edwards tips idowu for euro gold world outdoor triple jump record holder and bbc pundit jonathan edwards believes phillips idowu can take gold at the european indoor championships.  idowu landed 17.30m at the british trials in sheffield last month to lead the world triple jump rankings.  it s all down to him  but if he jumps as well as he did in sheffield he could win the gold medal   said edwards.  his ability is undoubted but all his best performances seem to happen in domestic meetings.   idowu made his breakthrough five years ago but so far has only a commonwealth silver medal to his name. edwards himself kept idowu off top spot at the manchester games. but he believes the european indoors in madrid represent a chance for the 26-year-old to prove his credentials as britain s top triple jumper.  he has to start producing at international level and here is the beginning   said edwards.  phillips still needs to be much more consistent. i m sure a victory in madrid will build up his confidence and self-belief that he can be best in the world.  the qualifying round of the men s triple jump in madrid takes place on friday with the final scheduled for saturday. olympic champion christian olsson will not be taking part as he is out for the entire indoor season with an ankle injury.


rush future at chester uncertain ian rush s future as chester manager is uncertain after he and assistant mark aizlewood refused a severance package.  chester have won only two of their last 10 league games but chairman steve vaughan claims he cannot afford to sack the 43-year-old liverpool legend. vaughan said:  i offered a financial settlement so they could resign with dignity but an obvious action is to dismiss them.  i haven t because of the finances  so technically they re still employees.  vaughan claimed that aizlewood had  verbally agreed  to the offer. but the chester chairman added:  after they discussed the offer with their solicitor  who also acts as their agent  they decided to withdraw the verbal agreement  which was disappointing.  rush was appointed at the end of august following the departure of former liverpool team-mate mark wright  who guided chester to the conference title last season. chester were bottom of league two when rush took over but the former liverpool striker enjoyed an impressive start to managerial life  taking the club into the third round of the fa cup and winning the manager-of-the-month award for october. chester s downturn in form culminated in a 5-0 defeat at shrewsbury that leaves them hovering just above the league two relegation zone.


singer ian brown  in gig arrest  former stone roses singer ian brown was arrested after a fight during a concert in san francisco on tuesday  his spokesman has said.  a fan jumped on stage and attacked the singer  who then became involved in a fracas with a security guard  fiction records spokesman paul smernicki said. he said brown was arrested at his hotel after the show at the great american music hall but released without charge. san francisco police said they could find no record of his arrest. mr smernicki said he had been told a fan  rugby-tackled  the singer during the gig  which resulted in  pushing and shoving .  brown then got into a brawl with another man who tried to restrain him - without realising he was a security guard  mr smernicki added. the star went off for 15 minutes before returning to finish his set. police took witness statements and apprehended brown at his hotel  mr smernicki said. but he was released without charge and  as far as we re aware  that s the end of it   mr smernicki added. a spokesperson for the san francisco police department said he may have been detained but they could find no record of the incident. brown  42  was lead singer with the stone roses  one of the most seminal bands in british rock  until they split in 1996. he has since forged a successful solo career  scoring nine uk top 30 singles since 1998. in 1998  he was sentenced to four months in jail for using threatening behaviour towards an aeroplane captain and stewardess.


uk firms  embracing e-commerce  uk firms are embracing internet trading opportunities as never before  e-commerce minister mike o brien says.  a government-commissioned study ranked the uk third in its world index of use of information and communication technology (ict). the report suggests 69% of uk firms are now using broadband and that 30% of micro businesses are trading online. mr o brien said uk businesses were sprinting forward in ict use  but that there were more challenges ahead. the report  carried out independently by consultants booz allen hamilton and hi europe  placed the uk third behind sweden and ireland for business use of ict.  it showed british business brought greater maturity to their ict use  by using broadband in increased numbers  bringing ict into their business plans and using new technologies such as voice activated programmes and desktop video conferences. mr o brien said:  the increase in the proportion of business connected by broadband shows that uk companies are embracing the opportunities that ict can bring.  it is particularly encouraging to see that small businesses are beginning to narrow the digital divide that appeared to have opened up in recent years.  the government would play its part in  cultivating an environment where information and communication technologies can flourish   mr o brien said. the  clear message  the report sends is that effective use of ict can bring real improvements in business performance for all business.   however  we are not at the finishing line yet and many challenges remain if the uk is to reach its aim of becoming a world-leading e-economy   he added. the international benchmarking study was based on 8 000 telephone interviews with businesses  of which more than 2 700 were uk businesses. it is the eighth in a series of examining the adoption and deployment of ict in the world s most industrialised nations.


kenteris denies faking road crash greek sprinter kostas kenteris has denied claims that he faked a motorbike crash to avoid a doping test days before the start of the olympics.  kenteris and fellow sprinter katerina thanou are set to learn if they will face criminal charges this week. part of the investigation has centred on whether they staged the crash. kenteris insisted:  the accident happened. i went crazy when i found out i had supposedly missed a test and i wanted to rush to the olympic village.  kenteris  speaking on greece s alter television station  also claimed that he asked to be tested for banned substances in hospital after the crash.  i told the hospital  which was an olympics-accredited hospital  to call the ioc and have me tested on the spot but no-one came.   after a drama which dominated newspaper headlines in greece as athens prepared for the start of the athens games  kenteris and thanou eventually withdrew. but kenteris has continually protested his innocence - and on sunday blamed greek olympic committee officials and his former coach christos tzekos for failing to inform him of the test. the 31-year-old insisted he will be happy if he is charged so he can clear his name.  if a decision is taken to have charges filed against me  i will accept it gladly.  a prosecution means that the case will be cleared... i want to go to the end and then we ll see who s right and who isn t.  kenteris  a greek hero after winning gold in the 200m at the 2000 olympics in sydney  also confirmed that he was due to light the flame at the athens opening ceremony.  i had even rehearsed lighting the cauldron   he said.


cable offers video-on-demand cable firms ntl and telewest have both launched video-on-demand services as the battle between satellite and cable tv heats up.  movies from sony pictures  walt disney  touchstone  miramax  columbia and buena vista will be among those on offer. the service is similar to sky plus  as users can pause  fast forward and rewind content  but they cannot store programmes on their set top box - yet. it could sound the death knell for some tv channels  telewest predicts.  it allows us to demonstrate a clear competitive advantage over sky for the first time in many years   said telewest chief executive eric tveter.   video-on-demand will offer a deeper range of content than currently exists on tv. there will be less compromising around the tv schedule and some of the less popular channels may go by the wayside   said philip snalune  director of products at telewest. telewest customers in bristol and ntl viewers in glasgow will be the first to test the new service  which sees a raft of movies on offer for 24 hour rental. during the year  the service will be extended to all cable regions. films will range in price from £1 or £2 for archived movies to £3.50 for current releases. new releases initially on offer will include 50 first dates  kill bill: volume 2  gothika and the station agent. in addition  ntl is offering children s programmes  adult content  music video and concerts. telewest will launch similar services later in the year. ntl is also offering viewers the chance to catch up with programmes they have missed. its pick of the week service will offer a selection of bbc programmes from the previous seven days such as eastenders  casualty  top gear and antiques roadshow. the bbc is trialling a similar service  offering broadband users the chance to watch programmes already broadcast on their pc. for telewest it is the beginning of a £20m investment in tv-on-demand which will also see the launch of a personal video recorder (pvr). pvr has been a big success for sky because it gives customers control over programmes. satellite customers without pvr cannot pause  rewind or fast forward their programmes.  with both services on offer from telewest  mr tveter is confident the cable firm can dent not just the viewing figures for terrestrial tv but also gain a huge competitive advantage over sky.   we offer the best of both worlds and most households have an interest in having both video-on-demand and pvr   he said. video rental stores may also have to watch their back.  video-on-demand is better than having a video-store in your living room and is more convenient   he said. ntl said it had not ruled out the possibility of offering a pvr but for the moment is concentrating on video-on-demand.  pvr is a recording mechanism whereas what we are offering is truly on demand   said a spokesman for the company. video-on-demand has the added advantage of not requiring a separate set-top box or extra remote controls  he added. adam thomas  an analyst at research firm informa media believes the time is ripe for video-on-demand to flourish.  while sky will remain the dominant force in uk pay tv for some time to come  ntl and telewest seem well placed to successfully ride this second wave of vod enthusiasm and  if marketed correctly  this could help them eat into sky s lead   he said.


cairn shares slump on oil setback shares in cairn energy  a uk oil firm  have closed down 18% after a disappointing drilling update and a warning over possible tax demands.  the company said tests had shown no significant finds in one of its indian oil fields  but was upbeat about the potential of other areas. it also said the indian government had told it to pay a production tax  for which cairn argues it is not liable. cairn s shares have jumped by almost 400% this year. investors had piled into cairn after the company announced significant oil finds in india this year. chief executive bill gammell said on friday he was  disappointed  with exploration in the so-called n-c extension area in rajasthan. investors had held high hopes of major oil finds in this area. but cairn said estimates had been revised in what was a  significant downgrade of the initial expectation .  cairn also said that the government believed the company was liable to pay taxes under its production-sharing contract. the company said the rate would be about 900 rupees ($20.40; £10.50) per tonne  or seven barrels  of oil. a spokesman for the firm said that the tax would wipe 5% of the field s current value.   cairn refutes the government s position   mr gammell said. he insisted that the contract made it clear that the tax should be shouldered by the licensee - india s state-run oil & natural gas corp (ongc) - and not the contractor.  we have a pretty strong legal case here   he added  saying it would only become an issue once the firm started production. investors took a dim view of the statements though. the shares closed down 247p  or 18%  at 1115 pence.  i think people were slightly over-ambitious for how quickly cairn would be able to develop and potentially offload these reserves   said analyst jason kenney at ing.  the disappointments overshadowed increased production targets for cairn s existing oilfields. the company raised targets for its mangala and aishwariya fields in india from 60 000 barrels a day to between 80 000 and 100 000 barrels a day. its mangala field  thought to contain a billion barrels  is its biggest find to date.  these two fields will provide the core of the future developments in rajasthan   mr gammell said. cairn added that it would be appraising another field early next year. mr gammell set up the company in the 1980s and has successfully switched its focus to south asia from interests in the us and europe. cairn  which also operates in nepal and bangladesh  was catapulted into the ftse 100 index of leading uk shares earlier this year after the sharp rise in its share price.


