the comic book genius of stan lee stan lee  the man responsible for a string of comic superheroes that have become household names  has won a court battle for a slice of the profits from the hit spider-man movies.  many marvel at the man who gave his characters extraordinary powers and everyday headaches - a formula which revolutionised comics. born in 1922 to poor working-class jewish immigrants from romania  stan lieberman  got a job in timely publications  a company owned by a relative. he was assigned to the comics division and - thanks to a fertile imagination - rose to editor by the age of 18. for more than 20 years  he was  the ultimate hack  - knocking out crime stories  horrors  westerns  anything to sate the appetite of his juvenile readership. words of more than two syllables were discouraged. characters were either all good or bad  with no shades of grey. so embarrassed was lieberman by much of what he was writing that he refused to put his real name on the byline. he assumed the  dumb name   stan lee  now legally adopted.  by the time he was 40  lee had decided he was too old for the comic game. his british-born wife  joan  suggested he had nothing to lose and  for his swansong  should write the kind of characters he really wanted to create. after a rival comic had come up with a superteam consisting of batman  superman and wonder woman  timely needed to respond.  lee s answer  in 1961  was the fantastic four - a team of astronauts who gained super powers after being bombarded with cosmic rays. they were to change lee s life  and the comics industry  forever. lee gave each character individual  everyday teenage problems such as dandruff  ingrown toenails and acne. they would frequently fall out with their parents and each other. the fan letters poured in. without immediately knowing it  stan lee had ushered in the golden age of comics  and his imagination was rekindled. his marvel universe spawned the new title of marvel comics. soon after  nerdy peter parker was transformed - after a bite from an irradiated spider - into someone who could crawl up the sides of new york s skyscrapers. spider-man was born. he was to become an icon of modern popular culture. spidey  as he is affectionately known  had quite extraordinary powers - yet he had problems at work  at home and with his girlfriends. at last  the teenager was no longer just the sidekick  but the main hero. and the hero was no longer just brawn  he had brains too.   just because he s a hero and has super powers doesn t mean he doesn t have problems   stan lee told the bbc. the incredible hulk  the mighty thor  iron man and the rest all grappled with problems like drug abuse  bigotry and social inequality. radically  lee gave the artists responsible for the comic designs credits for their work. jack kirby  frank miller  john romitaand and others achieved cult status in their own right. other superheroes broke new ground in other ways. daredevil was blind  black panther was black and silver surfer pondered the state of humanity. lee s influence remains. some years ago the marvel hero  northstar  came out of the closet. in its heyday  marvel was selling 50 million copies a year. until he retired from editing in 1971  stan lee wrote all the copy for marvel s covers.  in 1999  his stan lee media venture  aimed at marrying comic-strips with the internet  went spectacularly wrong. lee went bankrupt and his business partner landed in prison for fraud. in 2001 though  he started a new company entitled pow! (purveyors of wonder) entertainment  which is currently developing films and television programmes. his latest project is a superhero based on a real person - jay j armes  who has metal claws after losing both hands aged 12 and fights crime with a tiger. but his 40-year-old creations are still as enduring as ever - with x-men  the hulk and daredevil have all been turned into hollywood action movies in the last five years. but spider-man has been the biggest box office hit  with the 2002 original and its 2004 sequel taking almost $1.6bn (£857m) in ticket sales around the world - before dvd and merchandise sales are counted. it seems stan lee is as indestructible as his heroes.


berlin honours s korean director south korean film director im kwon-taek has received an honorary golden bear at the berlin film festival.  im  who has made more than 100 films in a 40-year career  was hailed for his  remarkable visual beauty  technical innovation  and intellectual depth . twenty of his films are screening in a special retrospective during the festival  which runs until 20 february. the veteran film-maker  68  won the best director prize at the cannes film festival in 2002 for chihwaseon.  although his films vary in style  they all bear his unmistakable stamp: they are forceful and charged cinematographically  as well as reticent  stylised and musical   organisers said in a statement. meanwhile  a film version of bizet s opera carmen - translated into the south african language xhosa - has received a warm reception at the festival. u-carmen ekhayelitsha (carmen in khayelitsha)  which is one of 21 films up for berlin s top prize  the golden bear  is british director mark dornford-may s first feature film.  it s the first time any opera has been translated into a black south african language. xhosa works brilliantly  it s such a musical language   said music director charles hazlewood.


ukip could sue veritas defectors the uk independence party could take legal action to unseat two london assembly members who defected to robert kilroy silk s veritas party.  damian hockney  now veritas deputy leader  and peter hulme-cross were elected in 2004 on the list system. the party argues the pair should give up their seats as they won them as ukip representatives  not as individuals. mr hockney said the law was clear that those elected on a list who quit their party should keep their seats. ukip chairman petrina holdsworth urged the men to step down from the gla in a letter.  she said:  the party has taken legal advice and it is clear that we could take legal proceedings against you which could result in the return of our seats and/or damages against you.  we would however like you to be given an opportunity to reflect on what you have done  to restore your own credibility with the electorate and return the seats to the party which won them fair and square at the last election.  mr hockney said the law worked in exactly the same way for the gla as it did for other electoral list systems.  the greater london act is clear that if someone resigns who was elected on a list  their party whip the seat belongs to them and not the party.  he said mr hulme-cross and himself had no intention of resigning and added that they felt that it was ukip who were not being true to the electorate. he accused the party of signing up to a deal with the tories in europe  rather than sticking to an independent stance. but the claim was denied by ukip spokesman  who said:  mr hockney s accusations are like his sense of political morals - empty.  veritas was formed by mr kilroy-silk earlier this month after he quit ukip following an unsuccessful bid to take over as leader.


us insurer marsh cuts 2 500 jobs up to 2 500 jobs are to go at us insurance broker marsh & mclennan in a shake up following bigger-than-expected losses.  the insurer said the cuts were part of a cost-cutting drive  aimed at saving millions of dollars. marsh posted a $676m (£352m) loss for the last three months of 2004  against a $375m (£195.3m) profit a year before. it blamed an $850m payout to settle a price-rigging lawsuit  brought by new york attorney general elliot spitzer. under the settlement announced in january  marsh took a pre-tax charge of $618m in the october-to-december quarter  on top of the $232m charge from the previous quarter.  clearly 2004 was the most difficult year in mmc s financial history   marsh chief executive michael cherkasky said.  an ongoing restructuring drive at the group also led to a $337m hit in the fourth quarter  the world s biggest insurer said.  analysts expect its latest round of cuts to focus on its brokerage unit  which employs 40 000 staff. the latest layoffs will take the total number of jobs to go at the firm to 5 500 and are expected to lead to annual savings of more than $375m. as part of its efforts to cut costs  the company said it was halving its dividend payment to 17 cents a shares from 34 cents  a move which should enable it to save $360m. looking ahead  mr cherkasky forecast profitable growth for the year ahead  with an operating margin in the upper-teens  and with the opportunity for further margin expansion . meanwhile  the company also announced it would spin-off its mmc capital private equity unit  which manages the $3bn trident funds operation  to a group of employees. marsh did not say when the move would take place  but said it had signed a letter of intent.  the insurer hit the headlines in october last year when it faced accusations of price rigging. new york attorney general elliot spitzer sued the company  accusing it of receiving illegal payments to steer clients to selected firms as well as rigging bids and fixing prices. in january  marsh agreed to pay $850m to settle the suit - a figure in line with the placement fees it collected in 2003 - and agreed to change its business practices. in february  a former senior executive pleaded guilty to criminal charges in a wide-ranging probe of fraud and bid-rigging in the insurance industry. in january  a former senior vice president also pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to the investigation. in an effort to reform its business practises  marsh said it has already introduced new leadership  new compliance procedures and new ways of dealing with customers.  as a result  we are ready to put these matters behind us and move ahead in 2005 to restore the trust our clients have placed in us and to rebuild shareholder value   mr cherkasky said.


