talks aim to avert pension strike talks aimed at averting a series of national strikes over pensions reforms will take place this weekend.  five public sector unions will hold private talks with deputy prime minister john prescott at labour s spring conference in gateshead. they want the government to withdraw regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65. up to 1.4m workers could take part in a strike already earmarked for 23 march. however  all sides are anxious to avoid a major confrontation in the run up to the general election  said bbc labour affairs correspondent stephen cape. in four days  britain s biggest union unison will start balloting 800 000 local government workers on strikes. other public sector unions have pledged to follow. it is just weeks before new regulations are introduced to raise the pension age of local government workers.  the five unions meeting mr prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations. this would allow months of tough negotiations to follow  said our correspondent. but a spokesman for mr prescott warned that the changes to the local government pension scheme would have to go ahead in april. privately ministers believe this will be the  less painful  option  our correspondent added. the public and commercial services union (pcs) will co-ordinate any industrial action with up to six other public sector unions. pcs leader mark serwotka warned last week that there could be further walkouts unless there was a government rethink.  for a government that lectures everyone on choice - choice on public service  choice on this and choice on that - isn t it ironic that they re saying to public sector workers there is no choice   he said.  if you want the pension you were promised when you started you must work for an extra five years - that is working until people drop.  in the 20th century  it s completely unacceptable.   unison s 800 000 workers  the transport and general workers  union s 70 000 and amicus  20 000 are among those being balloted about a 23 march walkout. mr prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures last week. it is understood no deal was offered in that meeting but there was room for further negotiations.


yukos heading back to us courts russian oil and gas company yukos is due in a us court on thursday as it continues to fight for its survival.  the firm is in the process of being broken up by russian authorities in order to pay a $27bn (£14bn) tax bill. yukos filed for bankruptcy in the us  hoping to use international business law to halt the forced sale of its key oil production unit  yuganskneftegas. the unit was however sold for $9.4bn to state oil firm rosneft but only after the state auction had been disrupted.  yukos lawyers now say the auction violated us bankruptcy law. the company and its main shareholders have vowed to go after any company that buys its assets  using all and every legal means. the company wants damages of $20bn  claiming yuganskneftegas was sold at less than market value. judge letitia clark will hear different motions  including one from deutsche bank to throw out the chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. the german lender is one of six banks that were barred from providing financing to gazprom  the russian state-owned company that was expected to win the auction for yuganskneftegas. deutsche bank  which is also an advisor to gazprom  has called on the us court to overturn its decision to provide yukos with bankruptcy protection.  lifting the injunction would remove the uncertainty that surrounds the court case and clarify deutsche bank s business position  analysts said.  analysts are not optimistic about yukos  chances in court. russian president vladimir putin and the country s legal authorities have repeatedly said that the us has no jurisdiction over yukos and its legal wranglings. on top of that  the firm only has limited assets in the us. yukos has won small victories  however  and is bullish about its chances in court.  do we have an ability to influence what happens  we think we do   said mike lake  a yukos spokesman.  the litigation risks are real   said credit suisse first boston analyst vadim mitroshin the dispute with the russian authorities is partly driven by president putin s clampdown on the political ambitions of ex-yukos boss mikhail khodorkovsky. mr khodorkovsky is in jail on charges of fraud and tax evasion.


slater to star in broadway play actor christian slater is stepping into the role of tom in the broadway revival of the glass menagerie.  slater  35  is replacing actor dallas roberts in the tennessee williams drama  which opens next month. no reason was given for roberts  departure. the role will be played by understudy joey collins until slater joins the show. slater won rave reviews for his recent performance in one flew over the cuckoo s nest in london s west end.  he has also starred in a number of films  including heathers  robin hood: prince of thieves and more recently churchill: the hollywood years. preview performances of the glass menagerie will begin at new york s ethel barrymore theatre on thursday. philip rinaldi  a spokesman for the show  said the play s 15 march opening date remains unchanged. the revival  directed by david leveaux  will also star jessica lange as the domineering mother  amanda wingfield.


mps  murder sentence concern murder sentences should not be reduced automatically simply because of a guilty plea  says a new mps  report.  the influential commons home affairs committee was responding to sentencing guidelines issued this summer. the mps also call for tougher sentences for crimes committed under the influence of drink or drugs. they say the influence of drugs and alcohol should be introduced as an aggravating factor when judges and magistrates sentence offenders. committee chairman john denham said drugs of alcohol were sometimes used as an excuse.   the committee believes that these arguments should be rejected by sentencers and that being under their influence should instead be an aggravating factor.  at present judges  when sentencing murderers to the mandatory life sentence  can reduce the tariff - the minimum term they must serve - if the defendant pleads guilty. but although they are spared the ordeal of a trial many murder victims  relatives are unhappy. in july this year amanda champion s killer  james ford  pleaded guilty to her murder and was jailed for at least 15 years - it would have been longer had he denied the charge.  amanda s uncle  lewis champion  told the bbc news website ford did not deserve any credit for his plea  saying:  nothing at all is worth taking five years off a murder sentence.  mps criticised home secretary david blunkett last year for introducing last-minute rules allowing reduced sentences for murderers who pleaded guilty.  the measures passed into law virtually unnoticed after mr blunkett introduced them at a late stage of the criminal justice bill.  as a result  says the committee  the government may need to re-legislate to  remove ambiguity  over how murderers should be sentenced. it is also calling on the senior judge in england and wales  lord woolf  to abandon draft guidelines he proposed in september to reduce sentences of murderers who plead guilty. the committee said the plans had not reflected the  public disquiet  expressed over the possibility of significantly reduced prison terms for murderers. lord woolf s sentencing guidelines council (sgc) caused further controversy by suggesting a one third discount off sentences for early guilty pleas in all types of crime. as a result murderers who face a 15-year tariff could get five years knocked off if they give themselves up to the police.  mr denham believes the sgc should reconsider its proposals to reflect parliament s wish that murder should be treated as a separate and especially grave category of offence. he said:  we want to see sentencers advised that in the case of murder  reduction in sentence for a guilty plea should not normally be granted in addition to reductions for other mitigating circumstances.  but a spokesman for the home office defended the proposals. he said:  by making express provision for murder tariffs in the criminal justice act  parliament sent a clear signal that it expects murder to be treated differently to other offences.  we stand by the provisions in the act that cover guilty plea discounts  which have potential benefits for victims and witnesses of avoiding the trauma of a trial.   shadow home secretary david davis echoed criticisms of the way mr blunkett introduced the murder tariff rules.  there is genuine concern about potential reductions in murder sentences - such action sends out the wrong signals to violent criminals and completely undermines the government s claim to be tough on crime   he said. but liberal democrat spokesman mark oaten warned the mps  committee that binding judges too much might look like political interference.  the danger of having a prescriptive approach is that whilst every murder is awful  it is also different   he told bbc news.


iranian mps threaten mobile deal turkey s biggest private mobile firm could bail out of a $3bn ($1.6bn) deal to build a network in iran after mps there slashed its stake in the project.  conservatives in parliament say turkcell s stake in irancell  the new network  should be cut from 70% to 49%. they have already given themselves a veto over all foreign investment deals  following allegations about turkish firms  involvement in israel. turkcell now says it may give up on the deal altogether.  iran currently has only one heavily congested mobile network  with long waiting lists for new subscribers. turkcell signed a contract for the new network in september. the new operator planned to offer subscriptions for about $180  well below the existing firm s $500 price tag. but a parliamentary commission has now ruled that turkcell s 70% controlling stake is too high. they say that turkcell is a security risk because of alleged business ties with israel. parliament as a whole - dominated by religious conservatives - will vote on the ruling on tuesday.  turkcell said the ruling would  make more difficult... turkcell s financial consolidation of irancell  because its stake would be reduced to less than 50%.  if management control and financial consolidation of irancell cannot be achieved... the realisation of the project will become risky   it warned in a statement. the firm has refused to comment on whether it has business dealings in israel  although like almost all gsm operators worldwide it has an interconnection deal with israeli networks so that its customers can use their phones there. the two countries strengthened ties in both defence and economic issues in 2004. israeli industry minister ehud olmert was reported in june to have attended a meeting between ruhi dogusoy  turkcell s chief operating officer  and executives from israeli telecoms firms. telecoms is one of two areas specifically targeted by the new veto law on foreign investments  passed earlier in september. the other is airports  a source of controversy after the army closed tehran s new imam khomeini international airport on its opening day in may 2004. again  the allegation was that the part-turkish tav consortium which built and ran it had links with israel.


astrazeneca hit by drug failure shares in anglo-swedish drug have closed down 8% in uk trade after the failure of its iressa drug in a major clinical trial.  the lung cancer drug did not significantly prolong survival in patients with the disease. this setback for the group follows the rejection by the us in october of its anti-coagulant pill exanta. meanwhile  another of its major money spinners - cholesterol drug crestor - is facing mounting safety concerns.  this would be two of the three blockbuster drugs that were meant to power the company forward failing... and we ve got risks on crestor   said nick turner  analyst at brokers jefferies.  astrazeneca had hoped to pitch its iressa drug against rival medicine tarceva. but iressa proved no better than a placebo in extending lives in the trial involving 1 692 patients. tarceva - made by osi pharmaceuticals  genentech and roche - has already proved to be successful in helping prolong the life of lung cancer patients. aztrazeneca has now appointed a new executive director to the board. john patterson will be in charge of drug development. the company said mr patterson would make  substantial changes to the clinical organisation and its processes .  i am determined to improve our development and regulatory performance  restore confidence in the company and value to shareholders   said chief executive tom mckillop.


