to resist by children that really should be doing their homework. but instead of fearing computer games  ravi purushotma believes that educationalists  particularly language teachers should embrace games.  one goal would be to break what i believe to be the false assumption that learning and play are inherently oppositional   he said. he believes that the  phenomenal ability  of games such as the sims and others to capture the interest of adolescent audiences is ripe for exploitation. the hard part of learning any language  said mr purushotma  were the basic parts of learning what different words refer to and how they are used to build up sentences. boring lessons drumming vocabulary into pupils couched in terms they do not understand has made many languages far harder to learn than they should be.  the way we often teach foreign languages right now is somewhat akin to learning to ride a bike by formally studying gravity   he said.  by contrast  said mr purushotma  learning via something like the sims may mean students do not feel like they are studying at all. this was because the sims does not rely solely on words to get information across to players. instead the actions of its computer controlled people and how they interact with their world often makes clear what is going on. the incidental information about what a sim was doing could reinforce what a player or student was supposed to be learning  said mr purushotma. by contrast many language lessons try to impart information about a tongue with little context. for instance  he said  in a version of the sims adapted to teach german  if a player misunderstood what was meant by the word  energie  the actions of a tired sim  stumbling then falling asleep  would illustrate the meaning. if necessary detailed textual information could be called upon to aid players  or students  understanding.  one of the drawbacks of the sims  said mr purushotma  was the lack of spoken language to help people brush up on pronunciation. however  online versions of the sims  in which people have to move in  meet the neighbours and get to know the local town  could be adapted to help this. although not wishing to claim that he is the first to suggest using a game can help people learn  mr purushotma believes that educationalists have missed the potential they have to help.  getting a simulated person to perform everyday activities in a make-believe world and having them described in a foreign language could be a powerful learning aid  he believes. before now  he said  educational software titles suffer by comparison with the slick graphics and rich worlds found in games. but  he said  using pre-prepared game worlds such as the sims has never been easier because tools have been made by its creators and fans that make it easy to modify almost any part of the game. this could make it easy for teachers to adapt parts of the game for their own lessons.  i m hoping now to re-create a well-polished german learning mod for the sequel by this summer   he told the bbc news website.  i m encouraged to hear that others are thinking of experimenting with japanese and spanish.  earlier work with a colleague on using civilisation iii to teach students about history showed that it could be a powerful way to get them to realise that solving a society s problems can not always come from making a single change. a report on the experiment said:  students began asking historical and geographical questions in the context of game play  using geography and history as tools for their game  and drawing inferences about social phenomena based on their play.  mr purushotma s ideas were aired in an article for the journal language learning and technology.


parmar ruled out of davis cup tie a knee injury has forced arvind parmar out of great britain s davis cup tie in israel and left alex bogdanovic in line to take the second singles place.  parmar picked up the injury last week and has failed to recover in time for the europe/africa zone i tie  which begins in tel aviv on friday. bogdanovic looks set to take the second singles place alongside greg rusedski. gb captain jeremy bates could use 17-year-old andrew murray and david sherwood in the doubles rubber. bogdanovic and murray both pulled out of tournaments last week through injury but are expected to be fit. jamie delgado and lee childs have been called into the squad in tel aviv as designated hitters for team practice but bates has no plans to call either of them into his squad at present.  the unheralded sherwood was the surprise inclusion when the squad was announced last week  and bates said:  david has earned his place in this squad on the merit of his form and results over the last 12 months.  the 6ft 4in sherwood is ranked 264th in the world and the lta have high hopes for him after futures tournament wins in wrexham and edinburgh.  the sheffield-born right-hander  aged 24  also reached another final in plaisir  france  a week after making the semi-final in mulhouse. bates is glad to have rusedski available after tim henman s retirement from davis cup tennis.  his wealth of experience is invaluable  particularly to the younger players and i know he will lead by example   bates said.  we are looking forward to the tie. the squad are all in excellent form.


russian ex-spy on hunger strike an ex-russian intelligence officer who risked his life spying for mi6 is entering the seventh week of a hunger strike near 10 downing street.  viktor makarov  50  claims he has been betrayed by the british authorities  who promised he would live like an  average british citizen . but despite a £65 000 settlement four years ago  he says he has been denied defector status and a decent pension. other ex-russian spies have been given civil service pensions.  hunger strike is a weapon of last resort. it can work only with determination and of course the realisation of the righteousness of your case - without that it will not work   mr makarov told the bbc s newsnight programme.  since i came to this country two batches of promises have been made and broken one after the other.   oleg gordievsky  a senior kgb officer who became a secret agent for the british  said he was  very happy  with the way the government have treated him since him since he defected in 1985. commenting on mr makarov s case  he said:  the british state is not a fat cow - it is impossible to come here and demand give me more money every week.  but mr makarov s case has been backed by david kahn - a former yale historian  and a leading expert on code-breaking  who has confirmed his information was valuable to the western allies.  i believe the government of the united kingdom  which in that respect was probably the same as most other power authorities - took the information that victor makarov had  wrung him dry and left him to hang out in the cold   mr kahn said.  mr makarov joined the kgb in 1970s russia  as an idealistic 20 year-old. one of his fellow pupils at intelligence school was vladimir putin. at kgb headquarters in moscow  he was posted to the secret 16th directorate - which decoded intercepted diplomatic traffic from the west. by the 1980s he had risen to the rank of senior lieutenant - and was privy to the thoughts of western powers. but he had became deeply disenchanted with the soviet regime - fuelled by its repression both at home and in poland.  through his english teacher  he made an approach to m16 - and then began passing secrets to the british intelligence service. he spied for mi6 for two years before being betrayed by a friend and sent to perm 35 - a soviet hard labour camp in the artic circle. within a week of his release in 1992  he made contact with the british authorities he d been spying for  who arranged a meeting between him and an mi6 agent in latvia. he was given a false passport  and he says  promised that he would be given the chance to live like an average uk citizen. but after arriving in london 13 years ago  he feels this promise has not been fulfilled. after long periods of living in bedsits  with deteriorating health  four years ago he took legal action against the government - and settled for £65 000 to buy a small house. but he says he will remain on hunger strike until he receives a decent pension and the right to work  something he feels he has been denied because the authorities do not trust him. government sources told the bbc they had reached a final settlement with the former spy  which he has been able to appeal to security and intelligence tribunals.


bush budget seeks deep cutbacks president bush has presented his 2006 budget  cutting domestic spending in a bid to lower a record deficit projected to peak at $427bn (£230bn) this year.  the $2.58 trillion (£1.38 trillion) budget submitted to congress affects 150 domestic programmes from farming to the environment  education and health. but foreign aid is due to rise by 10%  with more money to treat hiv/aids and reward economic and political reform. military spending is also set to rise by 4.8%  to reach $419.3bn. the budget does not include the cost of running military operations in iraq and afghanistan  for which the administration is expected to seek an extra $80bn from congress later this year.  congress will spend several months debating george w bush s proposal.  the state department s planned budget would rise to just under $23bn - a fraction of the defence department s request - including almost $6bn to assist us allies in the  war on terror . however  the administration is keen to highlight its global effort to tackle hiv/aids  the bbc s jonathan beale reports  and planned spending would almost double to $3bn  with much of that money going to african nations. mr bush also wants to increase the amount given to poorer countries through his millennium challenge corporation. the scheme has been set up to reward developing countries that embrace what the us considers to be good governance and sound policies. yet mr bush s proposed spending of $3bn on that project is well below his initial promise of $5bn.  a key spending line missing from proposals is the cost of funding the administration s proposed radical overhaul of social security  the pensions programme on which many americans rely for their retirement income.  some experts believe this could require borrowing of up to $4.5 trillion over a 20-year period. neither does the budget include any cash to purchase crude oil for the us emergency petroleum stockpile. concern over the level of the reserve  created in 1970s  has led to rises in oil prices over the past year. the bush administration will instead continue to fill the reserve by taking oil - rather than cash - from energy companies that drill under federal leases.  the outline proposes reductions in budgets at 12 out of 23 government agencies including cuts of 9.6% at agriculture and 5.6% at the environmental protection agency. the spending plan for the year beginning 1 october is banking on a healthy us economy to boost government income by 6.1% to $2.18 trillion. spending is forecast to grow by 3.5% to $2.57 trillion. but the budget is still the tightest yet under mr bush s presidency.  in order to sustain our economic expansion  we must continue pro-growth policies and enforce even greater spending restraint across federal government   mr bush said in his budget message to congress. mr bush has promised to halve the us s massive budget deficit within five years. the deficit  partly the result of massive tax cuts early in mr bush s presidency  has been a key factor in pushing the us dollar lower. the independent congressional budget office estimates that the shortfall could shrink to little more than $200bn by 2009  returning to the surpluses seen in the late 1990s by 2012. but its estimates depend on the tax cuts not being made permanent  in line with the promise when they were passed that they would  sunset   or disappear  in 2010. most republicans  however  want them to stay in place. and the figures also rely on the  social security trust fund  - the money set aside to cover the swelling costs of retirement pensions - being offset against the main budget deficit.


