unilever shake up as profit slips anglo-dutch consumer goods giant unilever is to merge its two management boards after reporting  unsatisfactory  earnings for 2004.  it blamed the poor results on sluggish decision making  a rise in discounted retailers and a wet european summer. the company also cited difficult trading conditions and a lack of demand for goods such as its slimfast range. unilever  which owns brands including dove soap  said annual pre-tax profit fell 36% to 2.9bn euros (£1.99bn). shares fell 1% to 510.75 pence in london  and dropped by 1.2% to 50.50 euros in amsterdam.  under the restructuring plans  patrick cescau  the uk-based co-chairman  will become group chief executive. dutch co-chairman antony burgmans will take on the role of non-executive chairman.   we have recognised the need for greater clarity of leadership and we are moving to a simpler leadership structure that will provide a sharper operational focus   mr burgmans said.  we are leaving behind one of the key features of unilever s governance but this is a natural development following the changes introduced last year.  the company  which has had dual headquarters in rotterdam and london since 1930  will announce the location of its head office at a later date. unilever is not alone in trying to simplify its business. oil giant shell last year dismantled its dual-ownership structure  after a series of problems relating to the size of its oil reserves that hammered its share price and led to the resignation of key board members.  the best part of the news this morning was that the company announced a structure simplification   said arjan sweere  an analyst at petercam.  the company said the organizational changes would speed decision making  and it also may make further changes.  the company said its main focus will be on improving profits  and it is planning to accelerate and increase investment in its 400 main brands.  while it is certainly the case that markets have been tougher in the past eighteen months than we had expected  we have also lost some market share   said mr cescau.  we let a range of targets limit our ability flexibility and did not adjust our plans quickly enough to a more difficult business environment.   our objective is to reverse the share loss that we experienced in some markets in 2004 and return to growth.   unilever said european sales fell 2.8% last year  dragged down by below part sales at its beverage division  where revenues dipped by almost 4%.  sales of ice cream and frozen food dipped by 3.4% in the us last year  revenue grew by 1.5%  despite disappointing sales in slimfast   the company said. in asia  leading products came under  attack  from rivals such as procter & gamble. unilever took a 1.5bn euro one-time charge in the fourth quarter  including a 650m euro write-down on slimfast diet foods. sales of slimfast products have been hit in recent years by the popularity of the atkins diet. but looking ahead  unilever said it was optimistic about prospects for its slimming products saying that demand is on the wane for rival low-carbohydrate diets. the company also said it planned to spend 500m euros this year buying back shares.


german growth goes into reverse germany s economy shrank 0.2% in the last three months of 2004  upsetting hopes of a sustained recovery.  the figures confounded hopes of a 0.2% expansion in the fourth quarter in europe s biggest economy. the federal statistics office said growth for the whole of 2004 was 1.6%  after a year of contraction in 2003  down from an earlier estimate of 1.7%. it said growth in the third quarter had been zero  putting the economy at a standstill from july onward. germany has been reliant on exports to get its economy back on track  as unemployment of more than five million and impending cuts to welfare mean german consumers have kept their money to themselves. major companies including volkswagen  daimlerchrysler and siemens have spent much of 2004 in tough talks with unions about trimming jobs and costs. according to the statistics office  destatis  rising exports were outweighed in the fourth quarter by the continuing weakness of domestic demand.  but the relentless rise in the value of the euro last year has also hit the competitiveness of german products overseas. the effect has been to depress prospects for the 12-nation eurozone as a whole  as well as germany. eurozone interest rates are at 2%  but senior officials at the rate-setting european central bank are beginning to talk about the threat of inflation  prompting fears that interest rates may rise. the ecb s mandate is to fight rising prices by boosting interest rates - and that could further threaten germany s hopes of recovery.


jarvis sells tube stake to spain shares in engineering group jarvis have soared more than 16% on news that it is offloading its stake in london underground consortium tube lines.  the sale of the 33% stake to spain s ferrovial for £146m ($281m) is a lifeline to jarvis  which was weighed down by debts of more than £230m. the company recently warned it could go under if it did not secure a refinancing deal by mid-january 2005. but now its banks have agreed to extend its credit facilities until march 2006.  the company also said it had agreed terms over the completion of 14 of its biggest construction projects under the government s private finance initiative (pfi).  jarvis wants to scale back the division  which has proved too costly and has been blamed for many of its problems. instead  it plans to focus on uk rail renewal  roads and plant hire work. madrid-based ferrovial already holds a 33% stake in tube lines  which maintains the jubilee  northern and piccadilly lines. the spanish group has been keen to snap up more uk infrastructure assets  having bought amey in 2003. jarvis said the sale  which raked in more than the £100m analysts had expected  would  substantially  enhance its financial position.  i am now confident that we can now move forward in 2005 towards rebuilding jarvis and return it to growth as a profitable business   said chief executive alan lovell. shares in jarvis were up more than 16% to 18 pence by the close of trade on friday.


eu to probe alitalia  state aid  the european commission has officially launched an in-depth investigation into whether italian airline alitalia is receiving illegal state aid.  commission officials are to look at rome s provision of a 400m euro ($495m; £275m) loan to the carrier. both the italian government and alitalia have repeatedly denied that the money - part of a vital restructuring plan - is state aid. the investigation could take up to 18 months. however  transport commissioner jacques barrot said he wanted it to be carried out as swiftly as possible.  the italian authorities have presented a serious industrial plan   said mr barot.  we now have to verify certain aspects to confirm that this plan contains no state aid. i would like our analysis to be completed swiftly.   the matter of possible state aid was brought to the commission s attention by eight of alitalia s rivals  including germany s lufthansa  british airways and spain s iberia. while alitalia needs to restructure to bring itself back to profitability  the rival carriers say it has both violated state aid rules and threatened competition. alitalia lost 330m euros in 2003 as it struggled to get to grips with high costs  spiralling oil prices  competition from budget carriers and reduced demand. it plans to split into az fly and az services  which will handle air and ground services respectively. alitalia already enjoyed state aid in 1997. eu rules prevent that from happening again in what is known as the  one time  last time  rule for airlines. otherwise  eu regulations on state aid stipulate that governments may help companies financially  but only on the same terms as a commercial investor. the airline declined to comment on the commission decision.


labour mp praises tory campaign the conservatives have been  a lot smarter  in the way they have conducted the general election campaign  a labour backbencher has said.  derek wyatt said having a five month campaign  turned off voters  and suggested people were already  rather bored of the thing . he wants a greater campaigning role for chancellor gordon brown. labour said the economy was at the heart of the campaign and mr brown therefore had a prominent role. but mr wyatt argued:  by some way  he is currently the figure in all of the polls that people trust and see that has delivered over eight years an economy unmatched anywhere in the world.  so  it would be a tad foolish of the labour party if we did not use him as we have done over the past three elections.   labour s election chief alan milburn denied there was an attempt to sideline mr brown after facing criticism for letting the tories set the agenda. however  mr wyatt predicted the campaign would get under way properly once the chancellor delivered his budget. the mp for sittingbourne and sheppey said prime minister tony blair had been  trying very hard  to improve his own standing with the electorate through a  sort of campaign of trust . but mr blair had been  hurt  by the iraq controversy  he added. a labour party spokesman played down differences with mr wyatt and said mr brown already had a prominent campaign role.  this election is a choice between labour taking britain forward and the conservatives taking us back.


online commons to spark debate online communities set up by the uk government could encourage public debate and build trust  says the institute of public policy research (ippr).  existing services such as ebay could provide a good blueprint for such services  says the think-tank. although the net is becoming part of local and central government  its potential has not yet been fully exploited to create an online  commons  for public debate. in its report  is online community a policy tool   the ippr also asks if id cards could help create safer online communities. adopting an ebay-type model would let communities create their own markets for skills and services and help foster a sense of local identity and connection.  what we are proposing is a civic commons   will davies  senior research fellow at the ippr told the bbc news website.  a single publicly funded and run online community in which citizens can have a single place to go where you can go to engage in diversity and in a way that might have a policy implication - like a pre-legislation discussion.   the idea of a  civic commons  was originally proposed by stephen coleman  professor of e-democracy at the oxford internet institute. the ippr report points to informal  small scale examples of such commons that already exist. it mentions good-practice public initiatives like the bbc s ican project which connects people locally and nationally who want to take action around important issues.  but he adds  government could play a bigger role in setting up systems of trust for online communities too. proposals for id cards  for instance  could also be widened to see if they could be used online. they could provide the basis for a secure authentication system which could have value for peer-to-peer interaction online.  at the moment they have been presented as a way for government to keep tabs on people and ensuring access to public services   said mr davies.  but what has not been explored is how authentication technology may potentially play a role in decentralised online communities.  the key idea to take from systems such as ebay and other online communities is letting members rate each other s reputation by how they treat other members. using a similar mechanism  trust and cooperation between members of virtual and physical communities could be built. this could mean a civic commons would work within a non-market system which lets people who may disagree with one another interact within publicly-recognised rules.  e-government initiatives over the last decade have very much been about putting basic information and service guides online as well as letting people interact with government via the web. many online communities  such as chatrooms  mailing lists  community portals  message boards and weblogs often form around common interests or issues.  with 53% of uk households now with access to the net  the government  suggests mr davies  could act as an intermediary or  middleman  to set up public online places of debate and exchange to encourage more  cosmopolitan politics  and public trust in policy.  government already plays a critical role in helping citizens trade with each other online.  but it should also play a role in helping citizens connect to one another in civic  non-market interactions   said mr davies. there is a role for public bodies like the bbc  libraries  and government to bring people back into public debate again instead of millions of  cliques  talking to each other  he added. the paper is part of the ippr s digital society initiative which is producing a number of conferences and research papers leading up to the publication of a manifesto for a digital britain.