whitehall shredding increasing - tories civil servants have drastically stepped up the shredding of official documents  figures compiled by the tories suggest.  some government departments had doubled the number of documents being shredded ahead of the freedom of information act s implementation on 1 january. departments for defence  environment and trade  which had all increased file destruction  said they were following rules governing public records. but the tories want the information commissioner to investigate. the freedom of information act will for the first time give members of the public access to government records previously kept secret for 30 years. but bbc political correspondent james hardy said the prospect of outsiders poking their noses into the inner workings of whitehall appeared to be causing jitters among the mandarins.  liberal democrat alan beith - who chairs the select committee which monitors the department of constitutional affairs - said if the claims were true  whitehall was  acting entirely against the spirit of the new act .  both the information commissioner and the select committee will have to keep this issue under very close scrutiny.  fellow lib dem norman baker said the episode painted an  unflattering picture of the inner workings of government .  it is clear that the government s initial enthusiasm for open government has turned to self-serving cynicism.  dr julian lewis  the conservative spokesman for the cabinet office  said he had discovered a huge acceleration in shredding from a series of parliamentary answers.  the department of work and pensions destroyed nearly 37 000 files last year - up 22 000 on four years ago when the act was passed. the number of files destroyed by the ministry of defence and the departments of environment  food and rural affairs and trade and industry has also risen dramatically. dr lewis has called for an investigation by the information commissioner richard thomas. earlier this week  mr thomas said he was looking into cabinet office orders telling staff to delete e-mails more than three months old. he said he  totally condemned  the deletion of e-mails to prevent their disclosure under freedom of information laws coming into force on 1 january.  government guidance said e-mails should only be deleted if they served  no current purpose   mr thomas said. a cabinet office spokeswoman said the move was not about the new laws or  the destruction of important records . the freedom of information act will cover england  wales and northern ireland from next year. similar measures are being brought in at the same time in scotland. it provides the public with a right of access to information held by about 100 000 public bodies  subject to various exemptions.


cup holders man utd visit everton holders manchester united and premiership leaders chelsea both face difficult away ties against premiership opposition in the fa cup fifth round.  united were drawn against everton  while chelsea face a trip to newcastle. brentford and hartlepool - the only sides left from outside the top two divisions - will replay for the right to travel to southampton. burnley s reward for a place in the last 16 was a home tie against lancashire rivals blackburn. the tie between manchester united and everton could see the return of teenage striker wayne rooney to his former club for the first time since his acrimonious £27m move.  nottingham forest boss gary megson could face a trip back to old club west brom if they come through their fourth-round replay against tottenham. arsenal were handed a potential home tie against fellow londoners west ham  providing the hammers come through their replay against sheffield united. charlton will play leicester and bolton await the winners of the derby-fulham replay.  : bolton v derby or fulham  west bromwich albion or tottenham v nottingham forest  everton v manchester united  charlton athletic v leicester city  burnley v blackburn  southampton v brentford or hartlepool  newcastle v chelsea  arsenal v west ham or sheffield united  ties to be played on 19/20 february.


jones medals  must go if guilty  world anti-doping agency (wada) chief dick pound says marion jones should be stripped of all her medals if found guilty of taking banned substances.  victor conte  of balco laboratories  claims the american sprinter regularly used drugs to enhance her performance.  if she is found guilty she should be stripped of all her medals and banned for two years   said pound. asked if there was a timescale as to what medals could be taken  pound said:  that is not an issue at all.  however  under international olympic committee (ioc) rules  athletes can only be stripped of their medals if caught within three years of the event. jones  who won five medals at the 2000 olympics  denies using drugs and says she will take legal action over conte s allegations. balco laboratories is the firm at the centre of a wide-reaching investigation into doping in the us. pound continued:  if she has indeed taken drugs it is going to be a big disappointment for a lot of people.


tories pledge free sports lessons children would be offered two hours  free sports training a week by a future tory government  the party has said.  the club2school policy would provide up to £250m yearly for local sports clubs in the uk to deliver after-school sport. the extra coaching would be funded by the national lottery and would come on top of the two hours of sport a week children are supposed to get in school. shadow home secretary david davis said five million children were being denied adequate sporting opportunities.  the plans would help tackle the  fastest growing rate of obesity in the developed world   he said. shadow sports minister lord moynihan said the policy would empower local clubs and create a lasting legacy.  we aim to shift the emphasis on after-school sport provision away from our overstretched teachers and schools directly in to the 151 000 sports clubs in the uk.  the tories say labour s plans to give all children two hours of sports lessons a week in schools have failed. government figures show that in england in 2002 only a third of schools at key stages 1  3 and 4 and two-fifths of schools at key stage 2  met that target. the tories also claim that of the £750m the prime minister pledged in 2000 to invest on school sports facilities  only £41m had been spent. but the big lottery fund has said that complex capital projects are involved - and it was confident the money would all be allocated by next year as intended.


looks and music to drive mobiles mobile phones are still enjoying a boom time in sales  according to research from technology analysts gartner.  more than 674 million mobiles were sold last year globally  said the report  the highest total sold to date. the figure was 30% more than in 2003 and surpassed even the most optimistic predictions  gartner said. good design and the look of a mobile  as well as new services such as music downloads  could go some way to pushing up sales in 2005  said analysts. although people were still looking for better replacement phones  there was evidence  according to gartner  that some markets were seeing a slow-down in replacement sales.   all the markets grew apart from japan which shows that replacement sales are continuing in western europe   mobile analyst carolina milanesi told the bbc news website.  japan is where north america and western european markets can be in a couple of years  time.  they already have tv  music  ringtones  cameras  and all that we can think of on mobiles  so people have stopped buying replacement phones.   but there could be a slight slowdown in sales in european and us markets too  according to gartner  as people wait to see what comes next in mobile technology. this means mobile companies have to think carefully about what they are offering in new models so that people see a compelling reason to upgrade  said gartner. third generation mobiles (3g) with the ability to handle large amounts of data transfer  like video  could drive people into upgrading their phones  but ms milanesi said it was difficult to say how quickly that would happen.  at the end of the day  people have cameras and colour screens on mobiles and for the majority of people out there who don t really care about technology the speed of data to a phone is not critical.  nor would the rush to produce two or three megapixel camera phones be a reason for mobile owners to upgrade on its own. the majority of camera phone models are not at the stage where they can compete with digital cameras which also have flashes and zooms.  more likely to drive sales in 2005 would be the attention to design and aesthetics  as well as music services. the motorola razr v3 phone was typical of the attention to design that would be more commonplace in 2005  she added. this was not a  women s thing   she said  but a desire from men and women to have a gadget that is a form of self-expression too. it was not just about how the phone functioned  but about what it said about its owner.  western europe has always been a market which is quite attentive to design   said ms milanesi.   people are after something that is nice-looking  and together with that  there is the entertainment side.  this year music will have a part to play in this.  the market for full-track music downloads was worth just $20 million (£10.5 million) in 2004  but is set to be worth $1.8 billion (£94 million) by 2009  according to juniper research. sony ericsson just released its walkman branded mobile phone  the w800  which combines a digital music player with up to 30 hours  battery life  and a two megapixel camera. in july last year  motorola and apple announced a version of itunes online music downloading service would be released which would be compatible with motorola mobile phones. apple said the new itunes music player would become motorola s standard music application for its music phones. but the challenge will be balancing storage capacity with battery life if mobile music hopes to compete with digital music players like the ipod. ms milanesi said more models would likely be released in the coming year with hard drives. but they would be more likely to compete with the smaller capacity music players that have around four gigabyte storage capacity  which would not put too much strain on battery life.


lewis-francis eyeing world gold mark lewis-francis says his olympic success has made him determined to bag world championship 100m gold in 2005.  the 22-year-old pipped maurice greene on the last leg of the 4x100m relay in athens to take top honours for team gb. but individually  the birchfield harrier has yet to build on his world junior championship win four years ago.  the gold medal in athens has made me realise that i can get to the top level and i want to get there again. it can happen  i don t see why not   he said. lewis-francis has still to decided what events will feature in his build-up to the worlds - with one exception. he has confirmed his participation in the norwich union grand prix in birmingham on 18 february  where he will take on another member of britain s victorious men s relay team - jason gardener - over 60m. he added:  it s a bit too early to make any predictions for helsinki  but i have my eyes open and i know i can be the best in the world.