wales critical of clumsy grewcock wales coach mike ruddock says england lock danny grewcock needs to review his actions after he kicked dwayne peel.  trouble flared at a ruck in the first half of wales  11-9 win in cardiff as grewcock came recklessly over the top with his boot  leaving peel bloodied. grewcock was sin-binned with wales captain gareth thomas for retaliation.  it s up to the citing commissioner   said ruddock.  i m not saying it s deliberate  but grewcock did a similar thing for bath against leinster.  last june grewcock was banned from rugby for two months for reckless use of a boot in a match against new zealand.  six years earlier  also in new zealand  grewcock became only the second england player to be sent off in tests. the player himself and his captain jason robinson have both said that the clash with peel was accidental.  if the ball is at the back of the ruck and i feel i can step over and disrupt it then i will do that   said grewcock. but ruddock feels that the england man should be more careful.  the boy himself should look at his actions  it was a clumsy piece of footwork   he said.  he s a great player and i don t want to knock him  we won t be calling for the match commissioner to review the incident.  i m not going to go too far with the lad. it could just be a clumsy action and dwayne had just a minor cut.  the referee s interpretation was that grewcock was attempting to step over the ruck.  ruddock also warned his rbs 6 nations championship rivals that his team can make massive improvements.  we created more opportunities and also squandered them by taking more contact and playing more individually   said the coach.  we ve looked through things on the video debrief and there were definitely a lot of chances that we wasted.  in the forthcoming games  ruddock may use penalty hero gavin henson as his first-choice kicker in place of stephen jones.  our first aim was to get gavin settled into the team  but it s something we ll talk about in selection this week   said ruddock.


concern over rfid tags consumers are very concerned about the use of radio frequency id (rfid) tags in shops  a survey says.  more than half of 2 000 people surveyed said they had privacy worries about the tags  which can be used to monitor stock on shelves or in warehouses. some consumer groups have expressed concern that the tags could be used to monitor shoppers once they had left shops with their purchases. the survey showed that awareness of tags among consumers in europe was low. the survey of consumers in the uk  france  germany and the netherlands was carried out by consultancy group capgemini. the firm works on behalf of more than 30 firms who are seeking to promote the growth of rfid technology. the tags are a combination of computer chip and antenna which can be read by a scanner - each item contains a unique identification number.  more than half (55%) of the respondents said they were either concerned or very concerned that rfid tags would allow businesses to track consumers via product purchases. fifty nine percent of people said they were worried that rfid tags would allow data to be used more freely by third parties. ard jan vetham  capgemini s principal consultant on rfid  said the survey showed that retailers needed to inform and educate people about rfid before it would become accepted technology.  acceptance of new technologies always has a tipping point at which consumers believe that benefits outweigh concerns.  with the right rfid approach and ongoing communication with consumers  the industry can reach this point.  he said that the survey also showed people would accept rfid if they felt that the technology could mean a reduction in car theft or faster recovery of stolen items. the tags are currently being used at one tesco distribution centre in the uk - the tags allow the rapid inventory of bulk items. they are also in use as a passcard for the m6 toll in the midlands  in the uk. mr vetham said the majority of people surveyed (52%) believed that rfid tags could be read from a distance. he said that was a misconception based on a lack of awareness of the technology. at least once consumer group - consumers against supermarket privacy invasion and numbering (caspian) - has claimed that rfid chips could be used to secretly identify people and the things they are carrying or wearing. all kinds of personal belongings  including clothes  could constantly broadcast messages about their whereabouts and their owners  it warned.


ethiopia s crop production up 24% ethiopia produced 14.27 million tonnes of crops in 2004  24% higher than in 2003 and 21% more than the average of the past five years  a report says.  in 2003  crop production totalled 11.49 million tonnes  the joint report from the food and agriculture organisation and the world food programme said. good rains  increased use of fertilizers and improved seeds contributed to the rise in production. nevertheless  2.2 million ethiopians will still need emergency assistance.  the report calculated emergency food requirements for 2005 to be 387 500 tonnes. on top of that  89 000 tonnes of fortified blended food and vegetable oil for  targeted supplementary food distributions for a survival programme for children under five and pregnant and lactating women  will be needed.  in eastern and southern ethiopia  a prolonged drought has killed crops and drained wells. last year  a total of 965 000 tonnes of food assistance was needed to help seven million ethiopians. the food and agriculture organisation (fao) recommend that the food assistance is bought locally.  local purchase of cereals for food assistance programmes is recommended as far as possible  so as to assist domestic markets and farmers   said henri josserand  chief of fao s global information and early warning system. agriculture is the main economic activity in ethiopia  representing 45% of gross domestic product. about 80% of ethiopians depend directly or indirectly on agriculture.


brown hits back in blair rift row gordon brown has criticised a union leader who said conflict between himself and tony blair was harming the workings of government.  jonathan baume  of the top civil servants  union  spoke of  competing agendas  between mr brown and mr blair. but the chancellor said mr baume was never at meetings between himself and the prime minister so could not judge. he said the union leader was trying to block civil service reform which threatened his members  jobs. it suited the purpose of mr baume s union  the first division association  to suggest there were two agendas battling against each other because the union was trying to resist the planned reforms  mr brown told bbc radio 4 s today programme.  under the plans  unveiled in the gershon report  some 84 000 civil servants jobs will be axed or changed and the savings ploughed back into frontline services. mr brown said:  to be honest i don t think you can rely on his [mr baume s] judgement on this matter when it comes to the decisions that the government are making.  mr blair and i are making exactly the same decisions on civil service reforms. we are determined to go on with the gershon reforms.  he also said that as mr baume was never present at meetings between himself and the prime minister  he was not in a position to judge. on wednesday  ahead of the chancellor s pre-budget report  mr baume told bbc news there were sometimes  conflicting and competing agendas for government  between number 10 and the treasury.  what the chancellor wanted was  not by any means what alan milburn and the prime minister want to see   mr baume said.  government departments get their money from the treasury on the basis of public service agreements they sign up to  but at the same time the prime minister also has an agenda and that s not necessarily the same as the treasury s and the prime minister is of course a very powerful figure in any government.  he also sends instructions and messages and directions to departments about how he would like each secretary of state and each department to implement a policy agenda.  the problem is that on many occasions these two don t add up and individual cabinet ministers as well as departments have to make sense of this battle.  number 10 said ministers were interested in governing and not a  soap opera  about mr blair and mr brown. tory shadow chancellor oliver letwin said:  the battle royal that the top civil servants are now reporting on between the chancellor and tony blair is preventing them both from getting on with the business of getting taxpayers value for money.