shark tale dvd is us best-seller oscar-nominated animation shark tale has raked in $80m (£42.4m) in the first week of its us dvd release becoming the year s best-selling home video so far.  the tally for its dvd and video sales soared past the film s opening week us box office takings of $56m (£29.7m). shark tale is now the sixth-highest earning dvd for first week sales. the all-time first-week record is held by 1995 s lion king followed by shrek 2  finding nemo  the original shrek  and monster s inc.  shark tale  whose voice cast includes will smith  robert de niro  renee zellweger and martin scorsese  sold more than 6 million dvds and videos across the united states and canada. it becomes the highest first-week earner for february  outshining my big fat greek wedding which sold four million units in 2003. films which are expected to earn strong home video returns are usually timed for release in the busiest retail season which falls before christmas. the best-selling home video of last year was the dreamworks hit shrek 2  which took an estimated $458 m (£242.7m) in north america alone.


kennedy calls for iraq exit plans tony blair should set out a proper exit strategy from iraq in the wake of next sunday s elections in the country  lib dem leader charles kennedy has said.  in a speech focusing on issues arising from the re-election of george w bush  mr kennedy said iraq had become a  crucible of militant terrorism . he wants to see a phased withdrawal of uk troops  as soon as the situation allows   he said in london. any exit strategy must  augment and support  the democratic process.   there are some who are of the opinion that the mere presence of british and american troops in iraq feeds the insurgency   he said.  there is some truth in that  especially after the initial mistakes that were made - the heavy-handedness of operations like fallujah  and the well-publicised instances of abuse at the hands of coalition forces.  mr kennedy pointed out that the netherlands  portugal and the czech republic  which all have troops operating in the southern sector of iraq  have announced their imminent withdrawal  regardless of the situation on the ground .  he accused mr blair s government of  being less than straightforward  over its plans.  next week the prime minister should make a statement regarding the elections in iraq   mr kennedy said during his city of london speech.  he should set out a proper exit strategy  including the phased withdrawal of british troops  as the security situation allows.  mr kennedy also argued that british troops deployed in iraq should be replaced with forces from other countries -  especially islamic countries .


economy focus for election battle britain s economic future will be at the heart of labour s poll campaign  chancellor gordon brown has said.  he was speaking after cabinet members held their last meeting at no 10 before the expected election announcement. he said voters would recognise that labour had brought stability and growth  and would continue to do so. meanwhile the tories outlined their plans to tackle  yob culture  and the lib dems gave more details about their proposals to replace council tax. earlier the archbishop of canterbury wrote to all three parties urging them not to fight the election by exploiting people s fears.  in an open letter  he called on them not to turn the election into a competition about who can most effectively frighten voters about terrorism  asylum  and crime. he said they should concentrate instead on issues such as the environment  international development and the arms trade  family policy  and the reform of the criminal justice system.  shadow foreign secretary michael ancram said:  we have fought a very positive campaign. i think he will want to look quite carefully at what jack straw said about michael howard.   in a speech to the foreign policy centre mr straw said of the tory leader:  he is clever  fluent and tactical  but he is not wise.  he lacks strategy and good judgment  and his quick temper and impetuosity too often get the better of him.  the foreign secretary told the bbc:  i was making the observation that because of michael howard s impetuosity you can get lurches of policy.  liberal democrat chairman matthew taylor said:  people are already really turned off by the kind of campaign the others are fighting and you will see us putting emphasis on some of these huge issues facing the world  particularly the environment.   labour s focus on the economy as their key message - came on the day a new report was published by the institute of fiscal studies  suggesting that household incomes have fallen for the first time in more than a decade. the ifs says the drop partly reflects measures announced in what it called the chancellor s tax-raising budget of 2002. the treasury dismissed the research as  complete rubbish . party election supremo alan milburn said the apparent drop in average incomes was because self-employed people had been affected by a  world downturn  which hit their profits. since 1997  the reported average take-home income had  risen by 20% in real terms  if you took out the self-employed  mr milburn told bbc radio 4 s today programme. mr brown also dismissed the figures insisting that the  typical family  has been much better off under labour.


napster offers rented music to go music downloading  for those that have rejected the free peer to peer services  can be a costly business.  the cost of paying even as little as 70p per track can add up  particularly for those people who own one of the new generation of players that can store thousands of songs. paying per track for music is becoming as outmoded as paying per minute for internet access and alternative monthly or yearly subscription models are springing up as a more convenient  and ultimately cheaper way of owning music.   music fans are moving away from buying the traditional bundled package of a dozen or more songs that we used to call an album to newer ways that fit their lifestyle; either single tracks or subscriptions services   said paul myers  chief executive of wippit  a uk-based music download service. while itunes is doing good business with its sales of individual tracks to ipod owners  others are questioning whether the concept of owning music is even valid in the digital age. napster is due to launch a new rental subscription service - dubbed napster to go in the uk in the next few months. the service can be used on players that support microsoft windows latest digital rights management technology known as janus. this includes players made by samsung  rio and creative.  currently on offer in beta-version in the us  the service costs $15 per month for unlimited downloads. the technology ensures that music downloaded to the player only remains playable while the user subscribes to the service. users need to update their license on a monthly basis or the tunes will no longer play.  this has outraged some digital music lovers  especially as napster already offers a cheaper service for downloading music to the pc. napster claims the higher price is a result of record labels charging more for the to-go service and says it also offers  greater value  for customers. mr myers is not convinced a rental model will work for consumers.  we ve been offering our unlimited music subscription service for more than three years now and our customers know what they want. format interoperability  excellent value and the reassurance that music purchased from wippit is theirs to keep and enjoy on whatever device they choose   he said.  who wants to download a track that won t play next month if you decide to unsubscribe to the service or change portable player for an ipod or the latest mobile phone   wippit offers a download subscription service for £4.99 per month or £50 per year. it has a catalogue of around 60 000 songs.


multi-purpose tv aids india two-thirds of the world s population  4 billion people  live on $2 000 a year or less.  you might think that the last thing on their minds would be getting a television set or a computer. but that s not the case. many people in the developing world give up one of their daily meals so they can afford to buy a tv. and now  an indian-born computer engineer thinks he s come up with a way to give them cheap access to the internet. carnegie mellon professor raj reddy has spent the bulk of his professional career trying to find ways to make technology accessible to poor people. the first step is to figure out why poor people would want a personal computer and professor reddy thinks he has a pretty good idea of why they might.  i come from a village   says prof reddy   i know what the population is like  many of them are illiterate  and many of them have other concerns.   there  nobody will use it for the conventional uses of a pc  word processing and powerpoint   he said.  so it s clear to me that if people wanted to use pcs in a village - it has to usable by illiterate people and it must be primarily for entertainment  education  telemedicine  and access to expert advice.   prof reddy also thinks that tying it into some kind of aid package was the wrong approach. after all  he asked -- what aid group could possibly give expensive computers to 250 million less fortunate indians  let alone the billions of poor people around the world   instead  prof reddy decided to think of those 250 million indians as a potential market. the problem then becomes one of making the product compelling enough.  it must be so compelling that you would give up your third meal in order to have this   prof reddy says.  people do this today with television sets. if you go to india  and many other countries  they will first go get a television set before they worry about one more meal. why  because personalized entertainment has become very important.  this hatched a completely new idea. he calls it a pctvt - a personal computer  television and telephone all in one that runs on a normal desktop machine. literate users can surf through the applications with a keyboard and mouse but illiterate users can use what looks like a television remote control.  on the screen  pictures - not words - designate applications like tv  voice mail  and video e-mail. this dependence on graphics  video and audio means that a computer for an illiterate person needs 100 times more power and more memory than one for a phd. prassana rambathla  one of prof reddy s graduate students  says that  when you re talking illiterate you re talking audio and video  and that demands exponentially high bandwidth.   it can t choke at any point in time  and it has to withstand anything no matter what you re pressing.   the major part is making it foolproof  very tough  so that it never breaks   he says. the carnegie mellon team says this project is only possible because pcs are now so much cheaper and have built-in audio and video hardware and software. limited trials of the pctvt are due to start this month in the indian state of andhra pradesh.  although andhra pradesh has a fairly good infrastructure but work has to be done to ensure reliable connections to the net. prof reddy has teamed up with eric brewer at the university of california at berkeley. the answer  says prof brewer  is wi-fi.   we re looking at the thing you ll see in starbuck s or many other hotspots   he says.  we re doing a lot of work on long-distance wireless and how to make the network work better in the presence of intermittency  when the power goes up and down  and the links go up and down  and the computers you re connected to just get turned off for no reason.  prof reddy says he hopes to lease the pctvts for about $10 a month  and thinks indians will rent the units for the television and dvd capabilities. reddy says he can then introduce the pctvt s other technologies - such as video mail. for example  a farmer could use the pctvt s webcam to send a picture of a harmful insect to a local official who could send back a proposed course of action to the farmer. prof reddy thinks this kind of communication is the real pay-off.  the underlying problem   he says   is how you can increase their wealth and reduce their poverty and reduce their illiteracy  and improve their health care.   and what i m postulating is that this is the technology that will enable them. if i didn t have it  it would be an uphill battle. even with the technology it s an uphill battle. but i have a tool. there is hope. i can reach them in ways that have not been possible before.   clark boyd is technology correspondent for the world  a bbc world service and wgbh-boston co-production


benitez issues warning to gerrard liverpool manager rafael benitez has ordered captain steven gerrard not to play down their champions league ambitions and be more positive.  gerrard told the bbc liverpool were unlikely to win the trophy this year. benitez responded:  i spoke to steven and said to him that in future it s better to think we can win the champions league. why not   he said:  we need winners here and everyone thinking only of winning. i always want to win.   benitez added:  when we lose i only think of solutions. if you only think about winning the next game  you don t know what the draw will be.  if we can win the next game  maybe we will draw a side that isn t so strong  or a side with injuries or suspensions.  benitez is hoping to win his first trophy since arriving at liverpool from valencia when they play chelsea in the carling cup on sunday in cardiff.