golden economic period  to end ten years of  golden  economic performance may come to an end in 2005 with growth slowing markedly  city consultancy deloitte has warned.  the uk economy could suffer a backlash from the slowdown in the housing market  triggering a fall in consumer spending and a rise in unemployment. deloitte is forecasting economic growth of 2% this year  below chancellor gordon brown s forecast of 3% to 3.5%. it also believes that interest rates will fall to 4% by the end of the year.  in its quarterly economic review  deloitte said the uk economy had enjoyed a  golden period  during the past decade with unemployment falling to a near 30 year low and inflation at its lowest since the 1960s.  but it warned that this growth had been achieved at the expense of creating major  imbalances  in the economy. deloitte s chief economic advisor roger bootle said:  the biggest hit of all is set to come from the housing market which has already embarked on a major slowdown.  whereas the main driver of the economy in recent years has been robust household spending growth  this is likely to suffer as the housing market slowdown gathers pace.   economic growth is likely to be constrained during the next few years by increased pressure on household budgets and rising taxes  deloitte believes. gordon brown will need to raise about $10bn a year in order to sustain the public finances in the short term  the firm claims. this will result in a marked slowdown in growth in 2005 and 2006 compared to last year  when the economy expanded by 3.25%. however  deloitte stressed that the slowdown was unlikely to have any major impact on retail prices while it expected the bank of england to respond quickly to signs of the economy faltering. it expects a series of  aggressive  interest rate cuts over the next two years  with the cost of borrowing falling from its current 4.75% mark to 3.5% by the end of 2006.  although 2005 may not be the year when things go completely wrong  it will probably mark the start of a more difficult period for the uk economy   mr bootle.


best person  for top legal job the  best person for the job  should be appointed lord chancellor  and not necessarily a lawyer or mp  the courts minister has told mps.  under reforms  the post of lord chancellor is to be stripped of its judicial functions.  the lord chancellor...no more needs to be a lawyer than the secretary of health needs to be a doctor   said courts minister christopher leslie. the constitutional reform bill was entering its second reading on monday. mr leslie said:  the prime minister should be able to appoint the best person for the job whether they sit in the house of lords or the house of commons.  under the reforms  the law lords will also be replaced as the uk s highest legal authority by a supreme court and judges will be appointed by an independent panel rather than ministers.  in december the lords rejected a plea by current lord chancellor lord falconer that the holder of the job should not necessarily be a lawyer or a peer. the peers voted by 229 to 206 to say in law that lord chancellors must also be peers. the debate was carried over from the last parliamentary session  but with an impending general election time is crucial for the government to get the bill passed. mr leslie said it was irrelevant whether the post was called secretary of state for constitutional affairs or lord chancellor. he said:  what matters most is...whether it is reformed so that the post holder no longer has those conflicting duties.  it is no longer appropriate for a government minister to have such unfettered discretion in the appointment of judges.   shadow attorney general dominic grieve criticised the government on its plans to change what he said was an  exceptional institution   providing a  champion of the independence of the judiciary . the government had initially proposed to take this institution and  smash it to pieces   mr grieve said. convention should be  nurtured and celebrated   but the government distrusted and disliked it instead. he warned that unless ministers backed down over the lord chancellor remaining a member of the house of lords  the government would have  great difficulty  in getting the bill through parliament. former cabinet minister douglas hogg  whose father and grandfather served as lord chancellor  said the bill was  largely unnecessary  bureaucratic and expensive . but the tory mp for sleaford and north hykeham admitted the lord chancellor s role and office  cannot be frozen in aspic .


henry tipped for fifa award fifa president sepp blatter hopes arsenal s thierry henry will be named world player of the year on monday.  henry is on the fifa shortlist with barcelona s ronaldinho and newly-crowned european footballer of the year  ac milan s andriy shevchenko. blatter said:  henry  for me  is the personality on the field. he is the man who can run and organise the game.  the winner of the accolade will be named at a glittering ceremony at zurich s opera house. the three shortlisted candidates for the women s award are mia hamm of the united states  germany s birgit prinz and brazilian youngster marta.  hamm  who recently retired - is looking to regain the women s award  which she lost last year to striker prinz. fifa has changed the panel of voters for this year s awards. male and female captains of every national team will be able to vote  as well as their coaches and fipro - the global organisation for professional players.


the  ticking budget  facing the us the budget proposals laid out by the administration of us president george w bush are highly controversial. the washington-based economic policy institute  which tends to be critical of the president  looks at possible fault lines. us politicians and citizens of all political persuasions are in for a dose of shock therapy. without major changes in current policies and political prejudices  the federal budget simply cannot hold together. news coverage of the bush budget will be dominated by debates about spending cuts  but the fact is these will be large cuts in small programs. from the standpoint of the big fiscal trends  the cuts are gratuitous and the big budget train wreck is yet to come. under direct threat will be the federal government s ability to make good on its debts to the social security trust fund. as soon as 2018  the fund will begin to require some cash returns on its bond holdings in order to finance all promised benefits.  the trigger for the coming shock will be rising federal debt  which will grow in 10 years  by conservative estimates  to more than half the nation s total annual output.  this upward trend will force increased borrowing by the federal government  putting upward pressure on interest rates faced by consumers and business. even now  a growing share of us borrowing is from abroad. the us government cannot finance its operations without heavy borrowing from the central banks of japan and china  among other nations. this does not bode well for us influence in the world. the decline of the dollar is a warning sign that current economic trends cannot continue. the dollar is already sinking. before too long  credit markets are likely to react  and interest rates will creep upwards. that will be the shock.  interest-sensitive industries will feel pain immediately - sectors such as housing  automobiles  other consumer durables  agriculture  and small business. some will recall the news footage of angry farmers driving their heavy equipment around the us capitol in the late 1970s. there will be no need for constitutional amendments to balance the budget. the public outcry will force congress to act. whether it will act wisely is another matter. how did this happen   by definition  the deficit means too little revenue and too much spending - but this neutral description doesn t adequately capture the current situation. federal revenues are at 1950s levels  while spending remains where it has been in recent decades - much higher. in addition  the united states has two significant military missions. the bush administration s chosen remedy is the least feasible one. reducing domestic spending  or eliminating  waste  fraud and abuse  is toothless because this slice of the budget is too small to solve the problem. indeed  if congress were rash enough to balance the budget in this way  there would hardly be any such spending left. law enforcement  space exploration  environmental clean-up  economic development  the small business administration  housing  veterans  benefits  aid to state and local governments would all but disappear. it s fantasy to think these routine government functions could be slashed. the biggest spending growth areas are defence (including homeland security)  and health care for the elderly and the poor. to some extent  increases in these areas are inevitable. the us population is aging  and the nation does face genuine threats in the world. but serious savings can only be found where the big money is. savings in health care spending that do not come at the expense of health can only be achieved with wholesale reform of the entire system  public and private. brute force budget cuts or spending caps would ill-serve the nation s elderly and indigent.  on the revenue side  the lion s share of revenue lost to tax cuts enacted since 2000 will have to be replaced.  some rearranging could hold many people harmless and focus most of the pain on those with relatively high incomes. finally  blind allegiance to a balanced budget will have to be abandoned. there is no good reason to fixate on it  anyway. moderate deficits and slowly rising federal debt can be sustained indefinitely. borrowing for investments in education and infrastructure that pay off in future years makes sense. the sooner we face that reality  the sooner workable reforms can be pursued. first on the list should be tax reform to raise revenue  simplify the tax code  and restore some fairness eroded by the bush tax cuts. second should be a dispassionate re-evaluation of the huge increase in defence spending over the past three years  much of it unrelated to afghanistan  iraq  or terrorism. third must be the start of a serious debate on large-scale health care reform. one thing is certain - destroying the budget in order to save it is not going to equip the us economy and government for the challenges of this new century.


llewellyn plans wales retirement wales record cap holder gareth llewellyn will retire from test rugby at the end of the six nations.  the veteran lock  who is 36 at the end of february  told bbc wales scrum v that it is time for him to bring down the curtain on his 92-cap wales career. llewellyn is on a one-season deal with french club side narbonne  but said he may consider retiring from all rugby.  i don t know what i ll do next year  whether to carry on playing or make a change in my career   llewellyn said.  narbonne are really keen for me to stay on for next year  so i ve got to decide whether to stay on there or maybe go somewhere else  but ultimitely coaching is where i d like to end up.  i ve done all the coaching awards and everything you can do in that respect  so it s just hopefully getting a chance somewhere.  fellow locks robert sidoli and brent cockbain  who both scored tries in saturday s six nations win in italy  are wales coach mike ruddock s preferred starters in the second row.  with the resurgence of the dragons  ian gough and the adaptibility of lock-cum-flanker jon thomas on the bench  llewellyn has not yet made a match-day squad this six nations campaign. but the former neath and ospreys player is still targetting one last outing in the red shirt.  if i do get on the field then brilliant  although the boys are doing really well and i m very pleased for them   llewellyn added.  we ve had some really tough years in wales and the players have been through a hell of a lot.  sometimes the easiest thing would have been to throw the towel in and walk away  but a few of us dug in there and it s really nice to see some of the boys getting the rewards now.  i was going to retire at the end of the last six nations  i d even told some of the boys in the squad about it.  but mike (ruddock) asked me to carry on for another season  which i ve done  still part of the squad  still trying to help them out as much as i can.  llewellyn made his wales debut in 1989 against new zealand as a 20-year-old  having caught the selectors  eyes in the all blacks  tour match against neath. the 6ft 6in player has not looked back since  going on to break neil jenkins  wales cap record on 12 june 2004 in the 50-44 loss in argentina.   there s been lots of highs - winning the six nations in  94  beating england in  93  i ve been on some great tours and seen some fantastic countries   llewellyn said.  but i think the best thing of all for me was the time i spent with the players  i ve met some great guys in rugby and made some great friends.  it ll be a bit strange on international days having to find somewhere to watch wales play  but at least i might have time to get my golf handicap down!  llewellyn captained neath for seven seasons  while being an integral part of the neath-swansea ospreys regional side s first season. but with the ospreys building for the future  llewellyn was eventually forced to look to france for employment - digging in his heels during contract negotiations to insist he must be allowed to play for wales.


