gatlin and hayes win owen awards american olympic stars justin gatlin and joanna hayes have been named the winners of the 2004 jesse owens awards  usa track & field s (usatf) top honour.  gatlin  22  won the closest 100m final in games history with a career-best time of 9.85 seconds in athens. he also won bronze in the 200m and silver in the 4x100m relay  becoming the only male athlete to win three athletics medals this summer. hayes  27  set an olympic record of 12.37 in winning the 100m hurdles. established in 1981  the jesse owens awards - named in honour of the late olympic great who won four gold medals at the 1936 berlin games - are presented annually to the outstanding us male and female track and field performers.  the 2004 awards will be presented on 3 december in conjunction with the usatf annual meeting in portland.  it is such a great honour to win the jesse owens award   said gatlin.  it is one of the biggest honours in track and field and it is a great end to a great year.   hayes said:  knowing some of the great people who have won this award before me and knowing what it represents  i feel a sense accomplishment and pride which lets me know that everything that i have worked for is and always will be worth it.


blair ready to call election tony blair seems certain to end weeks of phoney war on monday and announce there will be a general election on 5 may.  the date has been pencilled into the diaries of politicians and political journalists for many months and  despite occasional panics that the prime minister was on the verge of calling a snap poll  it has not shifted. over the weeks  there have been any number of signs that 050505 was going to be the day mr blair would go for an historic third term. and the calling of a special political cabinet meeting has only added to the belief that the announcement is imminent. the prime minister and his campaign boss alan milburn have already insisted the election will be fought on the economy and what they claim is a stark choice between labour s stability and investment against tory cuts and boom and bust.  and chancellor gordon brown has stepped into the front line of the campaign - to the relief of many of his supporters in westminster - to underline that economic message. and it is certain one of the big arguments at the centre of the election battle will be around the big parties  tax and spend policies.  during the phoney campaign  labour got into trouble over its central claim that michael howard was planning £35 bn cuts in public services. the prime minister found himself struggling to explain how a smaller  slower increase in spending planned by the tories compared to labour s plans was a cut. and it looked like the labour campaign - which was already being criticised for being thrown into defensive mode by mr howard on issues such as immigration and health - was on the rocks. then deputy conservative chairman howard flight was reported to have suggested mr howard was secretly planning even bigger  cuts .  he was sacked for his gaffe  but the damage had been done and the faltering labour campaign was back on track. a second central argument will be over taxation  with the tories claiming the chancellor has to fill a black hole at the centre of his finances and will be forced to raise taxes if labour wins again. mr brown slaps that aside  claiming his forecasts are accurate and that previous claims of looming economic disaster have proved inaccurate. as usual  the liberal democrats will have to fight to get their voice heard over the sounds of battle between the two big parties. but leader charles kennedy believes he has set out a distinctive manifesto with plans for a tax rise for the wealthiest to finance extra spending and the abolition of the council tax in favour of a local income tax. other issues are certain to play a part - immigration and asylum  the war on iraq  law and order and education  for example. but  as ever  it will be the economy that will almost certainly decide the outcome. and  whatever that outcome  2005 is set to be a far more lively  even bitter campaign than 2001 s non-event.


new rules tackle  sham weddings  new rules on marriage for foreign nationals living in the uk are coming into force.  from tuesday  most non-eu citizens will need home office approval to marry. the home office says the new rules are aimed at reducing the number of sham marriages  of which there are estimated to be up to 15 000 a year. but immigrants  group the joint council for the welfare of immigrants (jcwi) says the rules breach human rights law and it may mount a legal challenge. when the changes were unveiled last year  immigration minister des browne said:  our aim is to avoid unnecessary disruption of genuine marriages  while providing firm controls to prevent abuse.  under the previous regulations anybody wishing to get married in the uk only had to produce evidence they had been resident in the country for a week and give 15 days notice of the wedding at the local register office.  but from tuesday all non-eu nationals  apart from citizens of switzerland  liechtenstein  iceland or norway  intending to wed in the uk must either obtain a visa allowing them to get married before they enter the country or apply for a home office  certificate of marriage approval . to get a certificate  costing £135  applicants will have to send proof that they have a legal right to be in the uk. those without a settled status  such as asylum seekers awaiting a decision on their application  will have no right to marry in the uk.  once they have the necessary documentation  those subject to immigration controls wishing to get married in england or wales must register their intention to marry at one of 76 specially-designated register offices. they can  however  marry at the register office or church of their choice. rhian beynon of the jcwi said the new rules were  not proportionate  and  discriminatory .   these rules means in some cases the home secretary is going to be a marriage registrar of last resort.  we re currently taking a legal opinion on this. we ll be looking for people whose right to marry is breached and we ll be looking at taking a case on this to the human rights court   ms beynon said. the new rules have also been called into question by the parliamentary joint committee on human rights. in a report published last july the cross-party committee stated there was a  significant risk  the new procedures were incompatible with the right to marry because they introduced restrictions which were  disproportionate . the committee believed the new laws might be incompatible with the human rights act on the grounds of religion  belief and nationality  the report added.  over the last year immigration service operations against marriages of convenience have been stepped up resulting in a growing number of convictions. in january 25 people who took part in a sham marriage network based in leicester were jailed for a total of 35 years. and last november samuel amoah  a belgian national who set up two sham weddings for couples who wanted to remain in the uk  was jailed for three years. several other cases are currently going through the courts. the role of registrars who under the asylum and immigration act 1999 were obliged to report suspected sham marriages to the home office  has been key in many prosecutions. registrars  spokesman  mark rimmer  said they welcomed the new marriage regulations and believed they would be an significant deterrent.  they will effectively remove most of the blatant cases. certainly those who are illegals in this country  of which we had quite a few  will no longer be getting married   mr rimmer said. mr rimmer  the service director for registrations of marriages at brent council in north-west london  said he did not consider the new law to be an infringement of civil liberties.  it may be seen to be far more draconian than it has been but certainly it s still not as difficult to marry in the uk than it is to marry  for example  in holland  germany or france.  i think it s a proportionate response by government to what was a very large problem   mr rimmer said.


mcconnell details scots wave toll at least three people from scotland died in the tsunami disaster and a further three are on the missing list  the first minister has told msps.  the figures came out during a statement by jack mcconnell to the scottish parliament on wednesday. he formally expressed scotland s sympathy for the victims of the indian ocean tidal wave which killed 150 000. mr mcconnell went on to promise that scotland would play its part in the reconstruction effort. he said the provisional figures on the dead and lost had been provided by the police.  mr mcconnell said the tragedy should persuade everyone to step up the fight against global poverty and change the world for the better. he said he was proud of the generous response of people in scotland to the disaster appeal  which is expected soon to top £20m. the first minister also praised scottish water for immediately flying bottled water and five large generators to the disaster zone. the scottish executive has seconded 11 staff to the aid agencies.  but he said scotland was  in it for the long term  with help planned for fishing communities  for children s services  and for the aid charities. he said 2005 must be the year that scotland showed clearly it cared for what happened to people elsewhere in the world  whether in asia or in africa. mr mcconnell went on to signal that the executive would play its part in the make poverty history campaign being mounted by a variety of aid charities  trade unions and churches in the run-up to the g8 summit in gleneagles in july. edinburgh architect  dominic stephenson  became the first scot to be confirmed as a victim of the asian tsunami. the 27-year-old was holidaying on the thai island of koh phi phi with eileen lee  24. she is still missing.


classy henman makes winning start tim henman opened his 2005 campaign with a 6-1 7-5 victory over argentine david nalbandian at the kooyong classic exhibition tournament on wednesday.  the british number one will next play roger federer at the australian open warm-up event on friday. the world number one beat gaston gaudio 5-7 6-1 6-4  before andre agassi saw off chilean olympic gold medalist nicolas massu 6-1 7-6 (7-4). andy roddick beat ivan ljubicic  who replaced paradorn srichaphan  6-1 6-4. henman made an impressive start to the year  only faltering against nalbandian when serving for the match at 5-4. but the briton regained his composure to win the next two games for only his second win in six matches against the argentine.  it s a great start to the year - just what i was looking for   henman told his website.  over the years i ve found david very difficult to play against.   he returns serve very well and he s deceptively effective from the baseline  so sometimes it can be difficult to execute my gameplan well enough against him to get the right result.  beating somebody of his stature is always good for the confidence and it bodes well at the beginning of the year.  henman also revealed the extent of the back problems he suffered in the off-season.  i m not the most flexible and at the end of the year i was pretty exhausted and wanted to have a couple of weeks where i didn t do anything   said henman.  when i started training again it really  really seized up. as much as i enjoyed the two weeks off i don t think it s so productive.  federer dropped a tight first set against 2004 french open champion gaudio  but was content with his game.  it was about getting used to the surface   he said.   the conditions are much quicker than doha  my timing was ok  but i could have served better.  all in all i m happy with the match  and i won it - that s a good sign. now i have a day off and hopefully play better the next match.  agassi was delighted with victory over massu in his first match for over two months.  i felt pretty good   said the american.  i liked the way the match played out and  maybe excluding a few second serve returns  i felt like i was doing most things pretty darn well for the first match.