clyde 0-5 celtic celtic brushed aside clyde to secure their place in the scottish cup semi-final  but only after a nervy and testing first half.  the home side s craig bryson had a goal chopped off before stan varga headed celtic into the lead. alan thompson scored from the penalty spot at the start of the second half after shaun maloney had been fouled. stilian petrov slid in a third  varga tapped in his second and craig bellamy completed the rout with a fine drive. bryn halliwell was the busier keeper early on  saving from bellamy  chris sutton and juninho. clyde had the ball in the net after half-an-hour through a tremendous strike from bryson  but the referee had already blown for a foul by petrov. from the resulting free kick  darren sheridan curled the ball round the celtic wall only for the post to deny him. back at the other end  halliwell did well to come off his line and block bellamy s effort to lift the ball over him. the keeper misjudged a corner that stephane henchoz headed wide  but a similar scenario five minutes before the break led to the opening goal. the ball was delivered from the left and halliwell was left floundering as varga glanced the ball into the net.  maloney replaced the injured sutton at half time and he marked his first competitive appearance after a year out injured by helping his side take a two-goal lead just after the break. the young striker fired a free kick straight into the clyde wall but as he collected the rebound  he was tripped by bryson and thompson converted the penalty. sheridan and bellamy were involved in something of a flare-up that led to both being booked after the intervention of the assistant referee. juninho brought out another good save from halliwell and then petrov saw a tremendous effort come off the top of the bar. but petrov and juninho combined brilliantly to allow the bulgarian to make it 3-0 on the hour mark - a quick one-two giving him the time and space to steer the ball past halliwell from 12 yards. varga got his second goal of the game as celtic drove home their advantage - thompson whipped in a corner from the right and the unmarked defender simply tapped the ball over the line from a couple of yards out. celtic were utterly dominant by this stage and bellamy opened his scoring account for the club after a fine move involving aiden mcgeady  jackie mcnamara and maloney culminated in the welshman hammering the ball into the net. halliwell kept the deficit at five by pushing a mcgeady shot wide as the game petered out.  halliwell  mensing  bollan  balmer  potter  sheridan (burns 61)  arbuckle (gilhaney 61)  gibson  bryson (jones 78)  malone  harty.  morrison  wilson.  mensing  sheridan.  douglas  henchoz  mcnamara  balde  varga  juninho paulista  thompson  lennon (lambert 70)  sutton (maloney 45)  petrov (mcgeady 70)  bellamy.  marshall  laursen.  thompson  bellamy.  : varga 40  thompson 48 pen  petrov 60  varga 68  bellamy 72.  8 200  c thomson


freeze on anti-spam campaign a campaign by lycos europe to target spam-related websites appears to have been put on hold.  earlier this week the company released a screensaver that bombarded the sites with data to try to bump up the running costs of the websites. but the site hosting the screensaver now displays a pink graphic and the words  stay tuned . no one at lycos was available for comment on latest developments in its controversial anti-spam campaign.  lycos europe s  make love not spam  campaign was intended as a way for users to fight back against the mountain of junk mail flooding inboxes. people were encouraged to download the screensaver which  when their pc was idle  would then send lots of data to sites that peddle the goods and services mentioned in spam messages. lycos said the idea was to get the spam sites running at 95% capacity and generate big bandwidth bills for the spammers behind the sites. but the plan has proved controversial.  monitoring firm netcraft analysed response times for some of the sites targeted by the screensaver and found that a number were completely knocked offline.  the downing of the sites could dent lycos claims that what it is doing does not amount to a distributed denial of service attack. in such attacks thousands of computers bombard sites with data in an attempt to overwhelm them. laws in many countries do not explicitly outlaw such attacks but many nations are re-drafting computer use laws to make them specific offences. lycos europe now appears to have put the plan on hold. the site hosting the screensaver currently shows a holding page  with the words   stay tuned . the numerical internet address of the site has also changed. this is likely to be in response to spammers who have reportedly redirected traffic from their sites back to the lycos screensaver site. the campaign has come under fire from some corners of the web. many discussion groups have said that it set a dangerous precedent and could incite vigilantism.  attacking a spammer s website is like poking a grizzly bear sleeping in your back garden with a pointy stick   said graham cluley  senior technology consultant for sophos.  not only is this screensaver similar in its approach to a potentially illegal distributed denial of service attack  but it also is in danger of turning innocent computer users into vigilantes  who may not be prepared for whatever retaliation the spammers care to dream up.


bening makes awards breakthrough film actress annette bening is up for an oscar for her starring role in the award-winning film being julia.  bening  who was born in texas in 1958  has gained prominence for a string of key roles. although an oscar has so far eluded her  her status as one of hollywood s favourite actresses remains solid. one of the biggest oscars buzzes in recent years was for bening s role as troubled carolyn burnham in 1999 s american beauty. but her deliciously neurotic portrayal of surburban life turning sour was overlooked in favour of hilary swank s leading role in boys don t cry. after opening her career in the theatre - and gaining a tony award nomination in 1986 - bening had a low-key spell in television. she then made her film debut as a sex-starved wife in 1988 s the great outdoors  opposite comics dan akroyd and john candy.  following a cameo in postcards from the edge  bening s breakthrough role came in 1990  playing seductive con artist myra langtry in the grifters - a role that won her an oscar nomination. despite some rave reviews  bening did not win the best supporting actress academy award.  however the high-profile performance enabled bening to capture roles in a number of big budget hollywood productions  co-starring with some of hollywood s greatest players  including robert de niro and harrison ford. but it was her role opposite warren beatty in 1991 gangster flick bugsy which had the greatest impact. bening played virginia hill  another role which won her high critical acclaim  but the film only picked up two of a staggering 12 oscar nominations.  bugsy was the start of a very significant liaison for bening - she married beatty  with whom she had a child as the couple promoted the film in europe. the couple now have four children together. a pair of contrasting yet successful performances peppered bening s career in the mid-1990s. she played michael douglas  opposite number in romantic comedy the american president  and as a  fiery  queen elizabeth i in a contemporary adaptation of shakespeare s richard iii.  bening was the first choice to play the female lead in american beauty  director sam mendes  film debut which was a critical and commercial success - but the actress had to be content with a bafta award for her strong performance. but current film being julia has made bening an award-winning actress rather than the perennial nominee  with success at the golden globes. the witty tale of revenge and love set in 1930s london sees the eponymous theatrical diva - played by bening - grow tired of her success and fall for a young american - and could be the role which finally wins her the coveted academy award.


barkley fit for match in ireland england centre olly barkley has been passed fit for sunday s six nations clash with ireland at lansdowne road.  barkley withdrew from bath s team for friday s clash with gloucester after suffering a calf injury in training. gloucester centre henry paul has also been cleared to play after overcoming an ankle injury. england coach andy robinson  who names his team on wednesday  has called up bath prop duncan bell following phil vickery s broken arm. with vickery sidelined for at least six weeks and julian white out with a neck injury  bell could make his england debut. bell  30  had set his sights on an international career with wales. but last december  the international rugby board confirmed that he could only be eligible for england as he had travelled on tour with them in 1998.  i thought i d burned all my bridges with england when i expressed an interest in wanting to play for wales  so it s fantastic to get this opportunity   he said. bell  who featured in the england a side which beat france 30-20 10 days ago  added:  i recognise that i got into the england a squad because of injuries.  and it s the same again in getting into the senior squad. but now that i have this opportunity i intend to take it fully if selected and play my heart out for my country.   england coach andy robinson could take a gamble and call inexperienced sale sharks prop andrew sheridan into his front row. but sheridan favours the loosehead side of the scrum and a more likely scenario is for uncapped bell - who was among the try-scorers when england a beat france a 30-20 nine days ago - to be drafted in.


connors  rallying cry for british tennis  do you have it in your heart  how much guts do you have  how much do you hate to lose    these are the questions jimmy connors will be asking of britain s brightest tennis hopes in the months  and possibly years  to come. the american legend swept into london on thursday to announce a  long-term  relationship with the lawn tennis association after spending three days at the elite performance winter camp in la manga. and the man who epitomised the phrase  will to win  before lleyton hewitt was even born is clear about the qualities he hopes to convey.  you know  everybody hits the ball well and there s a very fine line between number one and number 100   said connors.  i was that fine line for a long time. but if i can help  i want to be part of teaching kids how to win.   connors is not the first great name to offer his services to the lta - his long-time rival john mcenroe has repeatedly done the same. but connors is at pains to point out that his interest goes well beyond any publicity stunt  and he gave a glowing recommendation to the work of lta performance director david felgate and his team.  britain has a different attitude  the right attitude  in taking the game forward and finding the next wimbledon champion   said connors.  that s something you don t find every day. everybody talks a good game but not everybody puts that into effect.  the impression i came away with after just seeing david and the other coaches for three days was one like i ve never seen before  especially over here.  this is not going to happen overnight  there are no miracle workers  but you re going in the right direction.  the 52-year-old s enthusiasm for the work going on in this country is in marked contrast to his relationship with tennis officials back in america.  i ve had discussions with the usta (united states tennis association) over a number of years   he said.  that s where it (my input) ended.  connors is a straight-talker and will be equally blunt and honest in his dealings with the lta and the cream of britain s young players.  if they re chosen  they ve got to produce   he said.   if not  someone will come and take their place. there s only one number one spot and it s lonely up there  but it s got the best view.  in the year that has seen andrew murray emerge as britain s great new hope  connors rejected suggestions that the scot might be put under too much pressure too soon.  tim henman has a whole country on his shoulder   said connors.  i don t know that pressure  but if you like that it can be a certain push to get on to the next level.  someone s going to have to come and take over from him (henman). if i was andrew murray  i d embrace that. that s what we play for.  despite the emphasis on hard work  training and preparation  connors does admit that the desire required of a champion has to come from within.  the passion i had  i don t know if you can find that   he admitted.  i was also nuts. i say that because there was nothing better for me than to compete on the tennis court.  it was the most important thing in the world for me  and to do that something s got to be not right with you. there was nothing better for me ever than to play tennis in front of 25 000 people.  what i had when i played tennis is what i am. you have to have that  you can t be moulded.