royal couple watch nation s mood prince charles and camilla parker bowles are awaiting the nation s reaction after announcing they are to be married on 8 april.  mrs parker bowles will take the title hrh duchess of cornwall after a civil ceremony to be held at windsor castle. a daily telegraph poll of 1 313 people suggests two-thirds of britons support the couple s decision to marry. but only 40% think mrs parker bowles should become princess consort as planned after charles becomes king. some 47% believe she should have no title  while 7% think she should become queen.  the poll also found that the majority of britons would prefer the monarchy to miss a generation  with the queen handing the throne to her grandson prince william  22  on her death or abdication. on thursday night  prince charles  56  and mrs parker bowles  57  hosted a dinner at windsor castle  their first public appearance since announcing their engagement. mrs parker bowles said the prince went down on one knee to propose and added:  i m just coming down to earth.  she displayed her diamond engagement ring - a royal family heirloom - to reporters. charles said he and his wife-to-be were  absolutely delighted . their marriage will end years of speculation on a relationship which dates back to 1970.  the queen and duke of edinburgh said the news had made them  very happy . princes william and harry said they are  very happy  and wish the couple  all the luck in the future . the wedding will be a civil ceremony followed by a service of prayer and dedication in st george s chapel at which the archbishop of canterbury  dr rowan williams  will preside.  the marriage is likely to be a sensitive issue because mrs parker bowles is divorced and her former husband is still alive. if he became king  charles would be the supreme governor of the church of england and some anglicans remain opposed to the remarriage of divorcees.  his divorce from diana and the disappointment the country felt over how diana had been treated... opened up a sense of disillusionment with [prince charles]   said ros coward  who wrote the authorised biography of diana  princess of wales. the archbishop of canterbury said:  i am pleased that prince charles and mrs camilla parker bowles have decided to take this important step.  tony blair said he was  delighted  for the couple and offered his congratulations  as did conservative leader michael howard and liberal democrat leader charles kennedy. australia s prime minister john howard also offered his congratulations  adding that their decision to marry was a  sensible and a good thing . mrs parker bowles has joined the prince at numerous engagements in recent years - mostly at evening events for the prince s trust. clarence house staff were at pains to point out that she attended these events in a private capacity.


mps demand  budget leak  answers ministers have been asked to explain how budget details were printed in a london newspaper half an hour before gordon brown made his speech.  the tories said a large chunk of the budget appeared to have been leaked in what they describe as a  serious breach of treasury confidentiality . the lib dems called for commons leader peter hain to make a statement and said chancellors had resigned over leaks. they were told it would be brought to speaker michael martin s attention. in the commons  tory frontbencher andrew tyrie mp demanded an immediate ministerial statement about how measures had been  clearly  or at least apparently  leaked to the evening standard .  raising a point of order  he said it was  the latest in a long line of discourtesies to this house   as well as a breach of confidentiality. he said:  i can only hope it is unintentional. if it were planned it would be a very grave matter indeed. a previous labour chancellor resigned after he leaked the budget.  hugh dalton resigned after leaking details of his 1947 budget to journalist john carvel  who published them in a london newspaper  just minutes before they were announced to the house of commons. liberal democrat david laws said it was a  very serious matter  and said mr hain should make a statement on thursday. deputy speaker sylvia heal agreed it was  of concern  but said nothing could be done immediately but the issue would be brought to mr martin s attention.


blair stresses prosperity goals tony blair says his party s next manifesto will be  unremittingly new labour  and aimed at producing  personal prosperity for all .  the prime minister is trying to draw a line under speculation over the state of his relationship with gordon brown with the speech in chatham  kent. he is saying that prosperity means both individual wealth and ensuring  radically improved  public services. he is also claiming labour is more ideologically united than ever. mr brown is currently touring africa after a week of facing questions about reports of his splits with downing street.  with the election widely predicted for may  angry labour mps this week warned mr blair and mr brown about the dangers of disunity. now mr blair is trying to put the focus on the substance of labour s platform for a third term in government. labour made low inflation  unemployment and mortgage rates the centrepiece of a new poster campaign this week.  and on thursday mr blair is saying:  i want to talk about the central purpose ofnew labour - which is to increase personal prosperity and well-being  not justfor a few but for all.  by prosperity i mean both the income and wealth of individuals and theirfamilies  and the opportunity and security available to them through radicallyimproved public services and a reformed welfare state.   the tories are trying to capitalise on the apparent feud at the top of government. on wednesday they unveiled a poster which pictured the prime minister and mr brown under the words  how can they fight crime when they are fighting each other   michael howard and frontbencher john redwood on thursday launched new plans to abolish hundreds of quangos. they say government is spending too much and lower taxes are needed to make britain more competitive.  the liberal democrats have also claimed infighting its obstructing good government. the latest speculation about relations between new labour s two most powerful figures came after the publication of a new book  brown s britain by robert preston. in it he alleges that mr blair told mr brown in 2003 he would step down as prime minister before the coming general election. the book claims the premier went back on his pledge after support from cabinet allies and suspicion that mr brown was manoeuvring against him. mr peston s book claimed that mr brown told mr blair:  there is nothing you could ever say to me now that i could ever believe.  on wednesday mr blair directly denied mr brown made that quote  and before he left for africa on tuesday the chancellor told reporters:  of course i trust the prime minister.


musicians  upbeat  about the net musicians are embracing the internet as a way of reaching new fans and selling more music  a survey has found.  the study by us researchers  pew internet  suggests musicians do not agree with the tactics adopted by the music industry against file-sharing. while most considered file-sharing as illegal  many disagreed with the lawsuits launched against downloaders.  even successful artists don t think the lawsuits will benefit musicians   said report author mary madden.  for part of the study  pew internet conducted an online survey of 2 755 musicians  songwriters and music publishers via musician membership organisations between march and april 2004.  they ranged from full-time  successful musicians to artists struggling to make a living from their music.  we looked at more of the independent musicians  rather than the rockstars of this industry but that reflects more accurately the state of the music industry   ms madden told the bbc news website.  we always hear the views of successful artists like the britneys of the world but the less successful artists rarely get represented.  the survey found that musicians were overwhelming positive about the internet  rather than seeing it as just a threat to their livelihood. almost all of them used the net for ideas and inspiration  with nine out of 10 going online to promote  advertise and post their music on the web. more than 80% offered free samples online  while two-thirds sold their music via the net. independent musicians  in particular  saw the internet as a way to get around the need to land a record contract and reach fans directly.  musicians are embracing the internet enthusiastically   said ms madden.  they are using the internet to gain inspiration  sell it online  tracking royalties  learning about copyright.   perhaps surprisingly  opinions about online file-sharing were diverse and not as clear cut as those of the record industry.  through the recording industry association of america (riaa)  it has pursued an aggressive campaign through the courts to sue people suspected of sharing copyrighted music. but the report suggests this campaign does not have the wholehearted backing of musicians in the us. it found that most artists saw file-sharing as both good and bad  though most agreed that it should be illegal.  free downloading has killed opportunities for new bands to break without major funding and backing   said one musician quoted by the report.  it s hard to keep making records if they don t pay for themselves through sales.  however 60% said they did not think the lawsuits against song swappers would benefit musicians and songwriters. many suggested that rather than fighting file-sharing  the music industry needed to recognise the changes it has brought and embrace it.  both successful and struggling musicians were more likely to say that the internet has made it possible for them to make more money from their music  rather than make it harder for them to protect their material from piracy   said ms madden.


hague s six-figure earnings shown the rewards of leaving front-bench politics are shown in the latest annual register of members  interests.  the register shows former tory leader william hague earning up to £820 000 on top of his mps  salary  much of it from speaking fees. his former shadow chancellor michael portillo makes up to £560 000 a year - partly because of speeches and tv work. ex-health secretary alan milburn earned up to £85 000 from speeches  articles and advice while not in the cabinet.  mr milburn was away from the frontbench for just more than a year between stepping down as health secretary and becoming labour s election supremo. his declared interests include £20 000 from newspaper articles and fees of up to £35 000 for four speeches. he also commanded a salary of between £25 000 and £35 000 for being on investment company bridgepoint capital s european advisory committee. his time out of office will  however  have lost him his £71 433 minister s salary. mr hague s work outside parliament included two one-man shows  which with other speaking fees netted him up to £480 000. he also earned up to £195 000 for a weekly column in the news of the world  and between £5 000 and £10 000 for presenting bbc 2 s have i got news for you. mr hague was also paid an undisclosed amount for the newspaper serialisation of his biography of william pitt the younger and up to £135 00 for work as an adviser to various companies.  former defence secretary michael portillo makes some of his money as a non-executive director of bae systems. he is to stand down as an mp at the next election. and former foreign secretary robin cook was paid between £45 001 and £50 000 for the paperback edition of his book about his resignation from government. his declared income of up to £205 000 also includes payments for being a consultant to the tote and for his regular column in the guardian newspaper. the register also shows former home office minister ann widdecombe declaring a £100 000 advance for her third and fourth novels. she also received up to £30 000 for acting as the guardian s agony aunt and between £5 001 and £10 000 for appearing on itv s celebrity fit club. david blunkett has become a paid adviser to indepen consulting limited now he is not home secretary - he helps them with seminars about the relationship between government and business. he earns between £5 001and £10 000 for the work.  tony blair s entry confirms that king abdullah of jordan paid for him to fly from a holiday in egypt to official discussions - and for a sightseeing tour to wadi rum. tory leader michael howard s only fresh entry is a christmas hamper from the sultan of brunei. he also declares a trip to mexico last year to address executives of news international  and helicopter and private jet travel paid for by supporters. liberal democrat leader charles kennedy registered donations to his office from supporters  a free ticket to last year s bafta awards and rent from a single-bedroom flat in london. the register only contains new information for december 2004 - but monday saw the publication of the annual review of the register  with the year s details. the payments are shown in bands of up £5 000  making it difficult to calculate the exact earnings.