virgin blue shares plummet 20% shares in australian budget airline virgin blue plunged 20% after it warned of a steep fall in full year profits.  virgin blue said profits after tax for the year to march would be between 10% to 15% lower than the previous year.  sluggish demand reported previously for november and now december 2004 continues   said virgin blue chief executive brett godfrey. virgin blue  which is 25% owned by richard branson  has been struggling to fend off pressure from rival jetstar. it cut its full year passenger number forecast by  approximately 2.5% . virgin blue reported a 22% fall in first quarter profits in august 2004 due to tough competition. in november  first half profits were down due to slack demand and rising fuel costs. virgin blue was launched four years ago and now has roughly one third of australia s domestic airline market. but the national carrier  qantas  has fought back with its own budget airline  jetstar  which took to the skies in may 2004. sydney-listed virgin blue s shares recovered slightly to close 12% down on wednesday. shares in its major shareholder  patrick corporation - which owns 46% of virgin blue - had dropped 31% by the close.


newry to fight cup exit in courts newry city are expected to discuss legal avenues on friday regarding overturning their ejection from the nationwide irish cup.  the ifa upheld its original decision to throw newry out of the cup following the andy crawford registration row.   a law firm will put a case forward for newry fc  and see what the legal implications of all this is are    said newry boss roy mccreadie.   this is a big issue  now that we have an appeal pending    on wednesday  a fresh ifa hearing into crawford registration saga  ruled that last week s original verdict had been correct. it meant that bangor  beaten 5-1 by newry on the field  will take on portadown in the sixth round. newry had claimed they had uncovered  fresh evidence   in respect of the dates relating to the registration. but mccreadie is not further annoyed that full details of wednesday s meeting was not relayed to the club.   even to this day  we have as much information about what happened during the meeting on wednesday as that told to the media. we are being kept in the dark    mccreadie told the  news letter  .   we want an explanation. there is no good sending us the same fax message the press people received.   it s a real sad case. if we are not back in the irish cup after our appeal  and guided by our legal advise  we will seek to lodge an injunction in the courts to stop bangor playing portadown.


melzer shocks agassi in san jose second seed andre agassi suffered a comprehensive defeat by jurgen melzer in the quarter-finals of the sap open.  agassi was often bamboozled by the austrian s drop shots in san jose  losing 6-3 6-1. defending champion and top seed andy roddick rallied to beat sweden s thomas enqvist 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-5. but unseeded cyril saulnier beat the fourth seed vincent spadea 6-2 6-4 and tommy haas overcame eighth seed max mirnyi 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2. melzer has now beaten agassi in two of their three meetings.   i had a good game plan and i executed it perfectly   he said.  it s always tough to come out to play andre.  i didn t want him to play his game. he makes you run like a dog all over the court.  and agassi  who was more than matched for power by his opponent s two-handed backhand  said melzer was an example of several players on the tour willing to take their chances against him.  a lot more guys are capable of it now   said the american.  he played much better than me. that s what he did both times.  i had opportunities to loosen myself up   agassi added.  but i didn t convert on the big points.


quiksilver moves for rossignol shares of skis rossignol  the world s largest ski-maker  have jumped as much as 15% on speculation that it will be bought by us surfwear firm quiksilver.  the owners of rossignol  the boix-vives family  are said to be considering an offer from quiksilver. analysts believe other sporting goods companies may now take a closer look at rossignol  prompting an auction and pushing the sale price higher. nike and k2 have previously been mentioned as possible suitors.  rossignol shares touched 17.70 euros  before falling back to trade 7.8% higher at 16.60 euros. european sporting goods companies have seen foreign revenues squeezed by a slump in the value of the us dollar  making a takeover more attractive  analysts said. companies such as quiksilver would be able to cut costs by selling rossignol skis through their shops  they added. the boix-vives family is thought to have spent the past couple of years sounding out possible suitors for rossignol  which also makes golf equipment  snowboards and sports clothing.


argentina closes $102.6bn debt swap argentina is set to close its $102.6bn (£53.51bn) debt restructuring offer for bondholders later on friday  with the government hopeful that most creditors will accept the deal.  the estimated loss to bondholders is up to 70% of the original value of the bonds  yet the majority are expected to accept the government s offer. argentina defaulted on its debt three years ago  the biggest sovereign default in modern history. yesterday argentina s economy minister  roberto lavagna  said that he estimated that the results of the restructuring would be ready around next thursday (3 march). argentina s president  nestor kirchner  said on friday:  a year ago when we started the swap (negotiations)  they told us we were crazy  that we were irrational.  but he added that his government was close to achieving:  the best debt renegotiation in history.  the country has been in default on the $102.6bn - based on an original debt of $81.8bn plus interest - for the past three years. if the offer does not go ahead  international lawsuits on behalf of aggrieved investors could follow but analysts are optimistic that it will go through  despite the tough terms for bondholders. about 70% to 80% of bondholders are expected to accept the terms of the offer. by 18 february  creditors holding $41bn - or 40% of the total debt - had accepted the offer. sorting out its debt would enhance the country s credibility on international markets and enable it to attract more foreign investment. of argentina s bondholders  38.4% reside in argentina  15.6% in italy  10.3% in switzerland  9.1% in the united states  5.1% in germany and 3.1% in japan. investors in the uk  holland and luxembourg have about 1% each and the remainder were not broken down by country. the deal is likely to be taken up most enthusiastically by domestic investors  who will benefit if argentina s economy becomes more stable.


brown calls for £5.5bn aids fund gordon brown has called on rich nations to fund a £5.5bn ($10bn) plan to fight the aids epidemic and find a vaccine.  on the fourth day of his six-day tour of africa  the uk chancellor predicted a vaccine could be found by 2012 if the world stepped up its funding pledges. doubling the £400m being spent yearly on finding such a vaccine could advance it by three years and save six million lives  mr brown said on thursday. he hopes to use the uk s g8 presidency to push the issue forward.   i believe that the generation that provided the finance to combat  cure and eradicate the world s deadliest disease of today - and today the world s least curable disease - hiv/aids - will rightly earn the title  the great generation    mr brown said in a speech during his african tour. the problems of hiv/aids were inseparable from poverty  he added.  at least $10 billion per annum (£5.5bn) is needed to address the hiv/aids crisis in low and middle income countries.  existing financial commitments on their own will not stop the pandemic.  the uk s proposal for an international finance facility is so important - increasing world aid flows by over $50 billion (£27bn). a doubling of world aid to halve world poverty.  mr brown also said he had agreed with the italian finance minister domenico siniscalco to push forward with plans for the world-wide sharing and co-ordination of research into the disease.  currently the private sector was only spending £60m a year on seeking an inoculation and the market needed boosting  mr brown said. he called on industrialised nations to commit themselves to buying the first 300m vaccines at a cost of $20 each  thereby boosting the market for inoculations. this would be a  large enough inducement to create much stronger interest from both large and small pharmaceutical firms   mr brown added.  more must also be done to finance the treatment and care of those living with hiv/aids and their families  he said. but aid charity actionaid criticised mr brown s preoccupation with finding a vaccine and called on g8 nations to fund hiv/aids treatments. the charity s head of hiv/aids in britain  simon wright said:  while encouraging the pharmaceutical industry to discover an hiv vaccine is important  a failure to provide any funding for hiv treatments condemns a generation of people to death.  hiv is decimating african countries  killing the most productive adults who should be working  caring for children and building the economy. an hiv vaccine is probably at least 10 years away. treatments are needed now.  on wednesday  mr brown visited slums in the kenyan capital nairobi . he will visit an hiv/aids orphanage in tanzania and a women s credit union in mozambique before chairing a meeting of the commission for africa in cape town. the chancellor has already unveiled proposals for a g8 aid package which he has likened to the marshall plan used by the united states to rebuild europe after world war two.


galloway targets  new labour  mp george galloway is to stand against pro-iraq war labour mp oona king at the next general election.  mr galloway  who on thursday won £150 000 in libel damages from the daily telegraph said he would contest bethnal green  in london  for respect. the glasgow kelvin mp  who was expelled from labour over his anti iraq war stance  accused ms king of being a  new labour stooge . ms king said she was  delighted  at the chance to take on mr galloway.  mr galloway s current constituency is set to disappear under planned boundary changes in scotland.  the 50-year-old mp launched respect  the unity coalition  in january along with 1 000 anti-war activists  and the muslim association of britain. the party s declared aims are an end to the occupation of iraq  the repeal of anti-union laws and the end of privatisation. speaking from a cafe in brick lane  east london  mr galloway said he had accepted the party s invitation to stand with  great honour and pride .  he added:  here in this constituency of bethnal green and bow there is a new labour stooge mp.  a stooge who will sing any song  make any speech  do any dance  do anything she is told to by tony blair - irrespective of how her constituents are adversely affected or how strongly they feel to the contrary.  ms king has represented the constituency since 1997. she said:  i m delighted i ve been given the chance to finish him (mr galloway) off  and believe me i will.  i know many people around the country will be grateful  not least his constituents in scotland who he has shamelessly abandoned.  in june s european parliament elections  respect failed to gain enough votes for an mep but did come first in tower hamlets borough  most of which is covered by the commons constituency of bethnal green and bow.  a month later it gained a council seat in a by-election in st dunstan s and stepney green ward  tower hamlets. mr galloway said that in next year s expected general election and local elections a year later  the party would  turn the east end of london into a fortress . both the conservatives and the liberal democrats have chosen prospective parliamentary candidates for bethnal green and bow from the bangladeshi population  which makes up almost half the electorate. the telegraph was sued for libel by mr galloway after the newspaper claimed he received money from saddam hussein s regime in iraq. the newspaper said it was in the public interest to publish the claims  based on documents found in baghdad. mr justice eady said he was  obliged to compensate mr galloway... and to make an award for the purposes of restoring his reputation .