blunkett sorry over murder plan david blunkett has apologised to mps after the home office announced  prematurely  via press release a review of murder laws.  the home secretary confirmed the review was to get under way in the wake of a law commission report which branded the current murder law as  a mess . he said the review would look at partial defences to murder  including provocation and at mandatory sentences. the home office has already said the review will begin next year.  on wednesday  a home office spokeswoman said the terms of reference for the review had not been established but it was likely to include only england and wales. news of the review was released because it was thought mr blunkett would make the official announcement in a commons debate on wednesday. but the announcement never came  with the home secretary saying the debate had never reached that stage. amid opposition anger  mr blunkett had to answer an emergency question in parliament on thursday. he said he had taken steps to ensure the incident was not repeated. shadow home secretary david davis welcomed his  gracious apology  and the review itself. but he argued the minister should have volunteered a formal statement instead of having to be  dragged  to face mps.  in its report  the law commission said it had found wide support among criminal justice professionals for an end to the mandatory life sentence for murder. the panel suggested different kinds of murders could be  graded  to recognise the seriousness of the offence.  but the home office said mandatory life sentences would not be abolished and argued courts already had flexibility. the commission  an independent body including two judges  a senior barrister and sentencing experts  had been asked to consider reforms to the defence of provocation in murder cases. but it said its proposals were unlikely to work without a far wider review of the law. results of a consultation exercise showed 64 respondents out of 146 - among them 21 judges - believed a mandatory life sentence for every murder was  indefensible and should cease .  a key question was whether one category should continue to cover all types of murder from mercy killings to serial or contract killings. the commission found support for the idea of grading murders so that the sentence reflected the seriousness of the offence. but speaking after the report was published  home office minister baroness scotland said:  murder is the most serious of crimes and we have no intention of abolishing the mandatory life sentence.  where an offender is convicted of murder  the court must pass a life sentence.  the commission also recommended tightening the law so that the provocation defence cannot be used in cases where someone has killed for revenge  such as a jealous husband who murders an unfaithful wife.


consumer spending lifts us growth us economic growth accelerated in the third quarter  helped by strong consumer spending  official figures have shown.  the economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.7% in the july to september period  the commerce department said. the figure marked an increase on the 3.3% growth recorded in the second quarter  but fell short of the 4.2% rate pencilled in by forecasters. the increase reflected the biggest jump in consumer spending in a year.  it was a little softer than the consensus  but not a real surprise   said gary thayer  an economist at ag edwards & sons. friday s growth estimate is one of the last significant pieces of economic data before the 2 november presidential election.  democrat challenger john kerry has criticised president george w bush s handling of the economy  pointing to a net loss of over 800 000 jobs since mr bush took office. analysts said the economy was still not growing fast enough to stimulate large-scale job creation.  it s a pretty good growth rate  but it may not be good enough to create enough jobs   said robert brusca  chief economist at fact and opinion economics in new york. however  president bush is expected to point to commerce department figures showing that consumer spending grew at 4.6% in the third quarter  up from just 1.6% in the second  as evidence that his policies are generating solid growth. consumer spending accounts for about two thirds of all economic activity in the us.  the weaker than expected growth figure makes it less likely that the us federal reserve will raise interest rates next month  economists said.  the economy regained some traction in the third quarter  but the growth is not robust   ag edwards  thayer.  i think that means the fed can take its time raising rates. we ll probably see one more rate hike before the end of the year.  in an effort to pre-empt rising inflation  the federal reserve has pushed through three quarter-point rate rises since june this year  taking borrowing costs to 1.75%. on the financial markets  the dollar fell slightly against the euro and the yen  while the dow jones index of leading us shares was little changed.


britons fed up with net service a survey conducted by pc pro magazine has revealed that many britons are unhappy with their internet service.  they are fed up with slow speeds  high prices and the level of customer service they receive. 17% of readers have switched suppliers and a further 16% are considering changing in the near future. it is particularly bad news for bt  the uk s biggest internet supplier  with almost three times as many people trying to leave as joining.  a third of the 2 000 broadband users interviewed were fed up with their current providers but this could be just the tip of the iceberg thinks tim danton  editor of pc pro magazine.  we expect these figures to leap in 2005. every month the prices drop  and more and more people are trying to switch   he said. the survey found that bt and tiscali have been actively dissuading customers from leaving by offering them a lower price when they phone up to cancel their subscription. some readers were offered a price drop just 25p more expensive than that offered by an alternative operator  making it hardly worth while swapping.  other found themselves tied into 12-month contracts. broadband has become hugely competitive and providers are desperate to hold on to customers. 12% of those surveyed found themselves unable to swap at all.  we discovered a huge variety of problems  but one of the biggest issues is the current supplier withholding the information that people need to give to their new supplier   said tim danton  editor of pc pro.  this breaks the code of practice  but because that code is voluntary there s nothing we or ofcom can do to help   he said. there is a vast choice of internet service providers in the uk now and an often bewildering array of broadband packages. with prices set to drop even further in coming months mr danton advises everyone to shop around carefully.  if you just stick with your current connection then there s every chance you re being ripped off   he warned.


o gara revels in ireland victory ireland fly-half ronan o gara hailed his side s 19-13 victory over england as a  special  win.  the munster number 10 kicked a total of 14 points  including two drop goals  to help keep alive their grand slam hopes. he told bbc sport:  we made hard work of it but it s still special to beat england.  i had three chances to win the game but didn t. we have work to do after this but we never take a victory over england lightly.  ireland hooker shane byrne echoed o gara s comments but admitted the game had been england s best outing in the six nations. byrne said:  it was a really  really hard game but from one to 15 in our team we worked really  really hard.  we just had to stick to our defensive pattern  trust ourselves and trust those around us. all round it was fantastic.  ireland captain brian o driscoll  who scored his side s only try  said:  we are delighted  we felt if we performed well then we would win but with england also having played very well it makes it all the sweeter.  we did get the bounce of the ball and some days that happens and you ve just got to jump on the back of it.   ireland coach eddie o sullivan was surprised that england coach andy robinson said he was certain mark cueto was onside for a disallowed try just before the break.  andy was sitting two yards from me and i couldn t see whether he was offside or not so i don t know how andy could have known   said o sullivan.   what i do know is that england played well and when that happens it makes a very good victory for us.  we had to defend for long periods and that is all good for the confidence of the team.  i think our try was very well worked  it was a gem  as good a try as we have scored for a while.  o sullivan also rejected robinson s contention england dominated the forward play.  i think we lost one lineout and they lost four or five so i don t know how that adds up to domination   he said. o driscoll also insisted ireland were happy to handle the pressure of being considered favourites to win the six nations title.  this season for the first time we have been able to play with the favourites  tag   he said.  hopefully we have proved that today and can continue to keep doing so.  as for my try it was a move we had worked on all week. there was a bit of magic from geordan murphy and it was a great break from denis hickie.


software watching while you work software that can not only monitor every keystroke and action performed at a pc but also be used as legally binding evidence of wrong-doing has been unveiled.  worries about cyber-crime and sabotage have prompted many employers to consider monitoring employees. the developers behind the system claim it is a break-through in the way data is monitored and stored. but privacy advocates are concerned by the invasive nature of such software.  the system is a joint venture between security firm 3ami and storage specialists bridgehead software. they have joined forces to create a system which can monitor computer activity  store it and retrieve disputed files within minutes. more and more firms are finding themselves in deep water as a result of data misuse. sabotage and data theft are most commonly committed from within an organisation according to the national hi-tech crime unit (nhtcu) a survey conducted on its behalf by nop found evidence that more than 80% of medium and large companies have been victims of some form of cyber-crime. bridgehead software has come up with techniques to prove  to a legal standard  that any stored file on a pc has not been tampered with. ironically the impetus for developing the system came as a result of the freedom of information act  which requires companies to store all data for a certain amount of time.  the storage system has been incorporated into an application developed by security firm 3ami which allows every action on a computer to be logged. potentially it could help employers to follow the trail of stolen files and pinpoint whether they had been emailed to a third party  copied  printed  deleted or saved to cd  floppy disk  memory stick or flash card. other activities the system can monitor include the downloading of pornography  the use of racist or bullying language or the copying of applications for personal use. increasingly organisations that handle sensitive data  such as governments  are using biometric log-ins such as fingerprinting to provide conclusive proof of who was using a particular machine at any given time. privacy advocates are concerned that monitoring at work is not only damaging to employee s privacy but also to the relationship between employers and their staff.  that is not the case   said tim ellsmore  managing director of 3ami.  it is not about replacing dialogue but there are issues that you can talk through but you still need proof   he said.  people need to recognise that you are using a pc as a representative of a company and that employers have a legal requirement to store data   he added.