holmes feted with further honour double olympic champion kelly holmes has been voted european athletics (eaa) woman athlete of 2004 in the governing body s annual poll.  the briton  made a dame in the new year honours list for taking 800m and 1 500m gold  won vital votes from the public  press and eaa member federations. she is only the second british woman to land the title after- sally gunnell won for her world 400m hurdles win in 1993. swedish triple jumper christian olsson was voted male athlete of the year. the accolade is the latest in a long list of awards that holmes has received since her success in athens. in addition to becoming a dame  she was also named the bbc sports personality of the year in december. her gutsy victory in the 800m also earned her the international association of athletics federations  award for the best women s performance in the world for 2004. and she scooped two awards at the british athletics writers  association annual dinner in october.


my memories of marley...  to mark the 60th anniversary of the birth of reggae star bob marley  rob partridge - marley s former head of press at island records - remembers the man behind the legend.  partridge worked with marley from 1977 until the jamaican musician s death in 1981.  :  i joined island records in 1977 and the first week i was there i worked on his show at the rainbow theatre. it was one of the last dates he did in london.   : the album exodus came out in 1977 and that provided five hits and confirmed his global superstar status.  by 1979 he was the biggest touring attraction in the world. i remember going to see dates in milan and turin and they were enormous concerts.   : bob was one of the most mesmeric people i ve ever had the privilege to work with.  he must have had an iron will to succeed. bob was a very driven individual. you realised from the start there was a manifest destiny within him that he believed in. he didn t suffer fools gladly. at the risk of stating the obvious  he was an extraordinary song writer and his stage act was perhaps the greatest i ve ever seen. i saw him many times.   :  i recall in 1978 he came to the uk for top of the pops and a daily mirror journalist did a half-hour interview. it was interrupted to do a rehearsal. he came back into the dressing room to resume the interview but saw a world cup match on tv.   he sat down in front of the tv and after 10 minutes it was obvious he wasn t going to move. that was the end of it. the mirror had a very truncated interview.  the last time i saw him was in london in 1980. i arranged for him to play four days of football indoors in fulham.  bob was a good player. we are talking about jamaican-style football. he was an attacking midfield player. his team assembled wherever his gigs were. we played in brazil against some world cup-winning players.   : it was always a struggle for him to connect with black america. reggae did not correspond with disco in the 70s. but bob in the 1990s became one of the great icons in america and the third world.  in 1991  ten years after his death  he sold more records than at any time during his life.  we saw black america taking bob into their hearts for the first time.   :  bob  in worldwide terms  is the greatest music star there has ever been. if you went to africa he would be recognised everywhere  in places john lennon or elvis wouldn t be.  no disrespect to the other artists but a case can be made for him as the greatest  the best and the most influential artist in popular music.   : well 1981 was to be the year he toured africa with stevie wonder. he had only performed in zimbabwe and guinea before.  of course the 1981 tour never happened  but the whole of africa would have embraced him. we can t speculate but he was at the height of his powers and just 36 years old. i had no sense his career was going to go downhill.   :  bob was endlessly optimistic about the way africa would turn out. he realised that nothing was perfect but he had total belief in the power of mankind.  i m sure if he were alive today he would believe africa would firstly become politically free and secondly be able to defeat the aids epidemic.   :  the final tune of his final album was redemption song - one of the most incredible classics of all time.


wembley firm won t make a profit shares in multiplex group  which is building the new wembley stadium  fell as much as 19% after it said it would not make any money on the project.  the australian firm said it would only break even on the 1.2bn australian dollars (£458m; $874m) rebuild  after a rise in costs on the work. any profits would depend on the outcome of legal cases resulting from a change in steel contractor  it added. it cut a$68m from profit targets for wembley and another uk project.  investors were shaken by the news and the firm s shares fell to a four month low of a$4.50  before recovering to close 16% down at a$4.67. the decline came despite multiplex reporting an 11% rise in pre-tax profits to a$67.7m for 2004 and reaffirming its 2005 profit forecasts. increased costs at wembley and a separate development in london s docklands saw multiplex s construction division report profits of a$35.1m.  the firm said the result was below expectations but stressed that the majority of its uk projects - which also include the white city redevelopment scheme in west london - were performing strongly.  to recoup any profit from wembley  where the firm changed its steel contractor due to a legal dispute  multiplex will have to win legal claims against subcontractors. these claims could take up to two years to resolve.  multiplex believes its claim are sound and ultimately will exceed the level needed to support the break even position   it said.  it is expected that profits will be possible in future periods as the claims are finalised.  wembley stadium is to due to be completed in january and will officially open for the 2006 fa cup final. analysts expressed concern at the unexpected paring back in profit.  such a big writeback on the wembley project in such a short period has impacted on management credibility   simon wheatley  from goldman sachs  told reuters.


blair blasts tory spending plans tony blair has launched an attack on conservative spending plans  saying they are a  ludicrous improbability .  the prime minister has told a labour party gathering that the tory policies would cause economic failure. tory leader michael howard has said his party would cut £35bn in  wasteful  spending to allow £4bn in tax cuts. on saturday  tory shadow home secretary david davis said the tories would fund the cuts by removing  inefficiencies  which had  burgeoned  under labour. in his speech  mr blair contrasted a reformed labour party  which had learned to occupy the political centre ground  with a hidebound tory party  which he said would turn the clock back with spending cuts. mr blair said:  the conservative tax and spending proposals would put at risk  both britain s hard-won economic stability - the lowest mortgages  inflation  unemployment  for decades - and the key investment in public services.   i believe that the tory plans are as plain a call to return to the past as it s possible to imagine   he said.  it s a recipe for exactly the same boom and bust economics and cuts in public services that were their hallmark in 18 years of conservative government.  mr blair added:  they  the conservatives have learned nothing.  by contrast  he said  new labour had listened to its electorate and changed.  mr blair went on to list his government s achievements and to issue a rallying call to the party.  so now we have a choice  we can defend this record and we can build on it and go on and fulfil the promise or give up and go back. and i say we have to fight.  in response  david davis said the tories would make cuts  such as removing regional assemblies  but would bring in more police officers and match labour s spending on health and education.  everybody knows  having lived through this government the last seven years  that they faced lots of stealth tactics  lots of increases in taxes  but no improvement in public services   he said. mr davis said labour had been responsible for  huge waste  huge overspending  not on the frontline at all but on bureaucracy .  the public face a choice between more waste and more taxes with this government  less waste and lower taxes with a tory government   he concluded.  gordon brown has addressed the conference behind closed doors. the chancellor said the conservatives  plans would see some £50bn in spending cuts by 2011  which the tories deny. mr brown also issued call for party unity and warn of the dangers of allowing themselves to be  distracted or diverted . according to an advance text released by officials  he told delegates:  we must all show the strength and unity of purpose to take the long-term decisions necessary to meet them.   mr brown warned that the tories were planning  the biggest cuts ever in the history of any election manifesto . meanwhile  tory shadow chancellor oliver letwin accused mr blair of  misrepresenting  the party s proposals and questioned how labour would fund its own plans.  he still cannot accept the simple truth  which is that we will spend more on what matters to people - schools  hospitals and police - and that we will offer value for money and lower taxes   mr letwin said.  once again mr blair and his chancellor have failed to answer the question that lies at the heart of this election - which taxes will they put up to fill the £8bn shortfall in their plans


hitch holds on to us box office will smith s first romantic comedy  hitch  has topped the north american box office for a second weekend.  smith plays a new york  date doctor  with love worries of his own in the movie  which took $31.8m (£16.8m). it held off a strong challenge from the new keanu reeves sci-fi thriller constantine which opened at number two with $30.5m (£16.1m) constantine  based on the hellblazer comics  stars reeves as an exorcist who must send satan s minions back to hell. two family films came next in the chart  with wayne wang s comedy because of winn-dixie  about a young girl and an abandoned dog  in third position with $10.85m (£5.73m).  comedy adventure son of the mask  came in at number four with $7.7m (£4.1m)  just ahead of oscar favourite million dollar baby at five.  smith s comedy will be the first us movie released this year to top the $100m (£52.7m) mark. it s success continues a strong trend of hollwood movie-going this year with figures for the popular president s day weekend 13% greater than last year. oscar contenders the aviator  starring leonardo dicaprio as howard hughes and wine-tasting comedy sideways  both held onto positions in the top 10.