german jobless rate at new record more than 5.2 million germans were out of work in february  new figures show.  the figure of 5.216 million people  or 12.6% of the working-age population  is the highest jobless rate in europe s biggest economy since the 1930s. the news comes as the head of germany s panel of government economic advisers predicted growth would again stagnate. speaking on german tv  bert ruerup said the panel s earlier forecast of 1.4% was too optimistic and warned growth would be just 1% in 2005.  the german government is trying to tackle the stubbornly-high levels of joblessness with a range of labour market reforms. at their centre is the  hartz-iv  programme introduced in january to shake up welfare benefits and push people back into work - even if some of the jobs are heavily subsidised. the latest unemployment figures look set to increase the pressure on the government. widely leaked to the german newspapers a day in advance  they produced screaming headlines criticising chancellor gerhard schroeder s social democrat-green party administration. mr schroeder had originally come into office promising to halve unemployment.  still  some measures suggest the picture is not quite so bleak. the soaring official unemployment figure follows a change in the methodology which pushed up the jobless rate by more than 500 000 in january. adjusted for seasonal changes  the overall unemployment rate is 4.875 million people or 11.7%  up 0.3 percentage points from the previous month. using the most internationally-accepted methodology of the international labour organisation (ilo)  germany had 3.97 million people out of work in january. and ilo-based figures also suggest that 14 000 new net jobs were created that month  taking the number of people employed to 38.9 million. the ilo defines an unemployed person as someone who in the previous four weeks had actively looked for work they could take up immediately.


thanou desperate to make return greek sprinter katerina thanou says she is eager to compete again after being cleared of missing a drugs test by an independent greek tribunal.  thanou  30  was provisionally suspended for missing a test before the olympics  but the decision was overturned.  the iaaf will decide if we can compete again in greece and abroad   thanou told to vima newspaper in her first interview since the athens olympics.  if given the green light i will run again - that s the only thing i want.  thanou  30  and her compatriot kostas kenteris were provisionally suspended by the iaaf in december for missing three drugs tests. the third was alleged to have been on the eve of the opening ceremony of the athens olympics.  but an independent tribunal of the greek athletics federation overturned the provisional ban on 18 march. the iaaf - which said it was  very surprised  by the decision of the greek tribunal - is deciding whether to appeal against the decision at the court of arbitration for sport. however  dick pound  the chairman of the world anti-doping authority  has said he will appeal against the decision if the iaaf does not. and thanou and kenteris face a criminal trial later this year for allegedly avoiding the test and then faking a motorcycle accident. thanou said:  i can see how people can think the accident seemed like a childish excuse.  i cannot deny that we made a lot of mistakes during that time. i always said we needed a pr person.  an athlete would have to be very stupid to take illegal substances when he or she knows that they will undergo tests at any given moment.  i am a champion. i cannot risk everything i ve achieved in such a silly way.


bomb threat at bernabeu stadium spectators were evacuated from real madrid s bernabeu stadium on sunday following a bomb scare during the game between the hosts and real sociedad.  more than 70 000 people abandoned the ground with the score at 1-1 and only three minutes left to play. the basque newspaper gara apparently received a telephone call saying a bomb was due to explode at 2100 local time. but after searching the stadium with sniffer dogs  the police said that no explosive device had been found.   the police have said they have completed their search and have not found anything   said real madrid president florentino perez.  the best thing we can all do now is to put this nightmare behind us.  madrid midfielder guti told private spanish radio station cadena ser:  i have never seen this before and sport should be above it all.  real took the lead just before the break when brazilian striker ronaldo cracked home with his left foot. sociedad levelled the match midway through the second half when turkish striker nihat kahveci smashed home with an acrobatic finish. it is not yet clear if the remaining three minutes of the game will be played at a later date or if the result will be allowed to stand.  if the result remains at 1-1  real will drop to third place in the standings  11 points behind leaders barcelona  who snatched a late 2-1 win at albacete on saturday. initial reports suggested the basque separatist group eta may be responsible for the bomb threat after issuing similar warnings before a series of small explosions in recent days. the bernabeu was targeted by eta on 1 may  2002  when madrid were about to play fc barcelona in a champions league semi-final. a car bomb exploded in a street outside the stadium and 17 people were slightly injured.


burglar defence guidelines issued householders who injure or even kill intruders are unlikely to be prosecuted - providing they were acting  honestly and instinctively   new guidelines say.  the law also protects those who use  something to hand  as a weapon. the leaflet  published by police and prosecutors  aims to combat confusion about current legislation  which lets people use  reasonable force . the guidance  relating to england and wales  follows a recent decision by ministers not to change the law. doing what you  honestly and instinctively  believed was necessary would be the strongest evidence of acting lawfully  the guidance said.  and the law protects those who use  something to hand  as a weapon  said the leaflet published jointly by the crown prosecution service (cps) and association of chief police officers (acpo).  as a general rule  the more extreme the circumstances and fear felt  the more force can be used lawfully in self-defence  it said  adding that householders do not have to wait to be attacked before defending themselves. but knocking someone unconscious then killing them or hurting them further  or setting a trap for an intruder without involving the police were given as examples of  excessive and gratuitous  force. the tories have called for a change in the law so householders are only prosecuted if they use  grossly disproportionate  force. their demands have been backed by former metropolitan police commissioner sir john stevens. tory frontbencher patrick mercer is now pursuing the proposal through a private member s bill in parliament.  the government instead mounted a publicity campaign to clear up public uncertainty after a review concluded no law change was necessary. home secretary charles clarke said:  i believe in that old adage  an englishman s home is his castle . that s exactly what should be the case and i believe the current law provides that.  an  informal trawl  of cps records found 11 people had been prosecuted after attacking intruders in the past 15 years  five of whom were convicted. they included a man who laid in wait for a burglar on commercial premises in cheshire  before beating him up  throwing him into a pit and setting him on fire.  a cps spokesperson said the figures were not definitive because prosecutions are not listed according to whether they were committed by a householder on an intruder. in one of britain s highest profile cases  norfolk farmer tony martin was jailed for life for murdering 16-year-old burglar fred barras  in 1999. the conviction was later reduced to manslaughter on appeal and the sentence cut to five years. mr martin was freed from prison in july 2003. the guidance published on tuesday  said the police had a duty to investigate all incidents involving a death or injury. in cases involving householders attacking intruders prosecutors and police were  determined  they would be dealt with  as swiftly and as sympathetically as possible   it said.


bbc web search aids odd queries the bbc s online search engine was used a record amount in 2004  helping with enquires both simple and strange.  more than 277 million enquiries were made  asking for informaton of a wide range of subjects. the most requested search terms of 2004 included games  eastenders  cbbc  john peel  harry potter and olympics. but there were many strange enquiries  including: what is a dog   how do you say basketball  and what is the biggest collection of naval fluff  the search engine works by matching key words typed in to different web pages but many people still type in natural language questions. here are some of the strangest queries of 2004 - spelling and grammar errors left untouched - and their possible solutions:    - how to fold a serviette like an elf s boot        - how do i structure a french letter        - what is better one long vacation each year or several short vacations throughout the year        - what is so special about the swiss        - what are the contemporary issue in nurses        - what is the number 4 in this number 40052308090        - what is up        - what is the name of james martin s dog      search engines are key to the way people use the internet. companies such as google have become of paramount importance as they dictate how people travel through websites while online.


poles play with gameboy  blip-pop  a group of artists in poland has taken the cacophony of blips  boops and beeps created as players bash buttons on nintendo s handheld gameboy console to a new level.  the gameboyzz orchestra project has taken the game sounds to put together music tunes they have dubbed  blip-pop.  think of it as donkey kong meets norman cook  or maybe tetris takes on kraftwerk. any way you slice it  the sound is distinct. all the sounds are made by six nintendo gameboys  with a mixture of older models and newer advance sp handhelds. the gameboyzz orchestra project tweaks the software a bit  and then connects the units through a mixing board.  jarek kujda  one of the project s founding members has been into electronic music and video games  for a while now.   i was playing some experimental music and three  four years ago when i first used a gameboy in my band as a drum machine   said kujda. he realised that the console could be used as a rudimentary synthesizer. he wondered  if one gameboy can make music  what would happen if he put six of them together  kujda found five other people who were interested and the gameboyzz orchestra project was born.  gameboyzz orchestra project is more of an improvisational project   said kudja.  we prepare some patterns before a concert  and then improvise during the concert.  the group plays maybe four or five shows a year. malgorzata kujda  jarek s younger sister and a fellow band member  describes a gameboyzz orchestra project concert as a lot of noise.  for example  i make music with more hard beats and noises   she said.  but each of us makes another music  a different sound. and then in the concert we just improvise  and that i think is more fun for us.   the gameboyzz orchestra project admits they get mixed reactions from audiences. some love the group s music  and others are not quite sure what to make of it.  in the world of electronic music  these purveyors of blip-pop are not unique. but jarek kujda says they try to be unique.  we have lots of people making music on old school stuff  electronic old school stuff like commodore  atari  spectrum   he said.  we want to play only experimental music  not cover songs. we re something like an electronic jam session.  the gameboyzz orchestra project s tracks are available online and the group hopes to make a cd next year. and they have sponsorship  courtesy of the polish distributor of nintendo products. the members of the gameboyzz orchestra project do not expect serious competition anytime soon. a gameboy advance costs about us $200 in poland these days  which is still way beyond the reach of most polish gamers  or musicians.  clark boyd is technology correspondent for the world  a bbc world service and wgbh-boston co-production