bookmakers back aviator for oscar the aviator has been tipped by uk bookmakers as the favourite to win the best film award at this year s oscars.  ray star jamie foxx is clear favourite in the best actor category while million dollar baby s hilary swank is tipped to win the best actress prize. bookmakers predict cate blanchett will be named best supporting actress. william hill and ladbrokes have given the aviator 4/9 and 8/13 odds of winning best film  with million dollar baby in second place at 9/4.  bet direct and bet 365 also tip the aviator  with the majority of bookmakers regarding finding neverland as the outsider. the aviator is also widely tipped to win the best director prize for martin scorsese. british star clive owen is second favourite at william hill to take the best supporting actor award  for his performance in closer. the favourite in that category is sideways star thomas hayden church. vera drake star imelda staunton has 5/1 odds of winning the best actress oscar at bet 365 and william hill  ahead of fellow uk star kate winslet who has odds of 25/1 at william hill.  mike leigh is the outsider in the best director category for vera drake  a position he holds jointly with ray s taylor hackford at bookmakers vc bet. this year s academy awards will be handed out in hollywood on 27 february. x factor judge sharon osbourne will present sky television s live coverage of the event. meanwhile  clive owen s best supporting actor nomination has led a bookmaker to shorten his odds of becoming the next james bond. he has moved from 4/1 to 5/2 favourite to play 007  with hugh jackman and ewan mcgregor joint second favourite.  clive owen s nomination has sparked a betting frenzy from james bond fans  who feel that his heightened global recognition will have done his chances of becoming the next bond a world of good   said william hill spokesman rupert adams.


rap feud in 50 cent s g-unit crew us rap star 50 cent has said he has thrown protege the game out of his g-unit gang in a feud that has apparently involved two shootings.  in a radio interview on monday  50 cent said the newcomer was disloyal in conflicts with other rappers. a man was shot in the thigh outside new york s hot 97 studios while 50 cent was on air. more shots were fired outside his management offices two hours later. 50 cent appeared on the game s debut album  which was number one in the us. 50 cent  whose second album is about to be released after his debut made him one of hip-hop s biggest stars  has been involved in recent rivalries with fellow artists including fat joe  nas and jadakiss.  he has claimed credit for the success of the game  who has become the hottest new star on the rap scene. both were drug dealers and were shot before turning to music.  in an interview with hot 97 on saturday  the game described some of 50 cent s rivals as  my friends  and said he would not turn on them.  nas is one of my friends  and jada s really a homie   he said.  50 s beef is 50 s beef and i really don t know where all this stems from.  when 50 cent appeared on the same station two days later  he said the game was no longer a member of g-unit.  every record he s selling is based on me being on his record with him   he said. when the shooting took place outside the studio  the interview was ended and the rapper was escorted out of the building by security personnel.  an unidentified 24-year-old los angeles man is stable with a gunshot wound to the upper thigh. police say the game s associates may have heard the interview and gone to the studio  where they confronted 50 cent s entourage. officers are also investigating a later shooting in which eight bullets were fired into the door of 50 cent s management company  violator. no arrests have been made in relation to either incident. 50 cent s second album  the massacre  is released on thursday  five weeks after the game s debut  documentary  went to number one.  elliott wilson  editor-in-chief of hip-hop magazine xxl  said the feud would boost publicity for 50 cent s release.  it helps him obviously in terms of exposure. you can t ask for better promotion   he said. but he added:  i think he s making more and more enemies.  you definitely feel like is he doing too much of a tupac spiral  like me against the world. you bring more people wanting to see you fail.  tupac shakur was shot dead in 1996.


industrial output falls in japan japanese industrial output fell in october while unemployment rose  casting further doubt on the strength of the country s economic recovery.  production dropped 1.6% in october  reflecting a decline in exports  while unemployment levels edged up 0.1% to 4.7%  slightly higher than forecast. the economy has grown for six quarters but growth slowed dramatically in the last quarter amid weaker global demand. japan s government remains optimistic due to strong domestic demand.  analysts had been forecasting a 0.1% rise in month on month industrial output.  according to figures from the ministry of economy  trade and industry (meti)  the decline was led by a fall in demand for electronic parts for mobile phones and digital televisions. although inventories fell 0.7% month on month  they were 36% higher than a year ago.  it s a sign that the economy s adjustment phase is stronger than expected   said takashi yamanaka  an economist with ufj bank. japan downgraded its overall economic assessment earlier this month for the first time in a year.  growth slowed to 0.3% in the quarter ending september 30  down from 6.3% in the first quarter of 2004. experts believe the economy -which stagnated for most of the 1990s -may be entering a softer patch on the back of rising oil prices and the falling dollar. japanese government officials played down the latest data  arguing that domestic consumer demand was still resilient.  the outlook for november is positive so i don t think one can say that conditions have worsened just because of the fall in october   said a meti official. despite the rise in unemployment  jobless figures are still some way below historical highs of recent years. the comparatively weak economic date preyed on shares with the nikkei down 1% in afternoon trade.


cebit opens to mobile music tune cebit  the world s largest hi-tech fair  has opened its doors in hanover for a look at the latest technologies for homes and businesses.  there are more than 6 000 exhibitors registered and about 500 000 visitors are expected to pass through the doors. third generation mobiles  the digital home and broadband are key themes at the show. camera phones will get better resolutions as vendors set out to prove that bigger is definitely better. samsung is set to steal some initial limelight with the launch of a 7-megapixel phone on the opening day.  the sch-v770 has some of the features of high-end digital single lens reflex cameras such as manual focus and the ability to attach a telephoto or wide-angle lens. camera phones are likely to prove an interesting battle ground at the show  said ben wood  principal analyst at research firm gartner.  it is firmly established that cameras are an integral part of phones and now the technology arms race is on in terms of megapixels. there will be a certain amount of  look how big mine is    he said. there will also be increasing focus on music-enabled mobiles.  at 3gsm in cannes everyone went music mad and music is going to be a big theme for all the vendors at cebit   said mr wood. sony ericsson will use the fair to show off the w800 - its recently unveiled walkman branded phone - and there is speculation that motorola may unveil its rokr handset  widely tipped as the first to carry apple s itunes music software. apple and motorola announced they were getting together at the end of last year as a result of a long-standing friendship between motorola s chief executive ed zander and steve jobs.  some analysts think motorola may save the launch for ctia  a wireless show in america the following week  which could be a telling sign about how operators are coming to view the german tech fair.   one of the interesting things is that cebit is clearly a show in decline   said mr wood.  a lot of the big players  such as nokia  are pulling back saying it is hard to justify a big presence at all of the shows. it could be the last big year for cebit   he said. other themes include tv-enabled mobiles which are bound to create a buzz in the halls as vodafone unveils a prototype handset that can show live digital television. there has been a glut of recent headlines about mobile tv - french operators are teaming up  o2 is trialling a system in oxford  uk  and nokia begins trialling a system in finland with the finnish broadcasting company  yle tv and commercial tv channels. cebit could become the battleground for the two competing methods for getting tv on to mobiles  and is also likely to provide a stage for a technology slated to compete with 3g. hsdpa (high speed downlink packet access) has been described as  3g on steroids  and could offer consumers much faster download times. for instance  a song which currently takes one and a half minutes to download to a phone could be done in 10 seconds. korean giants lg electronics and samsung will show off hsdpa handsets at the show and the technology is set to be rolled out in the us  europe and korea next year. broadband will continue to be a key theme at the show with internet telephony proving this year s killer application.  germany s largest online service provider  t-online  is tipped to reveal software for low-cost net telephony which would see it competing with its parent company deutsche telekom. cebit is used by many to unveil cutting edge products and in the mobile sphere this is likely to mean a lot of bright  colourful handsets as fashion continues to compete with technology when it comes to the device everyone has in their pockets. rainbow-coloured phones  influenced by handsets from japan  are just one example of how asian companies will stamp their mark on this year s show  at which they will have their biggest ever presence. cebit organisers have created a digital home in hall 25 of the 27 hangar-like buildings that will house the show.  the digital home will be a hyped theme at the show. the house will be totally wired and full of things that can be used for home entertainment   said cebit organiser gabriele dorries.


tokyo says deflation  controlled  the japanese government has forecast that the country s economic growth will slow to 1.6% in the next fiscal year starting in april 2005.  while it predicts this fall from the current 2.1% level  it said it was making progress on ending deflation. the figures were given by economics minister heizo takenaka who said the economy would grow by 2% in 2006/07. he said the consumer price index (cpi) would rise 0.1% in the next fiscal year  the first gain since 2000/01.  we are attempting to make real economic conditions better and to overcome deflation. i think we are on track   said mr takenaka. deflation - or falling consumer prices - has plagued japan for more than five years. to ease the problem the bank of japan has regularly flooded the money market with excess cash to keep short term interest rates at 0% in an attempt to spur economic activity.