dvd copy protection strengthened dvds will be harder to copy thanks to new anti-piracy measures devised by copy protection firm macrovision.  the pirated dvd market is enormous because current copy protection was hacked more than five years ago. macrovision says its new ripguard technology will thwart most  but not all  of the current dvd ripping (copying) programs used to pirate dvds.  ripguard is designed to... reduce dvd ripping and the resulting supply of illegal peer to peer   said the firm. macrovision said the new technology will work in  nearly all  current dvd players when applied to the discs  but it did not specify how many machines could have a problem with ripguard. the new technology will be welcomed by hollywood film studios which are increasingly relying on revenue from dvd sales.  the film industry has stepped up efforts to fight dvd piracy in the last 12 months  taking legal action against websites which offer pirated copies of dvd movies for download.   ultimately  we see ripguard dvd... evolving beyond anti-piracy  and towards enablement of legitimate online transactions  interoperability in tomorrow s digital home  and the upcoming high-definition formats   said steve weinstein  executive vice president and general manager of macrovision s entertainment technologies group. macrovision said ripguard was designed to plug the  digital hole  that was created by so-called decss ripper software. it circumvents content scrambling system measures placed on dvds and let people make perfect digital copies of copyrighted dvds in minutes. those copies could then be burned onto a blank dvd or uploaded for exchange to a peer-to-peer network. macrovision said ripguard would also prevent against  rent  rip and return  - where people would rent a dvd  copy it and then return the original. ripguard is expected to be rolled out on dvds from the middle of 2005  the company said. the new system works specifically to block most ripping programs - if used  those programs will now most likely crash  the company said. macrovision has said that rip guard can be updated if hackers find a way around the new anti-copying measures.


us cyber security chief resigns the man making sure us computer networks are safe and secure has resigned after only a year in his post.  amit yoran was director of the national cyber security division within the us department of homeland security created following the 9/11 attacks. the division was tasked with improving us defences against malicious hackers  viruses and other net-based threats. reports suggest he left because his division was not given enough clout within the larger organisation.  mr yoran took up his post in september 2003 and his first task was to get the cyber security division up and running. the organisation had a staff of about 60 people and a budget of about $80m (£44.54m). the division was charged with thinking up and carrying out action to make us networks more impervious to attack and disruption by the viruses  worms and hack attacks that have become commonplace.  in the last 12 months mr yoran oversaw the creation of a cyber alert system that sends out warnings about big hitting viruses and net attacks as they occur. the warnings also contained information about how firms and organisations could protect themselves against these attacks. the cyber security division also audited us government networks to discover exactly what was sitting on which network. the next step was to be the creation of a scanning system to identify vulnerabilities that made federal networks and machines susceptible to attack by malicious hackers and virus writers. mr yoran s division was also doing work to identify the networks and machines that had been broken into by cyber criminals. despite this success mr yoran left his post abruptly at the end of last week  reportedly only giving one day s notice to bosses at the department of homeland security.  amit yoran has been a valuable contributor on cyber security issues over the past year  and we appreciate his efforts in starting the department s cybersecurity program   said a department of homeland security spokeswoman. some reports have suggested that mr yoran felt frustrated by the lack of prominence given to work to protect against net-based threats in the wider homeland organisation. an attempt by us politicians to pass a law to promote mr yoran and raise the profile of his department s work is now mired in congress.


england s defensive crisis grows england s defensive worries have deepened following the withdrawal of tottenham s ledley king from the squad to face holland.  chelsea s john terry and wayne bridge are also out  leaving coach sven-goran eriksson with a real problem for wednesday s match at villa park. injured rio ferdinand and sol campbell were both left out of the squad  and matthew upson has already pulled out. wes brown and jamie carragher are likely to be the makeshift partnership. terry  the captain of chelsea as they push for the premiership title  would have been a certain starter in the absence of campbell and ferdinand. but now he has pulled out with a bruised knee and is likely to be replaced by carragher  alongside brown.  manchester united s brown last played for england in the defeat by australia at upton park in february 2003. the 25-year-old was only called into the squad on sunday night as cover following the enforced withdrawal of upson  who has a hamstring injury. and brown now looks certain to add to his tally of seven senior appearances for england. king was forced to pull out after his groin injury was assessed by england s medical staff. eriksson has still not decided whether to call up any further back-up  having already summoned phil neville after bridge pulled out with a foot injury.


farrell saga to drag on - lindsay wigan chairman maurice lindsay says he does not expect a quick solution to the on-going saga of captain andy farrell s possible switch to rugby union.  leicester and saracens are leading the chase for the player  but lindsay told the bbc it was not yet a done deal.  as well as the rugby football union  the league  the individual club and the england coaching team have a say  so it s not a quick decision   he said.  he s given us 12 years service so if he wants to go  we d support him.  the prospect of farrell switching codes has been the main talking point of the super league season so far.  it came as a bolt out of the blue to us   admitted lindsay.  but he s a very loyal friend to the club  so there s no question that he s deserting us. he just fancies a challenge.   although the move would be a lucrative one for both farrell and wigan  lindsay said money was not a motivating factor for the club.  the money side of things hasn t been concluded  but it s not the point for wigan   he told radio five live.  a shortage of money has never been a problem for us.  even if we did have it  under the salary cap we can t spend a penny of it anyway - we d rather have the player.   lindsay also said he understood why rugby union was so interested in signing up farrell.  it d be a great loss for us but a great boost for them   said the warriors chief.  this guy is an absolute sporting icon. he s been at the top for so long and has demonstrated so many attributes that you need to make it in a tough contact sport.  athletes like him - ellery hanley and martin johnson - don t come along very often. you re very lucky to have them whilst you ve got them.


ibm puts cash behind linux push ibm is spending $100m (£52m) over the next three years beefing up its commitment to linux software.  the cash injection will be used to help its customers use linux on every type of device from handheld computers and phones right up to powerful servers. ibm said the money will fund a variety of technical  research and marketing initiatives to boost linux use. ibm said it had taken the step in response to greater customer demand for the open source software.  in 2004 ibm said it had seen double digit growth in the number of customers using linux to help staff work together more closely. the money will be used to help this push towards greater collaboration and will add linux-based elements to ibm s workplace software. workplace is a suite of programs and tools that allow workers to get at core business applications no matter what device they use to connect to corporate networks. one of the main focuses of the initiative will be to make it easier to use linux-based desktop computers and mobile devices with workplace. even before ibm announced this latest spending boost it was one of the biggest advocates of the open source way of working. in 2001 it put $300m into a three-year linux program and has produced linux versions of many of its programs. linux and the open source software movement are based on the premise that developers should be free to tinker with the core components of software programs. they reason that more open scrutiny of software produces better programs and fuels innovation.


guantanamo four questioned the four britons freed from us custody in guantanamo bay are expected to be allowed a visit by one relative.  moazzam begg  martin mubanga  feroz abbasi and richard belmar were held for three years  accused of al-qaeda links. mr begg s father  azmat  said he had been told he could see his son for 20 minutes and would say he was  a hero . the men are being held at london s paddington green police station  where they are expected to be questioned by uk anti-terror officers. but louise christian  the lawyer representing mr abbasi and mr mubanga  said the families would be reunited with the men away from the station. before being driven by police from birmingham to london  azmat begg said he was concerned for his son moazzam s mental state and was looking forward to giving him a hug. as azmat begg arrived at the london police station  there appeared to be some confusion as to the visiting arrangements. police have said they have a duty to investigate the men  who were arrested on their return to the uk. but metropolitan police commissioner sir john stevens said evidence obtained by mi5 while the four were in cuba was  absolutely  inadmissible in uk courts. in an interview with the independent  sir john said his officers would have to find other evidence before the suspects could be tried in the uk.  he told the newspaper:  if an admission is made  it is a totally different ball game... it could be used as evidence.  the options are: if there is enough evidence they will be charged. if not they will be released as soon as possible.  the men have been allowed to meet their lawyers. louise christian said that after being  tortured and abused  at guantanamo bay  the men s arrest was unfair and inappropriate. she told bbc news she remained very concerned about their psychological state. gareth peirce  lawyer for mr begg  said she was shocked at the condition of the men and appalled that the authorities felt the need to detain them. washington has claimed all four were  enemy combatants  who trained at camps run by al-qaeda. the pentagon says they were freed after the uk government promised they would not be a threat to the national security of the us or any of its allies.  the detainees were immediately arrested under section 41 of the terrorism act 2000 when they landed at raf northolt  west london  on tuesday. massoud shadjareh  from the muslim safety forum  said:  what sort of homecoming is this  they are innocent people.  the muslim council of britain urged that the men should receive counselling and medical help.  we want these men to be returned into the arms of their waiting family   said iqbal sacranie  secretary general of the council.