slimmer playstation triple sales sony playstation 2 s slimmer shape has proved popular with uk gamers  with 50 000 sold in its first week on sale.  sales have tripled since launch  outstripping microsoft s xbox  said market analysts chart-track. the numbers were also boosted by the release of the ps2-only game grand theft auto: san andreas. the title broke the uk sales record for video games in its first weekend of release. latest figures suggest it has sold more than 677 000 copies.   it is obviously very  very encouraging for sony because microsoft briefly outsold them last week   john houlihan  editor of computerandvideogames.com told bbc news.  and with halo 2 [for xbox] out next week  it really is a head-to-head contest between them and xbox.   although xbox sales over the last week also climbed  ps2 sales were more than double that. the figures mean sony is reaching the seven million barrier for uk sales of the console. edinburgh-based developer  rockstar  which is behind the gta titles  has seen san andreas pull in an estimated £24m in gross revenues over the weekend. in comparison  blockbuster films like harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban took £11.5m in its first three days at the uk box office. the lord of the rings: the return of the king took nearly £10m over its opening weekend  although games titles are four to five times more expensive than cinema tickets.  gangster-themed gta san andreas is the sequel to grand theft auto vice city which previously held the record for the fastest-selling video game ever. the xbox game halo 2  released on 11 november in the uk  is also widely tipped to be one of the best-selling games of the year. the original title won universal acclaim in 2001  and sold more than four million copies.  mr houlihan added that sony had done well with the ps2  but it definitely helped that the release of san andreas coincided with the slimline ps2 hitting the shelves. the run-up to christmas is a huge battlefield for games consoles and titles. microsoft s xbox had been winning the race up until last week in sales. the sales figures also suggest that it may be a largely adult audience driving demand  since gta san andreas has an 18 certificate. sony and microsoft have both reduced console prices recently and are preparing the way for the launches of their next generation consoles in 2005.  both have hit crucial price points at around £100 and that really does open up new consoles to new audience  plus the release of two really important games in terms of development are also driving those sales   said mr houlihan.


strong quarterly growth for nike nike has reported its best second-quarter earnings  helped by strong demand for its athletic shoes and converse sneakers.  the global sports giant said it posted a profit of $261.9m (£135.6m)  for the three months to 30 november  up from $179.1m in the same period last year. revenues increased 11% to $3.1bn  from $2.8bn for the same period in 2003. nike  whose products are endorsed by tiger woods among other sports stars  said  demand continues to grow . the results came after a strong first quarter of the year for the firm based in beaverton  oregon.  philip knight  chairman and chief executive  said:  nike s second-quarter revenues and earnings per share reached all-time high levels as a result of solid performance across our global portfolio.  our businesses in the united states and emerging markets such as china  russia and turkey  combined with favourable european exchange rates  helped drive much of this growth.  he added:  with the first half of our fiscal year in the books  we remain confident that our business strategy and consistent execution will allow us to deliver on our goals of healthy  profitable growth.  the firm reported worldwide futures orders for athletic footwear and gear  scheduled for delivery from december 2004 to april 2005  of $4.9bn. that is 9.1% higher than such orders reported for the same period last year.


the future in your pocket if you are a geek or gadget fan  the next 12 months look like they are going to be a lot of fun.  the relentless pace of development in the hi-tech world and rampant competition in many of its sectors  particularly among mobile phone firms  all suggests that 2005 is going to be a very good year. to begin with  2005 will be the year that third-generation (3g) mobile phones become inescapable. the 3 network launched in 2003  vodafone launched its consumer service in november  orange followed in early december and t-mobile and o2 are due to launch in 2005. the main result of these launches will likely be a slew of good deals for consumers as operators try to poach new customers from rivals and convince existing users to trade up.  already the extra capacity in 3g networks lets 3 offer good deals on voice calls at rates that will probably have to be matched by the other operators. but the shift in technology and low cost of voice calls means that operators lose a significant chunk of their revenue.  show me an operator that believes their voice business can sustain them  and i ll write their obituary  said niel ransom  chief technology officer at alcatel.  instead operators are likely to push all other things that 3g phones can do such as video messaging and other multimedia capabilities. already camera phones look set to challenge digital cameras and are likely to win more fans as multi-megapixel devices go on sale. but 3g will not have everything its own way. it will face competition from emerging technologies such as wimax. this wireless technology can boost data transmission speeds up to 75 megabits per second and works over distances of up to 30 miles. kent is likely to be the site of the uk s first wimax network which is due to go live in 2005 and it could be the way that rural areas get high-speed net access. analyst firm telecom view predicts that wimax will steal a lot of market share from 3g and will be a clear winner. bob larribeau  principal analyst at telecom view  said the better return on investment offered by technologies such as wimax could dent the possible returns of 3g networks. and the growing ubiquity of wi-fi must not be forgotten either. the technology is popping up in more places than ever and its wider use is only held back by the price differences across countries and suppliers.  moves to unite mobile and fixed phones look set to get more emphasis in 2005 too.  for a start  bt looks set to roll out its bluephone project during the next 12 months. the service revolves around a hybrid device that uses the mobile networks when you are out and about but switches back to the fixed line when you are at home. fixed line phones will also start to get much more serious competition from a technology that has the formidable name of voice over ip (voip). voip routes calls via the net instead of the fixed line phone network. anyone with a broadband connection  which is now more than 50% of the uk s net using population  can use voip and could slash their monthly phone bills if they used it. telecommunications regulator ofcom has declared 056 to be the area code for voip calls and 2005 is likely to see a lot more consumer-focused voip call services starting up. home broadband services will also start to increase in speed as dwindling numbers of new users signing force the pace of competition. if 2004 has been the year of the portable music player  they 2005 looks like it will be the year of the portable media player. motorola has just announced a deal with apple to produce a phone that works with the itunes service and other hybrid gadgets that sport a big memory and lots of other functions will become commonplace. the pace of advancement in storage media will continue mean that the cost per megabyte of memory will plummet. some of those devices will sport huge hard drives letting you store more data than you ever wanted or knew you had. convergence could mean that single-function devices start to dwindle in number. instead every gadget will be able to do almost anything and communicate almost any way you want. the only downside is that consumers will face a series of tough choices as they are confronted by a bewildering array of gadgets each with an enormous numbers of features and vast data holding capacities. but that is the kind of problem most gadget fans can live with.


karachi stocks hit historic high the karachi stock exchange (kse) has recorded its largest single day gain  surging 3.5% to a new high.  the index rose 225.79 points in four hours of furious trading  with many investors optimistic that political stability could bring an economic boom. the kse index closed at 6709.93 - an overall gain of nearly 400 points in the first two trading days of the week. energy and telecommunication stocks performed particularly well  recording an 8%-10% rise since monday morning.  in 2002  the kse was the world s best performing stock market  with the index rising 112%.  pakistani investors are expecting the kse to repeat  if not improve on  its 2002 performance. jubilant investors danced on the streets as the market closed for the day on tuesday  confident that the boom will continue at least until the public holiday on 22 january. others  however  who had stayed out fearing an imminent collapse because of prices overheating  continued to warn that the  bubble may burst any time .  that s rubbish   kse chairman yaseen lakhani told the bbc news website.  whenever the market reflects pakistan s true economic reality  it is described as a bubble.  mr lakhani feels that the market has risen on the basis of solid economic growth and its current level rests on sound foundations.  market analysts are inclined to agree with mr lakhani  arguing that there are a number of major factors behind the kse s performance. analysts argue that a steady improvement in pakistan s credit ratings by international credit rating agencies has finally begun to register in the market. standard & poor s upgraded pakistan a few weeks ago. there are indications of yet another upgrade by the end of february.  then  say analysts  there is corporate profitability in the current fiscal year  which has gone up by 27% from last year.  coupled with the 7% gdp growth expected by june this year  i am least surprised at the market s performance   says mr lakhani. one leading karachi broker said the real reasons may be political.  if you file a $1.3 trillion case against saudi money after 9/11  arab money will not go to the us any more.  a lot of arab money  he says  has already gone to malaysia and indonesia. pakistanis are now hoping that energy and telecoms  two of the strongest sectors in pakistan  draw some of the arab money to the kse.  locally  too  say analysts  recent political developments have worked to the market s advantage.  an anti-musharraf campaign threatened by the mma  a countrywide alliance of religious parties  has fizzled out. the release of asif zardari  former prime minister benazir bhutto s husband  has eased political tensions between the military-backed government and the opposition pakistan people s party. most importantly  say analysts  the failure of talks between india and pakistan on the baglihar dam in indian-administered kashmir has not automatically led to heightened tensions. this  they say  indicates that neither country is interested in raising the temperature at this stage  irrespective of the state of their disagreements. the market is abuzz with speculation that substantial investment may now start to flow in from the us  a country seen locally as deeply interested in defusing tensions between the south asian neighbours.  you can call it a peace dividend   smiles one broker.  let us see how long one can reap its benefits.