butler launches attack on blair former civil service chief lord butler has criticised the way tony blair s government operates  accusing it of being obsessed with headlines.  he also attacked the way the iraq war was  sold  to the public  with important warnings on the strength of the intelligence left out. tory leader michael howard said lord butler had given the  most damaging testimony  he could remember. but downing street said mr blair should be judged by results not his style.  lord butler said mr blair bypassed the cabinet and relied instead on small  informal groups of advisers to help him make decisions. the prime minister s official spokesman said the cabinet was still used to achieve a consensus on important issues. but he added:  you cannot  in a modern government  take every decision in cabinet. it s just not possible.   lord butler said the government had too much freedom to  bring in bad bills  and  to do whatever it likes  and it relied too much on the advice of political appointees. the former cabinet secretary said in an interview with the spectator magazine:  i would be critical of the present government in that there is too much emphasis on selling  there is too much central control and there is too little of what i would describe as reasoned deliberation which brings in all the arguments.  mr howard described lord butler s intervention as  very important .  this is from someone who was an insider at the very heart of the blair government.  it is certainly the most damaging testimony i can ever remember from someone in such an eminent position.   lord butler s report earlier this year into iraq intelligence said the government s september 2002 weapons dossier did not make clear intelligence about claims that saddam hussein had stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons was  very thin . the reason for this is that it would have weakened ministers  case for war  lord butler said in his spectator interview  which was conducted by the magazine s editor  conservative mp boris johnson. he said:  when civil servants give material to ministers  they say these are the conclusions we ve drawn  but we ve got to tell you the evidence we ve got is pretty thin.  similarly  if you are giving something to the united nations and the country you should warn them.   asked why he thought the warnings were not there lord butler said:  one has got to remember what the purpose of the dossier was. the purpose of the dossier was to persuade the british why the government thought iraq was a very serious threat.   when asked whether he thought the country was well-governed on the whole  he replied:  well. i think we are a country where we suffer very badly from parliament not having sufficient control over the executive  and that is a very grave flaw.  we should be breaking away from the party whip. the executive is much too free to bring in a huge number of extremely bad bills  a huge amount of regulation and to do whatever it likes - and whatever it likes is what will get the best headlines tomorrow.  all that is part of what is bad government in this country.  lord butler s assessment was backed by his predecessor as cabinet secretary  lord armstrong. lord armstrong told bbc two s newsnight:  i agree ... there doesn t appear to be the sort of informed collective political judgement brought to bear on decision-making that those affected by decisions are entitled to expect.  liberal democrat deputy leader menzies campbell said he thought lord butler s comments were  well justified  and mr blair s style of leadership was  corrosive of the whole system of government . but labour former minister jack cunningham accused lord butler of basing his comments on the first eight months of the incoming labour administration  when he was cabinet secretary. mr cunningham told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  taken together  robin butler s comments are partial  inaccurate and cannot be taken as anything other than politically biased against the labour government.


google s toolbar sparks concern search engine firm google has released a trial tool which is concerning some net users because it directs people to pre-selected commercial websites.  the autolink feature comes with google s latest toolbar and provides links in a webpage to amazon.com if it finds a book s isbn number on the site. it also links to google s map service  if there is an address  or to car firm carfax  if there is a licence plate. google said the feature  available only in the us   adds useful links . but some users are concerned that google s dominant position in the search engine market place could mean it would be giving a competitive edge to firms like amazon.  autolink works by creating a link to a website based on information contained in a webpage - even if there is no link specified and whether or not the publisher of the page has given permission.  if a user clicks the autolink feature in the google toolbar then a webpage with a book s unique isbn number would link directly to amazon s website. it could mean online libraries that list isbn book numbers find they are directing users to amazon.com whether they like it or not. websites which have paid for advertising on their pages may also be directing people to rival services. dan gillmor  founder of grassroots media  which supports citizen-based media  said the tool was a  bad idea  and an unfortunate move by a company that is looking to continue its hypergrowth . in a statement google said the feature was still only in beta  ie trial  stage and that the company welcomed feedback from users. it said:  the user can choose never to click on the autolink button  and web pages she views will never be modified.  in addition  the user can choose to disable the autolink feature entirely at any time.   the new tool has been compared to the smart tags feature from microsoft by some users. it was widely criticised by net users and later dropped by microsoft after concerns over trademark use were raised. smart tags allowed microsoft to link any word on a web page to another site chosen by the company. google said none of the companies which received autolinks had paid for the service. some users said autolink would only be fair if websites had to sign up to allow the feature to work on their pages or if they received revenue for any  click through  to a commercial site. cory doctorow  european outreach coordinator for digital civil liberties group electronic fronter foundation  said that google should not be penalised for its market dominance.  of course google should be allowed to direct people to whatever proxies it chooses.  but as an end user i would want to know -  can i choose to use this service    how much is google being paid     can i substitute my own companies for the ones chosen by google  .  mr doctorow said the only objection would be if users were forced into using autolink or  tricked into using the service .


collins appeals against drugs ban sprinter michelle collins has lodged an appeal against her eight-year doping ban with the north american court of arbitration for sport (cas).  the 33-year-old received the ban last month as a result of her connection to the federal inquiry into the balco doping scandal. she is the first athlete to be banned without a positive drugs test or an admission of drugs use. cas has said that a ruling is normally given within four months of an appeal. collins was suspended by the us anti-doping agency based on patterns observed in her blood and urine tests as well as evidence in the balco investigation. as well as being hit with the ban  collins was stripped of her 2003 world and us indoor 200m titles. the san francisco-based balco laboratory is at the centre of the scandal which has rocked the sport. the company has been accused of distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes.


brown names 16 march for budget chancellor gordon brown will deliver his budget to the house of commons on 16 march  the treasury has announced.  the budget  likely to be the last before the general election  will be at 1230 gmt on that wednesday  just after prime minister s question time. the annual event is when the chancellor outlines the government s taxation and broader economic predictions. it is likely to set out much of the tax and spending battleground for the election  widely expected on 5 may.  next month s budget will be mr brown s eighth since labour came to power in 1997. if a may election is called  there could be as little as 18 days between the budget and the announcement of a date for the election. a shortened finance bill would have to be rushed through parliament with all-party support to allow the government to continue collecting revenue. the full finance bill  with the budget measures in it  would then be returned to the commons after the election  if labour secures another term in office. as mr brown announced the budget date in a short ministerial statement  accountancy firm ernst & young urged him to put politics aside and focus on the long-term requirements of the economy.  in the budgets that were given immediately before the last six elections  taxes were cut by the incumbent chancellor and  in many cases  taxes were increased soon after the election result   said aidan o carroll  e&y s uk head of tax.


battered dollar hits another low the dollar has fallen to a new record low against the euro after data fuelled fresh concerns about the us economy.  the greenback hit $1.3516 in thin new york trade  before rallying to $1.3509. the dollar has weakened sharply since september when it traded about $1.20  amid continuing worries over the levels of the us trade and budget deficits. meanwhile  france s finance minister has said the world faced  economic catastrophe  unless the us worked with europe and asia on currency controls. herve gaymard said he would seek action on the issue at the next meeting of g7 countries in february. ministers from european and asian governments have recently called on the us to strengthen the dollar  saying the excessively high value of the euro was starting to hurt their export-driven economies.  it s absolutely essential that at the meeting of the g7 our american friends understand that we need coordinated management at the world level   said mr gaymard.  thursday s new low for the dollar came after data was released showing year-on-year sales of new homes in the us had fallen 12% in november - with some analysts saying this could indicate problems ahead for consumer activity.  commerce department data also showed consumer spending - which drives two thirds of the us economy - grew just 0.2% last month. the figure was weaker than forecast - and fell short of the 0.8% rise in october. the official us policy is that it supports a strong dollar but many market observers believe it is happy to let the dollar fall because of the boost to its exporters.  the us government has faced pressure from exporter organisations which have publicly stated the currency still has further to fall from  abnormal and dangerous heights  set in 2002. the us says it will let market forces determine the dollar s strength rather than intervene directly. statements from president bush in recent weeks highlighting his aim to cut the twin us deficits have prompted slight upturns in the currency. but while some observers said the quiet trade on thursday had exacerbated small moves in the market  most agree the underlying trend remains downwards. the dollar has now fallen for a third consecutive year and analysts are forecasting a further  albeit less dramatic weakening  in 2005.  i can see it finishing the year around $1.35 and we can see that it s going to be a steady track upward for the euro/dollar in 2005  finishing the year around $1.40   said adrian hughes  currency strategist with hsbc in london.


connick jr to lead broadway show singer and actor harry connick jr is to star in a broadway revival of 1950s hit musical the pajama game.  he will play the supervisor of a us pyjama factory who has a romance with a union activist during labour unrest. jeffrey richards  the show s co-producer  said connick was  an actor of enormous charisma and skill  a wonderful singer and a bona fide star . he has recently starred in hit us comedy will and grace as the husband of grace  played by debra messing. the musical will open in november  said mr richards  who added that no other casting had been announced yet.  the original book by george abbott and richard bissell will be revised by playwright peter ackerman  who co-wrote the screenplay for the movie ice age. it has a score by richard adler and jerry ross  and adler is writing two new songs for the score  which includes numbers including hey there  small talk and steam heat. connick appeared with his band on broadway in 1990  and he wrote the score for a musical based on emile zola s novel therese raquin  called thou shalt not. it had a three-month run on broadway in 2001.