ba to suspend two saudi services british airways is to halt its flights from london heathrow to jeddah and riyadh in saudi arabia from 27 march.  the airline said the decision was a commercial one due to reduced passenger demand for the services. ba currently operates four flights per week from heathrow to jeddah  and three weekly journeys to riyadh. it suspended flights to saudi arabia for three weeks in autumn 2003 after a government warning about a  threat to uk aviation interests in saudi arabia .  ba will now suspend the saudi flights - which it says will remain  under constant review  - from 27 march.  the decision to suspend flights between the uk and saudi arabia is a difficult one to make as we have enjoyed a long history of flying between the two countries   said ba director of commercial planning  robert boyle.  however  the routes don t currently make a profitable contribution to our business and we are unable to sustain them while this remains the case.  passengers with flights booked after the suspension date will be contacted by ba for alternative arrangements to be made.


nintendo adds media playing to ds nintendo is releasing an adapter for its ds handheld console so it can play music and video.  the add-on for the ds means people can download tv programmes  film clips or mp3 files to the adaptor and then play them back while on the move. the release of the media add-on is an attempt by the japanese games giant to protect its dominance of the handheld gaming market. nintendo said the media adapter will be available from february in japan.  the nintendo ds is the successor to the hugely successful gameboy handheld game console and went on sale in japan on 2 december. the ds has two screens  one of which is touch sensitive  and also has on-board a short-range wireless link that lets people play against each other.  the launch of the media adapter  and the attempt to broaden the appeal of the device  is widely seen as a response to the unveiling of the sony psp which was built as a multi-purpose media player and game gadget from the start. sony is thought to be preparing pre-packaged movies and music for the psp. the add-on will also work with the gameboy advance sp. nintendo dominates the handheld gaming console world thanks to successive versions of the gameboy. more than 28 million gameboy advance handhelds have been sold around the world. the dual-screen ds is also thought to be selling well with more than 2.5 million expected to be sold by the end of 2004. nintendo said it had no plans to sell the media adapter outside japan. when it goes on sale the adapter is expected to cost about 5000 yen (£25)  roughly the difference in price between the ds and the higher-priced sony psp.


deadline nears for fiat-gm deal fiat and general motors (gm) have until midnight on 1 february to settle a disagreement over a potential takeover.  the deadline marks the point at which fiat will gain the right to sell its car division to gm  part of an alliance agreed in 2000. gm  whose own european operations are losing money  no longer wants to own the unprofitable fiat unit. reports of deadlocked talks sent fiat shares down 1.2% on tuesday  after monday s 4% gain on hopes of a payoff. the us firm is thought to be offering about $2bn (£1.06bn) to extricate itself from the arrangement. it has argued the deal was voided by fiat s decision to sell off fiat s finance arm and halve gm s stake via a capital-raising effort.  the 2000 deal resulted from a race between gm and daimlerchrysler to ally with fiat. the german firm wanted to buy fiat outright. but gianni agnelli  the godfather of the group  wanted to keep control  and preferred gm s offer to buy a 20% stake and give fiat the right to sell in the future  known as a  put option . since then  however  fiat cars have lost market share and the firm has piled up losses  while a plan to raise new money in 2003 cut gm s stake in half to 10%. for its part  gm s european units opel and saab have both had trouble  with opel management threatening to cut 12 000 jobs.  the last thing they need is additional production capacity in europe   said patrick juchemich  auto analyst at sal oppenheim bank.


wilkinson return  unlikely  jonny wilkinson looks set to miss the whole of the 2005 rbs six nations.  england s world cup-winning fly-half said last week he was hoping to recover from his latest injury in time to play some role in the championship. but rob andrew  coach of wilkinson s club side newcastle  said that with only two games left to play wilkinson was unlikely to be fit in time.  it would be irresponsible to put him straight into a test match   andrew told the times. wilkinson is recovering from a knee injury which followed long-term neck and arm injuries. he has not played for england since the world cup final in november 2003  since when the stuttering world champions have lost nine of their 14 matches. wilkinson is aiming to make his third start to the season in the zurich premiership match against harlequins on 13 march.  that game is the day after england play italy in the six nations and six days before their final match of the championship against scotland.  we are hoping jonny will be ready in a fortnight  but it is touch and go   said andrew.  his recovery is going very well and the key now is how he is reintroduced to playing and with it goal-kicking.  he will probably have to come off the bench to start and it would be ridiculous and irresponsible to put him straight back into a test match.  we can t afford to get it wrong with a knee injury. we are in touch with england and they are relaxed about it.  despite not playing for england  wilkinson is still hoping to make the lions tour to new zealand this summer. lions coach sir clive woodward has not set a deadline for when wilkinson has to start playing again in order to be considered for selection.


german music in a  zombie  state the german music business - the third largest in the world - is  in the state of a zombie  because it has failed to respond to the challenge posed by downloading and piracy  a leading industry figure has said.  tim renner  the head of universal music germany until last year  told bbc world service s the music biz programme that the country s music industry was now struggling to survive. renner warned that unless the industry accepted  new realties  - such as downloading - its decline could become irreversible.  the problem the music industry has got is that they aren t willing to accept that the classic way of doing business is over and out   he stated.  so the music industry in its current form over here is pretty much in the state of a zombie.   the music market in germany peaked in 1997  with sales of 2.6bn euros (£1.8bn). since 2000  sales have plummeted to just 1.6bn euros (£1.1bn) in 2003. in the space of one year - between 2002 and 2003 - cd album sales fell by 13.8%. but a study by the society for consumer research found that at the same time  more than twice as many recordable cds had music recorded on them than cd albums were sold. mr renner pointed out that  because profit comes mainly from the longevity of a good-selling record  this was particularly damaging.   you need time   he added. however  peter zombic  the managing director of the international federation of phonographic industry in germany  said he did not feel the situation was as  dramatic  as mr renner believed.  it s quite true that we have severe problems in germany - but that s true in other parts of the world and in most developed markets too   he argued.  we have a severe problem with piracy  especially internet piracy  and we also have a severe problem of private copying.  i don t agree that the music industry lost control over the music market - in fact  especially in regard to germany talent  the market is quite successful.  he did  however  admit that copyright owners have  partly lost control of their copyright   due to piracy and copying.  but he refuted suggestions that the industry had been too slow to respond to digital downloading.  we were the first to implement a download service - back in 1997   he argued.  at that time it was not successful  because of the advent of piracy - it was the napster time  when p2p services became popular.  it still is quite difficult for the music industry to compete with a price that is zero as far as the illegal product is concerned.  mr zombic also called for a change to the perception in germany that private copying of music is not a problem. german law does allow people to make copies of cds for their family and close friends  without fear of breaking copyright. mr zombic said that this legal framework was a  huge problem .  there is a widespread attitude that private copying is a hobby  it s nice  it s fun   he added.  we try to make clear it s not nice and it s not fun - it s endangering the creativity in our country.


uefa approves fake grass uefa says it will allow european matches to be played on artificial pitches from the start of next season.  european football s governing body made the decision at a meeting of its executive committee on wednesday. uefa explained that the move  follows comprehensive studies into the sporting and medical aspects of using artificial playing surfaces.  they can be used subject to complying with uefa quality criteria but there use will not be made obligatory. luton  preston  queens park rangers and other clubs used to have plastic pitches during the the 1980s but  after a two-year study  uefa insists the surfaces have moved on. international matches can also be played on such pitches  although games at major tournaments have to be contested on grass. uefa spokesman rob faulkner said:  people in england have bad memories of the artificial pitches of luton and qpr in the 1980s  but the latest generation are completely different and are much more like grass.  we have sanctioned its use from the start of next season but only as long as it is the latest generation of artificial turf and meets a whole series of standards.  several leading clubs from scandinavia  russia and eastern europe - especially those who only play champions league or uefa cup matches in winter - are now expected to instal artificial pitches.