band aid retains number one spot the charity single by band aid 20 has held on the chart top spot for a second week  strengthening its chances of becoming the christmas number one.  do they know it s christmas  featuring artists including chris martin and jamelia  held off kylie minogue to remain the week s biggest single. next week s chart will reveal who will have the festive chart-topper minogue s latest release i believe in you went in at number two  pushing down ice cube s you can do it to three. destiny s child also slipped one place to four with lose my breath  followed by girls aloud at five with the children in need record i ll stand by you.  the only other new entry in the top 10 came from robbie williams track misunderstood  a new track written for his greatest hits album. there were no new releases in the entire top 40 album charts as record companies put out all the big releases early hoping to cash in on the lucrative christmas market. u2 s how to dismantle a bomb remains at number one for a third week in a row  followed by williams  greatest hits. opera band il divo have moved up one place with their eponymous album to number three. maroon 5 s album songs about jane has moved up to number seven despite being released 47 weeks ago. and the abba gold greatest hits album has crept back into the top 40 more than nine years after it was first released.


renault boss hails  great year  strong sales outside western europe helped renault boost its profits by more than 40% in 2004 although the firm warned of lower margins this year.  france s second largest carmaker enjoyed a healthy 43% rise in net profits to 2.4bn euros ($3.1bn; £2.9bn) as sales rose 8% to 40.7bn euros. the firm said strong demand outside western europe and the good performance of its megane range lifted its results. chairman louis schweitzer said 2004 had been a  great year  for the firm.  renault sold more than 2.4 million vehicles in 2004  an increase of 4% on the previous year. growth came mainly from outside western europe  with particularly strong sales in turkey  russia and north africa.  in total  sales outside western europe - renault s core market - rose 16.5%. japanese carmaker nissan - in which renault owns a 44% stake - contributed 1.7bn euros in net income over the year. nissan chairman carlos ghosn is to succeed mr schweitzer at the head of renault later this year.  renault said the outlook for the industry in europe this year was  stable   with small growth forecast in other regions. the firm will benefit from the launch of a new clio model in the coming year and the roll-out of the logan in many markets. however  the firm said it expected operating margins to be lower in 2005  at 4% of sales as opposed to 5%.  in a sluggish market and an environment impacted by the rise in raw material prices  renault intends to continue to grow its global sales   the company said in a statement.


hearts 2-1 livingston hearts wrapped up their scottish cup quarter-final tie against livingston with two goals in the first 10 minutes.  lee miller scored inside the opening 60 seconds  heading over colin meldrum and into the net from a jamie mcallister free kick. mcallister himself scored the second when he met saul mikoliunas  cross at the back post to put the game beyond the visitors. craig easton headed in a controversial goal after an hour but hearts held on. the opening goal came after gus bahoken had clumsily fouled miller 35 yards from goal. mcallister floated the free kick into the livi box and miller outjumped the static visiting defence to loop his header from 10 yards over meldrum. with just 10 minutes on the clock  the home side doubled their lead. mikoliunas sprinted down the right  crossed to the back post where mcallister raced in to head past meldrum. moments later miller came close to grabbing his second with a first-time drive from 16 yards  which skimmed the bar.  then mcallister picked up a pass from stephen simmons and drove an angled shot from 20 yards narrowly past meldrum s far post. the impressive mikoliunas twice went close before half time - a low drive was comfortably gathered by meldrum and then he curled a left-footed shot past the keeper s right-hand post. livi manager richard gough made three changes at the interval  bringing on defender goran stanic  midfielder gabor vincze  and striker ferenc horvath for bahoken  derek lilley and mark wilson. but  in the opening stages of the second period  little changed. however  the west lothian side gave themselves a lifeline with a controversial goal. eric deloumeaux sent jason dair away on the right and he tried to give the ball to mcpake  who looked to be in an offside position. the livi striker ignored the pass  however  and dair ran on to it and played easton in at the back post and he headed home from close range. the home side called for offside against mcpake but referee alan freeland ignored their claims and pointed to the centre-circle. livi went all out for the equaliser. in the 87th minute  burton o brien was hauled back at the edge of the box by neil macfarlane  but dair sent his shot just inches wide.  gordon  webster  miller  hartley  neilson  mcallister  simmons (macfarlane 64)  berra  burchill (wyness 82)  mikoliunas (cesnauskis 77)  wallace.  moilanen  kizys.  berra  webster.  miller 1  mcallister 10.  meldrum  mcnamee  bahoken (stanic 45)  deloumeaux  strong  dair  easton  mark wilson (vincze 45)  lilley (horvath 45)  o brien  mcpake.  mckenzie  hand.  : vincze  horvath.  easton 60.  9 796  a freeland


reds sink 10-man magpies titus bramble s own goal put liverpool on the comeback trail as injury-hit newcastle were well beaten at anfield.  patrick kluivert s close-range finish put newcastle ahead after 31 minutes  but they were pegged back as bramble headed in steven gerrard s corner. neil mellor gave liverpool the lead before half-time from milan baros  pass before the czech added a third after rounding shay given on the hour. newcastle then had lee bowyer sent off for two bookable offences. liverpool brought back luis garcia after a hamstring injury  while newcastle were forced to draft in kluivert after craig bellamy was a late withdrawal with a back injury sustained in the warm-up. and garcia should have crowned his return with a goal inside the opening minute when he took a pass from baros but shot wildly over the top from eight yards. olivier bernard was only inches away from giving newcastle the lead after 20 minutes  when he fired just wide from a free-kick 25 yards out. but souness s side did go ahead 11 minutes later in highly controversial circumstances.  kluivert looked suspiciously offside when kieron dyer set bowyer free  but the dutchman was then perfectly placed to score from six yards. the lead lasted three minutes  with liverpool back on terms as bramble headed gerrard s corner into his own net under pressure from sami hyypia. and liverpool were ahead after 37 minutes when baros slid a perfect pass into mellor s path for the youngster to slip a slide-rule finish into given s bottom corner. garcia s finishing was wayward  and he was wasteful again in first-half injury time  shooting tamely at given after good work by xabi alonso. any hopes of a newcastle recovery looked to be snuffed out on the hour when a brilliant turn and pass by harry kewell set baros free and he rounded given to score. jermaine jenas then missed a glorious chance to throw newcastle a lifeline  shooting over from just eight yards out from shola ameobi s cross. then bowyer  who had already been booked for a foul on alonso  was deservedly shown the red card by referee graham poll for a wild challenge on liverpool substitute florent sinama-pongolle.  dudek  finnan  hyypia  carragher  riise  luis garcia (nunez 73)  gerrard  alonso  kewell (traore 85)  baros  mellor (sinama pongolle 75).  subs not used: hamann  harrison.  bramble 35 og  mellor 38  baros 61.  given  andrew o brien  elliott  bramble  bernard  bowyer  dyer (ambrose 80)  jenas  milner (n zogbia 72)  kluivert (robert 58)  ameobi.  subs not used: harper.  bowyer (77).  bowyer  elliott  bernard.  kluivert 32.  43 856.  g poll (hertfordshire).


lib dems unveil election slogan the liberal democrats will present themselves as  the real alternative  in the forthcoming general election campaign  charles kennedy has said.  unveiling the slogan at the party s spring conference  he said there was no  glass ceiling  to its ambitions. he told delegates that labour had abused the public s trust and that the tories had failed to oppose them. in response  the conservatives insisted that theirs was the party that understood the  forgotten majority .  speaking in harrogate mr kennedy said:  people want a credible  principled political party which offers a different vision of what britain can be.   only the liberal democrats stood against the iraq war  he said  and they had also provided strong opposition to the government s plans on id cards  anti-terror measures and taxation. he said:  if you voted conservative in 2001 ... what good did it do you  your vote was wasted.  what people needed was ... a party which was listening to their concerns; a party which was prepared to stand up and say so; a party which said no to the prime minister.  responding to the claims tory party co-chairman liam fox said:  like labour  the lib dems are soft on crime  support higher taxes  oppose controlled immigration and support giving europe more control over our lives.   mr kennedy also outlined his party s plan to impose a 50% income tax rate on earnings over £100 000 a year. the money would be used to help pay for key policies such as abolishing university tuition fees  scrapping council tax in favour of local income tax  and providing free care for the elderly  he said. labour and the tories claim the sums do not add up  and that working families would be hardest hit. mr kennedy said:  britain is the fourth-largest economy in the world. we have world class businesses and a world class workforce.   so why are two million of our pensioners living below the poverty line   all the parties are campaigning hard for an expected election in may  although prime minister tony blair has not confirmed any timing. earlier  mr kennedy told radio 4 s today programme there was no possibility of forming a coalition with labour in the event of a hung parliament.  we go into the election as an independent party and we come out as an independent party   he said. mr kennedy has been under fire in recent days for missing monday s commons vote on the government s controversial anti-terrorism laws  along with 16 other lib dem mps. on saturday  the lib dem chief executive said it was  just a cock-up  that mr kennedy and his colleagues missed the vote  which the government won by a majority of only 14.  nobody had any idea that was going to happen   lord rennard told reporters at the party conference. he said he was certain mps would get another chance to vote against the plans.