us actor  found with gun residue  actor robert blake had gunshot residue on his hands and clothes the night his wife was shot dead  a court has heard.  but it may not have come from the shot that killed bonny lee bakley in 2001  mr blake s murder trial was told by criminalist steven dowell. mr dowell told a los angeles court the residue may have come from mr blake s revolver  his gun collection  his presence at the crime scene or police. the 71-year-old former star of us tv drama baretta has denied murder. mr blake said he found ms bakley  44  dead in a car after they left a restaurant.  he said he briefly returned to the restaurant to collect a gun he had left behind and discovered her body when he returned. the gun he collected was not the murder weapon. it could also have been picked up if he touched or leant on the car when he found the body  or from a police box in which his clothes were later stored. the box had come from an area where officers went after being on the firing range. but mr dowell also said the residue would have been present if mr blake fired a gun that night. witnesses have already told the trial mr blake  stood out as being quite nervous and agitated  at the restaurant before the murder. the actor  who won an emmy for playing a maverick detective in the 1970s tv cop drama baretta  could face life in prison if convicted.


election deal faltered over heath role the tories failed to hold onto power in 1974 after liberals demanded sir edward heath quit in return for co-operation.  documents released after 30 years reveal the failed negotiations by the then prime minister following the dramatic february general election. liberal leader jeremy thorpe appeared willing to form a coalition government. but it partly collapsed over the conservative leader s own role  prompting the queen to ask harold wilson to form a labour government. the february 1974 general election surprised the nation when it created a hung parliament with no party in overall control. sir edward had gone to the country for a fresh mandate amid the spiralling economic crisis  a miners  strike and the subsequent three-day week. labour emerged with the most seats - but its 301 mps were 17 short of the number mr wilson needed to form a majority.  sir edward  who had received more votes but had fewer mps  believed he had the authority to remain at number 10 providing the 14 liberal mps would support his government. he said the liberals could keep out labour in three ways: lend ad hoc support to his minority government  help draw up the government s programme  or have up to three cabinet members in a coalition with the conservatives. according to the documents released at the national archives  the  friendly and easy  first meeting indicated that both sir edward and mr thorpe thought they had the makings of a deal. mr thorpe was in high spirits  having just led his party to a historic jump in support. he also argued for a grand coalition of all three main parties. but sir edward said that was impossible because the labour left was set against it and the pair settled on trying for a conservative-liberal pact.  hours later sir edward s hopes of a deal unravelled as mr thorpe s colleagues refused to support him.  jeremy said he was encountering a rather embarrassing problem with his colleagues about the prime minister personally   reads a telephone memo for mr heath.   they feel they could not agree to serve as long as he is the prime minister.  asked if this was his own view he said - no it was not  i am very close to ted and thought he was by far the most able man we had and he would be perfectly happy to serve - it was only some of his colleagues who were being difficult.  the following day  the stickling points had clearly become two-fold: mr thorpe s colleagues wanted electoral reform and sir edward s resignation. mr thorpe told sir edward:  i am sorry this is obviously hell - a nightmare on stilts for you.  somehow i personally hope that we can work something out.   four hours later  sir edward called the liberal leader back to downing street in a last attempt at a deal. the minutes of the meeting show how the chance of a coalition government quickly evaporated.  the pm said he was bound to tell mr thorpe that his colleagues had told him that they would not agree to serve under any other prime minister. mr thorpe was at liberty to verify this by talking to one or two of the prime minister s colleagues.  documents show that sir edward mulled over resigning and perhaps returning to coalition government in a labour-led coalition. but he already knew mr wilson would not form a coalition with either the liberals or the conservatives because of the opposition of the labour left. within hours of his final talks with mr thorpe  sir edward told the nation he was resigning and the queen invited mr wilson to form a new minority government.


standard life concern at lse bid standard life is the latest shareholder in deutsche boerse to express concern at the german stock market operator s plans to buy the london stock exchange.  it said deutsche boerse had to show why its planned £1.35bn ($2.5bn) offer for the lse was good for shareholder value. reports say standard life  which owns a 1% stake in deutsche boerse  may seek a shareholder vote on the issue. fellow shareholders us-based hedge fund atticus capital and uk-based tci fund management have also expressed doubts.  deutsche boerse s supervisory board has approved the possible takeover of the lse despite the signs of opposition from investors.  the onus is on deutsche boerse s management to demonstrate why the purchase of the lse creates more value for shareholders than other strategies  such as a buyback   said richard moffat  investment director of uk equities at standard life investments. atticus capital  holding 2% of deutsche boerse  wants it to buy back its own shares rather than buy the lse. and tci which holds about 5%  has made a request for an extraordinary shareholders meeting to be held to vote on replacing the company s entire supervisory board. it has also demanded that shareholders be consulted about the proposed acquisition  and whether the operator of the frankfurt stock exchange should return $500m (£266m) to shareholders instead.  in december  deutsche boerse  which also owns the derivatives market eurex and the clearing firm clearstream  put an informal offer of 530 pence per lse share on the table. however  the lse said the cash offer  undervalued  both its own business and the benefits of such a tie-up. since then an improved offer from deutsche boerse has been anticipated as its management has continued talks with lse chief executive clara furse. but the london exchange is also holding talks with deutsche boerse s rival euronext  which operates the amsterdam  brussels  lisbon and paris exchanges  as well as london-based international derivatives market liffe.


peers debate crown succession law peers are debating proposals to change the rules governing the succession to the throne.  labour peer lord dubs  succession to the crown bill aims to end the right of male heirs to succeed to the crown even if they have an older sister. the private member s bill would also abolish the ban on heirs to the throne marrying roman catholics. the fabian society s sundar katwala said the change was  long overdue  and that he expected a  warm response . the political reform group s general secretary told bbc radio 4 s today programme there were some  very out-dated features  at the heart of britain s constitution.   in 1998 the government said in principle it supported the idea of ending gender discrimination and that it would consult on how to come forward with its own measures.  we hope they are warm towards it and don t say this is the wrong time.  he pointed out that it was 30 years since the sex discrimination act and urged politicians on all sides to back the bill. mr katwala added:  this is long overdue. parliament will have to do it eventually  the government  and i hope all of the political parties  might think this is a very simple thing to have in their manifestos.   but he acknowledged that even if the bill did win support  it was unlikely to become law because the legislative programme is likely to be squeezed by the coming general election. he said he hoped the bill would be a  gentle nudge  to the government and suggested it would  demand a response . the bill  which is in the lords for its second reading  has been adopted by former chief whip ann taylor in the commons. the rule of succession is regulated not only through descent and tradition but also by the act of settlement which confirmed in 1701 that it was for parliament to determine the title to the throne.


intel unveils laser breakthrough intel has unveiled research that could mean data is soon being moved around chips at the speed of light.  scientists at intel have overcome a fundamental problem that before now has prevented silicon being used to generate and amplify laser light. the breakthrough should make it easier to interconnect data networks with the chips that process the information. the intel researchers said products exploiting the breakthrough should appear by the end of the decade.   we ve overcome a fundamental limit   said dr mario paniccia  director of intel s photonics technology lab. writing in the journal nature  dr paniccia - and colleagues haisheng rong  richard jones  ansheng liu  oded cohen  dani hak and alexander fang - show how they have made a continuous laser from the same material used to make computer processors. currently  says dr paniccia  telecommunications equipment that amplifies the laser light that travels down fibre optic cables is very expensive because of the exotic materials  such as gallium arsenide  used to make it.  telecommunications firms and chip makers would prefer to use silicon for these light-moving elements because it is cheap and many of the problems of using it in high-volume manufacturing have been solved.  we re trying to take our silicon competency in manufacturing and apply it to new areas   said dr paniccia. while work has been done to make some of the components that can move light around  before now silicon has not successfully been used to generate or amplify the laser light pulses used to send data over long distances. this is despite the fact that silicon is a much better amplifier of light pulses than the form of the material used in fibre optic cables. this improved amplification is due to the crystalline structure of the silicon used to make computer chips. dr paniccia said that the structure of silicon meant that when laser light passed through it  some colliding photons rip electrons off the atoms within the material.  it creates a cloud of electrons sitting in the silicon and that absorbs all the light   he said. but the intel researchers have found a way to suck away these errant electrons and turn silicon into a material that can both generate and amplify laser light. even better  the laser light produced in this way can  with the help of easy-to-make filters  be tuned across a very wide range of frequencies. semi-conductor lasers made before now have only produced light in a narrow frequency ranges. the result could be the close integration of the fibre optic cables that carry data as light with the computer chips that process it. dr paniccia said the work was the one of several steps needed if silicon was to be used to make components that could carry and process light in the form of data pulses.  it s a technical validation that it can work   he said.


bbc denies blackadder tv comeback the bbc has said there are no plans in the pipeline for a new series of hit comedy blackadder  which ended in 1989.  tony robinson  who played the servant baldrick  told itv1 s this morning the show s star  rowan atkinson  was  more keen than he has been in the past . robinson added he would  love  to do another series  each of which was set in a different era  ranging from the 15th century to world war i. but the bbc said on thursday there were no plans for a comeback.  in the final series all the main characters were killed off charging towards german lines after being ordered out of their trench. the poignant finale was later voted the best farewell episode of a tv series. a host of other uk actors  including hugh laurie  stephen fry and miranda richardson  also appeared in the show. blackadder returned for a one-off special filmed to celebrate the arrival of the millennium in 1999. it was shown at the millennium dome in greenwich before being screened on bskyb.