china bans new tobacco factories the world s biggest tobacco consumer  china  has said it will not allow any new tobacco factories to be built.  china already has more than enough cigarette-making capacity  according to a spokesman for the tobacco industry regulator quoted in china daily. the ban threatens to reignite tensions between the regulator and british american tobacco  which plans to become china s first foreign cigarette maker. a spokeswoman for bat declined to comment on the report.   china won t allow any new tobacco factories to be built  including joint ventures   said xing wangli  a spokesman for the state tobacco administration monopoly quoted in china daily. he also said that the state would retain its monopoly on cigarette distribution. china has 350 million smokers who consumer 1.7 trillion cigarettes a year. smoking is fashionable in china  where it is seen as an essential - and manly - sociable touch for some jobs  such as salesmen. more young  urban woman are taking up smoking too. in july 2004  bat announced it had won approval for to build a $1.5bn (£800m) joint venture factory in china which would make it the first foreign cigarette maker to manufacture there.  the state tobacco monopoly administration said a week later that it had not approved the deal  leading to an embarrassing public row. bat told the bbc at that time that it had not negotiated with the stmc  and secured approval from  the highest levels of government . since then  the row has flared occasionally  most recently at a forum in november. bat consistently declines to comment.  xing s statement comes as especially bad news for british american tobacco   the china daily newspaper said of the latest development. the bat spokeswoman said:  there is nothing for us to add...since our announcement in july last year. the central government of china is the authority that approved our strategic investment.  the decision to ban further tobacco factories does not apply to deals made before 2005  according to the french news agency afp. the joint venture factory was expected to take till 2006 to build. the bat spokeswoman would not comment on its progress. however  if the stma continues to take a tough stance  expansion opportunities could be limited.  china s tobacco market is increasingly valuable as anti-smoking campaigners target public smoking in the west. china daily said the market was currently enjoying steady growth  making more than 210bn yuan ($25.4bn) in pre-tax profits last year  almost double the figure in 2000. the paper made no mention of health concerns. the stma is trying to restructure the domestic tobacco industry  closing some factories  though such moves can be unpopular with local governments.


barclays shares up on merger talk shares in uk banking group barclays have risen on monday following a weekend press report that it had held merger talks with us bank wells fargo.  a tie-up between barclays and california-based wells fargo would create the world s fourth biggest bank  valued at $180bn (£96bn). barclays has declined to comment on the report in the sunday express  saying it does not respond to market speculation. the two banks reportedly held talks in october and november 2004.  barclays shares were up 8 pence  or 1.3%  at 605 pence by late morning in london on monday  making it the second biggest gainer in the ftse 100 index. uk banking icon barclays was founded more than 300 years ago; it has operations in over 60 countries and employs 76 200 staff worldwide. its north american divisions focus on business banking  whereas wells fargo operates retail and business banking services from 6 000 branches. in 2003  barclays reported a 20% rise in pre-tax profits to £3.8bn  and it has recently forecast similar gains in 2004  predicting that full year pre-tax profits would rise 18% to £4.5bn. wells fargo had net income of $6.2bn in its last financial year  a 9% increase on the previous year  and revenues of $28.4bn. barclays was the focus of takeover speculation in august  when it was linked to citigroup  though no bid has ever materialised. stock market traders were sceptical that the latest reports heralded a deal.  the chief executive would be abandoning his duty if he didn t talk to rivals  but a deal doesn t seem likely   reuters quoted one trader as saying.


axa sun life cuts bonus payments life insurer axa sun life has lowered annual bonus payouts for up to 50 000 with-profits investors.  regular annual bonus rates on former axa equity & law with-profits policies are to be cut from 2% to 1% for 2004. axa blamed a poor stock market performance for the cut  adding that recent gains have not yet offset the market falls seen in 2001 and 2002. the cut will hit an estimated 3% of axa s policyholders. the rest will know their fate in march.  the cuts on axa s policies will mean a policyholder who had invested £50 a month into an endowment policy for the past 25 years would see a final maturity payout of £46 998. this equated to a annual investment growth rate of 8% axa said. with-profits policies are designed to smooth out the peaks and troughs of stock market volatility. however  heavy stock market falls throughout 2001 and 2002 forced most firms to trim bonus rates on their policies.  the stock market has grown over the past 18 months  however not enough to undo the damage that occurred during 2001 and 2002   axa spokesman mark hamilton  axa spokesman  told bbc news. axa cut payouts for the same investors last january.


amnesty chief laments war failure the lack of public outrage about the war on terror is a powerful indictment of the failure of human rights groups  amnesty international s chief has said.  in a lecture at the london school of economics  irene khan said human rights had been flouted in the name of security since 11 september  2001. she said the human rights movement had to use simpler language both to prevent scepticism and spread a moral message. and it had to fight poverty  not just focus on political rights for elites.  ms khan highlighted detentions without trial  including those at the us camp at guantanamo bay in cuba  and the abuse of prisoners as evidence of increasing human rights problems.  what s a new challenge is the way in which this age-old debate on security and human rights has been translated into the language of war   she said.  by using the language of war  human rights are being sidelined because we know human rights do not apply in times of war.  ms khan said such breaches were infectious and were now seen in almost very major country in the world.  the human rights movement faces a crisis of faith in the value of human rights   she said. that was accompanied by a crisis of governance  where the united nations system did not seem able to hold countries to account.  the amnesty secretary-general said a growing gap between the perceived influence of human rights group and what they could actually achieve was fuelling scepticism.  public passivity on the war against terror is the single most powerful indictment on the failures of human rights groups   she said. ms khan said the movement had failed to mobilise public outrage about what was happening to the human rights system. there needed to be a drive to use simpler language  talking about the basic morality of the issues rather than the complexity of legal processes. such efforts could make the issues more relevant to people across the world  she said.  the human rights groups also had to recognise there were new groups which had to be tackled in new ways as power dripped away from state governments. al-qaeda  for example  was not going to be impressed by a traditional amnesty letter writing campaign. more also needed to be done to develop a human rights framework for international business corporations. amnesty international members voted in 2001 to extend the organisation s work from political and civil rights to cover social and economic rights too. ms khan said the human rights movement would make itself irrelevant if it turned away from the suffering caused by economic strife.  we would be an elitist bunch working for the elites  for those who cannot read the newspaper of their choice rather than those who cannot read   she said. despite her concerns  ms khan dubbed herself a  hope-monger   saying she was confident the passions of the human rights movement could overcome the new challenges.


water firm suez in argentina row a conflict between the argentine state and water firm aguas argentinas  controlled by france s suez  is casting doubt on the firm s future.  the firm  which serves the province of buenos aires  wants a tariff rise of 60% to fund water-supply improvements. the government has rejected the 60% rise and wants aguas argentinas to make an annual investment of 400m pesos ($136m; £72.3m) in improvements. planning minister julio de vido has offered state help but not for  free .  mr de vido said that the argentine state would not make a contribution  in the form of a subsidy .  he has said a contribution could be made in return for a seat on the company s board. he added that the government is in discussions with aguas argentinas about what role it might take in the event that a state contribution is agreed. however  aguas argentinas told the argentine newspaper clarin it would not accept any change to its legal structure and  in practice  this rules out state participation on its board. the planning minister didn t rule out the possibility of cancelling aguas argentinas water concession. yet he added that he didn t like to do  futurology . but last week  argentine economic minister  roberto lavagna  told the french media in paris that the government was considering allowing a 16% increase in tariffs and the possibility of a state contribution to aguas argentinas infrastructure investments. speaking in buenos aires  mr de vido later denied the possibility of any tariff increase and insisted that the annual investment in water infrastructure was at the centre of the discussions. he added that in the coming weeks the future of aguas argentinas would be decided. suez owns 40% of aguas argentinas (39.9%)  while spain s aguas de barcelona is its second biggest shareholder with 25.01%. recently  suez lost a water concession in bolivia after mass protests in the city of el alto (the poorest in the country)  with citizens complaining of unfair water charges. this forced the government to cancel the contract.  in argentina  suez s subsidiary  which has been fined for cutting the supply of water during a recent heat wave and allegedly failing to keep up investment to meet the demand for water  has maintained a tense relationship with the argentine government. during the last financial crisis in argentina  the firm sued the state alleging that converting its tariffs from us dollars to pesos  and then freezing them during devaluation  had affected the company and made it difficult for it to meet its contractual obligations. when president nestor kirchner of argentina arrived in power he began to negotiate a solution to the disagreements with international utilities operating in argentina. but he has rejected any tariff increases  alleging this will impoverish citizens further. he has also asked for more investments to meet the growing demand for water. on may 2004  aguas argentinas and the government signed an agreement to renegotiate its buenos aires water-concession contract. the firm agreed to invest 242m pesos. the issue has attracted european interest. last week in paris  president kirchner discussed this problem and other issues with french president jacques chirac. the argentine government is also under pressure from european union countries and the international monetary fund (imf) to raise utilities tariffs  because most of the utilities operating in argentina are european.