the producers scoops stage awards the producers has beaten mary poppins in the battle of the blockbuster west end musicals at the olivier awards.  the producers won three prizes at the uk s most prestigious annual theatre awards  while mary poppins won two. mel brooks  hit show triumphed in the battle for best new musical  where it was up against mary poppins and andrew lloyd webber s the woman in white. alan bennett s the history boys was the big winner in the straight theatre categories  picking up three trophies. but all eyes were on the musical prizes after the producers  mary poppins and the woman in white all had high-profile openings in the last six months.  the producers  nathan lane  a last-minute replacement for richard dreyfuss  beat his former co-star lee evans to win best musical actor. lane has already left the production. a smash hit on broadway before moving to london  the show also won best musical performance in a supporting role for conleth hill  who plays director roger debris. mary poppins  awards came for best choreography and best musical actress for its star laura michelle kelly. it led the nominations going into sunday s ceremony at london s hilton hotel  up for nine awards. both shows are stage adaptations of 1960s films. the history boys  set in a grammar school in the early 1980s and partly based on bennett s experiences as a teacher  was named best new play.  it also won best actor for richard griffiths  who beat his harry potter film co-star michael gambon  nominated for endgame  as well as jonathan pryce and ben whishaw. the play also won national theatre artistic director nicholas hytner best director and bennett got a special award for outstanding contribution to british theatre. dame judi dench  who starred in all s well that ends well at the gielgud  lost out in the best supporting role category to amanda harris  who played emilia in othello for the royal shakespeare company. the olivier awards have been handed out by the society of london since 1976.  - best lighting design - his dark materials designed by paule constable at the olivier   - best sound design - the woman in white designed by mick potter at the palace   - best new opera - lady macbeth of mtsensk at the royal opera house   - outstanding achievement in opera - thomas ades and the royal opera house for the world premiere of the tempest   - best costume design - all s well that ends well designed by deirdre clancy at the gielgud   - best revival - hamlet by william shakespeare at the old vic   - best set design - his dark materials designed by giles cadle at the olivier   - outstanding musical production - grand hotel at the donmar warehouse   - best supporting role in a musical - conleth hill for the producers at theatre royal  drury lane   - best theatre choreographer - matthew bourne and stephen mear for mary poppins at the prince edward   - best actor - richard griffiths for the history boys at the lyttelton   - outstanding achievement or performance in an affiliate theatre - andrew scott for a girl in a car with a man at the jerwood theatre upstairs at the royal court   - best new dance production - rambert dance company s swamp at sadler s wells   - outstanding achievement in dance - san francisco ballet for their season at sadler s wells   - best performance in a supporting role - amanda harris for othello at trafalgar studios   - best actress - clare higgins for hecuba at the donmar warehouse   - best musical actor - nathan lane for the producers at theatre royal  drury lane   - best musical actress - laura michelle kelly for mary poppins at the prince edward   - best director - nicholas hytner for the history boys at the lyttelton   - best new play - the history boys by alan bennett at the lyttelton   - best new musical - the producers at theatre royal  drury lane   - special award - alan bennett for his outstanding contribution to british theatre


fuming robinson blasts officials england coach andy robinson said he was  livid  after his side were denied two tries in sunday s 19-13 six nations loss to ireland in dublin.  mark cueto s first-half effort was ruled out for offside before the referee spurned tv replays when england crashed over in the dying minutes.  [i m] absolutely spitting. i m livid. there s two tries we ve been cost   robinson told bbc sport.  we ve got to go back to technology. i don t know why we didn t.  south african referee jonathan kaplan ruled that cueto was ahead of charlie hodgson when the fly-half hoisted his cross-field kick for the sale wing to gather.  kaplan then declined the chance to consult the fourth official when josh lewsey took the ball over the irish line under a pile of bodies for what could have been the game-winning try.  i think mark cueto scored a perfectly legal try and i think he should have gone to the video referee on josh lewsey   said robinson.  it is how we use the technology. it is there  and it should be used.   i am still trying to work out the cueto try. i have looked at both  and they both looked tries.  we are very disappointed  and this will hurt  there is no doubt about that.  we are upset now  but the referee is in charge and he has called it his way and we have got to be able to cope with that.   we did everything we could have done to win the game. i am very proud of my players and  with a couple of decisions  this could have been a very famous victory.  i thought we dominated. matt stevens had an awesome game at tighthead prop  while the likes of charlie hodgson  martin corry and lewis moody all came through well.  josh lewsey was awesome  and every one of the forwards stood up out there. given the pressure we were under  credit must go to all the players.  we have done everything but win a game of rugby  but ireland are a good side. they defended magnificently and they ve got every chance of winning this six nations.  england have lost their first three matches in this year s six nations and four out of their six games since robinson took over from sir clive woodward in september.


howard hits back at mongrel jibe michael howard has said a claim by peter hain that the tory leader is acting like an  attack mongrel  shows labour is  rattled  by the opposition.  in an upbeat speech to his party s spring conference in brighton  he said labour s campaigning tactics proved the tories were hitting home. mr hain made the claim about tory tactics in the anti-terror bill debate.  something tells me that someone  somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled   mr howard said. mr hain  leader of the commons  told bbc radio four s today programme that mr howard s stance on the government s anti-terrorism legislation was putting the country at risk. he then accused the tory leader of behaving like an  attack mongrel  and  playing opposition for opposition sake .  mr howard told his party that labour would  do anything  say anything  claim anything to cling on to office at all costs .  so far this year they have compared me to fagin  to shylock and to a flying pig. this morning peter hain even called me a mongrel.  i don t know about you  but something tells me that someone  somewhere out there is just a little bit rattled.  environment secretary margaret beckett rejected mr howard s comment  telling radio 4 s pm programme that labour was not  rattled .  we have a very real duty to try to get people to focus on michael howard s record  what the proposals are that he is trying to put forward to the country and also the many examples we are seeing now of what we believe is really poor judgement on his behalf.   mr howard said tory policies on schools  taxes  immigration and crime were striking a chord with voters.   since the beginning of this year - election year - we ve been making the political weather   he told the party conference. mr howard denied he had been  playing politics  by raising the case of margaret dixon  whose operation had been cancelled seven times  which grabbed headlines for the party two weeks ago. and he hit back at labour claims he had used mrs dixon as a  human shield .  she s not a human shield mr blair  she s a human being.  mr howard said his party plans for immigration quotas  which have also been the focus of much media coverage  were not  racist  - just  common sense .  he pledged cleaner hospitals and better school discipline  with a promise to get rid of  political correctness  in the national curriculum and give everyone to the same chance of a  decent  state education as he had.  i come from an ordinary family. if the teenage michael howard were applying to cambridge today  gordon brown would love me.   and he stressed his party s commitment to cut taxes and red tape and increase the basic state pension in line with earnings. he finished with a personal appeal to party activists to go out and win the next election.  one day you will be able to tell your children and grandchildren as i will tell mine   i was there. i did my bit. i played my part. i helped to win that famous election - the election that transformed our country for the better .  labour election co-ordinator alan milburn said:  michael howard s speech today confirms what we have always said - that his only strategy is opportunism but he has no forward vision for the country. in reference to the appearance of mr howard s family on the conference stage with him  mr milburn said:  michael howard is perfectly entitled to pose with his family today.  but it is the hard working families across britain that will be damaged by his plan to cut £35bn from public spending.


madagascar completes currency switch madagascar has completed the replacement of its malagasy franc with a new currency  the ariary.  from monday  all prices and contracts will have to be quoted in the ariary  which was trading at 1 893 to the us dollar. the malagasy franc  which lost almost half its value in 2004  is no longer legal tender but will remain exchangeable at banks until 2009. the phasing out of the franc  begun in july 2003  was intended to distance the country from its past under french colonial rule and address the problem of the large amount of counterfeit francs in circulation.  it s above all a question of sovereignty   reuters quoted a central bank official as saying.  it is symbolic of our independence from the old colonial ways. since we left the french monetary zone in 1973 we should have our own currency with its own name.  the ariary was the name of a pre-colonial currency in the indian ocean island state.


german business confidence slides german business confidence fell in february knocking hopes of a speedy recovery in europe s largest economy.  munich-based research institute ifo said that its confidence index fell to 95.5 in february from 97.5 in january  its first decline in three months. the study found that the outlook in both the manufacturing and retail sectors had worsened. observers had been hoping that a more confident business sector would signal that economic activity was picking up.   we re surprised that the ifo index has taken such a knock   said dz bank economist bernd weidensteiner.  the main reason is probably that the domestic economy is still weak  particularly in the retail trade.  economy and labour minister wolfgang clement called the dip in february s ifo confidence figure  a very mild decline . he said that despite the retreat  the index remained at a relatively high level and that he expected  a modest economic upswing  to continue.  germany s economy grew 1.6% last year after shrinking in 2003. however  the economy contracted by 0.2% during the last three months of 2004  mainly due to the reluctance of consumers to spend. latest indications are that growth is still proving elusive and ifo president hans-werner sinn said any improvement in german domestic demand was sluggish. exports had kept things going during the first half of 2004  but demand for exports was then hit as the value of the euro hit record levels making german products less competitive overseas. on top of that  the unemployment rate has been stuck at close to 10% and manufacturing firms  including daimlerchrysler  siemens and volkswagen  have been negotiating with unions over cost cutting measures. analysts said that the ifo figures and germany s continuing problems may delay an interest rate rise by the european central bank. eurozone interest rates are at 2%  but comments from senior officials have recently focused on the threat of inflation  prompting fears that interest rates may rise.