glasgow hosts tsunami benefit gig the top names in scottish music are taking part in a benefit concert in aid of the victims of the asian tsunami.  all 10 000 tickets for saturday s concert  featuring franz ferdinand  belle and sebastian and travis  at glasgow s secc sold out in 36 hours. mull historical society  deacon blue  idlewild  texas  mogwai and teenage fanclub are among the other acts performing at the concert. organisers hope to raise at least £250 000 from the show.  it follows a cardiff gig starring eric clapton  keane and jools holland  which raised more than £1.25m. and it is taking place on the same night as a tsunami benefit show in bristol  which will see massive attack and portishead share a stage for the first time. colin macintyre  of mull historical society  was playing another gig on the same day but said he was determined to make the glasgow benefit. he said:  i think we were all affected by seeing the reports coming from the far east.  we all know somebody who was there  but more than that it was that we had never seen a wave of destruction  a natural disaster  like this in my generation.  i m lucky as an artist to be able to perform at something like this.


pm apology over jailings tony blair has apologised to two families who suffered one of the uk s biggest miscarriages of justice.  the prime minister was commenting on the wrongful jailing of 11 people for ira bomb attacks on pubs in guildford and woolwich in 1974. mr blair said:  i am very sorry that they were subject to such an ordeal and injustice.  he made the apology to members of the conlon and maguire families in his private room at westminster. in a statement recorded for television  mr blair said the families deserved  to be completely and publicly exonerated .  the families had hoped the apology would be made during prime minister s questions in the house of commons. however  one of the so-called guildford four  gerry conlon - who was wrongly convicted of planting the bombs - said the families were delighted with the apology. he said mr blair had spoken with  such sincerity   adding:  he went beyond what we thought he would  he took time to listen to everyone.  you could see he was moved by what people were saying.  tony blair has healed rifts  he is helping to heal wounds. it s a day i never thought would come.  the move followed a huge campaign in ireland for a public apology after eleven people were wrongly convicted of making and planting the ira bombs which killed seven people. mr blair s official spokesman said no-one present at the meeting would  ever forget the strength of feeling of relief that the prime minister s statement brought to them .  most of those convicted were either members or friends of the two families. all were arrested because of a family connection to gerry conlon. mr conlon s father giuseppe was arrested when travelling to london from belfast to help his son. he died while serving his sentence. also arrested were anne maguire and members of her family. mrs maguire was the relative with whom giuseppe planned to stay in london  as well as two family friends. she said it was a  wonderful feeling  to have had the apology and that a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.   the people who were still doubting us should now believe that we were totally innocent   she said. they were all jailed for handling explosives  based on scientific evidence which was later entirely discredited. in october 1989 the court of appeal quashed the sentences of the guildford four  and in june 1991 it overturned the sentences on the maguire seven. mr conlon s case was highlighted in the oscar-nominated film in the name of the father  starring daniel day-lewis.


could rivalry overshadow election  tony blair and gordon brown are desperately trying to stuff the genie of their rivalry back into the bottle.  along with any number of senior cabinet colleagues  they are insisting their only job is to win the next election and govern in the best interests of britain. it is a message they are aiming directly at their backbenchers who are becoming irritated and even unnerved by the continuing claims and counter claims surrounding this alleged rift. ian gibson  for example  urged the two men to stop squabbling  declaring:  for goodness sake  sometimes you have to rise above petulance and make sure that you do your job as effectively as you can.  those with slim majorities are particularly fearful that the rift could hit their own hopes of re-election. tony blair will seek to reassure labour mps on monday evening at their first meeting of the new year at westminster - a behind-closed doors meeting which gordon brown is thought likely to also attend to show unity.  meanwhile the likes of health secretary john reid and labour peer lord haskins are warning of the electoral dangers of allowing this soap opera to continue. and they have both warned the rival camps to stop spreading the poison. lord haskins even suggested mr blair should reinstate mr brown as the central figure in the election planning.  but this particular genie is unusually reluctant to return to captivity and many fear it is simply too late to repair the damage. they believe they will be fighting the next election with the sounds of open warfare between the two men ringing in their ears. and it matters little whether the rift is real or  as some try to suggest  simply the product of newspaper headlines and westminster gossip. few in westminster actually believe that  simply because the evidence appears to contradict it.  for example  the weekend s attempts by both men to play down the divisions failed to do the trick. even as they were both insisting on their unity of purpose and claiming they would not be swayed by newspaper stories  they still managed to stir the speculation with their comments.  mr blair talked about the  new  labour manifesto - a move which seemed calculated to irritate the chancellor  who has long rejected the label. and mr brown pointedly refused to deny claims the prime minister had reneged on a deal to hand him the premiership last year. that claim was repeated in robert peston s book  a book which amply demonstrates this corrosive downing street soap opera is nowhere near its final act.  for his part  mr brown insists his only motivation was to get labour re-elected.  the trouble is  both men have fallen short of offering simple  straightforward denials of the central claims. so they have both been accused of actually making matters worse by feeding the speculation with their own behaviour. the first thing to be said is that these suggestions have not come from nowhere. they started with and are sustained by  friends  of the two men. one only had to listen to the chancellor s friend and former spin chief charlie whelan last week to understand that there is a real anger from this camp at the prime minister s apparent attempts to confound mr brown s leadership ambitions. but it is not just public pronouncements from ex-aides.  there are whispered briefings to selected journalists from both sides. it is no secret in westminster  for example  that downing street believes the chancellor is indulging in a mammoth sulk and acting in a petty and deliberately provocative manner.  then there are the actions of the men themselves. gordon brown sets out what is seen as a rival manifesto then appears to embark on his own personal campaign. the prime minister responds by scheduling his monthly press conference to clash with a keynote speech by the chancellor. meanwhile large numbers of backbench mps insist voters are either entirely uninterested in the chatter  which they believe is a media-only obsession  or that they fear for the efficient running of a government beset by such rivalry. either way  there is universal agreement that if this goes on through the general election it can only do the labour party serious damage. there are signs that the two men appreciate the dangers and both want to put a lid on all the speculation. but with probably only four months to the next election  that looks like being a particularly difficult trick to pull off.


standard life cuts policy bonuses standard life  europe s largest mutual life insurer  has cut bonuses for with-profit policyholders.  annual bonus rates on its with-profits life policies were cut from 2.5% to 2%  while bonuses on pension policies were reduced from 3.25% to 2.5%. it is the sixth time in three years standard life has made cuts to bonus rates  despite an 8.7% rise in the value of the with-profits fund in 2004. the insurer blamed the cuts on poor share returns and low interest rates.  with-profits policies are designed to smooth out the peaks and troughs of stock market volatility. profits made in good years are kept in reserve to pay investors an annual bonus even when the stock market performs badly. slumping share prices throughout 2001 and 2002 forced most firms to trim bonus rates on their policies. standard life came in for criticism for sticking with stock market investments during 2001 and 2002. the insurer argued that shares outperformed other investments over the long term and that policyholders would feel the benefit when the stock market recovered. recently  norwich union and axa sun life both cut their with-profit bonus rates.  john gill  managing director of the insurer s life and pensions division  said that a strong stock market recovery in the past two years had only  partly compensated for losses during 2001 and 2002 . in addition  low interest rates meant that  long-term investment returns are well below historic levels   mr gill added. however  mr gill maintained that with-profits continued to perform well over the long term.  our payouts continue to stand up well against other types of long-term investments over similar periods   he said. standard life has an estimated 2.4 million with-profits policyholders. last year  the company announced that it was looking to float on the stock market in 2006.