fox attacks blair s tory  lies  tony blair lied when he took the uk to war so has no qualms about lying in the election campaign  say the tories.  tory co-chairman liam fox was speaking after mr blair told labour members the tories offered a  hard right agenda . dr fox told bbc radio:  if you are willing to lie about the reasons for going to war  i guess you are going to lie about anything at all.  he would not discuss reports the party repaid £500 000 to lord ashcroft after he predicted an election defeat.  the prime minister ratcheted up labour s pre-election campaigning at the weekend with a helicopter tour of the country and his speech at the party s spring conference. he insisted he did not know the poll date  but it is widely expected to be 5 may.  in what was seen as a highly personal speech in gateshead on sunday  mr blair said:  i have the same passion and hunger as when i first walked through the door of 10 downing street.  he described his relationship with the public as starting euphoric  then struggling to live up to the expectations  and reaching the point of raised voices and  throwing crockery . he warned his supporters against complacency  saying:  it s a fight for the future of our country  it s a fight that for britain and the people of britain we have to win.   mr blair said that whether the public chose michael howard or mr kennedy  it would result in  a tory government not a labour government and a country that goes back and does not move forward . dr fox accused mr blair and other cabinet ministers of telling lies about their opponents  policies and then attacking the lies.  what we learned at the weekend is what labour tactics are going to be and it s going to be fear and smear   he told bbc news. the tory co-chairman attacked labour s six new pledges as  vacuous  and said mr blair was very worried voters would take revenge for his failure to deliver. dr fox refused to discuss weekend newspaper reports that the party had repaid £500 000 to former tory treasurer lord ashcroft after he said the party could not win the election.  we repay loans when they are due but do not comment to individual financial matters   he said  insisting he enjoyed a  warm and constructive  relationship to lord ashcroft.  meanwhile lib dem leader charles kennedy is expected to attack mr blair s words as he begins a nationwide tour on monday. mr kennedy is accelerating lib dem election preparations this week as he visits manchester  liverpool  leicester  somerset  basingstoke  shrewsbury  dorset and torbay. he said:  this is three-party politics. in the northern cities  the contest is between labour and the liberal democrats.  in southern and rural seats - especially in the south west - the principal contenders are the liberal democrats and the conservatives  who are out of the running in scotland and wales.  the lib dems accuse mr blair of making a  touchy-feely  speech to labour delegates which will not help him regain public trust.


bush to get  tough  on deficit us president george w bush has pledged to introduce a  tough  federal budget next february in a bid to halve the country s deficit in five years.  the us budget and its trade deficit are both deep in the red  helping to push the dollar to lows against the euro and fuelling fears about the economy. mr bush indicated there would be  strict discipline  on non-defence spending in the budget. the vow to cut the deficit had been one of his re-election declarations. the federal budget deficit hit a record $412bn (£211.6bn) in the 12 months to 30 september and $377bn in the previous year.   we will submit a budget that fits the times   mr bush said.  it will provide every tool and resource to the military  will protect the homeland  and meet other priorities of the government.  the us has said it is committed to a strong dollar. but the dollar s weakness has hit european and asian exporters and lead to calls for us intervention to boost the currency. mr bush  however  has said the best way to halt the dollar s slide is to deal with the us deficit.  it s a budget that i think will send the right signal to the financial markets and to those concerned about our short-term deficits   mr bush added.  as well  we ve got to deal with the long-term deficit issues.


monsanto fined $1.5m for bribery the us agrochemical giant monsanto has agreed to pay a $1.5m (£799 000) fine for bribing an indonesian official.  monsanto admitted one of its employees paid the senior official two years ago in a bid to avoid environmental impact studies being conducted on its cotton. in addition to the penalty  monsanto also agreed to three years  close monitoring of its business practices by the american authorities. it said it accepted full responsibility for what it called improper activities.  a former senior manager at monsanto directed an indonesian consulting firm to give a $50 000 bribe to a high-level official in indonesia s environment ministry in 2002. the manager told the company to disguise an invoice for the bribe as  consulting fees .  monsanto was facing stiff opposition from activists and farmers who were campaigning against its plans to introduce genetically-modified cotton in indonesia. despite the bribe  the official did not authorise the waiving of the environmental study requirement. monsanto also has admitted to paying bribes to a number of other high-ranking officials between 1997 and 2002.  the chemicals-and-crops firm said it became aware of irregularities at a jakarta-based subsidiary in 2001 and launched an internal investigation before informing the us department of justice and the securities and exchange commission (sec). monsanto faced both criminal and civil charges from the department of justice and the sec.  companies cannot bribe their way into favourable treatment by foreign officials   said christopher wray  assistant us attorney general. monsanto has agreed to pay $1m to the department of justice  adopt internal compliance measures  and co-operate with continuing civil and criminal investigations. it is also paying $500 000 to the sec to settle the bribe charge and other related violations. monsanto said it accepted full responsibility for its employees  actions  adding that it had taken  remedial actions to address the activities in indonesia  and had been  fully co-operative  throughout the investigative process.


more power to the people says hp the digital revolution is focused on letting people tell and share their own stories  according to carly fiorina  chief of technology giant hewlett packard.  the job of firms such as hp now  she said in a speech at the consumer electronics show (ces)  was to ensure digital and physical worlds fully converged. she said the goal for 2005 was to make people the centre of technology. ces showcases 50 000 new gadgets that will be hitting the shelves in 2005. the tech-fest  the largest of its kind in the world  runs from 6 to 9 january.  the digital revolution is about the democratisation of technology and the experiences it makes possible   she told delegates.  revolution has always been about giving power to the people.  she added:  the real story of the digital revolution is not just new products  but the millions of experiences made possible and stories that millions can tell.  part of giving people more control has been about the freeing up of content  such as images  video and music. crucial to this has been the effort to make devices that speak to each other better so that content can be more easily transferred from one device  such as a digital camera  to others  such as portable media players. a lot of work still needs to be done  however  to sort out compatibility issues and standards within the technology industry so that gadgets just work seamlessly  she said.  ms fiorina s talk also touted the way technology is being designed to focus on lifestyle  fashion and personalisation  something she sees as key to what people want.  special guest  singer gwen stefani  joined her on-stage to promote her own range of hp digital cameras which ms stefani has helped design and which are heavily influenced by japanese youth culture. the digital cameras  which are due to go on sale in the us by the summer  are based on the hp 607 model. the emphasis on personalisation and lifestyle is a big theme at this year s ces  with tiny  wearable mp3 players at every turn and rainbow hues giving colour to everything. ms fiorina also announced that hp was working with nokia to launch a visual radio service for mobiles  which would launch in europe early this year. the service will let people listen to radio on their mobiles and download relevant content  like a track s ringtone  simultaneously. the service is designed to make mobile radio more interactive.  among the other new products she showcased was the digital media hub  a big upgrade to hp s digital entertainment centre. coming out in the autumn in the us  the box is a networked  high-definition tv  cable set-top box  digital video recorder and dvd recorder. it has a removable hard drive cartridge  memory card slots  and light scribe labelling software which lets people design and print customised dvd labels and covers. it is designed to contain all a household s digital media  such as pre-recorded tv shows  pictures  videos and music so it can all be managed in one place. the hub reflects the increasing move to re-box the pc so that it can work as part of other key centres of entertainment. research suggests that about 258 million images are saved and shared every day  equating to 94 billion a year. eighty per cent of those remain on cameras. media hubs are designed to encourage people to organise them on one box. ms fiorina was one of several keynote speakers  who also included microsoft chief bill gates  to set out what major technology companies think people will be doing with technologies and gadgets in the next 12 months. in a separate announcement during the keynote speech  ms fiorina said that hp would be partnering mtv to replace this year s mtv asia music award. mtv s asia aid will be held in bangkok on 3 february  and is aimed at helping to raise money for the asian tsunami disaster.


roxy music on isle of wight bill roxy music will appear at june s isle of wight music festival  along with morrissey  supergrass and idlewild.  rem have already been confirmed as headliners for the three-day event  which takes place from 10-12 june. original band members bryan ferry  phil manzerana  andy mackay and paul thompson will take to the stage on the saturday night of the festival. the band are also working in the studio on new material  their first since the 1982 album avalon. roxy music were formed in 1971 by ferry  mackay and brian eno  with manzanera joining the following year. their first hit was 1972 s virginia plain  with other hits including street life  love is the drug and the 1981 john lennon cover  jealous guy. roxy music s back catalogue was re-released in 2000  leading to the band undertaking a world tour in 2001. morrissey will also play on saturday at the festival  while supergrass and idlewild have been confirmed for the friday.


fears raised over ballet future fewer children in the uk are following in the dainty footsteps of dancers like darcey bussell  and carving out potential careers as ballet dancers.  new research from the royal academy of dance (rad) has found fewer children over the age of 10 are attending ballet classes and taking exams in the discipline. the organisation blames the growing popularity of computer games and other changes in lifestyle. and there are fears that if the trend is not reversed  there could be fewer british ballet stars in the future. the rad found that the number of youngsters taking their ballet exams drops by almost 70% after the age of 10 or 11. dance teacher eve trew  who has taught ballet for over 48 years  told bbc news she had seen a  vast  change over the years. she blamed modern lifestyles for the fall in ballet attendance.  i think the children of many years ago did not have as many hobbies   she said.  the trouble now is that they are wide open to computers  gameboys and everything else children have got.  as a result  there is less time being spent on ballet lessons.   hazel gilbert  23  an information manager from newcastle  gave up ballet at the age of 10 and is typical of the problem.  it s not a very cool thing to do when you go to  big  school and i think you have to be very focused on ballet to want to carry on doing it   she said.  i used to love it  but after a certain age it becomes much more disciplined and i didn t want that.  i started getting into other things  like swimming and kickboxing  and ballet just wasn t something i wanted to do any more.  ms trew  who runs a dance school in gateshead  admitted it would be  very difficult  to reverse the trend and said many young ballet dancers were no longer willing to make the sacrifices to succeed.  you have to be very dedicated and you have to be very disciplined.  it is a career that you have got to really want to do because it is such hard work.  children these days have not got the time to spend perfecting it... that is very sad.   currently  only two out of 16 principal dancers at the royal ballet - darcey bussell and jonathan cope - are british  compared to 16 of the 21 principals in 1985. but a spokesman for the english national ballet told bbc news that although only two out of their 12 principal dancers were british  around a quarter of the company s dancers were from the uk. he said competition at open auditions in london was  fierce  between talented dancers from all over the world. the rad have launched a new competition to try and reverse the decline in british ballet. dame antoinette sibley  president of the rad  launched the fonteyn nureyev young dancers competition earlier this week.  aimed at children aged 10 to 13  it is hoped the contest will help keep british ballet evolving. a spokeswoman for the rad said:  it is our responsibility to re-ignite the passion and nurture young dancers for the long-term future of ballet.  we need to provide them with a framework and a goal to work towards  with constant support and coaching in an environment where they can work with their peers and possibly leading artists and choreographers.  perhaps more importantly provide them with the opportunity to experience  performance  themselves.  what better way to reignite a passion for ballet than to let them experience the thrill of performance