tory expert denies defeatism the conservatives  campaign director has denied a report claiming he warned michael howard the party could not win the next general election.  the times on monday said australian lynton crosby told the party leader to focus on trying to increase the tories  commons presence by 25 to 30 seats. but mr crosby said in a statement:  i have never had any such conversation... and i do not hold that view.  mr howard later added there was not  one iota  of truth in the report. the strategist helped australia s pm  john howard  win four elections. mr howard appointed mr crosby as his elections chief last october. mr crosby s statement said:  the conservative party has been making an impact on the issues of lower tax and controlled immigration over the past week.  it added:  the labour party will be wanting to do all they can to distract attention away from the issues that really matter to people.


robinson answers critics england captain jason robinson has rubbished suggestions that the world champions are a team in decline.  england were beaten 11-9 by wales in their six nations opener in cardiff last week and face current champions france at twickenham on sunday. robinson said:  we are certainly not on the decline. you lose one game and it doesn t make you a bad team.  i have no doubt in the players we ve got. we have still got the team to go out and beat anyone on our day.  england find themselves striving to avoid a third successive championship defeat for the first time since 1987. but full-back robinson believes the new-look england team can stop the rot against france.   last weekend we should have won the game   he said.  but if we can under-perform and lose by only two points then i am sure if we play well this week we will get the win we need.  we proved that in the autumn - when we put in some excellent performances - and we just need to build on that.   it was a disappointing start against wales and we might be down on that.  but we are certainly not out. we will come out fighting this week.  robinson also had words of comfort for 18-year-old newcastle centre mathew tait  who made his international debut against wales but has been demoted from the squad to face france.   i have had a word with mathew   said robinson.  i still believe in him. he is an outstanding player but we have gone for olly (barkley) because of the kicking.  mathew has just got to take it on the chin  keep working hard like he is doing and i m sure he will feature in some of the games.


dutch watch van gogh s last film the last film to be made by the slain dutch director theo van gogh  called 06/05  has been premiered in the hague.  members of van gogh s family and celebrities attended the screening of 06/05  based on the murder of the anti-immigration politician pim fortuyn. van gogh was shot and stabbed to death in amsterdam six weeks ago. a dutch-moroccan man suspected of radical islamist links has been charged. the killing  and fortuyn s death in 2002  convulsed the netherlands. many dutch people have questioned their country s self-image as a peaceful  tolerant nation in the wake of the murders  which triggered heated debate about immigration.  an animal rights activist was sentenced to 18 years in prison last year for killing fortuyn. earlier this year  van gogh made a film accusing islam of promoting violence against women. it caused outrage among muslims and death threats were made against him. the film 06/05 will become available on the internet on wednesday and go on general release in dutch cinemas in january. van gogh s movie mixes real images of the day of fortuyn s murder with a fictional plot about dutch intelligence services conspiring to silence the politician. the story unfolds through the eyes of a freelance photographer who unwittingly takes pictures revealing the involvement of dutch authorities in fortuyn s murder. photographer jim de booy then goes on the run from secret service agents who burgle his home and threaten his family.


no-one can define new hunt ban  the new law banning hunting with dogs is  so poorly drafted  no-one can define the offence  pro-hunt mps say.  the accusation came after it emerged a devon man had been told he could use his four dogs to  chase away unwanted animals  from his farm. because he did not intend to kill deer or foxes it was not hunting. lib dem mp lembit opik said ministers had invented a new category of hunting - chasing away - and asked how police were supposed to interpret the rules.  north devon landowner giles bradshaw was put in touch with the middle way group  of which mr opik is a co-chairman  after he had been in contact with the rural affairs ministry  defra. he had asked whether his technique of using his four dogs to frighten off deer and foxes would be outlawed under the hunting act. mr bradshaw was initially told it was an offence - prompting him to complain. the middle way group also said mr bradshaw would be put in a position where he would have to buy a rifle to shoot animals that would have previously gone free. in a later conversation mr bradshaw was told that according to defra s lawyers chasing away unwanted animals was  not in fact hunting as described in the hunting act 2004 therefore you would not be committing an offence .  mr opik said:  hunting with dogs and flushing are not defined in the hunting act.  now defra have also invented a completely new category of hunting -  chasing away  which isn t even covered by the act.  however  all these activities involve the use of dogs to chase wild mammals.  how is the village bobby who sees a group of people with dogs supposed to distinguish between illegal hunting  exempt hunting  drag hunting  unintentional hunting  a hunt exercising hounds or simply chasing away   tory mp peter luff  another co-chairman of middle way  said that the legislation was  so poorly drafted nobody appears able to properly define the offence .   it is no wonder the government desperately wants to move on from this disastrous law. however  i seriously doubt the countryside will be that accommodating.  mike hobday  of the league against cruel sports  said:  there is no confusion  it is a matter of simple common sense.  if mr bradshaw is setting his dogs to chase wild animals then he is hunting them and that will be a criminal offence.  if all the dogs are doing is barking at the deer  then nobody can define that as hunting.


nintendo ds aims to touch gamers the mobile gaming industry is set to explode in 2005 with a number of high-profile devices offering a range of gaming and other features such as movie and music playback. market leader nintendo  however  is releasing a handheld console that it says will revolutionise the way games are played.  the first striking thing about the ds is how retro it looks. far from looking like a mould-breaking handheld  it looks more like nintendo dug out a mould from a 1980s handheld prototype. the lightweight clam shell device opens up to reveal two screens  and when switched on it instantly reveals its pedigree. both screens are crisp and clear while the bottom of the two is touch sensitive. nintendo has given developers free rein to utilise the dual screens and ability to control the action by simply touching the screen.  the japanese gaming giant hopes the ds will maintain the firm s pre-eminence in an increasingly-competitive mobile gaming market.  nintendo first launched its gameboy console in 1989 and has dominated the market ever since. but its lead can no longer be taken for granted. sony will enter the market later this year with its playstation portable  while start-up companies gizmondo and tapwave zodiac are also offering hybrid devices.  we believe the ds will appeal to all ages  both genders and gamers of any skill   said david yarnton  nintendo europe s general manager said at the recent press launch for the handheld. with its two screens  wireless connectivity and backwards compatibility with the gameboy advance  the ds certainly has a number of unique selling points. it went on sale in the us in mid-november priced $150 and nintendo says sales have exceeded expectations  without giving detailed figures. japan and europe will have to wait until the first quarter of 2005 to get the device. with more than two million pre-orders for the device in japan  nintendo is confident it will keep its number one spot. but will the device prove to be as revolutionary as claimed  the game ships with a demo of metroid hunters - a 3d action title which can be played alone or with a group of friends using the machine s wireless capabilities. it certainly looks impressive on the small machine and plays smoothly even with a group of people.  the game can be controlled by using the supplied stylus to aim. the top screen is used to navigate the action while the bottom screen offers a top-down map and the ability to switch weapons. it is certainly a unique control method and while it makes aiming more controlled it can be a little disorientating. super mario 64 ds is a faithful re-creation of the nintendo 64 classic with a host of new mini-games and new levels. the game looks stunning on the portable machine and the sound too is impressive for such a small machine. one thing is for certain. hardened gamers will have to learn to adapt to a new way of playing while it could prove to be an accessible way in to gaming for novices  ultimately the success or failure of the device lies in the hands of developers. if they manage to create titles which use the nintendo ds s key features then a whole new market of gamers could open up. the fear is that the touch screen and voice recognition are treated as little more than gimmicks.


feta cheese battle reaches court a row over whether only greece should be allowed to label its cheese feta has reached the european court of justice.  the danish and german governments are challenging a european commission ruling which said greece should have sole rights to use the name. the commission s decision gave the same legal protection to feta as to italian parma ham and french champagne. but critics of the judgement say feta is a generic term  with the cheese produced widely outside greece.  the commission s controversial 2002 ruling gave  protected designation of origin  status to feta cheese made in greece  effectively restricting the use of the feta name to producers there.  from 2007 onwards  greek firms will have the exclusive use of the feta label and producers elsewhere in europe must find another name to describe their products. the german and danish governments argue that feta does not relate to a specific geographical area and that their firms have been producing and exporting the cheese for years.  in our opinion it is a generic designation and we do not have any other name or term for this type of cheese   hans arne kristiansen  a spokesman for the danish dairy board  told the bbc. denmark is europe s second largest producer of feta after greece - producing about 30 000 tonnes a year - and exports its products to greece. it is concerned that the ruling could threaten the production of other cheeses in denmark such as brie.  it would cost millions if we wanted to introduce a new designation   mr kristiansen said.  that is just one of the costs.   the case will also have a major impact on britain s sole feta producer  yorkshire company shepherds purse cheeses.  judy bell  the company s founder  said it would cost a huge amount to rebrand its product.  if we lose we will have to go through a massive re-merchandising process and reorganisation   she said.  we have never tried to pull the wool over anyone s eyes - it s very clear from the label that it s yorkshire feta.  the original decision was a victory for greece  where feta cheese is believed to have been produced for about 6 000 years. feta is a soft white cheese made from sheep or goat s milk  and is an essential ingredient in greek cuisine. greece makes 115 000 tonnes  mainly for domestic consumption. the court is expected to reach a verdict in the case in the autumn.