bond game fails to shake or stir for gaming fans  the word goldeneye evokes excited memories not only of the james bond revival flick of 1995  but also the classic shoot-em-up that accompanied it and left n64 owners glued to their consoles for many an hour.  adopting that hallowed title somewhat backfires on this new game  for it fails to deliver on the promise of its name and struggles to generate the original s massive sense of fun. this however is not a sequel  nor does it relate to the goldeneye film. you are the eponymous renegade spy  an agent who deserts to the bond world s extensive ranks of criminal masterminds  after being deemed too brutal for mi6. your new commander-in-chief is the portly auric goldfinger  last seen in 1964  but happily running around bent on world domination. with a determination to justify its name which is even less convincing than that of tina turner s similarly-titled theme song  the game literally gives the player a golden eye following an injury  which enables a degree of x-ray vision.  rogue agent signals its intentions by featuring james bond initially and proceeding to kill him off within moments  squashed by a plummeting helicopter. the notion is of course to add a novel dark edge to a 007 game  but the premise simply does not get the juices flowing like it needs to.  recent bond games like nightfire and everything or nothing were very competent and did a fine job of capturing the sense of flair  invention and glamour of the film franchise. this title lacks that aura  and when the bond magic shines through  it feels like a lucky accident. the central problem is that the gameplay just is not good enough. quite aside from the bizarre inability to jump  the even more bizarre glaring graphical bugs and dubious enemy ai  the levels simply are not put together with much style or imagination. admittedly the competition has been tough  even in recent weeks  with the likes of halo 2 and half life 2 triumphing in virtually every department. what the game is good at is enveloping you in noisy  dynamic scenes of violent chaos. as is the trend of late  you are made to feel like you are in the midst of a really messy and fraught encounter. sadly that sense of action is outweighed by the difficulty of navigating and battling within the chaos  meaning that frustration is often the outcome. and irregular save points mean you have to backtrack each time you are killed. a minute red dot passes for a crosshair  although the collision-detection is so suspect that the difficulties of aiming weapons are compensated for. shooting enemies from a distance can be tricky  and you will not always know you have picked them off  since dead enemies vanish literally before they have fully hit the floor  and they do so in some woefully uninspiring death animations. it is perhaps indicative of a lack of confidence that the game maker s allow you several different weapons almost immediately and throw you quickly into raging firefights - no time is risked with a measured build-up.  by far the most satisfying element of the game is seeing old favourites like dr no  goldfinger  hat-fiend oddjob and crazed russian sex beast xenia onatopp resurrected after all these years  and with their faces rendered in an impressively recognisable fashion.  there is a real thrill from doing battle with these legendary villains  and it is a testament to the power of the bond universe that they can cut such a dash. but the in-game niggles  combined with a story and presentation that just do not feel sufficiently well thought-through  will make this a disappointment for most. diehard fans of bond will probably find enough here to make it a worthwhile purchase and try to ignore the failings. the game is weak  not completely unplayable. then again  007 fanatics may also take umbrage at the cavalier blending of characters from different eras. given james bond s healthy pedigree in past games  there is every reason to hope that this is just a blip  a commendable idea that just has not worked  that will be rectified when the character inevitably makes his return.  goldeneye: rogue agent is out now


bid to cut court witness stress new targets to reduce the stress to victims and witnesses giving evidence in courts in england and wales have been announced by the lord chancellor.  lord falconer wants all crown courts and 90% of magistrates  courts to have facilities to keep witnesses separate from defendants within four years. more video links will also be made available so that witnesses do not have to enter courtrooms. it is part of a five-year plan to help build confidence in the justice system.  ministers say the strategy is aimed at re-balancing the court system towards victims  and increasing the number of offenders brought to justice. launching the department for constitutional affairs  plan  lord falconer said:  one of the top priorities will be a better deal for victims.  the needs and safety of victims will be at the heart of the way trials are managed.   courts  judges  magistrates  prosecutors  police and victim support - all working together to ensure the rights of victims are put first  without compromising the rights of the defendant.  he went on:  giving evidence is a nerve-wracking experience  especially when you re a victim.  yet with a will and with support it can be done.  lord falconer told bbc radio 4 s today programme it was impossible for some elderly people to go to court to give evidence. other witnesses could be intimidated by sitting alongside defendants outside courts.  you are never going to get rid of some element of the trauma of giving evidence   he said.  but you can make people believe that the courts understand the problem  it s not some kind of alien place where they go where they are not thinking about them.   the plan comes as the lord chancellor also considers allowing cameras into courts for the first time since 1925  as long as they were used for cases that did not involve witnesses. another feature of the strategy is constitutional reform  with a government bill to set up a supreme court and a judicial appointments commission returning to the house of lords on tuesday. ministers had proposed getting rid of the title of lord chancellor  but the lords have over-ruled this. lord falconer said it was right for the highest court to be completely distinct from parliament. the person in charge of the court system should not also be speaker of the house of lords  he said  and should be the best person chosen from either house of parliament. what they did  not what they were called  was the critical issue  he added.


candidate resigns over bnp link a prospective candidate for the uk independence party (ukip) has resigned after admitting a  brief attachment  to the british national party(bnp).  nicholas betts-green  who had been selected to fight the suffolk coastal seat  quit after reports in a newspaper that he attended a bnp meeting. the former teacher confirmed he had attended the meeting but said that was the only contact he had with the group. mr betts-green resigned after being questioned by the party s leadership. a ukip spokesman said mr betts-green s resignation followed disclosures in the east anglian daily times last month about his attendance at a bnp meeting.  he did once attend a bnp meeting. he did not like what he saw and heard and will take no further part of it   the spokesman added. a meeting of suffolk coastal ukip members is due to be held next week to discuss a replacement. mr betts-green  of woodbridge  suffolk  has also resigned as ukip s branch chairman.


china keeps tight rein on credit china s efforts to stop the economy from overheating by clamping down on credit will continue into 2005  state media report.  the curbs were introduced earlier this year to ward off the risk that rapid expansion might lead to soaring prices. there were also fears that too much stress might be placed on the fragile banking system. growth in china remains at a breakneck 9.1%  and corporate investment is growing at more than 25% a year. the breakneck pace of economic expansion has kept growth above 9% for more than a year. rapid tooling-up of china s manufacturing sector means a massive demand for energy - one of the factors which has kept world oil prices sky-high for most of this year. in theory  the government has a 7% growth target  but continues to insist that the overshoot does not mean a  hard landing  in the shape of an overbalancing economy. a low exchange rate - china s yuan is pegged to a rate of 8.28 to the dollar  which seems to be in relentless decline - means chinese exports are cheap on world markets. china has thus far resisted international pressure to break the link or at least to shift the level of its peg. to some extent  the credit controls do seem to be taking effect. industrial output grew 15.7% in the year to october  down from 23% in february  and inflation slowed to 4.3% - although retail sales are still booming.


vouchers  to cut winter deaths  pensioners are being promised energy savings by the liberal democrats  as snow and cold temperatures continue.  the party says the plans could save the average pensioner £100 every year and cut winter deaths. the government gives £200 for winter fuel to households with people over 60  or £300 where people are over 80. the tories promise to keep the payments. the lib dems would allow people to swap these winter fuel payments for discounts on home insulation. shadow local government secretary ed davey said:  the current scheme has helped some older people  but this new liberal democrat approach will go much further to end the scandal of tens of thousands of old people dying from the winter cold every year.  the vouchers are designed to let pensioners choose from a list of approved energy supplies who would compete for business by offering discounts on home insulation schemes. the plan would boost energy conservation  says the party - and insulation could save £100 every year for pensioner households  so using the money more  intelligently  than at present.


briton wins short film oscar three of the five nominees in the live-action short film category at this year s oscars were british. for andrea arnold  who won the category  ashvin kumar and gary mckendry the past month has thrust them from relative obscurity into the limelight.  arnold s gritty drama wasp is about a single mother living on the breadline  while kumar s little terrorist follows a young pakistani muslim boy  who gets stuck on the wrong side of the heavily armed indian border. mckendry s entry  everything in this country must  forces british soldiers and catholics to challenge their relationship during the troubles in northern ireland. last week  the trio attended an official screening of all the nominated short films at the academy s headquarters in beverly hills.  i felt so privileged to have a thousand people watching my film on the biggest screen i ve ever seen   says arnold.  set in her native dartford  wasp tells the story of a young mum  who  unable to find a babysitter  leaves her four young daughters outside a pub while she s on a date. the image that sparked the film was that of a wasp crawling into a baby s mouth.  the other nominees said they made their films for this reason or that - they had something to say. but i just start with an image i can t shake off  work outwards from that and see what comes out   she explains.  since she presented children s tv shows number 73 and motormouth in the 1980s  arnold has kept a low profile and is having trouble adapting to this sudden onslaught of attention.  i m not interested in the publicity. it s not my personality. i m overwhelmed by all the fuss   she said.   it s all a bit like a beauty contest - all the films are great and so different.  but even though my film has won 30 awards worldwide (including one at sundance last month)  i d still be proud of it - even if it hadn t won any.  asked what the nomination means to her  arnold says she feels  flattered and honoured .  we ve all been overwhelmed by the response and can t get it in perspective yet. i m still reeling.   and she won t commit to an opinion of hollywood yet.  i m just in the middle of it  living moment to moment  day to day.  but despite her reservations about the academy awards and the media frenzy that surrounds it  she accepts that it has opened doors for her.  people will definitely listen to what i want to do now  and the phone didn t stop ringing for a week after i got nominated.  as for the future  arnold firmly believes that you often get a stronger vision of the world with short films.  you re left more to your own devices  without people interfering as much.  that said  she is currently working on a feature film with dogville and dancer in the dark director lars von trier.