parry relishes anfield challenge bbc sport reflects on the future for liverpool after our exclusive interview with chief executive rick parry.  chief executive parry is the man at the helm as liverpool reach the most crucial point in their recent history. parry has to deliver a new 60 000-seat stadium in stanley park by 2007 amid claims of costs spiralling above £120m. he is also searching for an investment package of a size and stature that will restore liverpool to their place at european football s top table. but it is a challenge that appears to sit easily with parry  who has forged a reputation as one of football s most respected administrators since his days at the fledgling premier league.  liverpool have not won the championship since 1990  a fact that causes deep discomfort inside anfield as they attempt to muscle in on the top three of chelsea  manchester united and arsenal. throw in the small matter of warding off every top club in world football as they eye captain steven gerrard  and you can see parry is a man with a lot on his plate. but in the comfort of a conference room deep inside liverpool s heartbeat - the kop end - parry spoke to us with brutal honesty about the crucial months ahead. he only dodged one question - when asked to reveal the name of the mystery investor currently courting liverpool  a polite smile deflected the inquiry. but to his credit  he met everything else head on in measured tones that underscore the belief that liverpool still mean business.  by business he means becoming title challengers again  and locking the pieces together that will help return the trophy to liverpool is parry s mission. parry has already successfully put one of those planks in place in the form of new manager rafael benitez. and his enthusiasm for the spaniard s personality and methods is an indication of his clear feeling that he has struck gold. benitez s early work has given parry renewed optimism about the years ahead. but it remains a massive task at a club with a unique history and expectations. this will not come as news to parry  a lifelong liverpool supporter  but his quiet determination suggests he is no mood to be found wanting...  captain gerrard is central to liverpool s plans and parry s insistence that all offers will be refused is a firm statement of intent. as ever  the player will have the final say  and parry acknowledges that  but he is determined to provide the framework and environment for liverpool and gerrard to flourish.  in terms of the search for new investment  hawkpoint were appointed as advisors to flush out interest in march 2004. thailand prime minister thaksin shiniwatra came and went  while the most serious statement of intent came from tycoon and lifelong fan steve morgan. morgan had a succession of bids rejected  having come close in the summer only for talks to break down over potential costs for the new stadium. bbc sport understands morgan is still ready and willing to invest in liverpool  and parry has kept the door ajar despite currently seeking investment elsewhere.  morgan  however  has had no formal contact with liverpool or their advisors since last december  blaming indecision at board level as he publicly withdrew his £70m offer. he was also convinced his interest was being used to lure in others  so any new approach would now have to come from liverpool. morgan will certainly not be making another call. so speculation continues about the new benefactor  with trails leading to the middle east and america  but all met with an understandable veil of secrecy from anfield.  parry meanwhile sees the new ground as crucial to liverpool s future  but is refusing to become emotionally attached to the idea. he is determined the ground will only be built on an affordable basis and will not make future liverpool management hostages to the new stadium. parry will pull back the moment the figures do not stack up  but there has been a vital new development in north london that has re-shaped liverpool s thinking.  liverpool have publicly refused to entertain the idea of stadium sponsorship and potential naming rights - but the realism of arsenal s stunning £100m deal for their new emirates stadium at ashburton has changed the landscape. parry labelled the deal  an eye-opener  and admits liverpool would be missing a trick not to explore the possibilities. he knows some traditionalist liverpool fans will reel at any attempt to call the new stadium anything other than just  anfield   but the maths of modern-day football decree that multi-millions for stadium and team could ease the pain.  i would take £50m if we had no investment  but if we did  keep him. as for the stadium  if it gets us cash what difference does it make really   £50m for gerrard  i don t care who you are  the directors would take the money and it is the way it should be. we cannot let that sum of money go  despite gerrard s quality.  through a cleverly worded statement  the club has effectively forced gerrard to publicly make the decision for himself  which i think is the right thing to do.  critical time for liverpool with regards to gerrard. ideally we would want to secure his future to the club for the long term. i am hoping he doesn t walk out of the club like michael owen did for very little cash.  £50m realistically would allow rafa to completely rebuild the squad  however  if we can afford to do this and keep gerrard we will be better for it. i would however be happy with gerrard s transfer for any fee over £35m.  parry s statements are clever in that any future gerrard transfer cannot be construed as a lack of ambition by the club to not try and keep their best players. upping the ante is another smart move by parry.  i would keep gerrard. no amount of money could replace his obvious love of the club and determination to succeed.  the key is if gerrard comes out and says that he is happy. clearly  if he isn t  then we would be foolish not to sell. the worrying thing is who would you buy (or who would come) pending possible non-champions league football.


chelsea clinch cup in extra-time (after extra-time - score at 90 mins 1-1)  john arne riise volleyed liverpool ahead after 45 seconds but steven gerrard scored a 79th-minute own goal. blues boss jose mourinho was sent off for taunting liverpool fans after the goal and he watched on television as his side went on to win the game. drogba and kezman scored from close range before antonio nunez s header made for a tense finale. it was an amazing climax which gave mourinho his first silverware as chelsea manager. yet it was controversial too  after mourinho s sending off  apparently for putting his finger to his lips to hush the liverpool fans. there was no hushing them after the extraordinary opening in which the reds took a stunning lead inside the first minute.  riise could not have connected any better with morientes  cross as he smashed a left-foot volley past petr cech. the goal  the quickest-ever in a league cup final  stunned a blues side whose previously rock-solid confidence had been shaken by consecutive losses to newcastle and barcelona in the previous week. the blues  attacking chances were limited  and jerzy dudek was equal to frank lampard s powerfully-struck drive and drogba s low shot. despite their frustration  chelsea began to dominate midfield without seriously threatening to break liverpool s well-organised defence.  joe cole had a shot blocked and a promising damien duff break was halted by a good tackle from djimi traore  but the reds reached half-time without any major scares. the blues began the second half with more urgency and pegged liverpool back. nevertheless  liverpool were living dangerously and they needed a fantastic double save from dudek on 54 minutes  first at full stretch from gudjohnsen s header  then to smother william gallas  follow-up. and despite chelsea s possession  it was liverpool who fashioned the next clear opportunity as luis garcia fed dietmar hamann whose shot forced a superb save from cech. and the blues  increasingly adventurous approach saw liverpool earn another chance on the break on 75 minutes as paulo ferreira denied gerrard with a last-ditch tackle. but gerrard was on the scoresheet minutes later - in the most unfortunate fashion - as he inadvertently deflected ferrerira s free-kick past his own keeper and in off the post to bring chelsea level. that prompted mourinho s reaction which saw him sent off  but chelsea still pressed and duff had a chance to win the game with seven minutes remaining. dudek saved bravely at the irishman s feet  while milan baros shot wildly at the other end to ensure extra time. drogba almost headed chelsea in front two minutes into extra-time but the striker saw the ball rebound off the post. but seconds after the half-time interval  drogba made no mistake  picking the ball up from glen johnson s long throw inside the six-yard box and sidefooting home. and kezman appeared to have made the game safe as he netted from close range after gudjohnsen s cross in the 110th minute. there was still drama as nunez beat cech to a high ball with six minutes remaining to head his side level  but despite liverpool s desperate attacks  chelsea clung on to win.  dudek  finnan  carragher  hyypia  traore (biscan 67)  luis garcia  gerrard  hamann  riise  kewell (nunez 56)  morientes (baros 74).  subs not used: pellegrino  carson.  hyypia  traore  hamann  carragher.  riise 1  nunez 113.  cech  paulo ferreira  ricardo carvalho  terry  gallas (kezman 74)  jarosik (gudjohnsen 45)  lampard  makelele  cole (johnson 81)  drogba  duff.  subs not used: pidgeley  tiago.  lampard  kezman  drogba  duff.  gerrard 79 og  drogba 107  kezman 112.  78 000  s bennett (kent).


mcilroy aiming for madrid title northern ireland man james mcilroy is confident he can win his first major title at this weekend s spar european indoor championships in madrid.  the 28-year-old has been in great form in recent weeks and will go in as one of the 800 metres favourites.  i believe after my wins abroad and in our trial race in sheffield  i can run my race from the front  back or middle   said mcilroy. new coach tony lester has helped get mcilroy s career back on track. the 28-year-old 800 metres runner has not always matched his promise with performances but believes his decision to change coaches and move base will bring the rewards. mcilroy now lives in windsor and feels his career has been transformed by the no-nonsense leadership style of former army sergeant lester. lester is better known for his work with 400m runners roger black and mark richardson in the past but under his guidance mcilroy has secured five wins this indoor season.  mcilroy now claims he is in his best shape since finishing fourth for ireland at the outdoor european championships in 1998.  that was my last decent year   said mcilroy  who temporarily retired last august before returning to the sport under lester s shrewd guidance.  before  every race was like trying to climb mount everest and i now know you can t do it on your own.  trying to succeed saw me sometimes standing half-dead and terrified on the starting line  which became a bit too much.  mcilroy  who was compared to the likes of sebastian coe  steve cram and steve ovett in his younger days  is now competing without the benefit of national lottery funding. that situation could change if he maintains his current form and repeats the world-class times he produced in the 800m and 1000m at major races in erfurt and stuttgart earlier this season. russian dmitriy bogdanov won at the same madrid venue last week and then claimed the european championship race would be between himself  dutchman arnoud okken and antonio reina of spain but mcilroy is unfazed.  he admitted:  he looked quite good in his win and fair enough everyone has the right to their own opinion.  i never write myself off and let s face it  i haven t or looked like being beaten this season.  and mcilroy  whose time of one minute 46.68seconds in erfurt elevated him to sixth place on the uk all-time list  is also already looking beyond madrid. he said:  i ve been much more focused this year about my career and having such a good team around me has been very important.  ultimately of course  this weekend is a means to an end and that is getting prepared for the summer s world championships.  that ambition has meant that i ve had only two nights out since last august. the rest of my time has seen me just concentrating on rebuilding my career.