what price for  trusted pc security   you can now buy  trusted computers   but can we really trust the pc vendors  asks technology analyst bill thompson.  if you have recently bought an ibm thinkvantage computer  a dell optiplex  or one of a whole range of laptops from toshiba  hp/compaq or samsung then you may have got more for your money than you realised. inside your shiny new pc is an extra chip called the trusted platform module (tpm) that can be used for a range of hardware-based security features. eventually the tpm will be built into the main processor itself  and if the trusted computing group has its way then you will find one in every piece of hardware you own  from mobile phones to tv set top boxes to children s toys. but for the moment it is a separate piece of hardware  providing enhanced security features to programs that know how to use them. and as part of a well-designed network system  it can provide a lot more security than we enjoy today. a big advantage of the tpm is that it is hardware-based.  at the moment most of us rely on software to keep our information safe and secure. it might be password-protected user accounts  data encryption programs or a firewall  but it all relies on program code running on an inherently insecure processor.  hardware security is less common  even if it is a lot safer. this is partly because it is more expensive to give someone a smartcard than a password  but also because its more work for users  systems administrators and managers. as a result we settle for second best. so when it comes to computer security  trusted systems could be a major step forward. after all  if you have a laptop that will only run programs that have been digitally signed then it will be a lot harder for virus writers to get their malicious code to run. and if all your files are locked automatically then even if you get your computer stolen your personal data will be safeguarded. at the moment support for trusted hardware is not built into major operating systems. instead you have to use special software  like hp s protecttools or wave systems  embassy. this provides file encryption  password management and identity protection  usually for business users who connect to company networks. full support for the trusted computing specification will not be available from microsoft until the next release of windows   longhorn . this will include what microsoft  in a typical act of obscurantism  calls the  next generation secure computing base   and it will give user-level programs access to the trusted computing hardware. when that happens we can expect to see a lot of publicity around the new capabilities  and no doubt the windows security centre will encourage users to turn on their trusted computing capability just as they turn on their firewall. however there is a downside to the increased security from viruses  spyware and data theft that this will provide.  because the trusted computing base is also used to make digital rights management (drm) systems more secure  this will give content providers a lot more control over what we can do with music  movies and books that we have bought from them. we have seen recently how allowing digital rights management services into our lives can lead to unwelcome consequences. users of apple s itunes used to be able to stream the music they had brought to up to five other itunes users  a great way of letting your mates discover your music collection.  but the latest version of itunes limits this capability  just as an earlier upgrade reduced the number of times you could burn a selected playlist of purchased songs to a cd. another took away the ability to play songs downloaded from real s harmony service on your ipod. apple can do this because they wrote the software and they control the rights management. once it is embedded in trusted hardware it will be even harder for dedicated programmers to find their way around these restrictions and give us back the fair use rights that should be guaranteed under copyright law. similarly  users of tivo digital video recorders have found that they cannot record some shows  and other programmes that they have recorded are automatically deleted after a day. this happens because of changes that tivo have made to their software  and the users cannot control it. one wonders whether hardware-based drm will work for those who believe that locking-down digital content is a bad idea  and that the flexibility of copyright law is something that should be embraced and not taken away. it will not work because of the fundamental flaw at the heart of the system: in order for the purchaser to view the content it has to be unlocked. once it is unlocked then someone  somewhere  will figure out a way to make a copy of the unlocked version. and once an unlocked version leaks onto the network it will be uncontrollable. the efforts going into drm would be much better spent building efficient distribution services  finding business models that are based on trusting your customers  and offering high quality downloads at fair prices. what we want is not so much a trusted computing platform as a trusted customer platform. the record companies and the film industry need to recognise that most of us  most of the time  will pay a reasonable amount for good quality material. they will benefit more by building a market in which i can share songs with my friends  record shows i want to watch later  and burn cds for my kids; a market which respects the spirit of copyright law and does not seek to replace it by restrictive contracts or end user agreements. we need to ensure that trusted computing remains under the control of the users and is not used to take away the freedoms we enjoy today.  bill thompson is a regular commentator on the bbc world service programme go digital.


eu  too slow  on economic reforms most eu countries have failed to put in place policies aimed at making europe the world s most competitive economy by the end of the decade  a report says.  the study  undertaken by the european commission  sought to assess how far the eu has moved towards meeting its economic targets. in 2000  eu leaders at a summit in lisbon pledged the european economy would outstrip that of the us by 2010. their economic targets became known as the lisbon agenda. but the commission report says that  in most eu countries  the pace of economic reform has been too slow  and fulfilling the lisbon ambitions will be difficult - if not impossible.  only the uk  finland  belgium  denmark  ireland and the netherlands have actually followed up policy recommendations. among the biggest laggards  according to the report  are greece and italy. the lisbon agenda set out to increase the number of people employed in europe by encouraging more older people and women to stay in the workforce. it also set out to raise the amount the private sector spends on research and development  while bringing about greater discipline over public spending and debt levels. combined with high environmental standards and efforts to level the playing field for businesses throughout the eu  the plan was for europe to become the world s most dynamic economy by 2010. next week  the commission will present revised proposals to meet the lisbon goals. many people expect the 2010 target to be quietly dropped.


new york rockers top talent poll new york electro-rock group the bravery have come top of the bbc news website s sound of 2005 poll to find the music scene s most promising new act.  the bravery  who have been compared to the cure and new order  were the most heavily-tipped act in the survey of 110 impartial critics and broadcasters. rock band keane won sound of 2004 while us rapper 50 cent topped sound of 2003. other new artists in this year s list include london indie group bloc party at second and uk rapper kano third. the bravery played their first gig in 2003 and have since supported bands including the libertines  interpol and echo and the bunnymen.  they were the subject of a record company bidding war in 2004 and their debut single  unconditional  caused a huge buzz when it was released in the uk in november. singer sam endicott said he felt  great  about coming top of the sound of 2005 list.  anyone that says they don t want a zillion screaming fans is a jackass  a liar   he said. one of the experts to tip the bravery was the times  music critic paul connolly  who said they were  spiky but in love with pop . chris hawkins  host of bbc 6 music s chart show  said the band had  great guitars and a mastery of the electro-clash sound .  the bravery are proof alone that new york city is still home to hot new talent   he said. nigel harding  head of music at london rock radio station xfm  said every track from their live set  sounded like a potential single .  unconditional reached the summit of the station s listeners  chart within a fortnight of its first play  which mr harding described as  an unheard of achievement for a debut single .  q magazine reviews editor ted kessler said they were  pretty-boy new york clothes horses  with  an unusually nimble ear for concise  yearning pop in the mould of duran duran or the strokes . other pundits to take part in the survey included bbc radio 1 dj trevor nelson  nme editor conor mcnicholas  top of the pops presenter fearne cotton  glastonbury organiser emily eavis and bbc radio 2 music editor colin martin. elsewhere on the top 10  second-placed rock band bloc party began their rise after supporting franz ferdinand and uk garage mc kano  in third  is signed to the streets  record label. us rapper the game is hip-hop great dr dre s latest protege while leeds group kaiser chiefs came fifth with a promise to lead a britpop revival. in last year s survey  keane were followed by franz ferdinand  razorlight and joss stone in the top five - all of whom were virtually unknown outside the music industry at that point.  boy band mcfly were sixth while scissor sisters  who had the uk s best-selling album of 2004  were seventh. in the survey  the pundits were asked for tips for three acts they thought were capable of reaching the top in their chosen genre  either in terms of sales or critical acclaim. the artists could be from any country and any musical genre  but must not have had a uk top 20 single  been a contestant on a tv talent show or already be famous for doing something else  such as a soap actor. those tips were then counted and compiled to make the top 10.


blair says mayor should apologise tony blair has urged london mayor ken livingstone to apologise for his  nazi  comment to a jewish reporter.  labour s mr livingstone  who says he is  standing by  his remarks  had accused an evening standard journalist of being like a  concentration camp guard . mr blair told five s wright stuff show:  let s just apologise and move on.  mr livingstone has said the remarks may have been offensive but were not racist  and said he would not apologise even if the prime minister asked.  mr blair  who was instrumental in returning mr livingstone to the labour party  insisted on wednesday it was time for the london mayor to say sorry.   a lot of us in politics get angry with journalists from time to time  but in the circumstances  and to the journalist because he was a jewish journalist  yes  he should apologise   he said.  let s just apologise and move on - that s the sensible thing.  tory leader michael howard  asked about mr livingstone s remark by reporters  said it was important for politicians to be mindful about the language they use.  it s particularly important that as we get close to the election that politicians talk with civility and courtesy about issues that we all face   he said.  i think it s a matter of sadness that we are not seeing that from the labour party. we had what ken livingstone said  we had what alastair campbell has said and we have what others have said. i think that s a matter of great regret.   the row blew up after mr livingstone was approached by evening standard reporter oliver finegold following a party marking the 20th anniversary of former culture secretary chris smith coming out as britain s first gay mp. on tape  mr livingstone  who once worked as a freelance restaurant critic on the paper  is heard asking mr finegold if he is a  german war criminal .  mr finegold replies:  no  i m jewish  i wasn t a german war criminal. i m quite offended by that.  the mayor then says:  ah right  well you might be  but actually you are like a concentration camp guard  you are just doing it because you are paid to  aren t you   at his weekly press conference on tuesday  mr livingstone said his comments were not racist and refused to apologise.  if you think they are racist  i think you are wrong   he told reporters. the dispute comes as an inspection team from the international olympic committee began a four-day tour to assess london s bid for the 2012 games. an official complaint has been made to local government watchdogs by the british jews  demanding an investigation by the standards board of england. it has the power to suspend or bar mr livingstone from public office.