nasdaq planning $100m share sale the owner of the technology-dominated nasdaq stock index plans to sell shares to the public and list itself on the market it operates.  according to a registration document filed with the securities and exchange commission  nasdaq stock market plans to raise $100m (£52m) from the sale. some observers see this as another step closer to a full public listing. however nasdaq  an icon of the 1990s technology boom  recently poured cold water on those suggestions.  the company first sold shares in private placements during 2000 and 2001. it technically went public in 2002 when the stock started trading on the otc bulletin board  which lists equities that trade only occasionally. nasdaq will not make money from the sale  only investors who bought shares in the private placings  the filing documents said. the nasdaq is made up shares in technology firms and other companies with high growth potential. it was the most potent symbol of the 1990s internet and telecoms boom  nose-diving after the bubble burst. a recovery in the fortunes of tech giants such as intel  and dot.com survivors such as amazon has helped revive its fortunes.


kelly trails new discipline power teachers could get more powers to remove unruly pupils from classes under a  zero tolerance  drive  education secretary ruth kelly has suggested.  ms kelly told the bbc progress had been made against severely disruptive children but parents were still worried about lower level problems. the minister also confirmed she received  spiritual support  from the catholic movement opus dei. but she denied her faith meant she would refuse key government jobs.  the conservatives have made school discipline one of their five priority areas in the run-up to the next general election. ms kelly is expected to announce her plans on the issue in the next fortnight. she told bbc one s breakfast with frost:  it is really important to support head teachers and teachers in tackling disruption in the classroom.  we have made huge progress on the really difficult cases  the pupils who have severely disruptive behaviour.   but quite rightly what teachers are concerned about and what parents are concerned about is that this lower level disruption that goes on in the classroom now is tackled.  i would like to see the teacher being able to remove disruptive children from the classroom completely and have either alternative provision within the school or indeed off the school and may be working together with other schools in a particular area to provide that provision.  it is thought the plans may distinguish between excluding pupils from schools and taking them out of mainstream classes. head teachers can currently exclude pupils who commit or threaten violence in school  who sexually abuse pupils or other people  who sell illegal drugs or who have persistent and malicious disruptive behaviour. ms kelly entered the cabinet last month in the reshuffle forced by the resignation of the then home secretary david blunkett. her links to opus dei  which means  work of god  in latin  have provoked controversy.  critics say the organisation  which adheres strictly to catholic teachings  is secretive and elitist but its members reject such claims. asked if she was a member of the group  ms kelly said:  i do have spiritual support from opus dei and that is right.  but those are private spiritual matters and i m sure you ll respect that politicians are entitled to a private life.  she categorically denied reports that her beliefs on issues such as contraception would make her refuse to serve as a health or international development minister. her collective responsibility as a cabinet minister meant she also took responsibility for policies in those areas  she argued.  the government has yet to issue its official response to the tomlinson review  which recommended absorbing existing exam qualifications into a diploma. ms kelly said reforms should build on gcses and a-levels. her comments did not impress tory shadow education secretary tim collins.  ruth kelly wants to ditch the tomlinson report on exam structures but has absolutely no idea what to put in its place   he said.  she also talks of improving discipline but cannot make her mind up how. this is an all talk agenda that lets down children  teachers and parents.


scrum-half williams rejoins bath bath have signed their former scrum-half andy williams on a short-term deal from the neath-swansea ospreys.  wales international williams  whose contract with the welsh region was due to expire in june  has agreed a contract until the end of the season. with martyn wood s injury likely to keep him out until february  bath need experienced back-up to nick walshe. said williams:  when this opportunity presented itself  i did not really have to think twice about it.  williams  capped by wales against romania in 2003  should figure in the match squad for monday s zurich premiership match at sale sharks. he lost his ospreys starting place to new zealander jason spice and has fallen further behind in the pecking order. the welsh region has two outstanding young no 9 prospects in richie rees and rhodri wells. bath director of rugby jack rowell  though  believes williams fits the bill perfectly.  he has been playing regular heineken cup and celtic league rugby and he has a great affection for bath   rowell told bath s official website.  we are delighted to be able to welcome him back to the club.


aids and climate top davos agenda climate change and the fight against aids are leading the list of concerns for the first day of the world economic forum in the swiss resort of davos.  some 2 000 business and political leaders from around the globe will listen to uk prime minister tony blair s opening speech on wednesday. mr blair will focus on africa s development plans and global warming. earlier in the day came an update on efforts to have 3 million people on anti-aids drugs by the end of 2005. the world health organisation (who) said 700 000 people in poor countries were on life-extending drugs - up from 440 000 six months earlier but amounting to only 12% of the 5.8 million who needed them. a $2bn  funding gap  still stood in the way of hitting the 2005 target  the who said.  the themes to be stressed by mr blair - whose attendance was announced at the last minute - are those he wants to dominate the uk s chairmanship of the g8 group of industrialised states. other issues to be discussed at the five-day conference range from china s  economic power to iraq s future after this sunday s elections. aside from mr blair  more than 20 other world leaders are expected to attend including french president jacques chirac - due to speak by video link after bad weather delayed his helicopter - and south african president thabo mbeki  whose arrival has been delayed by ivory coast peace talks. the ukraine s new president  viktor yushchenko  will also be there - as will newly elected palestinian leader mahmoud abbas. showbiz figures will also put in an appearance  from u2 frontman bono - a well-known campaigner on trade and development issues - to angelina jolie  a goodwill campaigner for the un on refugees.  unlike previous years  protests against the wef are expected to be muted. anti-globalisation campaigners have called off a demonstration planned for the weekend. at the same time  about 100 000 people are expected to converge on the brazilian resort of porto alegre for the world social forum - the so-called  anti-davos  for campaigners against globalisation  for fair trade  and many other causes.  in contrast  the davos forum is dominated by business issues - from outsourcing to corporate leadership - with bosses of more than a fifth of the world s 500 largest companies scheduled to attend. a survey published on the eve of the conference by pricewaterhousecoopers said four in ten business leaders were  very confident  that their companies would see sales rise in 2005. asian and american executives  however  were much more confident than their european counterparts. but the political discussions  focusing on iran  iraq and china  are likely to dominate media attention.


oasis star fined for german brawl oasis singer liam gallagher has been fined 50 000 euros (£35 000) after a fight in a german hotel two years ago.  gallagher was arrested along with drummer alan white and three other members of the band s entourage after the brawl in munich in december 2002. the band said they were victims of an  unprovoked attack  in a nightclub. but police said gallagher kicked an officer in the chest and had large amounts of alcohol and drugs - possibly cocaine - in his blood. gallagher lost two front teeth in the fight  which led to the band abandoning their german tour. his brother and bandmate noel was in bed at the time.   the process has stopped by paying 50 000 euros   said anton winkler  spokesman for the munich prosecutor. at the time  police said a  physical altercation  broke out among the musicians at about 0200 local time. that led to one of the group being  jostled  and falling onto the table of five italian guests - causing the fight  they said. the fight continued outside  where  one of the officers was kicked in the chest with full force by liam gallagher... and suffered minor injuries   they said.


stam spices up man utd encounter ac milan defender jaap stam says manchester united  know they made a mistake  by selling him in 2001.  the sides meet at old trafford in the champions league game on wednesday and the 32-year-old s dutchman s presence is sure to add spice to the fixture.  united made a mistake in selling me   stam told uefa s champions magazine.  i was settled at manchester united  but they wanted to sell me. if a club want to sell you  there is nothing you can do. you can be sold like cattle.  sir alex ferguson surprised the football world - and stam - by selling the dutchman to lazio for £16.5m in august 2001. the decision came shortly after stam claimed in his autobiography that ferguson had tapped him up when he was at psv eindhoven. but ferguson insisted he sold the defender because the transfer fee was too good to refuse for a player past his prime. the affair still rankles with the dutchman.   i was settled at manchester united  i had even just ordered a new kitchen  but they wanted to sell me   he said.  in what other industry can a good employee be ushered out the door against their wishes   of course  you can refuse to go  but then the club have the power to put you on the bench. i don t agree that players control the game.  there have been opportunities to confront them in the newspapers  but i have turned them down. what s the point    wednesday s game at old trafford will provide an intriguing confrontation between united s young attackers wayne rooney and cristiano ronaldo and milan s veteran defence of stam  paolo maldini  cafu and alessandro costacurta. stam says rooney s teenage stardom is in stark contract to his own start in the game.  we can t all be wayne rooneys - at his age i was training to be an electrician and thought my chance of becoming a professional footballer had gone   he said.  starting late can be a good thing. some kids who start early get bored.  i had my youth - having fun  drinking beers  blowing up milk cannisters. it sounds strange but it s a tradition where i grew up in kampen - and i had done all the things i wanted to do.