labour s core support takes stock tony blair has told labour supporters he s  back  and still hungry for the job of prime minister - but does that sum up the mood at the party s spring conference in gateshead    the electorate are keener on the government than some labour party members   is the dry assessment of graham lane  leader of the labour group on newham council. the problem  according to mr lane  is not continuing divisions over iraq  foundation hospitals or tuition fees  or even voter apathy  but mr blair himself.  i have a new slogan. vote blair  get brown. that s what i am telling people on the doorstep. don t worry  he will be gone soon.  his friend  saxon spence  leader of devon county labour group  lays the blame for any lack of campaigning zeal on one issue above all others.  you cannot underestimate the impact of the war in iraq. we lost people from our local party who had some key roles.   but the two friends were fired up by gordon brown s speech on saturday  with its appeal to core labour values on social justice  health and education.   there was real passion. i think we have all felt a little jaded  but it reminded us why we joined the party in the first place   said mrs spence.  if he hadn t have walked off the stage  they would still be clapping   added mr lane. but for every brownite at the spring conference there was an equally ardent fan of mr blair. stephen douglas  26  from wales  said after the pm s speech on sunday:  i think it was a bit of a turning point  given the roasting he has had on some issues. the guy still has it.   tony martin  of burnley  said:  he is the first leader who has won us two terms. this bloke has delivered for us.  malcolm shipley  of shipley  said it was  as if he is coming round to the right approach again . katrina bull  a prospective parliamentary candidate said mr blair had shown he could rouse the party s grassroots:  i think if every voter was able to spend time in a room with tony  the way we have today  we will have no problem with turnout.  she had just emerged from a q&a session  in which mr blair - tieless and supremely at ease - answered questions posed via the party s website.  a party of councillors from nottingham agreed that there was nothing wrong with mr blair s leadership - and they were adamant that the campaigning strength of the party in their city was as strong as ever. iraq  they insisted  would not be a factor for most voters.  the biggest problem we have got at the moment is that we keep getting all these polls saying we are going to run away with the election.  it might sound great  but it does create this sense of complacency among our own voters and i think that is the greater problem than iraq   said nottingham city councillor brian parbutt. and even mr blair s most vocal critics seemed to agree on one thing - he is a master of the sort of glossy  high-profile campaigning that has become labour s hallmark  epitomised by friday s whistle-stop tour of marginal seats. a group of shop stewards from the swan hunter shipyard  who said they were facing redundancy  could barely suppress their anger at mr blair s failure to  as they saw it  shake off his tory leanings and stand up for manufacturing in the north east.  they were also scathing about the alleged benefits of showpiece projects such as conference venue sage centre  heralded by john prescott and others this weekend as a symbol of labour s success in urban regeneration.   it is no good having the sage or baltic if you haven t got the money for the entrance fee   said terry telford. but when asked about mr blair s bravura performance on friday  the men agreed he was  brilliant . and they would all be out on the doorstep pushing the labour message come election time.  if you are not fired up about the election  then what s the point  there is no complacency as far as i can see in the labour party. we are fired up. we are up for this election   said richie porterhouse. mr telford agreed  but added it was becoming increasingly difficult to think of an answer when people asked  what has labour done for the north east    i have had doors slammed in my face   he said.  every activist i spoke to said they were proud of what they believed labour had achieved in their local communities - the new hospitals and schools  the better life chances for young people. the problem they faced  they said  was converting this local feelgood factor into votes. but they could at least rely on one  secret weapon   as one activist put it - tory leader michael howard.


french boss to leave eads the french co-head of european defence and aerospace group eads philippe camus is to leave his post.  mr camus said in a statement that he has accepted the invitation to return full-time to the lagardere group  which owns 30% of eads.  i will give up my role as soon as the board of directors asks me to do so   he said. airbus head noel forgeard is now set to replace mr camus  bringing the company s power struggle to an end. fighting between mr camus and mr forgeard has hit the headlines in france and analysts feared that this fighting could destabilise the defence and aerospace group. french finance minister herve gaymard is on record as saying that he  deplored  the infighting at the company. the company should now be able put this dispute behind it  with the departure of mr camus and with the clear support given to mr forgeard by the lagardere group  the main french shareholder of eads. the other main shareholders of eads are the french government (15%)   who also support mr forgeard  and germany s daimlerchrysler (30%). rainer hertrich  the german co-head of eads will also step down when his contract expires next year.  mr camus recently came under pressure as it became clear that the a380 superjumbo was running over budget. eads - airbus  majority owner - admitted earlier this week that the project was running 1.45bn euros (£1bn; $1.9bn) over budget. but mr forgeard has denied this  telling french media that there is no current overrun in the budget.  but for the sake of transparency  we told our shareholders last week that if we look at the forecast for total costs of the project up to 2010  there is a risk that we will go over by around 10%  which is about 1bn euros (£686m; $1.32bn)   he told france s lci television. due to enter service in 2006  the a380 will replace the boeing 747 jumbo as the world s biggest passenger aircraft.


seamen sail into biometric future the luxury cruise liner crystal harmony  currently in the gulf of mexico  is the unlikely setting for tests of biometric technology.  as holidaymakers enjoy balmy breezes  their ship s crew is testing prototype versions of the world s first internationally issued biometric id cards  the seafarer s equivalent of a passport. along with the owner s picture  name and personal details  the new seafarers  identity document incorporates a barcode representing unique features of its holder s fingerprints. the cards are due to be issued in february next year  in line with the revised un convention on seafarers  identity documents of june 2003. tests currently under way in the caribbean are designed to ensure that new cards and their machine readers  produced by different companies in different countries  are working to interoperable standards. results of the current tests  which involve seafarers from a wide range of occupations and nationalities  will be published by the international labour organisation (ilo) by the end of november. crystal cruises  which operates the crystal harmony  is exploring the use of biometrics but has not yet committed to the technology.  authenti-corp  the us technology consultancy  has been working with the ilo on its technical specifications for the cards.   if you re issued a seafarer s id in your country  you want to be sure that when the ship lands in a port in  say  my country you can validate yourself using whatever equipment we have installed   authenti-corp s ceo  cynthia musselman  told the bbc s go digital programme. she said french  jordanian and nigerian nationals would be the first seafarers to get the new id cards since their countries have already ratified the convention. it aims to combat international terrorism whilst guaranteeing the welfare the one million seafarers estimated to be at sea. the convention highlights the importance of access to shore facilities and shore leave as vital elements to a sailor s wellbeing and  therefore  it says  to safer shipping and cleaner oceans.  by increasing security on the seas as well as border control and protection  the cards will hopefully reduce the number of piracy problems around the world   said ms musselman.  it should be a safer environment for seafarers to work in  and will allow people protecting their borders to have confidence that the people getting off the ship are  in fact  seafarers.


fa charges liverpool and millwall liverpool and millwall have been charged by the football association over crowd trouble during their carling cup match on 26 october.  millwall  who lost the match 3-0  have also been charged over alleged racist behaviour by their supporters. during the match at millwall s new den stadium  seats were ripped up and four people were ejected from the ground. a disabled fan was injured at the perimeter of the pitch and riot police were needed to control the situation. liverpool fans claimed the trouble was sparked by chants about the hillsborough disaster  where 96 supporters were crushed to death in april 1989. but lions chairman theo paphitis has denied the claims. he has said cctv footage showed the catalyst for the trouble was a liverpool fan attacking a millwall fan in the west stand. however  millwall have been charged with two breaches of fa rules. they have been charged with failing to ensure that fans refrained from racist and/or abusive behaviour and for failing to prevent spectators throwing missiles onto the pitch. liverpool have been charged with one breach for failing to prevent their fans conducting themselves in threatening and/or violent and/or provocative behaviour. both clubs have until 23 december to respond.


bbc to pour £9m into new comedy the bbc is to invest £9m in developing new comedy and entertainment programmes outside london.  the changes come as part of a shake-up of several departments to create shows that appeal to a wider range of people. changes are also being made to teams in the factual and daytime departments outside london. director of television jana bennett said the changes were about  getting the best ideas on screen as efficiently and effectively as we can .  the new structure in each genre is designed to ensure that happens   she said.  a number of new roles are being created in each department  including a head of comedy commissioning based in glasgow. the new person will be in charge of the £9m budget and their role will be to develop shows outside the capital  both within the bbc and with independent production companies. jane lush  controller of entertainment commissioning  said   entertainment and comedy are incredibly important to our audiences; i m confident these changes will help us get the very best programmes on screen.  similar positions will also be created in the other departments  with the new commissioning editor for documentaries based in bristol and the daytime commissioning editor in birmingham. ms bennett said the new roles would benefit those making programmes within the bbc as well as those making shows for the channel independently.  a strong independent sector and a flourishing in-house production base are not mutually exclusive and will stimulate the competition that will deliver the best ideas to the audience   she said.


police detain chinese milk bosses chinese police have detained three top executives at milk firm yili  with reports suggesting that they are being investigated for embezzlement.  yili - full name inner mongolia yili industrial - confirmed its chairman  chief financial officer and securities representative were all in custody. the company  china s third-largest milk producer  is to hold an emergency meeting to debate the issue. a yili spokesman said it may now move to oust chairman zheng junhuai. the spokesman did not say why the three had been detained by the police. the official xinhua news agency said the arrest was linked to alleged embezzlement.  yili has recently been the subject of intense media speculation over its financial operations. executives are suspected of wrongly using 417m yuan ($50.4m; £26m) of company funds to support a management buyout back in july 2003. yili s shares were suspended on tuesday  having fallen by 10% on monday. the company and its two main rivals - market leader mengniu dairy and second place bright dairy - dominate a chinese milk market that has grown by almost 30% over the past five years. analysts wondered if the scandal at yili - the latest to befall chinese companies this year - could be followed by further revelations of corporate wrongdoing.  investors wonder if yili s scandal  one of a slew to be uncovered this year  isn t just the tip of the iceberg   said chen huiqin  an analyst at huatai securities.


robben sidelined with broken foot chelsea winger arjen robben has broken two metatarsal bones in his foot and will be out for at least six weeks.  robben had an mri scan on the injury  sustained during the premiership win at blackburn  on monday.  six weeks is the average time to heal this injury and then i need a few more weeks to be completely fit again   he told dutch newspaper algemeen dagblad.  i had a feeling it was serious but because of the swelling it was impossible to make a final diagnosis.  the 21-year-old missed the first three months of the season with a similar injury after a challenge with roma s olivier dacourt. and he added:  it felt different then last summer when i had the same injury on my other foot.  then i could walk already after three days but i stayed sidelined for a long period. i hope that it will now take me six to eight weeks.  chelsea physio mike banks was hopeful that robben could return at some point in march.  the fractures are tiny and he could be playing next month   banks told the club s website.  one is a chip on the side of his foot  the other is a small break on the third metatarsal.  but this is not the traditional metatarsal that has become so famous since the last world cup and which has kept scott parker out for two months.   david beckham suffered a broken metatarsal in the build up to the 2002 world cup in korea and japan. robben  who has been a key part of the blues  push for four trophies  claims he knew instantly something was wrong when he was felled by blackburn midfielder aaron mokoena.  i felt my leg go   he said.  i felt it straight away after mokoena hit me with a wild kick on my left foot.