no election tv debate  says blair tony blair has said he will not take part in a tv debate with his political rivals ahead of the next election.   we answer this every election campaign and  for the reasons i have given before  the answer is no   he said at his monthly news conference. in october tory leader michael howard said mr blair would be running scared if he refused calls to go head-to-head. in recent years the leader of the opposition has always called for a debate  although it has never happened. before the 2001 election  plans for a debate between mr blair  william hague and charles kennedy collapsed. in 1997 a debate between mr blair and john major was also cancelled when a format could not be agreed. televised debates have become the high point of the us presidential election campaigns.


brentford v southampton griffin park  tuesday  1 march  1945 gmt  barry knight (kent)  home to manchester united in the quarter-finals  midfielder andrew frampton and striker deon burton are both slight doubts with hamstring injuries  but should be fit saints are missing their entire first-choice midfield of jamie redknapp  graeme le saux  nigel quashie and david prutton. anders svensson and matt oakley are likely replacements with kevin phillips also scheduled to start  with henri camara rested.  - brentford boss martin allen:  after conceding eight goals in our last three matches  i have to admit i m not very confident.  there s no doubt we re the underdogs and after defending so poorly recently it s not looking good.  southampton have just drawn with the premiership champions and that makes our task harder than it was already.    - southampton boss harry redknapp:  we know they can give us problems.  brentford have done well but we are the premiership side and should have the better players.  staying in the premiership is our priority. we want to win  of course we do. we ll battle but if it comes to a football match i think we ll win.  key match stats   - brentford are the lowest ranked club left in the fa cup. they re on their best run in the competition since reaching the quarter-finals for the fourth time in their history 16 years ago. now they have the carrot of the plum draw in the last eight dangling before them. victory over premiership strugglers southampton  would bring the mighty manchester united to griffin park and a gigantic pay day for the sole league one survivors.   - martin allen s brave side came back from two goals down at st mary s to earn a deserved replay. southampton striker henri camara scored twice from close range to put the saints in command  but isaiah rankin hit back just before half time  and sam sodje headed past a creaky defence on 58 minutes.   - the londoners have conceded six goals in their two subsequent league outings - three each in losing away to hartlepool and drawing at home to sheffield wednesday. but they haven t lost in six league and cup games on home turf - winning three and drawing three since the reverse to torquay on boxing day.   - southampton go into this tie on the back of an eventful premiership match with arsenal on saturday. an angry david prutton pushed referee alan wiley after being shown the red card  but his side still came back to draw 1-1. it was saints  fourth stalemate in succession in all competitions  but didn t lift them out of the relegation zone. the retention of their ever present premier league status must be the number one priority  irrespective of the rewards that success against brentford would bring.   - victory here would set up a repeat of the 1976 final  when saints astounded the football world by defeating tommy docherty s manchester united courtesy of bobby stokes  famous winner. they also knocked out the red devils in 1991 on penalties in the fourth round. but to write another chapter in their fa cup history  the solent side must avoid succumbing to lower division opposition for the first time since rotherham  from the second level  beat them 2-1 in a third round tie at millmoor on 16 january 2002. southampton were last humbled by a club from the third tier six years ago. fulham were then in the second division  when they won a third round replay at craven cottage 1-0 on 13 january 1999.   - to get to within two matches of a second visit to the millennium stadium in three years for the final  harry redknapp must guide his side past a club 36 places inferior on the league ladder  and a manager 19 years his junior  who played under him at west ham. head to head  10th league one  quarter-finals (four times)  18th prem  winners (once)


musical treatment for capra film the classic film it s a wonderful life is to be turned into a musical by the producer of the controversial hit show jerry springer - the opera.  frank capra s 1946 movie starring james stewart  is being turned into a £7m musical by producer jon thoday. he is working with steve brown  who wrote the award-winning musical spend spend spend. a spokeswoman said the plans were in the  very early stages   with no cast  opening date or theatre announced.  a series of workshops have been held in london  and on wednesday a cast of singers unveiled the musical to a select group of potential investors. mr thoday said the idea of turning the film into a musical had been an ambition of his for almost 20 years. it s a wonderful life was based on a short story  the greatest gift  by philip van doren stern. mr thoday managed to buy the rights to the story from van doren stern s family in 1999  following mr brown s success with spend spend spend. he later secured the film rights from paramount  enabling them to use the title it s a wonderful life.


deutsche telekom sees mobile gain german telecoms firm deutsche telekom saw strong fourth quarter profits on the back of upbeat us mobile earnings and better-than-expected asset sales.  net profit came in at 1.4bn euros (£960m; $1.85bn)  a dramatic change from the loss of 364m euros in 2003. sales rose 2.8% to 14.96bn euros. sales of stakes in firms including russia s oao mobile telesystems raised 1.17bn euros. this was more than expected and helped to bring debt down to 35.8bn euros.  a year ago  debt was more than 11bn euros higher. t-mobile usa  the company s american mobile business  made a strong contribution to profits.  it s a seminal achievement that they cut debt so low. that gives them some head room to invest in growth now   said hannes wittig  telecoms analyst at dresdner kleinwort wasserstein. the company also said it would resume paying a dividend  after two years in which it focused on cutting debt.


clarke to press on with id cards new home secretary charles clarke has vowed to plough on with plans for id cards despite a call for him to  pause for thought  from charles kennedy.  the lib dem leader said david blunkett s resignation was a  good opportunity  to question whether the legislation was necessary. but mr clarke said he had supported the plans when mr blunkett argued for them in cabinet and he supported them now.  id cards are a means to creating a more secure society   he said. mr clarke acknowledged how the measure was introduced remained a matter for debate but he said legislation had already been  significantly influenced  by the recommendations of the commons  home affairs committee.  the issue would be debated in parliament next monday as scheduled he insisted. earlier mr kennedy  whose party opposes the id cards plan as  deeply flawed  said with christmas coming up the new home secretary had time to think again. he told bbc radio 4 s today programme that mr clarke had been reported to be less enthusiastic about id cards than his predecessors.  wouldn t this be a good opportunity for a new home secretary  a new broom  to sweep clean in this respect and why do we need this legislation in the first place   he asked. earlier this week the tories announced they would back the government s plans although michael howard was forced to deny the shadow cabinet was split over its decision.  they had decided to support the plans as the police said they would help fight terror  crime and illegal immigration. among those reported to have serious reservations over the strategy were senior shadow cabinet members david davis  oliver letwin and tim yeo. the chairman of the bar council  guy mansfield qc has warned there is a real risk that people on the  margins of society  would be driven into the hands of extremists.  what is going to happen to young asian men when there has been a bomb gone off somewhere  they are going to be stopped. if they haven t [id cards] they are going to be detained.   the home office says people will pay £85 for a passport and id card together or a undecided fee for a separate id card. the first cards would be issued in 2008 and when he was introducing the bill  mr blunkett suggested parliament could decide in 2011 or 2012 whether to make it compulsory for everybody to own the cards  although not to carry them. the new bill will also create new criminal offences on the possession of false identity documents. and there will be civil penalties including a fine of up to £1 000 fine for people who fail to say they have moved house or changed other details and of up to £2 500 for failing to sign up if the cards become compulsory. the scheme will be overseen by a new independent watchdog.


howard taunts blair over splits tony blair s feud with gordon brown is damaging the way the uk is governed  tory leader michael howard has claimed in a heated prime minister s questions.  mr howard asked:  how can they fight crime when they are fighting each other   that question was later unveiled as the headline for new tory campaign posters. but mr blair dismissed the talk of splits and said people s priorities at the next elections would be on the economic successes achieved by labour.  he can stick up whatever he likes on billboards about something in a book but what the public will concentrate on are the low mortgages  low inflation  low unemployment that we delivered and that he failed to   he said. the chancellor is currently on a high-profile tour of africa to highlight new anti-poverty plans. but before doing so  he insisted he still trusted mr blair  despite claims to the contrary in a new book.  brown s britain  by robert peston  says there is mutual animosity between the two men. it claims mr blair said in november 2003 he would stand down as prime minister before the next election. but he went back on his pledge after support from cabinet allies and suspicion that mr brown was manoeuvring against him  it says.  mr peston s book claimed that mr brown told mr blair:  there is nothing you could ever say to me now that i could ever believe.  mr blair directly denied that quote on wednesday. he again insisted there could be no deals about the premiership but twice declined directly to say whether or not he had offered to quit.  the tory leader countered that such agreements had been struck twice at dinners with the chancellor. he declared:  he is the deals on meals prime minister. no wonder the chancellor is not a happy eater.  he continued:  how can there be discipline in schools when there is no discipline in government  how can they clean up our hospitals when they don t clean up their act   mr blair said he would not respond to  tittle tattle in books  and promised to hail labour s record on the economy  waiting lists and law and order  from now until polling day . later at their poster launch tory co-chairman liam fox said his party would exploit opportunities to show how  juvenile  the prime minister and chancellor were.  labour staged a show of unity at its own poster launch on tuesday  where mr brown was joined by alan milburn  who mr blair controversially put in charge of election planning in place of the chancellor. but liberal democrat leader charles kennedy told bbc news:  the government is clearly split at the top. this kind of cosmetic exercise does not persuade anybody.  later this week mr blair is expected to outline the direction of his party s next election manifesto. the prime minister and chancellor faced backbench discontent at monday s meeting of the parliamentary labour party over claims made mr peston s book.