norway upholds  napster  ruling a norwegian student who ran a website which linked to downloadable mp3 files has been ordered to pay compensation by the country s supreme court.  frank allan bruvik was ordered to pay 100 000 kroner (£8 000) to the music industry in norway. he was a student when he set up his napster.no site  which allowed users to submit and receive links to mp3 files. bruvik had earlier been cleared on appeal after a lower court had found for the music industry. music industry bosses in norway said the ruling would help build confidence in the internet as a distribution medium.  frank allan bruvik set up the napster.no website as part of a school project in 2001 while studying computer engineering in the norwegian town of lillehammer. the website was not associated with the napster.com site in the usa  which had been operating since 1999 and was already facing legal action.  bruvik s site was online between august and november 2001  and while it did not host any music  at its peak it was providing links to more than 170 free files on other servers. as well as providing links  the site allowed those visiting it to submit links that could later be accessed by other visitors. a legal complaint for copyright violation was filed by groups including norway s performing rights society  tono  and the norwegian branches of sony music and universal music  who saw it as an important test of principle.  a norwegian court ruled in 2003 that bruvik would have to pay 100 000 kroner to the music industry  but the country s court of appeal cleared him  saying that the copyright violation occurred when others posted the music. however  the supreme court stated that the music was clearly published in violation of copyright law it added that the case was decided based on the responsibility for abetting an illegal act  and that bruvik s actions were premeditated. norway s music industry said it was satisfied with the ruling  because showed that music piracy would not be accepted.  meanwhile  in the usa a further 717 lawsuits against people alleged to have traded copyrighted songs were filed this week by the recording industry association of america. the suits  brought on behalf of the major record companies  cite the individuals for illegally distributing music via unauthorized peer-to-peer services such as kazaa and edonkey. as with preceding cases  the fresh action was made against so-called  john doe  defendants  who are identified only by the codes given to their computers  internet connections.


saudi investor picks up the savoy london s famous savoy hotel has been sold to a group combining saudi billionaire investor prince alwaleed bin talal and a unit of hbos bank.  financial details of the deal  which includes the nearby simpson s in the strand restaurant  were not disclosed. the seller - irish-based property firm quinlan private - bought the savoy along with the berkeley  claridge s and the connaught for £750m last year. prince alwaleed s hotel investments include the luxury george v in paris. he also has substantial stakes in fairmont hotels & resorts  which will manage the savoy and simpson s in the strand  and four seasons. fairmont said it planned to invest $48m (£26m) in renovating parts of the savoy including the river room and suites with views over the river thames. work was expected to be completed by summer 2006  fairmont said.


nintendo ds makes its euro debut nintendo s ds handheld game console has officially gone on sale in europe.  many stores around the uk opened at midnight to let keen gamers get their hands on the device. the two-screen clamshell gadget costs £99 (149 euros) and 15 games are available for it at launch  some featuring well-known characters such as super mario and rayman. the ds spearheads nintendo s attempt to continue its dominance of the handheld gaming market.  since going on sale in japan and the us at the end of 2004  nintendo has sold almost 4m ds consoles.  part of this popularity may be due to the fact that the ds can run any of the catalogue of 700 games produced for nintendo s gameboy advance handheld. games for the ds are expected to cost between £19 and £29. about 130 games for the ds are in development.  as well as having two screens  one of which is controlled by touch  the ds also lets players take on up to 16 other people via wireless. a  download play  option means ds owners can take each other on even if only one of them owns a copy of a particular game. other ds owners can also be sent text messages and drawings. nintendo is also planning to release a media adapter for the handheld so it can play music and video. five virgin megastores and 150 game shops were expected to open early on friday morning to let people buy a ds.  we know that customers want it as soon as it s released - and that means the minute  not the day   said robert quinn  game s uk sales director.  but nintendo will only have sole control of europe s handheld gaming market for a few weeks because soon sony is expected to release its psp console. although nintendo is aiming for younger players and the psp is more for older gamers  it is likely that the two firms will be competing for many of the same customers. sony s psp represents a real threat to nintendo because of the huge number of playstation owners around the world and the greater flexibility of the sleek black gadget. the psp uses small discs for games  can play music and movies without the need for add-ons and also supports short-range wireless play. when it goes on sale the psp is likely to cost between £130 and £200.


white admits to balco drugs link banned american sprinter kelli white says she knowingly took steroids given to her by bay area lab co-operative (balco) president victor conte.  conte faces a federal trial next year on charges of distributing steroids and tax evasion  and white said at first he tried to cover up what he was doing.  he s the one who told me that it wasn t what he said it was   white said in the san francisco chronicle. but she added:  it was my decision to go to him  not anybody else s.  white said conte at first told her the substance was flaxseed oil  only to change his story later. white failed a drugs test after winning the 100m and 200m titles at the 2003 world athletics championships. she was subsequently handed a two-year ban in may this year and has admitted taking the stimulant modafinil. at first  white claimed she took the drug to combat narcolepsy but she now takes full responsibility for her actions.   my whole belief about victor is that he was selling a product   white said in the la times.  whether it be a good product or a bad product  he was selling a product.  white was introduced to conte through her coach remy korchemy  who is also a defendant in the balco case. the 27-year-old believes doping is so common in sport she felt compelled to cheat herself if she was to have any chance of winning.  i have no clue what it s going to take to change that   said white.  i would say i made a mistake and i would never  ever go back.  i would never recommend anyone to take that route.


spam e-mails tempt net shoppers computer users across the world continue to ignore security warnings about spam e-mails and are being lured into buying goods  a report suggests.  more than a quarter have bought software through spam e-mails and 24% have bought clothes or jewellery. as well as profiting from selling goods or services and driving advertising traffic  organised crime rings can use spam to glean personal information. the business software alliance (bsa) warned that people should  stay alert .  many online consumers don t consider the true motives of spammers   said mike newton  a spokesperson for the bsa which commissioned the survey.   by selling software that appears to be legitimate in genuine looking packaging or through sophisticated websites  spammers are hiding spyware without consumers  knowledge.  once the software is installed on pcs and networks  information that is given over the internet can be obtained and abused.   the results also showed that the proportion of people reading - or admitting to reading - and taking advantage of adult entertainment spam e-mails is low  at one in 10. the research  which covered 6 000 people in six countries and their attitudes towards junk e-mails  revealed that brazilians were the most likely to read spam. a third of them read unsolicited junk e-mail and 66% buy goods or services after receiving spam.  the french were the second most likely to buy something (48%)  with 44% of britons taking advantage of products and services. this was despite 38% of people in all countries being worried about their net security because of the amount of spam they get. more than a third of respondents said they were concerned that spam e-mails contained viruses or programs that attempted to collect personal information.  both industry and the media have helped to raise awareness of the issues that surround illegitimate e-mail  helping to reduce the potential financial damage and nuisance from phishing attacks and spoof websites   said william plante  director of corporate security and fraud protection at security firm symantec.  at the same time  consumers need to continue exercising caution and protect themselves from harm with a mixture of spam filters  spyware detection software and sound judgement.