howard rejects bnp s claim tory leader michael howard has dismissed claims that his immigration policy was  moving onto the turf  of the british national party (bnp).  bnp leader nick griffin told the independent he expected some bnp voters to switch to the tories over the issue. but mr howard said he rejected the idea that the tories and bnp appealed to the same voting instincts. asked if he would welcome bnp voters he told the bbc:  i don t want anybody to vote for these extremist parties . he added  on bbc radio 4 s today programme:  if you want good community relations in this country...then you have to have firm  fair immigration controls.   the tories have promised an upper limit on the number of people allowed into britain with the slogan:  it s not racist to impose limits on immigration . all parties are stepping up campaiging in the run-up to the general election  widely expected to be called for 5 may. labour has unveiled its own  points system  for ensuring migrants who want to work in the uk have skills that are required  but have rejected immigration quotas. the liberal democrats have warned both parties against  pandering to prejudice .  mr griffin told the independent the tories  plans were  a definite move onto our turf . he said:  i quite freely accept that on a nationwide basis  the tories will con enough people to make a significant hole in our vote.  asked whether he was comfortable with the perception that the conservatives and the bnp appeal to the same voting instincts  mr howard told the bbc:  i reject that entirely . he said he found bnp s policies  abhorrent  but he said the uk had to take a different approach to immigration  which he said was out of control.  the government doesn t want to limit it in any way  we do  there s a legitimate difference between us there which we can discuss in a calm  rational and reasonable way   he said. he again rejected newspaper speculation that his own father entered britain illegally.


labour s  eu propaganda  a  taxpayer subsidised propaganda exercise  on the eu is being used to lull the british public into a false sense of security  say the tories.  shadow foreign secretary michael ancram told mps a new white paper was part of trying to soften up opinion ahead of the referendum on the eu constitution. his claims were denied by foreign secretary jack straw  who accused the tories of  running scared  of debate. eu cooperation would help get better uk immigration controls  he argued.  mr straw used thursday s commons debate to launch the new white paper on the prospects for the eu in 2005. security  stability and prosperity would be the key themes when the uk took over the chairmanship of the eu in july  said mr straw. africa and climate change would also feature highly. he said the uk was trying to ensure future eu budgets were limited to 1% of europe s economic output and were spent  where it adds most value . mr straw promised to continue to ensure the uk s budget rebate  secured in 1984 by margaret thatcher  was  fully justified .  we  like all other countries  have a veto on any changes proposed in this area   he said.  mr ancram condemned the document  which the foreign office says has cost about £2 500 to design  print and deliver.  isn t the reason that the government is now involved in a taxpayer subsidised propaganda exercise to try to sell the new eu to the country in advance of the forthcoming referendum and general election    he asked. the tory spokesman also criticised the government for claiming the eu constitution would make europe easier to understand.  the government  last week  had to publish a commentary of 500 pages to try and explain this  easy and simple  constitution to the british people   he said.  who are they trying to kid   the proposed question for the constitution referendum is:  should the united kingdom approve the treaty establishing a constitution for the european union   the electoral commission on thursday said it was satisfied the question was easy to understand. the government has suggested the referendum on the constitution could take place in spring 2006  with the tories set to campaign for a  no  vote.  mr ancram said ministers were prolonging uncertainty by putting the vote off until the latest date possible. the foreign secretary hit back by saying tory attitudes to europe had helped keep the party out of power for more than a decade. mr straw argued cooperation with european partners could bring a  level playing field  on immigration and asylum controls.  you are setting your face against all of these things   he added. for the liberal democrats  sir menzies campbell said the uk should not ignore the need to reform the eu common agricultural policy. change was particularly important for developing countries wanting access to markets  he argued. sir menzies was among those worried about plans  backed by the uk  to lift the arms embargo imposed on china after the tiananmen square massacre. mr straw said no decisions had been taken - chinese human rights had improved but not by enough.


california sets fines for spyware the makers of computer programs that secretly spy on what people do with their home pcs could face hefty fines in california.  from 1 january  a new law is being introduced to protect computer users from software known as spyware. the legislation  which was approved by governor arnold schwarzenegger  is designed to safeguard people from hackers and help protect their personal information. spyware is considered by computer experts to be one of the biggest nuisance and security threats facing pc users in the coming year. the software buries itself in computers and can collect a wide range of information. at its worst  it has the ability to hijack personal data  like passwords  login details and credit card numbers. the programs are so sophisticated they change frequently and become impossible to eradicate.  one form of spyware called adware has the ability to collect information on a computer user s web-surfing. it can result in people being bombarded with pop-up ads that are hard to close. in washington  congress has been debating four anti-spyware bills  but california is a step ahead. the state s consumer protection against spyware act bans the installation of software that takes control of another computer. it also requires companies and websites to disclose whether their systems will install spyware. consumers are able to seek up to $1 000 in damages if they think they have fallen victim to the intrusive software. the new law marks a continuing trend in california towards tougher privacy rights. a recent survey by earthlink and webroot found that 90% of pcs are infested with the surreptitious software and that  on average  each one is harbouring 28 separate spyware programs. currently users wanting protection from spyware have turned to free programs such as spybot and ad-aware.


israeli economy picking up pace israel s economy is forecast to grow by 4.2% in 2004 as it continues to emerge from a three-year recession.  the main driver of the faster-than-expected expansion has been exports  with tourism seeing a strong rebound  the statistical office said. the economy is benefiting from a quieter period in palestinian-israeli violence and a pick-up in global demand for technology products. the outlook is better than it has been for a number of years  analysts said.  many companies have focused on cost cutting and greater efficiency  while the government has been trying to trim public spending and push through reforms. the growth figures come about despite a strike earlier this year by about 400 000 public sector worker which closed banks  hospitals  postal services and transport facilities. growth did slow in the second half  but only slightly. exports for the year rose by 14%  while tourist revenues were up by 30%. imports gained by 13%  signalling that domestic demand has picked up again. in 2003  imports declined by 1.8%. in 2003  the economy expanded by 1.3%


republic to face china and italy the republic of ireland have arranged friendlies against china and italy which will take place at lansdowne road in march and august.  brian kerr s side will face the 54th ranked chinese on 29 march - just three days after the world cup qualifier against israel in tel aviv. italy will visit on 17 august in what will be a warm-up game ahead of the autumn world cup qualifiers. in their last meeting  the irish beat italy in the 1994 world cup finals. however  that is the republic s only victory in eight attempts against the italians who have won all the other seven games. the 29 march game will be the second time the republic have played china - the previous encounter back in june 1984 with the irish winning 1-0 in sapporo  japan. brian kerr said:  china have made great progress over the last few years and will provide difficult opposition.  we all witnessed the performances of the asian teams in the last world cup  and china play a similar type of football.  as for italy  they make a welcome return to dublin and will be a massive attraction because they are one of the great traditional powers in the world.  the game will be ideal preparation for the three important world cup qualifiers in the autumn.  ireland round off their world cup campaign with games against france on 7 september  cyprus on 8 october and switzerland on 12 october.


hewitt overcomes wobble in sydney lleyton hewitt gave himself the perfect preparation for next week s australian open with victory over ivo minar in the final of the sydney international.  the defending champion brushed aside the czech qualifier 7-5 6-0. the australian world number three strolled to the first five games of the match but was shocked as minar won the next five. the top seed was rattled but recovered to close out the set and raced to victory in exactly an hour.  it was a strange match . . . momentum swings   said hewitt.  i felt like i came out of the blocks extremely well  but then he loosened up a bit.  when he got back to 5-5  i had to try to settle down and take it up a notch  and i was able to do that.   hewitt has now lifted the sydney title four times in the last six years.  it just keeps getting better and better every year   hewitt said.  i ve only played this tournament four times and i ve won it four times.  hewitt went into the final as a short-priced favourite to clinch his 24th career title after dropping only one set all week. he is set to meet frenchman arnaud clement in the first round of the australian open. minar  ranked 158th in the world  was forced to pull out of the australian open qualifying draw to play in his first atp final.  for me  this was a big success   said the 20-year-old.  i was so nervous last night i couldn t sleep. i ve never played a top-10 player before.  i wanted to play qualifying in melbourne  but it s saturday and i m still here. but this is a main draw and i need the points and the money.  alicia molik takes on samantha stosur in an all-australian women s final later on saturday.