hotspot users gain free net calls people using wireless net hotspots will soon be able to make free phone calls as well as surf the net.  wireless provider broadreach and net telephony firm skype are rolling out a service at 350 hotspots around the uk this week. users will need a skype account - downloadable for free - and they will then be able to make net calls via wi-fi without paying for net access. skype allows people to make free pc-based calls to other skype users.  users of the system can also make calls to landlines and mobiles for a fee. the system is gaining in popularity and now has 28 million users around the world. its paid service - dubbed skype out - has so far attracted 940 000 users. it plans to add more paid services with forthcoming launches of video conferencing  voice mail and skype in  a service which would allow users to receive phone calls from landlines and mobiles. london-based software developer connectotel has unveiled software that will expand the sms functions of skype  allowing users to send text messages to mobile phones from the service. broadreach networks has around two million users and hotspots in places such as virgin megastores  the travelodge chain of hotels and all london s major rail terminals. the company is due to launch wi-fi on virgin trains later in the year.  skype s success at spreading the world about internet telephony is well-known and we are delighted to be offering free access to skype users in our hotspots   commented broadreach chief executive magnus mcewen-king.


reaction from spanish press england s 1-0 defeat to spain on wednesday dominated the back and front pages of the country s press on thursday.  controversy was in no short supply  with racist abuse of england s black players  wayne rooney s petulance and england s inept performance. but what did the spanish press make of the affair  bbc sport looks at the reaction.      there is little coverage of the racist chanting on wednesday night s game. but as does cover the english reaction to the pre-match comments from spain coach luis aragones  who highlighted britain s colonial past when probed about his own remarks regarding thierry henry in october. journalist guillem balague writes:  in our country  where multi-culturalism is a new thing  we are in nappies dealing with these things  and have a naivety which makes the english nervous.   marca refers in passing to the booing of england s black players - but only after referring to the cheers of  ole  which greeted the long periods of spanish possession. aragones   no comment  to questions about racism after the match is also highlighted  as marca focuses on the spanish coach s praise for his players. serbia & montenegro s 2-0 world cup qualifying win in belgium - which could make qualification tougher for spain - seems to be of greater importance.  elsewhere  the spanish media criticises its english counterparts for stoking up the racism issue.  were there racist chants against some players  this hasn t happened in the spanish league and spain for many years   said spanish federation press officer fernando garrido.  so you (english reporters) should ask yourselves what you have done to contribute to all this.  and spanish daily abc accuses english reporters of launching a witch-hunt against aragones.  perhaps it was because their team had played so poorly and they wanted to divert attention towards this muddled issue   the paper says.       what the boy in the bernabeu did was odd... rooney seemed intent to kick any spanish player who approached him.  yet rooney is seen only as the worst example of many england miscreants  with gary neville criticised for continuing the feud between manchester united and arsenal for his tackles on jose reyes. ashley cole s treatment of joaquin  and a frank lampard foul on reyes are also lambasted for their  ugliness .  marca s headline says it all:  wayne rooney se volvió loco en el bernabéu (wayne rooney became crazy in the bernabeu)  rooney s display alarms the writer  in particular three  chilling  fouls on joaquin  casillas and marchena  which  could well have left them in the infirmary.  and like as  marca criticises gary neville for  leaving a message on reyes  ankle  to remind him of the manchester united-arsenal clash this month.      spain s first-half performance is showered with praise  with xavi singled out as the biggest star.  xavi did things on wednesday which were worthy of maradona   the paper beams  adding   what a work-rate  what dynamism  what vision  what leadership  what a midfield player!  on a controversial evening  as offers one seemingly undeniable viewpoint:  spanish football players played better football than the english.   more plaudits are given to the home team  with jaime vargas lauding the manner in which  spain dominated england with order and quality . the paper adds:  the bad thing about spain v england was that it lasted only 65 minutes after which a succession of changes prevented any real competition.  vargas does not mention england s two galacticos  simply adding in a ps:  i have not forgotten to speak of beckham and owen. they forgot to play.


commons hunt protest charges eight protesters who stormed the house of commons chamber during a debate on the hunting bill have been charged with disorderly conduct.  the men were arrested in september after bursting into the chamber causing a hunting ban debate to be halted. those charged included otis ferry  the 22-year-old son of rock star bryan ferry and luke tomlinson  27  a close friend of princes william and harry. they were charged under section 5 of the public order act  police said.  five of the eight men held an impromptu news conference outside charing cross police station on monday evening  after the charges were formerly put to them. the men s solicitor matthew knight  said that at no time had it occurred to the men that they were committing a criminal offence.   there is no offence of trespassing in the house of commons - it is not a criminal offence   he said.  if parliament wanted to make entering the house of commons chamber on foot a criminal offence it should have done so  but it can t do so retrospectively.  we are not prosecuted for that. we are prosecuted for a public order act offence. we are not guilty of it.  they will appear at bow street magistrates  court on 21 december  a police spokesman said. otis ferry  a former eton pupil and joint leader of the south shropshire hunt  said:  i have no regrets.  we have done nothing wrong beyond the obvious which was to stand up for our rights and not act like a sheep like the rest of the country.  one of the men  david redvers  34  from hartpury  gloucestershire  said he and the other seven protesters would plead not guilty to the charges.  the other protesters are john holliday  37  a huntsman from ledbury  herefordshire  robert thame  34  who plays polo with princes charles in team highgrove  auctioneer andrew elliot  42  from bromesberrow  near ledbury  point-to-point jockey richard wakeham  34  from york  and former royal chef nick wood  41. the 15 september protest came on the same day as a huge pro-hunting demonstration in parliament square. four of the men ran out from behind the speaker s chair while another wrestled past a doorkeeper from a different entrance. the five tried to confront mps before they were bundled out of the chamber and later led away handcuffed by police. three others had been intercepted by security staff as they tried to join the five in the chamber.  speaker michael martin later said the men had used a forged letter to gain access to the house of commons and had been helped to get close to the chamber by a parliamentary pass holder. in november  the use of the parliament act meant a total ban on hunting with dogs in england and wales. however  many pro-hunt activists remained defiant after the law was passed  saying they would ignore the ban and continue to hunt. last week  the countryside alliance said more than 250 hunts would meet legally the day after the ban on hunting with dogs comes into force. the alliance said the 19 february meets would show the new law was  impossibly difficult to determine  and open to different interpretations.


the year search became personal the odds are that when you fire up your browser  you go straight to your favourite search engine  rather than type in a web address.  some may see this as the height of laziness  but in an era of information overload  search has become a vital tool in navigating the net. it is symptomatic of how the way we use the internet is changing. and as google has shown  there is money in offering a service that people cannot live without. there is no shortage of companies vying for the loyalty of web searchers  offering a wealth of different services and tools to help you find what you want. over the past 12 months  giants of the technology world such as microsoft and yahoo have sought to grab a slice of the search action.  user experience has contributed to people searching more   said yonca brunini of yahoo. as people become more familiar with the internet  they tend to spend more time online and ask more queries  she said.  the other second thing is broadband   ms brunini told the bbc news website.  this will do to internet what colour has done to tv.   but search is hardly a new phenomenon. it has been around since the early days of the net.  veteran surfers will remember old-timers like hotbot and altavista.  search was always important   said urs holzle  google vice-president of operations.  we trumpeted that in 1999. it is even truer now as there are more users and more information.   people didn t realise that search was the future. the financials have something to do with it.  google has shown web commerce can work through its targeted small adverts  which appear at the top and down the right-hand side of a page and are related to the original search. these small ads helped google reach revenues of $805.9m for the three months to september. others have woken up to the fact that you can make money out of web queries.  once you see there is a market  microsoft is bound to step to it. if microsoft sees search as important  then nobody queries it   said mr holzle.  microsoft is just one of the net giants muscling in on search. yahoo  ask jeeves  amazon and a handful of smaller outfits are all seeking to capture eyeballs.  web users face a plethora of choices as each company tries to outflank google by rolling out new search products such as desktop search. it reflects how the battlefield has shifted from the net to your pc. search is not just about finding your way around the web. it is now about unlocking information hidden in the gigabytes of documents  images and music on hard drives. for all these advances  search is still a clumsy tool  often failing to come up with exactly what you had in mind. in order to do a better job  search engines are trying to get to know you better  doing a better job of remembering  cataloguing and managing all the information you come across.  personalisation is going to be a big area for the future   said yahoo s yonca brunini.  whoever cracks that and gives you the information you want is going to be the winner. we have to understand you to give you better results that are tailored to you.  this is perhaps the holy grail of search  understanding what it is you are looking for and providing it quickly. the problem is that no one yet knows how to get there.