springer criticises opera musical talk show host jerry springer  whose programme inspired the controversial opera shown by the bbc  has said he would not have written it himself.  the bbc received 47 000 complaints before the musical was broadcast  and protesters demonstrated outside bbc buildings across the uk. springer helped launch the west end show and attended the opening night.  i wouldn t have written it. i don t believe in making fun of other religions   he said.  the tv host said he understood how people could have thought the musical had gone too far.  you know  on our tv show if people use inappropriate language we bleep it out  if there s nudity we cover it up  so that viewers at home don t get to see any of this   he said.  asked whether he thought the bbc should have screened the controversial musical he said:  i don t know if they should have had it on television but  good lord  if you don t like what s on television  that s why god gave us remote controls.  my show is about dysfunctional people and i defy anyone to watch the show and suggest to me the people on it aren t to some degree dysfunctional.    if i did a show about the war in iraq  it wouldn t make me a warmonger  i would just be doing my job to report on the war.  in the case of my show  it s my job to report on the dysfunctions that take place in society.  the british-born presenter is in london to speak at a fundraising dinner for the united jewish israel appeal. the dinner  on tuesday  is expected to be attended by more than 800 guests.


capriati out of australian open jennifer capriati has become the third leading lady to withdraw from the australian open because of injury.  the organisers of the first grand slam of 2005  which begins on 17 january  said the american has a problem with her right shoulder. it comes as a blow to the women s draw as last year s champion  justin henin-hardenne  and runner-up  kim clijsters  will also be absent. capriati is a two-time champion in melbourne with wins in 2001 and 2002. she is believed to have picked up the injury at the advanta championships at philadelphia in november and had to pull out of an exhibition match with wimbledon champion maria sharapova on 17 december. capriati also decided against competing in the australian open warm-up event  the sydney international.


england 17-18 france england suffered an eighth defeat in 11 tests as scrum-half dimitri yachvili booted france to victory at twickenham.  two converted tries from olly barkley and josh lewsey helped the world champions to a 17-6 half-time lead. but charlie hodgson and barkley missed six penalties between them  while yachvili landed six for france to put the visitors in front. england could have won the game with three minutes left  but hodgson pushed an easy drop goal opportunity wide. it was a dismal defeat for england  coming hard on the heels of an opening six nations loss in wales. they should have put the game well beyond france s reach  but remarkably remained scoreless for the entire second half. a scrappy opening quarter saw both sides betray the lack of confidence engendered by poor opening displays against wales and scotland respectively. hodgson had an early opportunity to settle english nerves but pushed a straightforward penalty attempt wide. but a probing kick from france centre damien traille saw mark cueto penalised for holding on to the ball in the tackle  yachvili giving france the lead with a kick from wide out.  france twice turned over england ball at the breakdown early on as the home side struggled to generate forward momentum  one ben kay charge apart. a spell of tit-for-tat kicking emphasised the caution on both sides  until england refused a possible three points to kick a penalty to the corner  only to botch the subsequent line-out. but england made the breakthrough after 19 minutes  when a faltering move off the back of a scrum led to the opening try. jamie noon took a short pass from barkley and ran a good angle to plough through yann delaigue s flimsy tackle before sending his centre partner through to score at the posts.  hodgson converted and added a penalty after one of several french infringements on the floor for a 10-3 lead. the fly-half failed to dispense punishment though with a scuffed attempt after france full-back pepito elhorga  scragged by lewsey  threw the ball into touch. barkley also missed two longer-range efforts as the first half drew to a close  but by then england had scored a second converted try. after a series of phases lock danny grewcock ran hard at the french defence and off-loaded out of sylvain marconnet s tackle to lewsey. the industrious wing cut back in on an angle and handed off hooker sebastien bruno to sprint over. after a dire opening to the second half  france threw on three forward replacements in an attempt to rectify the situation  wing jimmy marlu having already departed injured. yachvili nibbled away at the lead with a third penalty after 51 minutes.  and when lewis moody was twice penalised - for handling in a ruck and then straying offside - the scrum-half s unerring left boot cut the deficit to two points. barkley then missed his third long-range effort to increase the tension. and after seeing another attempt drop just short  yachvili put france ahead with his sixth penalty with 11 minutes left.  england sent on ben cohen and matt dawson  and after barkley s kick saw christophe dominici take the ball over his own line  the stage was set for a victory platform. but even after a poor scrummage  hodgson had the chance to seal victory but pushed his drop-goal attempt wide. england threw everything at the french in the final frantic moments  but the visitors held on for their first win at twickenham since 1997.  j robinson (capt); m cueto  j noon  o barkley  j lewsey; c hodgson  h ellis; g rowntree  s thompson  p vickery; d grewcock  b kay; j worsley  l moody  m corry.  a titterrell  a sheridan  s borthwick  a hazell  m dawson  h paul  b cohen.  p elhorga; c dominici  b liebenberg  d traille  j marlu; y delaigue  d yachvili; s marconnet  s bruno  n mas; f pelous (capt)  j thion  s betsen  j bonnaire  s chabal.  w servat  j milloud  g lamboley  y nyanga  p mignoni  f michalak  j-p grandclaude.  paddy o brien (new zealand)


england coach faces rap after row england coach andy robinson is facing disciplinary action after criticising referee jonathan kaplan in his side s six nations defeat to ireland.  the rugby football union (rfu) will investigate robinson after deciding not to lodge a complaint against kaplan. robinson may even have to apologise for his comments in order to avoid sanction from the international rugby board. robinson had said he was  livid  about kaplan s decisions on saturday to disallow two england  tries.  the england coach went on to claim that  only one side was refereed .  after reviewing tapes of the match  the rfu decided not to formally complain to the irb over the standard of kaplan s refereeing. instead the rfu said in a statement they would   set out any concerns the england team management may have in a confidential manner .  an irb spokesman said on the matter:  we take all breaches of the code very seriously.  should the rfu resolve the issue to our satisfaction  as happened last month when the scotland coach matt williams apologised for remarks made  it would be the end of the matter.   kaplan has vigorously defended his performance in england s 19-13 defeat at landsdowne road and admitted he was  very disappointed  with robinson s remarks. and the south african has been appointed to take charge of scotland s match against wales on 13 march.  the rfu recently fined northampton coach budge pountney £2 000 and imposed a six-week ban for his criticism of referee steve lander after a premiership match.


how to make a gigapixel picture the largest digital panoramic photo in the world has been created by researchers in the netherlands.  the finished image is 2.5 billion pixels in size - making it about 500 times the resolution of images produced by good consumer digital cameras. the huge image of delft was created by stitching together 600 single snaps of the dutch city taken at a fixed spot. if printed out in standard 300 dots per inch resolution  the picture would be 2.5m high and 6m long.  the researchers have put the image on a website which lets viewers explore the wealth of detail that it captures. tools on the page let viewers zoom in on the city and its surroundings in great detail. the website is already proving popular and currently has more than 200 000 visitors every day.  the image was created by imaging experts from the dutch research and technology laboratory tno which created the 2.5 gigapixel photo as a summer time challenge.  the goal of the project was to be one of the first groups to make gigapixel images. the first image of such a size was manually constructed by us photographer max lyons in november 2003. that image portrayed bryce canyon national park  in utah  and was made up of 196 separate photographs. the panorama of delft is a little staid in contrast to the dramatic rockscape captured in mr lyons  image.  he did it all by hand  which was an enormous effort  and we got the idea that if you use automatic techniques  it would be feasible to build a larger image   said jurgen den hartog  one of the tno researchers behind the project.  we were not competing with mr lyons  but it started as a lunchtime bet.   the dutch team used already available technologies  although it had to upgrade them to be able to handle the high-resolution image.   we had to rewrite almost all the tools   me den hartog told the bbc news website.  all standard windows viewers available would not be able to load such a large image  so we had to develop one ourselves.  the 600 component pictures were taken on july 2004 by a computer-controlled camera with a 400 mm lens. each image was made to slightly overlap so they could be accurately arranged into a composite. the stitching process was also done automatically using five powerful pcs over three days. following the success of this project  and with promises of help from others  the tno team is considering creating a full 360-degree panoramic view of another dutch city  with even higher resolution.


o sullivan quick to hail italians ireland coach eddie o sullivan heaped praise on italy after seeing his side stutter to a 28-17 victory in rome.   it was a hell of a tough game   said o sullivan.  we struggled in the first half because we hadn t the football.  italy played really well. they handled the ball well in terms of kicking it  if that s not an oxymoron.  we said before the game that it might take until 10 minutes from the end for this game to be won  and that s how it turned out.  ireland struggled to cope with italy s fierce start and were indebted to skipper brian o driscoll  who set up tries for geordan murphy and peter stringer.  we had our first attack in the italian half after 22 minutes   said o sullivan.  we had a good return  with three first-half possessions in their half and we scored twice.  the second half was about spending more time in their half.  scrum-half peter stringer was also glad that ireland escaped wtih a victory.  all credit to them   he told bbc sport.  we knew it would be tough coming to rome. they always give us a tough game here and they showed a lot of spirit.  they had a lot of ball in the first half but we got a few scores when we got into their 22.