bridge could miss rest of season chelsea left-back wayne bridge could miss the rest of the season with a suspected broken ankle.  the england international  24  was hurt in an innocuous challenge with alan shearer during the londoners  fa cup defeat at newcastle on sunday.  we think it s a big injury   said jose mourinho  whose chelsea team this week meet barcelona in the champions league and liverpool in the carling cup final. william gallas and damien duff could also miss the barcelona game. france defender gallas and ireland winger duff both picked up their injuries in the closing stages of chelsea s 1-0 defeat at st james  park.  with bridge having gone off after mourinho used all three substitutes  those knocks plus carlo cudicini s red card meant chelsea finished the game with seven able-bodied players. cudicini would not have played against barcelona  but had been promised a game in the carling cup final  although he will now miss the cardiff showpiece through suspension. the manager is not planning to add any new names to his squad ahead of the trip to barcelona  even though he has few options to replace bridge at left-back.  celestine babayaro left the club in january  ironically to join newcastle  and although gallas has deputised at left-back before  he is struggling to be fit himself. it could be that paulo ferreira  usually a right-back  is switched to left-back with glen johnson  who ended the newcastle game in goal  playing on the right. youngsters ben hudell  joe keenan and sam tillen would be options should mourinho decide to call up a replacement  but it is unlikely he would risk an untried prospect in a champions league tie. bridge s injury also means mourinho  who reportedly wants to sign ashley cole from arsenal  will not have a specialist  senior left-back for the run-in to the season.   he (bridge) has no chance of playing against barcelona  probably will not play against liverpool (in the carling cup final) and maybe not for the rest of the season   he said.  the medical department will try to do everything to recover gallas and duff. we will have to wait and see  but i won t cry about injuries because we will have 11 players to play on tuesday.  shearer said he was unsure what caused bridge s injury.  i don t know what happened.  he said.  it was just a shame. i don t think we even touched each other.  by all accounts it s pretty serious. i went into the dressing-room after the game and wished him all the best.  mourinho  whose team are chasing three trophies  has already lost winger arjen robben to a serious injury.


gadget growth fuels eco concerns technology firms and gadget lovers are being urged to think more about the environment when buying and disposing of the latest hi-tech products.  at the consumer electronics show in las vegas earlier this month  several hi-tech firms were recognised for their strategies to help the environment. ebay also announced the rethink project bringing together intel  apple  and ibm among others to promote recycling. the us consumer electronics market is set to grow by over 11% in 2005. but more awareness is needed about how and where old gadgets can be recycled as well as how to be more energy efficient  said the us environmental protection agency (epa). of particular growing concern is how much energy it takes to recharge portable devices  one of the fastest growing markets in technology. the consumer electronics association (cea) has predicted that shipments of consumer technologies in 2005 will reach more than $125.73 billion (nearly £68 billion).  ebay s initiative pulls together major technology firms  environment groups  government agencies and ebay users to give information about what to do with old computers and where to send them. the online auction house thinks that its already-established community of loyal users could be influential.  we really became aware of the e-waste issue and we saw that our 125 million users can be a powerful force for good   ebay s david stern told the bbc news website.   we saw the opportunity to meet the additional demand we have on the site for used computers and saw the opportunity too to good some good for the environment.  but it is not just computers that cause a problem for the environment. teenagers get a new mobile every 11 months  adults every 18 months and a 15 million handsets are replaced in total each year. yet  only 15% are actually recycled. this year  a predicted two billion people worldwide will own a mobile  according to a deloitte report. schemes in the us  like ripmobile  could help in targeting younger generations with recycling messages. the initiative  which was also launched at ces  rewards 10 to 28-year-olds for returning unused phones.  this system allows for the transformation of a drawer full of unused mobile phones into anything from music to clothes to electronics or games   said seth heine from ripmobile.  one group of students collected 1 000 mobiles for recycling in just three months. mr heine told the bbc news website that what was important was to raise awareness amongst the young so that recycling becomes  learned behaviour . europe is undoubtedly more advanced than the us in terms of recycling awareness and robust  end of life  programmes  although there is a tide change happening in the rest of the world too. intel showcased some its motherboards and chips at ces which are entirely lead free.   there is more and more awareness on the consumer side  but the whole industry is moving towards being lead free   intel s allen wilson told the bbc news website.  there is still low-level awareness right now  but it is on the rise - the highest level of awareness is in europe.  a european union (eu) directive  weee (waste electronic and electrical equipment)  comes into effect in august. it puts the responsibility on electrical manufacturers to recycle items that are returned to them. but developments are also being made to design better technologies which are more energy efficient and which do not contain harmful substances. elements like chromium  lead  and cadmium - common in consumer electronics goods - will be prohibited in all products in the eu by 2006.  but it is not just about recycling either. the predicted huge growth in the gadget market means the amount of energy used to power them up is on the rise too. the biggest culprit  according to the epa  is the innocuous power adaptor  nicknamed  energy vampires . they provide vital juice for billions of mobile phones  pdas (personal digital assistants)  digital cameras  camcorders  and digital music players.  although there is a focus on developing efficient and improved circuits in the devices themselves  the technologies inside rechargers are still outdated and so eat up more energy than is needed to power a gadget. on 1 january  new efficiency standards for external power supplies came into effect as part of the european commission code of conduct. but at ces  the epa also unveiled new guidelines for its latest energy star initiative which targets external power adapters. these map out the framework for developing better adaptors that can be labelled with an energy star logo  meaning they are about 35% more efficient. the initiative is a global effort and more manufacturers  adaptors are being brought on board. most are made in china. about two billion are shipped global every year  and about three billion are in use in the us alone. the epa is already working with several companies which make more than 22% of power supplies on the market.  we are increasingly finding companies that not only want to provide neat  hi-tech devices  but also bundle with it a hi-tech  efficient power supply   the epa s andrew fanara said. initiatives like this are critical; if power adaptors continue to be made and used as they are now  consumer electronics and other small appliances will be responsible for more than 40% of electricity used in us homes  said the epa.


blair returns from peace mission prime minister tony blair has arrived back from his diplomatic mission to the middle east to try to resurrect the peace process.  mr blair held talks with his israeli counterpart  ariel sharon  and the palestinian leader  mahmoud abbas. he confirmed that a renewed drive to reform the palestinian authority and address security issues would come at a london conference in march. mr blair also made a surprise trip to iraq this week. the israelis described the meeting as important but said they would not need to attend. mr blair briefly visited the tomb of yasser arafat in ramallah - the first world leader to do so. he nodded briefly towards the tomb  rather than lay a wreath  in what palestinian officials said was a compromise gesture agreed at the last minute.  the bbc s paul reynolds says the london conference will be a limited measure to shore up the leadership of mahmoud abbas  also known as abu mazen  who is expected to win the palestinian presidential election on 9 january. at a news conference following talks with mr blair  mr abbas said the british prime minister was  in a unique position to help us progress in our peaceful pursuit . he added:  your endeavour to hold a conference in london is another example of your deep commitment to this purpose.  in an interview with the bbc s political editor andrew marr  mr blair said getting progress between israelis and palestinians would be  tough  but at least we have got the first step . mr blair acknowledged some people believed he was too close to the israelis  but said the israelis were entitled to expect palestinians to give up terrorism. he argued that mr sharon was committed to the internationally-agreed roadmap peace plan and said his bid to disengage from gaza had to be part of the peace process  not the end of it. earlier  mr sharon again said he had not seen  the slightest step  the palestinians were working to end terror attacks - though he acknowledged palestinian leaders were in the middle of an election campaign that could be hampering their efforts. before visiting israel  mr blair made a surprise visit to iraq  where he met leaders in baghdad during his first trip to the city. he was briefed on preparations for the national poll  which is scheduled for next month but is threatened by a deadly campaign of insurgent violence. he also flew to basra in southern iraq where british forces are stationed.