mobile networks seek turbo boost third-generation mobile (3g) networks need to get faster if they are to deliver fast internet surfing on the move and exciting new services.  that was one of the messages from the mobile industry at the 3gsm world congress in cannes last week. fast 3g networks are here but the focus has shifted to their evolution into a higher bandwidth service  says the global mobile suppliers association. at 3gsm  siemens showed off a system that transmits faster mobile data. the german company said data could be transmitted at one gigabit a second - up to 20 times faster than current 3g networks. the system is not available commercially yet  but motorola  the us mobile handset and infrastructure maker  held a clinic for mobile operators on hsdpa (high speed downlink packet access)  a high-speed  high bandwidth technology available now. early hsdpa systems typically offer around two megabits per second (mbps) compared with less than 384 kilobits per second (kbps) on standard 3g networks.   high-speed downlink packet access (hsdpa) - sometimes called super 3g - will be vital for profitable services like mobile internet browsing and mobile video clips   according to a report published by uk-based research consultancy analysys. a number of companies are developing the technology. nokia and canada-based wireless communication products company sierra wireless recently agreed to work together on high speed downlink packet access. the two companies aim to jointly market the hsdpa solution to global network operator customers.   while hsdpa theoretically enables data rates up to a maximum of 14mbps  practical throughputs will be lower than this in wide-area networks   said dr alastair brydon  author of the analysys report: pushing beyond the limits of 3g with hsdpa and other enhancements.  the typical average user rate in a real implementation is likely to be in the region of one megabit per second which  even at this lower rate  will more than double the capacity... when compared to basic wcdma [3g]   he added. motorola has conducted five trials of its technology and says speeds of 2.9mbps have been recorded at the edge of an outdoor 3g cell using a single hsdpa device. but some mobile operators are opting for a technology called evolution  data optimised (ev-do).  us operator sprint ordered a broadband data upgrade to its 3g network at the end of last year. we are  expanding our network and deploying ev-do technology to meet customer demand for faster wireless speeds   said oliver valente  sprint s vice president for technology development  when the contract was announced. as part of $3bn in multi-year contracts announced late last year  sprint will spend around $1bn on ev-do technology from lucent technologies  nortel networks and motorola that provides average data speeds of 0.3-0.5 megabits a second  and peak download rates of 2.4mbps. mmo2  the uk-based operator with services in the uk  ireland and germany  has opted for technology based on the high speed downlink packet access (hsdpa) standard. using technology from lucent  it will offer data speeds of 3.6mbps from next summer on its isle of man 3g network  and will eventually support speeds of up to 14.4mbps. us operator cingular wireless is also adopting hsdpa  using technology from lucent alongside equipment from siemens and ericsson.  siemens  plans for a one gigabit network may be more than a user needs today  but christoph caselitz  president of the mobile networks division at the firm says that:  by the time the next generation of mobile communication debuts in 2015  the need for transmission capacities for voice  data  image and multimedia is conservatively anticipated to rise by a factor of 10.  siemens - in collaboration with the fraunhofer german-sino lab for mobile communications and the institute for applied radio system technology - has souped up mobile communications by using three transmitting and four receiving antennae  instead of the usual one. this enables a data transmission  such as sending a big file or video  to be broken up into different flows of data that can be sent simultaneously over one radio frequency band. the speeds offered by3g mobile seemed fast at the time mobile operators were paying huge sums for 3g licences. but today  instead of connecting to the internet by slow  dial-up phone connection  many people are used to broadband networks that offer speeds of 0.5 megabits a second - must faster than 3g. this means users are likely to find 3g disappointing unless the networks are souped up. if they aren t  those lucrative  power users   such as computer geeks and busy business people will avoid them for all but the most urgent tasks  reducing the potential revenues available to mobile operators. but one gigabit a second systems will not be available immediately. siemens says that though the system works in the laboratory  it still has to assess the mobility of multiple-antennae devices and conduct field trials. a commercial system could be as far away as 2012  though siemens did not rule out an earlier date.


ryanair in $4bn boeing plane deal budget airline ryanair has placed an order for 70 boeing 737-800 planes  in a deal valued at $4bn (£2.1bn) which should lead to 2 500 new ryanair jobs.  it also has an option for a further 70 aircraft  a move which brings the ryanair/boeing order book up to 225 firm orders and options on 193 more. ryanair said the new planes would help it to cut operating costs further. the carrier reported a drop in quarterly profit earlier this year after it was hit by higher fuel costs. however  when it reported the results  the airline was upbeat about prospects for 2005  despite tough competition in the budget airline market.  ryanair chairman david bonderman said that the 737-800 had  significantly reduced our unit operating costs and allowed us to reduce air fares each year for the last five years .   with this new order and new pricing in place  ryanair expects that unit operating costs (excluding fuel) will continue to fall each year for the next five years   he added. at the end of this year  ryanair will have taken delivery of about 100 new planes  while the 70 new orders are due for delivery between 2008 and 2012. the airline said that when all these planes have been delivered  it will be able to carry more than 70 million passengers a year  making it europe s largest airline. about 2 500 new jobs should be created in the next seven years  it added. the order can be seen as good news for boeing  which in recent years has been overtaken by european plane maker airbus as the world s biggest-selling plane maker.


mcdonald s to sponsor mtv show mcdonald s  the world s largest restaurant chain  is to sponsor a programme on music channel mtv as part of its latest youth market promotion.  the show advance warning highlights new talent and mtv reckons it will give mcdonald s access to nearly 400 million homes in 162 countries. mcdonald s golden arches  name and  i m loving it  catchphrase will be used throughout the half-hour programme. the move comes amid growing concerns about obesity in europe and the us.  the european union has called on the food industry to reduce the number of adverts aimed at young children  warning that legislation would be introduced. unless voluntary steps were taken. in the us  food group kraft is among firms that already have cut back on promoting sugar and fattening products to the young. mcdonalds has also been taking steps to improve its junk food reputation  revamping its menu and providing clients with health-related products such as pedometers. as well as burgers like the big mac and quarter pounder with cheese  the company now sells healthier options such as salads and fresh fruit. chief executive jim skinner attributed an 8.3% increase in january worldwide sales to the  vitality of our menu   among other things.  hooking up with mtv is expected to add extra momentum to mcdonald s recent revival. mtv  which played a key role in the emergence of the music video  is to show advance warning on all 25 of its channels across the world. the programme can at present only been seen in the us  where it has featured artists like british stars joss stone and franz ferdinand. mcdonald s has targeted the youth market in the past with its advertisements  signing up stars like jelly-legged dancer justin timberlake and all-woman singing group destiny s child.


brazil approves bankruptcy reform a major reform of brazil s bankruptcy laws has been approved by the country s congress  in a move which it is hoped will cut the cost of borrowing.  the bill  proposed in 1993  has finally been approved by the leadership of president luiz inacio lula da silva. the old law  dating from 1945  gave priority first to workers  second to tax revenue and finally to creditors. the new legislation changes this  giving priority to creditors and limiting payments to workers. the new regulations will limit payments to workers to 150 times the minimum monthly salary  which is currently $94. the law also makes it more difficult for a company to declare bankruptcy. however  when a firm is declared bankrupt it will gain protection from creditors for 180 days while a recovery plan is worked out.  the proposals were opposed in the past by leftist parties  including mr lula s worker party. they considered that they undermined workers  rights. but president lula became a defender of the reforms  arguing that the country s bank lending margins were among the highest in the world and were damaging the economy. according to andreas adriano of latin trade magazine  the new bankruptcy law will help in reducing the spread - difference between the interest rates of the banks and federal bonds. nevertheless  mr adriano said to reduce the basic interest rate the central bank needs to change its policy  focusing not only on inflation but also on economic growth.


ferrero eyes return to top form former world number one juan carlos ferrero insists he can get back to his best despite a tough start to 2005.  the 2003 french open champion has slipped to 64 in the world after a year of illness and injuries in 2004  but is confident that his form will return.  i don t know when it is going to happen   ferrero told bbc sport.  but i have a lot of confidence in me that i will be the same juan carlos as i was before  and very soon. i feel 100% again mentally.  the 25-year-old spaniard joins a top field for the abn amro world tennis tournament in rotterdam this week as he looks to add to just two wins in 2005. he opens against rainer schuettler and potentially faces fourth seed david nalbandian in the second round.  because i m no longer seeded it s tougher   ferrero admitted.  i had to play against joachim johansson in the first round last week in marseille.   in the past when i was a top seed i would have played a match like that in the quarters or semi-finals.  this is the big difference but i have to do it to get higher in the rankings.  despite this  ferrero insists he is feeling positive after chicken pox and a rib injury destroyed last season.  physically i am 100% since december of last year   said ferrero.  i was working very hard before the davis cup final to prepare and i ve felt 100% from then until now.  the difficult moments were when i knew that i had the chicken pox and that it would take two or three months to recover.  i had to start from zero again physically because the virus left me at zero per cent.  when i started to come back i had my rib broken when i fell on court and that was another two months out. those five months were pretty difficult for me.   among the low points of a difficult year for ferrero was the decision of spain captain jordi arrese to drop him for the davis cup final against the usa.  it was difficult because i had been playing well for the whole year and the coaches told me that i would play   said ferrero.  but then i had some problems with my hand two days before the friday matches so they decided to choose nadal instead.  it was difficult for me not to be in the friday matches but i had to understand.  inside me i wanted to play but this was the decision of the captain and they had to make it.