labour s cunningham to stand down veteran labour mp and former cabinet minister jack cunningham has said he will stand down at the next election.  one of the few blair-era ministers to serve under jim callaghan  he was given the agriculture portfolio when labour regained power in 1997. mr cunningham went on to become tony blair s  cabinet enforcer . he has represented the constituency now known as copeland since 1970. mr blair said he was a  huge figure  in labour and a  valued  personal friend .  during labour s long period in opposition  mr cunningham held a number of shadow roles including foreign affairs  the environment and as trade spokesman. as agriculture minister he caused controversy when he decided to ban beef on the bone in the wake of fears over bse. he quit the government in 1999 and in recent years has served as the chairman of the all-party committee on lords reform and has been a loyal supporter of the government from the backbenches.


anelka  eyes man city departure  striker nicolas anelka reportedly wants to leave manchester city in search of champions league football.  anelka  25  is in talks over a contract extension beyond 2007 with city but is believed to fear his career will go stale if he stays at the club. the news of the world reports that anelka told a french magazine:  i either decide to win titles or to have an easy life.  i think i will always choose football  if a great club makes me an offer.  he added:  to win titles you need players who have the capability of doing so. if we stagnate between eighth and 15th place it s impossible to progress.  if i am going to score goals and not win  there is a risk it is going to create a feeling of being fed up.  anelka has earned a reputation for being a difficult character to handle after spells at arsenal  real madrid and paris st germain and he feels that is now coming back to haunt him.   i am in talks to sign an extension to my contract   he said.  i am well here but the sporting aspect also comes into account.  playing for eighth place is good but i miss the champions league.  i won it with real madrid in 2000 and i need to be playing in it - and i should be playing in it.  i m not in it because of things that have happened in the past and had nothing to do with football.  but i don t blame anyone. it s a bit my fault.


lions blow to world cup winners british and irish lions coach clive woodward says he is unlikely to select any players not involved in next year s rbs six nations championship.  world cup winners lawrence dallaglio  neil back and martin johnson had all been thought to be in the frame for next summer s tour to new zealand.  i don t think you can ever say never   said woodward.  but i would have to have a compulsive reason to pick any player who is not available to international rugby.  dallaglio  back and johnson have all retired from international rugby over the last 12 months but continue to star for their club sides. but woodward added:  the key thing that i want to stress is that i intend to use the six nations and the players who are available to international rugby as the key benchmark.  my job  along with all the other senior representatives  is to make sure that we pick the strongest possible team.  if you are not playing international rugby then it s still a step up to test rugby. it s definitely a disadvantage.   i think it s absolutely critical and with the history of the lions we have got to take players playing for the four countries.  woodward also revealed that the race for the captaincy was still wide open.  it is an open book   he said.  there are some outstanding candidates from all four countries.  and following the all blacks  impressive displays in europe in recent weeks  including a 45-6 humiliation of france  woodward believes the three-test series in new zealand will provide the ultimate rugby challenge.  their performance in particular against france was simply awesome   said the lions coach.  certain things have been suggested about the potency of their front five  but they re a very powerful unit.  with his customary thoroughness  woodward revealed he had taken soundings from australia coach eddie jones and jake white of south africa following their tour matches in britain and ireland.  as a result  woodward stressed his lions group might not be dominated by players from england and ireland and held out hope for the struggling scots.  scotland s recent results have not been that impressive but there have been some excellent individual performances.  eddie in particular told me how tough they had made it for australia and i will take on board their opinions.  and scotland forward simon taylor looks certain to get the call  provided he recovers from knee and tendon problems.  i took lessons from 2001 in that they did make a mistake in taking lawrence dallaglio when he wasn t fit and went on the trip.  every player has to be looked at on their own merits and simon taylor is an outstanding player and i have no doubts that if he gets back to full fitness he will be on the trip.  i am told he should be back playing by march and he has plenty of time to prove his fitness for the lions - and there are other players like richard hill in the same boat.


uk broadband gets speed injection broadband s rapid rise continues apace as speeds gear up a notch.  an eight megabit service has been launched by internet service provider uk online. it is 16 times faster than the average broadband package on the market and will pave the way for services such as video-on-demand and broadband tv. the service is possible due to a new regime which allows other operators to use bt s exchanges and will initially only be available in towns.  it represents a  big leap forward  for broadband  said chris stening  uk online general manager.  the service comes with a hefty £39.99 monthly price tag but will mean users can download mp3s in seconds and offers tv-quality video streaming. the service includes wifi as standard  meaning users can connect multiple pcs  laptops and game consoles from any room in the house. not everybody will be able to take advantage of the service  as it will be restricted to metropolitan areas. the service will initially be available to users within 2km radius of 230 telephone exchanges in areas such as london  birmingham  glasgow and cambridge. that represents about 4.4 million households. the service is possible due to a decision to loosen bt s strangle-hold on telephone exchanges.  the process  known as local loop unbundling  was put in motion by the now defunct telecoms watchdog oftel but has only proved popular in recent months due to falling costs. uk online is looking at the possibility of bundling services such as cheap net telephone calls  video-on-demand and tv by 2005 if the service proves popular.  the service is twice as fast as any other service on offer in the uk and 16 times faster than most broadband services   said mr stening.  it takes a big leap for broadband and we are very excited about it   he said. countries such as south korea and france have found the advantage of upping the speeds of broadband. in south korea  video-on-demand over the net is cheaper than renting a dvd and online gaming is huge. mr stening believes the service will appeal to people in multi-occupancy buildings as well as easing family arguments.  a typical family with two adults and two children is currently sharing a 512 kilobit service. this will basically give them 2 megabits each   he said.


us regulator to rule on pain drug us food and drug regulators will decide on friday whether to recommend the sale of painkillers that have been linked to a high risk of heart attack and stroke.  the food and drug administration (fda) advisory panel will give its verdict after hearing evidence for three days. the painkillers - called cox-2 inhibitors - are sold under brand names such as celebrex and vioxx. vioxx was withdrawn from shops last year but merck said it would consider selling it if it gets fda approval. the fda has been asked to decide if the benefits to patients justify the increased risks.  putting vioxx back on the shelves is likely to boost profits at merck and make easier any legal battles with people who claim to have been injured by the drug  analysts said.  merck voluntarily stopped sales of vioxx on 30 september  a move which caused the firm s fourth-quarter earnings to slide to $1.1bn (£581m)  from $1.4bn a year earlier. merck s shares tumbled more than 10% on the news and the company has had to set aside millions of dollars to cover the cost of vioxx-related litigation. alarm bells were rung by a research note called approve which showed that the risk of heart attack and stroke doubled in patients who had been taking the drug for at least 18 months. the cox-2 inhibitors were developed by drug companies  including merck and pfizer  because they cause users fewer stomach problems than other painkillers.  pfizer is still selling its celebrex and bextra products  though investigations have suggested that they may also be harmful to the heart. merck s announcement of a possible reintroduction of vioxx caught analysts by surprise. merck s head of research peter kim said that it withdrew vioxx  based on the information that was available to us at the time  knowing there were alternative therapies . he went on to say that things have since changed in the light of new reports.  given this new information  its is not clear that the cardiovascular risk observed in approve makes vioxx unique in the class of similar drugs marketed in the us   mr kim explained.  on thursday  david graham from the fda s office of drug safety told the advisory panel that  there really doesn t appear to be a need for cox-2  inhibitors. according to calculations presented to the us senate by dr graham in november  vioxx may be linked to as many as to 56 000 american deaths. facing stem criticism for its handling of the vioxx case  the fda said on tuesday that it will create an independent body to oversee the safety of drugs already in the market place. european regulators  meanwhile  ruled on thursday that patients who have had heart disease or a stroke should not take cox-2 inhibitors. the european medicines agency also said doctors should be  cautious  about giving the drugs to patients who have risk factors for heart disease.


hodgson shoulders england blame fly-half charlie hodgson admitted his wayward kicking played a big part in england s 18-17 defeat to france.  hodgson failed to convert three penalties and also missed a relatively easy drop goal attempt which would have given england a late win.  i m very disappointed with the result and with my myself   hodgson said.  it is very hard to take but it s something i will have to get through and come back stronger. my training s been good but it just didn t happen.  hodgson revealed that olly barkley had taken three penalties because they were  out of my range  but the centre could not convert his opportunities either  particularly the drop goal late on.  it wasn t a good strike   he added.  i felt as soon as it hit my boot it had missed. it s very disappointing  but i must recover.  andy robinson said he would  keep working on the kicking  with his squad. however  the england coach added that he would take some positives from the defeat.   we went out to play and played some very good rugby and what have france done   he said.  they won the game from kicking penalties from our 10m line.  it s very frustrating. the lads showed a lot of ambition in the first half  they went out to sustain it in the second but couldn t build on it.  we took the ball into contact  and you know when you do that it is a lottery whether the referee is going to give the penalty to your side or the other side.  we have lost a game we should have won. there is a fine line between winning and losing  and for the second week we ve been on the wrong side of that line and it hurts.   england went in at half-time with a 17-6 lead but they failed to score in the second half and dimitri yachvili slotted over four penalties as france overhauled the deficit. england skipper jason robinson admitted his side failed to cope with france s improved second-half display.   we controlled the game in the first half but we knew that they would come out and try everything after half-time   he said.  we made a lot of mistakes in the second half and they punished us. they took their chances when they came.  it s very disappointing. last week we lost by two points  now one point.