us to rule on yukos refuge call yukos has said a us bankruptcy court will decide whether to block russia s impending auction of its main production arm on thursday.  the russian oil firm has filed for bankruptcy protection in the us in an attempt to halt the forced sale. however  judge letitia clark said the hearing would continue on thursday when arguments in the case would be heard. russian authorities are due to auction off yuganskneftegas on 19 december to pay a huge tax bill sent to yukos.  russian prosecutors are forcing the sale of the firm s most lucrative asset yuganskneftegas to help pay a $27bn (£14bn) back tax bill  which they claim is owed by yukos.  filing for bankruptcy protection in the us was  a last resort to preserve the rights of our shareholders  employees and customers   said yukos chief executive steven theede. the company added it had opted to take action through american courts as us bankruptcy law gives worldwide jurisdiction over a debtor company s property and because it was seeking a judiciary willing to protect the value of shareholders  investments. however  as the firm is based in russia and has no significant us assets  lawyers are unsure of the outcome of the case.  we are here to stop 60% of our body from being cut off on sunday   zack clement  a lawyer for yukos  told judge clark in an emergency hearing in houston  texas  on wednesday. as well as the bid to get chapter 11 bankruptcy - which protects firms from creditors  allowing them to continue trading as they restructure their finances - the group also made a claim for damages against the russian government. yukos asked the houston court to order russia to arbitration so that it can press claims for billions of dollars in damages over a  campaign of illegal  discriminatory and disproportionate  tax claims. mr clement said that under russian law  the russian government was obliged to enter into arbitration as set out in international law.  he added that the opening bid for the firm s yuganskneftgas unit was $8bn - less than half of the $20bn that yukos advisers say it is worth.  we believe the only significant bidder at the auction on sunday is gazprom   he said  referring to russia s natural gas giant. yukos maintains that the forced auction is illegal and  will cause the company to suffer immediate and irreparable harm.  many commentators believe the russian government s aggressive pursuit of yukos is a politically-motivated response to the political ambitions of its former chief executive  mikhail khodorkovsky. mr khodorkovsky  who had funded liberal opposition groups  was arrested in october last year on fraud and tax evasion charges and is still in jail analysts believe that if its production unit is auctioned off  it is likely to be bought up by a government-backed firm  like gazprom  effectively bringing a large chunk of russia s lucrative oil and gas industry back under state control.


disney backs sony dvd technology a next generation dvd technology backed by sony has received a major boost.  film giant disney says it will produce its future dvds using sony s blu-ray disc technology  but has not ruled out a rival format developed by toshiba. the two competing dvd formats  blu-ray developed by sony and others  and toshiba s hd-dvd  have been courting top film studios for several months. the next generation of dvds promises very high quality pictures and sound  as well as a lot of data. both technologies use a blue laser to write information. it has a shorter wavelength so more data can be stored. disney is the latest studio to announce which technology it is backing in a format battle which mirrors the 1980s betamax versus vhs war. sony lost out to jvc in that fight.  the current battle for hollywood s hearts and minds is a crucial one because high-definition films will bring in billions of revenue and the studios would prefer to use one standard. last month  paramount  universal and warner brothers said they were opting for the toshiba and nec-backed format  hd-dvd high-definition discs.  those studios currently produce about 45% of dvd content. sony pictures entertainment and mgm studios have already staked their allegiance with the blu-ray disc association  whose members also include technology companies dell  samsung and matsushita. twentieth century fox is still to announce which technology it will be supporting. if fox decided to go with blu-ray too  it would mean the format would have a 47% share of dvd content. disney said its films would be available on the blu-ray format when dvd players for the standard went on sale on north america and japan  expected in 2006. universal is to start producing films on the hd-dvd format in 2005  and paramount will start releasing titles using the standard in 2006. toshiba expects sales of hd-dvds to reach 300bn yen ($2.9bn  £1.5bn) by 2010.


fao warns on impact of subsidies billions of farmers  livelihoods are at risk from falling commodity prices and protectionism  the un s food & agriculture organisation has warned.  trade barriers and subsidies  severely  distort the market  the fao report on the  state of agricultural commodity markets 2004  said. as a result  the 2.5 billion people in the developing world who rely on farming face food insecurity. the most endangered are those who live in the least-developed countries. the fao report said that support for farmers in industrialised nations was equivalent to 30 times the amount provided as aid for agricultural development in poor countries.  the fao has urged the world trade organisation to swiftly conclude negotiations to liberalise trade  easing developing countries  access to the world market. it also criticised the high tariffs imposed by both developed and developing nations. it recommends that developing countries reduce their own tariffs to encourage trade and take advantage of market liberalisation.  according to the organisation  subsidies and high tariffs have a strong impact on the trade of products such as cotton and rice. global exports of these products are mainly in the hands of the european union and the us  who - thanks to subsidies - sell them at very low prices. in fact  almost 30 wealthy nations spend more than $300bn (£158.8bn; 230.9bn euros) in agricultural subsidies. the market situation has divided developing nations in two groups  the fao said. the first group have a reasonably diverse range of agricultural products while in the second group  agriculture lies largely in the hands of small-scale producers. for 43 developing countries  more than 20% of their export incomes come from the sale of just one product. these countries are mainly situated in sub-saharan africa  latin america and the caribbean.


bank voted 8-1 for no rate change the decision to keep interest rates on hold at 4.75% earlier this month was passed 8-1 by the bank of england s rate-setting body  minutes have shown.  one member of the bank s monetary policy committee (mpc) - paul tucker - voted to raise rates to 5%. the news surprised some analysts who had expected the latest minutes to show another unanimous decision. worries over growth rates and consumer spending were behind the decision to freeze rates  the minutes showed. the bank s latest inflation report  released last week  had noted that the main reason inflation might fall was weaker consumer spending.  however  mpc member paul tucker voted for a quarter point rise in interest rates to 5%. he argued that economic growth was picking up  and that the equity  credit and housing markets had been stronger than expected.  the bank s minutes said that risks to the inflation forecast were  sufficiently to the downside  to keep rates on hold at its latest meeting. however  the minutes added:  some members noted that an increase might be warranted in due course if the economy evolved in line with the central projection . ross walker  uk economist at royal bank of scotland  said he was surprised that a dissenting vote had been made so soon. he said the minutes appeared to be  trying to get the market to focus on the possibility of a rise in rates .  if the economy pans out as they expect then they are probably going to have to hike rates.  however  he added  any rate increase is not likely to happen until later this year  with mpc members likely to look for a more sustainable pick up in consumer spending before acting.


broadband challenges tv viewing the number of europeans with broadband has exploded over the past 12 months  with the web eating into tv viewing habits  research suggests.  just over 54 million people are hooked up to the net via broadband  up from 34 million a year ago  according to market analysts nielsen/netratings. the total number of people online in europe has broken the 100 million mark. the popularity of the net has meant that many are turning away from tv  say analysts jupiter research. it found that a quarter of web users said they spent less time watching tv in favour of the net  the report by nielsen/netratings found that the number of people with fast internet access had risen by 60% over the past year.  the biggest jump was in italy  where it rose by 120%. britain was close behind  with broadband users almost doubling in a year. the growth has been fuelled by lower prices and a wider choice of always-on  fast-net subscription plans.  twelve months ago high speed internet users made up just over one third of the audience in europe; now they are more than 50% and we expect this number to keep growing   said gabrielle prior  nielsen/netratings analyst.  as the number of high-speed surfers grows  websites will need to adapt  update and enhance their content to retain their visitors and encourage new ones.  the total number of europeans online rose by 12% to 100 million over the past year  the report showed  with the biggest rise in france  italy  britain and germany.  the ability to browse web pages at high speed  download files such as music or films and play online games is changing what people do in their spare time.  a study by analysts jupiter research suggested that broadband was challenging television viewing habits. in homes with broadband  40% said they were spending less time watching tv. the threat to tv was greatest in countries where broadband was on the up  in particular the uk  france and spain  said the report. it said tv companies faced a major long-term threat over the next five years  with broadband predicted to grow from 19% to 37% of households by 2009.  year-on-year we are continuing to see a seismic shift in where  when and how europe s population consume media for information and entertainment and this has big implications for tv  newspaper and radio   said jupiter research analyst olivier beauvillian.