savvy searchers fail to spot ads internet search engine users are an odd mix of naive and sophisticated  suggests a report into search habits.  the report by the us pew research center reveals that 87% of searchers usually find what they were looking for when using a search engine. it also shows that few can spot the difference between paid-for results and organic ones. the report reveals that 84% of net users say they regularly use google  ask jeeves  msn and yahoo when online.  almost 50% of those questioned said they would trust search engines much less  if they knew information about who paid for results was being hidden. according to figures gathered by the pew researchers the average users spends about 43 minutes per month carrying out 34 separate searches and looks at 1.9 webpages for each hunt. a significant chunk of net users  36%  carry out a search at least weekly and 29% of those asked only look every few weeks. for 44% of those questioned  the information they are looking for is critical to what they are doing and is information they simply have to find.  search engine users also tend to be very loyal and once they have found a site they feel they can trust tend to stick with it. according to pew research 44% of searchers use just a single search engine  48% use two or three and a small number  7%  consult more than three sites. tony macklin  spokesman for ask jeeves  said the results reflected its own research which showed that people use different search engines because the way the sites gather information means they can provide different results for the same query. despite this liking for search sites half of those questioned said they could get the same information via other routes. a small number  17%  said they wouldn t really miss search engines if they did not exist. the remaining 33% said they could not live without search sites. more than two-thirds of those questioned  68%  said they thought that the results they were presented with were a fair and unbiased selection of the information on a topic that can be found on the net. alongside the growing sophistication of net users is a lack of awareness about paid-for results that many search engines provide alongside lists of websites found by indexing the web. of those asked  62% were unaware that someone has paid for some of the results they see when they carry out a search. only 18% of all searchers say they can tell which results are paid for and which are not. said the pew report:  this finding is ironic  since nearly half of all users say they would stop using search engines if they thought engines were not being clear about how they presented paid results.  commenting mr macklin said sponsored results must be clearly marked and though they might help with some queries user testing showed that people need to be able to spot the difference.


us critics laud comedy sideways road trip comedy sideways has had more praise heaped on it by two us critics  associations  adding to honours it has already picked up.  the chicago film critics association (cfca) named it winner in five categories including best film and best actor for paul giamatti. but the director award went to clint eastwood for million dollar baby. the southeastern film critics also awarded sideways its best film of the year accolade. director alexander payne was named best director  and he also won best screenplay shared with jim taylor. the cfca awarded thomas haden church the best supporting actor prize and virginia madsen the best supporting actress award for their roles in the film.  sideways has already been voted best film by critics associations in new york and los angeles and has been nominated for a golden globe. british actress imelda staunton won the cfca best actress for the gritty abortion drama vera drake  adding to a growing list of awards she has won for her performance in the mike leigh film. scrubs star zach braff was named best new director for his debut garden state. michael moore s controversial documentary fahrenheit 9/11 won the best documentary  while a very long engagement won best foreign film. the chicago critics have yet to name a date for when their awards ceremony will be held.


civil servants in strike ballot the uk s biggest civil service union is to ballot its 290 000 members on strikes in protest at government plans to extend their pension age to 65.  the public and commercial services union will co-ordinate any action with up to six other public sector unions. unions have already earmarked 23 march for a one-day strike which could involve up to 1.4 million uk workers. the government says unions will be consulted before any changes are made to the pension system.  pcs leader mark serwotka warned there could be further walkouts unless there was a government rethink.   for a government that lectures everyone on choice - choice on public service  choice on this and choice on that - isn t it ironic that they re saying to public sector workers there is no choice   he said.  if you want the pension you were promised when you started you must work for an extra five years - that is working until people drop.  in the 20th century  it s completely unacceptable.  bbc correspondent stephen cape said the combined unions represented  a formidable force  which could embarrass the government in the run-up to the general election. a stoppage involving civil servants  in particular  could seriously disrupt or close government departments  agencies and museums  he said.  opposition to raising the retirement age is  one thing all the unions are agreed on   our correspondent added. unison s 800 000 workers  the transport and general workers  union s 70 000 and amicus  20 000 are among those being balloted about a 23 march walkout. deputy prime minister john prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures on thursday night. our correspondent said that he understood no deal had been offered in that meeting but that there was room for further negotiations. there was  some possibility  of the strike action being avoided  he added.


boeing unveils new 777 aircraft us aircraft firm boeing has unveiled its new long-distance 777 plane  as it tries to regain its position as the industry s leading manufacturer.  the 777-200lr will be capable of flying almost 11 000 miles non-stop  linking cities such as london and sydney. boeing  in contrast to european rival airbus  hopes airlines will want to fly smaller aircraft over longer distances. airbus  which overtook boeing as the number one civilian planemaker in 2003  is focusing on so-called super jumbos.  analysts are divided over which approach is best and say that this latest tussle between boeing and airbus may prove to be a defining moment for the airline industry. boeing plans to offer twin-engine planes that are able to fly direct to many of the world s airports  getting rid of the need for connecting flights.  it is banking on smaller  slimmer planes such as the 777-200lr and its much-anticipated 787 dreamliner plane  which is set to take to the skies in 2008. the 777-200lr  which had its launch delayed by the 11 september attacks in the us  is the fifth variation of boeing s twin-aisle 777 plane. the company offically  rolled-out  the new 777 in seattle at 2200 gmt. better fuel efficiency from engines made by ge and lighter materials mean that the plane can connect almost any two cities worldwide.   boeing has the latest variant in a very successful line of airplanes and there is no doubt it will continue to be very successful   said david learmount  operations and safety editor at industry magazine flight international. but the 777-200lr  is a niche player   mr learmount continued  adding that reach was not the only criteria airlines used when picking their aircraft. mr learmount pointed out that the 777-200lr has been on the market for a couple of years and only had limited success at attracting orders. he also said that while the plane may be able to fly to sydney from london in one hit  prevailing winds meant that it would have to stop somewhere on the return journey.  for airbus  the future is big - it is pinning its hopes on planes that can carry as many as 840 people between large hub airports. from there  passengers would be ferried to their final destinations by smaller planes. airbus is also keeping its options open and plans to compete in all the main categories of aircraft. it has been producing a rival to boeing s 777 line for more than a year.  airbus is now where boeing was a few years ago  with its product range  said flight international s mr learmount.  both boeing and airbus have been taking orders for their new planes. boeing said it expected to sell about 500 of its 777-200lr planes over the next 20 years. it already has orders from pakistan international airlines and eva of taiwan. these orders should help underpin the company s profits. boeing said earnings during the last three months of 2004 dropped by 84% because of costs relating to stopping production of its smallest airliner  the 717  and the cancellation of a us air force 767 tanker contract. net profit was $186m (£98m; 143m euros) in the quarter  compared with $1.13bn in the same period in 2003.


davenport hits out at wimbledon world number one lindsay davenport has criticised wimbledon over the issue of equal prize money for women.  reacting to a disputed comment by all england club chairman tim phillips  the american said:  i think it is highly insulting if prize money is taken away.  somebody  i think it was mr phillips  said they won t have money for flowers at wimbledon. that s insulting.  an all england club spokesperson denied phillips made the remark  insisting:  he definitely didn t say it.  the statement added:  it was said by someone else and was a humorous aside at the end of a radio interview when the conversation had moved to talking about the wimbledon grounds.   davenport was speaking following the announcement that this week s dubai duty free event will join the us and australian opens in offering equal prize money for women.  you hear about women playing only three sets while men play five   said daveport.  and the best women are never going to beat the best men.  but it s a different game you go to watch with the women - it doesn t make it better or worse.  hopefully we will be able to change people s minds.  serena williams  who is also in dubai  added:  i m obviously for equal prize money.  women s tennis is exciting. men s tennis is exciting as well  but the women have it right now.  if you are bringing in the spectators you should be able to reap what everyone else is able to reap.


mandelson warns bbc on campbell the bbc should steer away from  demonising  ex-downing street media chief alastair campbell  peter mandelson has said.  the european commissioner and former labour minister was speaking amid claims that mr campbell is part of a labour  dirty tricks  campaign. that charge was denied by mr mandelson  who said the tories were afraid of mr campbell s campaigning skills. he warned the bbc that attacking mr campbell had brought it trouble before. that was a reference to the hutton inquiry following a bbc story claiming downing street  sexed up  iraq s weapons of mass destruction dossier.  the affair prompted the resignation of bbc chairman gavyn davies  director-general greg dyke and reporter andrew gilligan. labour has attracted media criticism for using new freedom of information laws to dig up information about tory leader michael howard s past.  mr mandelson  a former labour communications director  told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  i understand why the tories will be gunning for alastair campbell because they fear his campaigning skills.  what i understand less is why the bbc should be joining with the tories in driving that agenda.  in my experience of these things  parties which shout about dirty tricks and the like tend to do so because they fear a direct hit in some vulnerable part of their political anatomy.  i suggest the bbc concentrates on the issues and helps the public to understand the policies and the choices that are at stake in the election rather than engages in the process politics  the trivialisation of the campaign.  i think the bbc would be much better advised to leave all this stuff well alone  concentrate on the issues as i say  not resume their demonisation of alastair campbell - we all know where that led before.   mr campbell is acting as an adviser for labour  which denies engaging in personal campaigning. conservative co-chairman liam fox said mr campbell s return and labour poster plans attacking mr howard - recently withdrawn from the party s website - were a sign of  abusive politics .  the government  despite the fact that they would say want to go forward  not back  seem intent on talking about history rather than their own record or even more importantly  about the future   he said on sunday. labour peer baroness kennedy  who is chairing the power inquiry into political disengagement  said people already thought politicians engaged in dirty tricks.  this feeling of distrust is going to be enlarged if this campaigning on all sides is conducted in the way that it looks as if it just might   she said.