rangers seal old firm win goals from gregory vignal and nacho novo gave rangers a scrappy victory at celtic park that moves them three points clear of the champions.  rangers had rarely threatened until celtic goalkeeper rab douglas let defender vignal s 25-yard drive slip through his grasp and into the net. opposite number ronald waterreus had been rangers  hero  saving superbly from craig bellamy and john hartson. striker novo secured victory  lobbing douglas with eight minutes remaining. it ended celtic s 11-game unbeaten run at home in old firm derbies and gave rangers manager alex mcleish his first victory at the home of his glasgow rivals. celtic had won their last six meetings on their home pitch  including twice already this season. they started confidently  with new signing bellamy  on loan from newcastle united  given his celtic debut up front with wales international colleague john hartson and chris sutton dropping into midfield. it took bellamy just four minutes to threaten  taking on marvin andrews before delivering a low drive that was held by waterreus at the second attempt. he had an even better chance after hartson dispossesed sotiris kyrgiakos and sent his strike partner clear with only the goalkeeper to beat. but waterreus did well to beat away bellamy s disappointing low drive from 16 yards. waterreus came to the rescue again when the ball fell to hartson just inside the box and the dutch goalkeeper made a brave block. it was an old firm return for barry ferguson as mcleish stuck by the side that thumped four goals past hibernian. but rangers found celtic harder to break down and douglas was not threatened until 10 minutes after the break. dado prso turned inside neil lennon only for the celtic goalkeeper to beat away his powerful 18-yard drive. a great defensive header by andrews prevented hartson pouncing from five yards out. hartson foxed vignal at the edge of the rangers box  but the striker s shot on the turn was again beaten away by waterreus. rangers were beginning to dominate the midfield and vignal  collecting a knock back from fernando ricksen  broke the deadlock  douglas somehow letting the frenchman s dipping drive slip through his grasp. novo pounced on a moments  hesitation in the celtic defence to latch on to a long ball from ricksen and lob the ball over the advancing douglas. ricksen appeared to be hit by a coin  but it could not prevent rangers  celebrations at the final whistle.  : douglas  mcnamara  balde  varga  laursen  petrov  lennon  sutton  thompson  bellamy  hartson.  subs: marshall  henchoz  juninho paulista  lambert  maloney  wallace  mcgeady.  : waterreus  hutton  kyrgiakos  andrews  ball  buffel  ferguson  ricksen  vignal  prso  novo.  subs: mcgregor  namouchi  burke  alex rae  malcolm  thompson  lovenkrands.  : m mccurry


mcilroy continues winning streak james mcilroy stormed to his second international victory in less than a week  claiming the men s 800m at the teag indoor meeting in erfurt.  the northern ireland runner set a new personal best of one minute  46.68 seconds - a time good enough to qualify for the european indoor championships.  i m qualified now and that s what matters most   said the 28-year-old. mcilroy is now hoping to gain a late entry into sunday s international indoor meeting in leipzig. the northern irishman is hoping manager ricky simms can swing it for him to compete after he initially withdrew after contracting a cold. after three successive wins over the past fortnight  mcilroy is brimming with confidence.  i ve been waiting over six years for this to happen and now i m certain my career has turned the corner.  on friday  mcilroy delivered an impressive run despite suffering from his bad cold. the aaa indoor and outdoor champion accelerated away from the field in the final 300m  beating german wolfram mulle by 0.90 seconds. mcilroy set a world-leading mark for 1 000m at the sparkassen cup in stuttgart last weekend. and his time in erfurt makes him third fastest over 800m in the world this year.


house prices suffer festive fall uk house prices fell 0.7% in december  according to figures from the office of the deputy prime minister.  nationally  house prices rose at an annual rate of 10.7% in december  less than the 13.7% rise the previous month. the average uk house price fell from £180 126 in november to £178 906  reflecting recent land registry figures confirming a slowdown in late 2004. all major uk regions  apart from northern ireland  experienced a fall in annual growth during december.  december is traditionally a quiet month for the housing market because of christmas celebrations. however  recent figures from the land registry - showing a big drop in sales between the last quarter of 2004 and the previous year - suggested the slowdown could be more than a seasonal blip. the volume of sales between october and december dropped by nearly a quarter from the same period in 2003  the land registry said. although both the office of the deputy prime minister (odpm) and the land registry figures point to a slowdown in the market  the most recent surveys from nationwide and halifax have indicated the market may be undergoing a revival. after registering falls at the back-end of 2004  halifax said house prices rose by 0.8% in january and nationwide reported a rise of 0.4% in the first month of the year.


buffy creator joins wonder woman the creator of buffy the vampire slayer is to take on a new female superhero after signing up to write and direct the wonder woman movie.  joss whedon described the dc comics character as  the most iconic female heroine of our time .  in a way  no one has met her yet   he said.  what i love most about icons is finding out what s behind them  exploring the price of their power.  linda carter played the character in the 1970s tv series. the character of wonder woman  famed for her red and gold costume  was born on paradise island  and was blessed with the powers of strength and flight. the film is being produced by joel silver  producer of the matrix trilogy.   there s no one better than joss to adapt the legendary wonder woman comic book character created in the 1940s into a dynamic feature film for 21st century audiences   said silver.  wonder woman was the first great female superhero to emerge from comic books and later inspire millions of fans in her television incarnation... but this groundbreaking heroine has yet to be reinvented for the feature film arena.  whedon created the character of buffy in the screenplay for the 1992 film. he distanced himself from the movie because of the direction it eventually took  and the film bombed. but he did not give up on the slayer and went on to write and executive produce seven seasons of the cult tv series. he also produced the spin-off angel series. he is currently directing the film serenity  based on his short-lived sci-fi series firefly.


mg rover china tie-up  delayed  mg rover s proposed tie-up with china s top carmaker has been delayed due to concerns by chinese regulators  according to the financial times.  the paper said chinese officials had been irritated by rover s disclosure of its talks with shanghai automotive industry corp in october. the proposed deal was seen as crucial to safeguarding the future of rover s longbridge plant in the west midlands. however  there are growing fears that the deal could result in job losses. the observer reported on sunday that nearly half the workforce at longbridge could be under threat if the deal goes ahead.  shanghai automotive s proposed £1bn investment in rover is awaiting approval by its owner  the shanghai city government and by the national development and reform commission  which oversees foreign investment by chinese firms. according to the ft  the regulator has been annoyed by rover s decision to talk publicly about the deal and the intense speculation which has ensued about what it will mean for rover s future. as a result  hopes that approval of the deal may be fast-tracked have disappeared  the paper said. there has been continued speculation about the viability of rover s longbridge plant because of falling sales and unfashionable models.  according to the observer  3 000 jobs - out of a total workforce of 6 500 - could be lost if the deal goes ahead. the paper said that chinese officials believe cutbacks will be required to keep the mg rover s costs in line with revenues. it also said that the production of new models through the joint venture would take at least eighteen months. neither rover nor shanghai automotive commented on the reports.


us to probe airline travel chaos the us government is to investigate two airlines- us airways and delta air lines  comair subsidiary - after travel chaos over the christmas weekend.  staff calling in sick at us airways and computer failures at comair left 30 000 passengers stranded and 10 000 pieces of baggage undelivered. us airways is in chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time in two years  and battling to cut costs. it is currently trying to negotiate pay cuts with flight and baggage staff.  transportation secretary norman mineta said he was  deeply concerned  at the disruption to passengers  and ordered a thorough investigation. comair s computer breakdown plunged its flight-crew scheduling system into disarray. altogether  some 1 100 flights were cancelled over the holiday long weekend. mr mineta said it was important to understand  what happened  why it happened and whether the carriers properly planned for the holiday travel period and responded appropriately to consumer needs in the aftermath .  adding to the atmosphere of chaos were mountains of luggage left to pile up when a third of us airways  baggage handling staff called in sick. there was also a shortage of us airways flight attendants  with nearly a fifth saying they were too sick to work  leading to many flight cancellations. however  union officials denied there had been a deliberate  sickout . they said that many people have flu at this time of year and that the airline is chronically understaffed.  us airways ended up cancelling over 100 flights on christmas day  stranding passengers in as many as 119 airports. ground crews at us airways  the seventh-largest us airline  which is now in chapter 11 bankruptcy protection  face a court-imposed pay cut next month. the airline needs to negotiate other paycuts if it is to find a route out of bankruptcy. it is looking for paycuts totalling $800m.   us airways has a full-scale employee mutiny on its hands   commented michael boyd  an industry consultant. disruptions to flight schedules could discourage customers from flying with us airways  reducing revenues. us airways had to cancel approximately 65 flights on thursday  180 on friday  140 on saturday  43 on sunday and 15 on monday  said industry officials. the airline said it was  embarrassed by the situation  and  deeply regrets any inconvenience caused to customers   the probe will focus on the industry s compliance with a 1999 agreement aimed at improving the quality of passenger service that has so far allowed airlines to avoid congressionally-mandated standards. analysts said the christmas chaos cast doubt on us airway s ability to emerge from bankruptcy - and was likely to worsen the finances of troubled delta  parent of comair. comair  deeply regrets the inconvenience to all of our customers caused by the severe winter storm in the ohio river valley during the busy holiday season  exacerbated by problems with the airline s crew scheduling system  causing additional flight delays and cancellations   the delta subsidiary said in a statement.