games win for blu-ray dvd format the next-generation dvd format blu-ray is winning more supporters than its rival  according to its backers.  blu-ray  backed by 100 firms including sony  is competing against toshiba and nec-backed hd-dvd to be the format of choice for future films and games. the blu-ray association said on thursday that games giants electronic arts and vivendi would both support its dvd format. the next generation of dvds will hold high-definition video and sound. this offers incredible 3d-like quality of pictures which major hollywood studios and games publishers are extremely keen to exploit in the coming year. in a separate press conference at the consumer electronics show in las vegas  toshiba announced that dvd players for its technology would be on the market by the end of 2005.   as we move from standard definition video images to high-definition images  we have a much greater need for storage   richard doherty  from panasonic s hollywood laboratories  one of the pioneers of blu-ray  told the bbc news website.  so by utilising blue laser-based technology we can make an optical laser disc that can hold six times as much as today s dvd.  a blu-ray disc will be able to store 50gb of high-quality data  while toshiba s hd-dvd will hold 30gb. mr doherty added that it was making sure the discs could satisfy all high-definition needs  including the ability to record onto the dvds and smaller discs to fit into camcorders. both toshiba and blu-ray are hopeful that the emerging dvd format war  akin to the betamax and vhs fight in the 1980s  can be resolved over the next year when next-generation dvd players start to come out. when players do come out  they will be able to play standard dvds too  which is good news for those who have huge libraries of current dvds.  but the support from vivendi and electronics arts is a big boost to blu-ray in the battle for supremacy.  gaming is a $20 billion industry worldwide  so is as crucial as the film industry in terms of money to be made.  the technical requirement for game development today demands more advanced optical-disc technologies   said michael heilmann  chief technology officer for vivendi universal.  blu-ray offers the capacity  performance and high-speed internet connectivity to take us into the future of gaming.  ea  a leading games developer and publisher  added that the delivery of high-definition games of the future was vital and blu-ray had the capacity  functionality and interactivity needed for the kinds of projects it was planning. sony recently announced it would be using the technology in its next generation of playstations. mr doherty said gamers were  ravenous  for high-quality graphics and technology for the next generation of titles.  gamers  especially those working on pcs  are always focused on more capacity to deliver textures  deeper levels  for delivering higher-resolution playback.   he added:  the focus for games moving forward is on increased immersion.   gaming companies really like to focus on creating a world which involves creating complicated 3d models and textures and increasing the resolution  increasing the frame rate - all of these are part of getting a more immersive experience.  fitting these models on current dvd technologies means compressing the graphics so much that much of this quality is lost. as games move to more photo-real capability  the current technology is limiting.  they are thrilled at the advanced capacity to start to build these immersive environments   said mr doherty. currently  graphics-intensive pc games also require multiple discs for installation. high-definition dvds will cut down on that need. likewise  consoles rely on single discs  so dvds that can hold six times more data mean much better  high-resolution games. blu-ray has already won backing from major hollywood studios  such as mgm studios  disney  and buena vista  as well as top technology firms like dell  lg  samsung and phillips amongst others. while toshiba s hd-dvd technology has won backing from paramount  universal and warner bros.  the real world benefits (of hd-dvd) are apparent and obvious   said jim cardwell  president of warner home video. mr cardwell added that rapid time to market and dependability were significant factors in choosing to go with hd-dvd. both formats are courting microsoft to be the format of choice for the next generation xbox  but discussions are still on-going. next generation dvds will also be able to store images and other data. ces is the largest consumer electronics show in the world  and runs from 6 to 9 january.


itunes user sues apple over ipod a user of apple s itunes music service is suing the firm saying it is unfair he can only use an ipod to play songs.  he says apple is breaking anti-competition laws in refusing to let other music players work with the site. apple  which opened its online store in 2003 after launching the ipod in 2001  uses technology to ensure each song bought only plays on the ipod. californian thomas slattery filed the suit in the us district court in san jose and is seeking damages.   apple has turned an open and interactive standard into an artifice that prevents consumers from using the portable hard drive digital music player of their choice   the lawsuit states. the key to such a lawsuit would be convincing a court that a single brand like itunes is a market in itself separate from the rest of the online music market  according to ernest gellhorn  an anti-trust law professor at george mason university.  as a practical matter  the lower courts have been highly sceptical of such claims   prof gellhorn said. apple has sold more than six million ipods since the gadget was launched and has an 87% share of the market for portable digital music players  market research firm npd group has reported.  more than 200 million songs have been sold by the itunes music store since it was launched.  apple has unlawfully bundled  tied  and/or leveraged its monopoly in the market for the sale of legal online digital music recordings to thwart competition in the separate market for portable hard drive digital music players  and vice-versa   the lawsuit said. mr slattery called himself an itunes customer who  was also forced to purchase an apple ipod  if he wanted to take his music with him to listen to. a spokesman for apple declined to comment. apple s online music store uses a different format for songs than napster  musicmatch  realplayer and others. the rivals use the mp3 format or microsoft s wma format while apple uses aac  which it says helps thwart piracy. the wma format also includes so-called digital rights management which is used to block piracy.