christmas sales worst since 1981 uk retail sales fell in december  failing to meet expectations and making it by some counts the worst christmas since 1981.  retail sales dropped by 1% on the month in december  after a 0.6% rise in november  the office for national statistics (ons) said. the ons revised the annual 2004 rate of growth down from the 5.9% estimated in november to 3.2%. a number of retailers have already reported poor figures for december. clothing retailers and non-specialist stores were the worst hit with only internet retailers showing any significant growth  according to the ons.  the last time retailers endured a tougher christmas was 23 years previously  when sales plunged 1.7%.  the ons echoed an earlier caution from bank of england governor mervyn king not to read too much into the poor december figures. some analysts put a positive gloss on the figures  pointing out that the non-seasonally-adjusted figures showed a performance comparable with 2003. the november-december jump last year was roughly comparable with recent averages  although some way below the serious booms seen in the 1990s. and figures for retail volume outperformed measures of actual spending  an indication that consumers are looking for bargains  and retailers are cutting their prices.  however  reports from some high street retailers highlight the weakness of the sector. morrisons  woolworths  house of fraser  marks & spencer and big food all said that the festive period was disappointing.  and a british retail consortium survey found that christmas 2004 was the worst for 10 years. yet  other retailers - including hmv  monsoon  jessops  body shop and tesco - reported that festive sales were well up on last year. investec chief economist philip shaw said he did not expect the poor retail figures to have any immediate effect on interest rates.  the retail sales figures are very weak  but as bank of england governor mervyn king indicated last night  you don t really get an accurate impression of christmas trading until about easter   said mr shaw.  our view is the bank of england will keep its powder dry and wait to see the big picture.


csa chief who  quit  still in job the head of the  failing  child support agency widely reported to have resigned three months ago is still at the helm of the troubled organisation.  doug smith s departure was announced by work secretary alan johnson on 17 november as mps grilled him over the agency s poor performance. his  resignation  was referred to by both tory and lib dem leaders during that day s prime ministers questions. officials now say he did not resign but will move on under civil service rules.  mr smith s departure was reported widely at the time as his shouldering the blame for the failings of the child support agency. in january the mps who make up the commons work and pensions committee published a highly critical report into the  failing  agency noting the chief executive  has now left  and hoping  the new leadership will bring a fresh approach to what is a failing organisation .  on that day s today programme mr johnson was asked why mr smith had been allowed to resign rather than be sacked. he replied:  the chief executive decided it was time to move on  there is a new chief executive coming in.  it now emerges that the widespread belief mr smith  made commander of the order of the bath in the new year honours  had left  was wrong. a department for work and pensions spokeswoman confirmed mr smith was still in post and that he would continue in the job until a replacement was found.  no date was ever given for doug smith s departure   she said adding that the post had been advertised.  tory work and pensions spokesman david willetts said families affected by csa failings would wonder why mr smith was still in his job three months after his departure was announced. the csa has been surrounded by controversy since its introduction in 1993 to assess and enforce child support payments by absent parents.  the work and pensions committee launched their inquiry into the csa s performance after it became clear that  despite the introduction of a simpler system of calculating maintenance payments for new cases in 2003  a backlog of claims was still building up. it is currently chasing outstanding payments of more than £720m  while a further £947m has been designated as  unrecoverable . the mps found american it giant eds  £456m system was  nowhere near being fully functional and the number of dissatisfied  disenchanted and angry customers continues to escalate .  in november  when he surprised mps and the watching media by announcing mr smith s departure  mr johnson said:  i should tell you that doug has decided that now is the time to stand aside and to allow a new chief executive to tackle the challenges ahead.  doug has exceeded the four years that senior civil servants are now expected to remain in a particular post.  so doug believes that we have reached the natural breakpoint at which he can hand over the reins.  lib dem sir archy kirkwood  who chairs the commons work and pensions committee  said that when mr johnson had announced mr smith was going he got the  clear impression  the csa chief was retiring though it had since emerged that was not the case  and he may be seeking new employment opportunities.  he added his committee was  duty bound  to allow the work and pensions secretary to get new management into place in the csa and it would be  premature  to say anything further on the issue at the moment. but committee member and tory mp nigel waterson said he was  amazed  mr smith was still in his job.  when mr smith and the secretary of state came to give evidence  we were led to believe he was going shortly   he said.  even if he was working out three months notice  he should have been clearing his desk by now.  asked on thursday about mr smith s position mr johnson told bbc radio 4 s world at one he thought it was a  non-story . he added that he had been absolutely open when he announced mr smith s departure to the select committee and how people chose to interpret it was a  different thing .  the major issue is have we got a new chief executive coming into this very important agency as quickly as possible and have we gone through the right selection process to make sure we ve got the right people   he added.


apple ipod family expands market apple has expanded its ipod family with the release of its next generation of the digital music players.  its latest challenges to the growing digital music gadget market include an ipod mini model which can hold 6gb compared to a previous 4gb. the company  which hopes to keep its dominant place in the digital music market  also said the gold coloured version of the mini would be dropped. a 30gb version has also been added to the ipod photo family. the latest models have a longer battery life and their prices have been cut by an average of £40. the original ipod took an early lead in the digital music player market thanks to its large storage capacity and simple design.  during 2004 about 25 million portable players were sold  10 million of which were apple ipods. but analysts agree that the success is also down to its integration with the itunes online store  which has given the company a 70% share of the legal download music market. mike mcguire  a research director at analyst gartner  told the bbc news website that apple had done a good job in  sealing off the market from competition  so far.  they have created a very seamless package which i think is the idea of the product - the design  function and the software are very impressive   he said. he added that the threat from others was always present  however.  creative  other microsoft-partnered devices  real  sony and so on  are ratcheting up the marketing message and advertising   he said. creative was very upbeat about how many of its creative zen players it had shipped by the end of last year  he said. its second-generation models  like the creative zen micro photo  is due out in the summer. it will have 5gb of memory on board.  digital music players are now the gadget of choice among young americans  according to recent research by the pew internet and american life project. one in 10 us adults - 22 million people - now owns a digital music player of some sort. sales of legally downloaded songs also rose more than tenfold in 2004  according to the record industry  with 200 million tracks bought online in the us and europe in 12 months. the ifpi industry body said that the popularity of portable music players was behind the growth. analysts say that the ease of use and growth of music services available on the net will continue to drive the trend towards portable music players.  people are also starting to use them in novel ways. some are combining automatic syncing functions many of them have with other net functions to automatically distribute diy radio shows  called podcasts. but 2005 will also see more competition from mobile phone operators who are keen to offer streaming services on much more powerful and sophisticated handsets. according to mr mcguire  research suggests that people like the idea of building up huge libraries of music  which they can do with high-capacity storage devices  like ipods and creative zens. mobiles do not yet have this capacity though  and there are issues about the ease of portability of mobile music. mr mcguire said apple was ensuring it kept a foot in the mobile music door with its recent deal with motorola to produce a version of itunes for motorola phones.


iaaf launches fight against drugs the iaaf - athletics  world governing body - has met anti-doping officials  coaches and athletes to co-ordinate the fight against drugs in sport.  two task forces have been set up to examine doping and nutrition issues. it was also agreed that a programme to  de-mystify  the issue to athletes  the public and the media was a priority.  nothing was decided to change things - it was more to have a forum of the stakeholders allowing them to express themselves   said an iaaf spokesman.  getting everyone together gave us a lot of food for thought.  about 60 people attended sunday s meeting in monaco  including iaaf chief lamine diack and namibian athlete frankie fredericks  now a member of the athletes  commission.  i am very happy to see you all  members of the athletics family  respond positively to the iaaf call to sit together and discuss what more we can do in the fight against doping   said diack.  we are the leading federation in this field and it is our duty to keep our sport clean.  the two task forces will report back to the iaaf council  at its april meeting in qatar.


henman & murray claim lta awards tim henman was named player of the year for 2004 by the lawn tennis association at wimbledon on monday.  the briton was recognised for the best year of his career  which saw him reach the semis at the french and us opens. scotland s andrew murray was named young player of the year after winning the us open juniors  as well as a futures event in italy. and world number one peter norfolk won disabled player of the year after claiming his third us open crown.  great britain s under 14 boys won the team of the year prize for their victory at the world junior tennis event in august. henman will start his 2005 campaign at the kooyong event on 12 january in a field that includes roger federer  andy roddick and andre agassi. and the briton is optimistic of surpassing his best effort of a fourth-round place at the australian open  which begins the following week.  i ve often felt that the conditions suit my game in melbourne so i d love to be able to start next year by doing well at the australian open   henman told his website.  that s why i ve changed my schedule slightly by committing to play in the kooyong classic.  i ll be able to acclimatise while practising before the event and then will be guaranteed matches against the best players in the world.  i think that will give me the best possible chance of doing well at the australian open.


collins calls for chambers return world 100m champion kim collins says suspended sprinter dwain chambers should be allowed to compete in the olympics again.  chambers was banned for two years after testing positive for the anabolic steroid thg and his suspension runs out in november this year. but collins says the british olympic association should reverse the decision to ban him from the olympics for life.  it was too harsh   collins told radio five live.  they should reconsider.  chambers has been in america learning american football but has not ruled out a return to the track. collins added:  he is a great guy and i have never had any problems with him. we are friends.  i would like to see dwain come back and compete again. he is a good person.  even though he made a mistake he understands what he did and should be given a chance once more.