apple laptop is  greatest gadget  the apple powerbook 100 has been chosen as the greatest gadget of all time  by us magazine mobile pc.  the 1991 laptop was chosen because it was one of the first  lightweight  portable computers and helped define the layout of all future notebook pcs. the magazine has compiled an all-time top 100 list of gadgets  which includes the sony walkman at number three and the 1956 zenith remote control at two. gadgets needed moving parts and/or electronics to warrant inclusion. the magazine specified that gadgets also needed to be a  self-contained apparatus that can be used on its own  not a subset of another device .   in general we included only items that were potentially mobile   said the magazine.   in the end  we tried to get to the heart of what really makes a gadget a gadget   it concluded. the oldest  gadget  in the top 100 is the abacus  which the magazine dates at 190 a.d.  and put in 60th place. other pre-electronic gadgets in the top 100 include the sextant from 1731 (59th position)  the marine chronometer from 1761 (42nd position) and the kodak brownie camera from 1900 (28th position). the tivo personal video recorder is the newest device to make the top 10  which also includes the first flash mp3 player (diamound multimedia)  as well as the first  successful  digital camera (casio qv-10) and mobile phone (motorola startac). the most popular gadget of the moment  the apple ipod  is at number 12 in the list while the first sony transistor radio is at number 13.  sony s third entry in the top 20 is the cdp-101 cd player from 1983.  who can forget the crystalline  hiss-free blast of madonna s like a virgin emenating from their first cd player   asked the magazine. karl elsener s knife  the swiss army knife from 1891  is at number 20 in the list. gadgets which could be said to feature surprisngly low down in the list include the original telephone (23rd)  the nintendo gameboy (25th)  and the pulsar quartz digital watch (36th). the list also contains plenty of oddities: the pez sweet dispenser (98th)  1980s toy tamagotchi (86th) and the bizarre ronco inside the shell egg scrambler (84th).  why worry about mobile phones. soon they will be subsumed into the pda s / laptops etc.  what about the marine chronometer  completely revolutionised navigation for boats and was in use for centuries. for it s time  a technological marvel!  sony net minidisc! it paved the way for more mp3 player to explode onto the market. i always used my netmd  and could not go anywhere without it.  a laptop computer is not a gadget! it s a working tool!  the sinclair executive was the world s first pocket calculator. i think this should be there as well.  how about the clockwork radio  or gps  or a pocket calculator  all these things are useful to real people  not just pc magazine editors.  are the people who created this list insane   surely the most important gadget of the modern age is the mobile phone  it has revolutionalised communication  which is more than can be said for a niche market laptop. from outside the modern age  the marine chronometer is the single most important gadget  without which modern transportation systems would not have evolved so quickly.  has everyone forgot about the breville pie maker    an interesting list. of the electronic gadgets  thousands of journalists in the early 1980s blessed the original noteboook pc - the tandy 100. the size of a4 paper and light  three weeks on a set of batteries  an excellent keyboard  a modem. a pity tandy did not make it dos compatible.  what s an apple powerbook 100   it s out of date - not much of a  gadget . surely it has to be something simple / timeless - the tin opener  swiss army knife  safety razor blade  wristwatch or the thing for taking stones out of horses hooves    it has to be the mobile phone. no other single device has had such an effect on our way of living in such a short space of time.  the ball point pen has got to be one of the most used and common gadgets ever. also many might be grateful for the pocket calculator which was a great improvement over the slide rule.  the casio pocket calculator that played a simple game and made tinny noises was also a hot gadget in 1980. a true gadget  it could be carried around and shown off.  all top 10 are electronic toys  so the list is probably a better reflection of the current high-tech obsession than anyhting else. i say this as the swiss army knife only made no 20.  sinclair ql a machine far ahead of its time. the first home machine with a true multi-takings os. shame the marketing was so bad!!!  apple.. a triumph of fashion over... well everything else.  utter rubbish. yes  the apple laptop and sony walkman are classic gadgets. but to call the sextant and the marine chronometer  gadgets  and rank them as less important than a tv remote control reveals a quite shocking lack of historical perspective. the former literally helped change the world by vastly improving navigation at see. the latter is the seed around which the couch potato culture has developed. no competition.  i d also put apple s newton and the first palm pilot there as the front runners for portable computing  and possibly the toshiba libretto for the same reason. i only wish that vulcan inc s flipstart wasn t just vapourware otherwise it would be at the top.  how did a laptop ever manage to beat off the challenge of the wristwatch or the telephone (mobile or otherwise)  what about radios and tvs   the swiss army knife. by far the most useful gadget. i got mine 12 years ago. still wearing and using it a lot! it stood the test of time.  psion organiser series 3  should be up there. had a usable qwerty keyboard  removable storage  good set of apps and programmable. case design was good (batteries in the hinge - a first  i think). great product innovation.  the first mobile pc was voted best gadget by readers of...err... mobile pc ! why do you keep putting these obviously biased lists on your site  it s obviously the mobile phone or remote control  and readers of a less partisan publication would tell you that.  the motorola startac should be number one. why  there will be mobile phones long after notebook computers and other gadgets are either gone or integrated in communications devices.  the psion series 3c! the first most practical way to carry all your info around...  i too would back the sinclair spectrum - without this little beauty i would never have moved into the world of it and earn the living that i do now.  i d have put the mobile phone high up the list. probably a nokia model.  sinclair spectrum - 16k. it plugged into the tv. games were rubbish but it gave me a taste for programming and that s what i do for a living now.  i wish more modern notebooks -- even apple s newest offerings -- were more like the pb100. particularly disheartening is the demise of the trackball  which has given way to the largely useless  trackpad  which every notebook on the market today uses. they re invariably inaccurate  uncomfortable  and cumbersome to use.  congratulations to apple  a deserved win!


van nistelrooy set to return manchester united striker ruud van nistelrooy may make his comeback after an achilles tendon injury in the fa cup fifth round tie at everton on saturday.  he has been out of action for nearly three months and had targeted a return in the champions league tie with ac milan on 23 february. but manchester united manager sir alex ferguson hinted he may be back early. he said:  there is a chance he could be involved at everton but we ll just have to see how he comes through training.  the 28-year-old has been training in holland and ferguson said:  ruud comes back on tuesday and we need to assess how far on he is.  the training he has been doing in holland has been perfect and i am very satisfied with it.  even without van nistelrooy  united made it 13 wins in 15 league games with a 2-0 derby victory at manchester city on sunday. but they will be boosted by the return of the dutch international  who is the club s top scorer this season with 12 goals. he has not played since aggravating the injury in the 3-0 win against west brom on 27 november. ferguson was unhappy with van nistelrooy for not revealing he was carrying an injury. united have also been hit by injuries to both alan smith and louis saha during van nistelrooy s absence  meaning wayne rooney has sometimes had to play in a lone role up front. the teenager has responded with six goals in nine games  including the first goal against city on sunday.


italy 8-38 wales wales secured their first away win in the rbs six nations for nearly four years with a six-try victory in rome.  tries from jonathan thomas  tom shanklin and martyn williams gave the visitors a 19-5 half-time advantage. luciano orquera did reply with one for italy but second-half efforts from brent cockbain  shane williams and robert sidoli sealed victory. fly-half stephen jones added four conversions as wales maintained their superb start to this year s tournament. starting full of confidence after their victory over england  the visitors scored the opening try after just four minutes. diminutive wing shane williams fielded a kick ahead and danced past the onrushing andrea masi and aaron persico into the italian half. his pass to tom shanklin appeared forward but when the centre was held up short  the ball was switched left and michael owen s long cut-out pass gave the lurking thomas an easy run-in.  stephen jones  who retained the kicking duties despite gavin henson s heroics against england  slotted an excellent conversion from wide out. wales twice threatened further scores but failed to find the crucial pass  and italy hit back out of the blue in the 11th minute.  henson  sporting gold boots rather than the silver variety that did for england  beat two players with ease out on the left touchline. but his attempted chip ahead was charged down by orquera  who snaffled the loose ball and hared away from halfway to score in the right corner. with the welsh line-out stuttering and italy twice turning the visitors  scrum  the home side s forward power brought them back into it. but a clever high kick from henson almost brought a try for hal luscombe when roland de marigny and ludovico nitoglia made a hash of claiming it as the ball bounced into touch.  wales regained control with a second try in the 21st minute  henson lobbing up a high kick to the left corner where shanklin jumped higher than nitoglia to dot down his 15th test try. jones was unable to convert and de marigny then hit the upright with a penalty attempt for italy. henson was also narrowly short with a long-range effort at goal  but wales ended the half with a vital third score to give themselves some breathing space.  henson sent luscombe streaking away and when he off-loaded to martyn williams  the flanker showed his nous to ground the ball against the padding of the post  jones adding the conversion. italy  who lost flanker mauro bergamasco with a head knock before half-time  built up a head of steam on the resumption. de marigny landed a penalty to make it 19-8 and a nitoglia break through the middle threatened a try only for the move to break down with a knock-on. but wales put the outcome beyond doubt with two superb tries in four minutes before the hour. their fourth after 53 minutes was sparked by another mazy run from shane williams  who beat several players with ease  and finished with a powerful angled run from lock cockbain. before italy could recover from that blow  a strong surge from gareth thomas and great off-loads from martyn williams and replacement kevin morgan saw shane williams scamper over.  with jones converting both for a 33-8 lead  wales had the luxury of sending on five more replacements for the final quarter. the icing on the cake came with a sixth try after more superb support work  shane williams and ceri sweeney combining to send sidoli over in the left corner. the only downside for wales was a hamstring injury suffered by luscombe. but after back-to-back wins at the start of the tournament for the first time in 11 years  they will travel to paris in a fortnight looking like genuine contenders.  r de marigny; mirco bergamasco  w pozzebon  a masi  l nitoglia; l orquera  a troncon; a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni  s dellape  m bortolami (capt)  a persico  mauro bergamasco  s parisse.  g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  d dal maso  p griffen  m barbini  kp robertson.  g thomas (capt); h luscombe  t shanklin  g henson  s williams; s jones  d peel; g jenkins  m davies  a jones; b cockbain  r sidoli; j thomas  m williams  m owen.  r mcbryde  j yapp  i gough  r sowden-taylor  g cooper  c sweeney  k morgan.  andrew cole (australia).


sculthorpe wants lions captaincy paul sculthorpe has admitted he would love to succeed andy farrell as great britain skipper if the wigan star does switch codes to rugby union.  sculthorpe was vice-captain in the tri-nations  and took the st helens captaincy from chris joynt last year.  i would definitely want the job - i make no bones about it   sculthorpe told bbc sport.  it s something i ve always wanted to do. i d gladly take it if it was offered to me.   the 27-year-old  who captained st helens to challenge cup success last year  said following in the footsteps of farrell would be a challenge.  andy would be a hard act to follow but it s something i m confident of being up to   he said.  the gb team isn t a one-man team. there are a lot of good young players who are pushing for places anyway.   sculthorpe said the rugby league world would understand if farrell did decide to move to rugby union.  it s a short career and you have to make of it what you can   said sculthorpe.  nobody can blame him if he does go - he s done everything in the game of rugby league.   financially it could set him up for life. if he fancies a new challenge  then who could fault him   sculthorpe also called on the rugby league authorities to have a serious look at the number of games the top players are being asked to play. sean long  sculthorpe s saints and lions team-mate  has expressed doubts about his international future  i think sean s situation is to do with the sheer number of games we re playing   he said.   the way he s looking at it is that if he can extend his career by a couple of years by not playing international rugby  then he s willing to do that.  the rfl has got to do something about the fixtures. we re playing 42 weeks of the year and it s too much.  a lot of the niggly injuries that i ve suffered with over the last couple of years have come about because of the lack of rest time.  st helens have been strongly linked with a move for brilliant young forward sonny bill williams  and sculthorpe said he would love the 19-year-old to come to knowsley road.  he s a great player - a big strong lad who can certainly hit hard in defence  but who is also very skilful   he said.  i d love him to come to st helens. who knows what might happen  but you want the best players in your team  and he s certainly one of the best players in the world.


jobs go at oracle after takeover oracle has announced it is cutting about 5 000 jobs following the completion of its $10.3bn takeover of its smaller rival peoplesoft last week.  the company said it would retain more than 90% of peoplesoft product development and product support staff. the cuts will affect about 9% of the 55 000 staff of the combined companies. oracle s 18-month fight to acquire peoplesoft was one of the most drawn-out and hard-fought us takeover battles of recent times. the merged companies are set to be a major force in the enterprise software market  second only in size to germany s sap.  in a statement  oracle said it began notifying staff of redundancies on friday and the process would continue over the next 10 days.  by retaining the vast majority of peoplesoft technical staff  oracle will have the resources to deliver on the development and support commitments we have made to peoplesoft customers over the last 18 months   oracle s chief executive larry ellison said in a statement.  correspondents say 6 000 job losses had been expected - and some suggest more cuts may be announced in future. they say mr ellison may be trying to placate peoplesoft customers riled by oracle s determined takeover strategy. hours before friday s announcement  there was a funereal air at peoplesoft s headquarters  reported ap news agency. a peoplesoft sign had been turned into shrine to the company  with flowers  candles and company memorabilia.  we re mourning the passing of a great company   the agency quoted peoplesoft worker david ogden as saying. other employees said they would rather be sacked than work for oracle.  the new company is going to be totally different   said anil aggarwal  peoplesoft s director of database markets.  peoplesoft had an easygoing  relaxed atmosphere. oracle has an edgy  aggressive atmosphere that s not conducive to innovative production.  on the news  oracle shares rose 15 cents - 1.1% - on nasdaq. in after-hours trading the shares did not move.


turkey turns on the economic charm three years after a gruelling economic crisis  turkey has dressed its economy to impress.  as part of a charm offensive - ahead of 17 december  when the european union will decide whether to start entry talks - turkey s economic leaders have been banging the drum to draw attention to recent achievements. the economy is growing fast  they insist. education levels among its young and large population are rising. unemployment levels  in percentage terms  are heading fast towards single digits. inflation is under control. a new law to govern its turbulent banking system is on the cards. the tourism industry is booming and revenues from visitors should more than double to $21bn (£10.8bn) in three years.  moreover  government spending is set to be frozen and a burdensome social security deficit is being tackled. income and corporate taxes will be cut next year in order to attract $15bn of foreign investment over the next three years. a loan restructuring deal with the international monetary fund (imf) is pretty much in the can. and following recent macroeconomic restructuring efforts  its currency is floating freely and its central bank is independent.  the point of all this has been to convince europe s decision makers that rather than being a phenomenally costly exercise for the eu  allowing turkey in would in fact bring masses of economic benefits.   the cake will be bigger for everybody   said deputy prime minister abdullatif sener earlier this month.  turkey will not be a burden for the eu budget.  if admitted into the eu  turkey would contribute almost 6bn euros ($8bn; £6bn) to its budget by 2014  according to a recent impact study by the country s state planning organisation. as turkey s gross domestic output (gdp) is set to grow by 6% per year on average  its contribution would rise from less than 5bn euros in 2014 to almost 9bn euros by 2020. turkey could also help alleviate a labour shortage in  old europe  once its population comes of age. by 2014  one in four turks - or about 18 million people - will be aged 14 or less.  a literate and qualified turkish population   insisted mr sener   will make a positive impact on the eu.   this runs contrary to the popular view that turkey is getting ready to dig deep into eu taxpayers  wallets. however  turkey s assertions are confirmed by brussels  own impact studies  which indeed say that turkish membership would be good news for the eu economy. but only over time. costs are projected to be vast during the early years of turkey s membership  with subsidies alone estimated to exceed 16.5bn euros and  according to some predictions  balloon to 33.5bn euros. this would include vast agricultural subsidies and regional aid  though such payments should decline as the country s farm sector  which currently employs one in three turks  would employ just one in five by 2020.  such high initial expenses would be coupled with risks that the benefits flagged up by turkey s government would never be delivered  say those who feel the turkish project should be shunned.  some fear that rather than providing an educated  sophisticated labour force for europe at large  the people who will leave turkey to seek work abroad will be poor  uneducated - and plentiful. more recently  less palatable concerns - at least in liberal european circles - have been voiced  with senior eu or member state officials talking darkly of a  river of islam   an  oriental  culture and a threat to europe s  cultural richness . of course  many opponents are politically motivated - their views ranging from xenophobic prejudices about the country s muslim traditions to well-documented concerns about the government s human rights record. yet their economic arguments should not be dismissed out of hand.  critics insist that much of the optimism about turkey s economic roadmap has been over-egged - an argument amplified by a 134% rise in the country s current account deficit to $10.7bn during the first 10 months of this year.  the country s massive debt - which includes $23bn owed to the imf and billions borrowed via the international bond markets - also remains a major obstacle to its ambition of joining the eu.  in the new member states of the european union  gross public debt is typically about 40% of gross domestic product   says reza moghadam  assistant director of the imf s european department.  at about 80% of gdp  turkey s gross debt is double that figure.  turkey s debts have largely arisen from its efforts to push through banking reform after a run on the banks in 2001 caused the country s devastating recession.  there is no question that although turkey is doing much better than in the past  it remains quite vulnerable   says michael deppler  director of the imf s european department.  its debt is far too high for an emerging economy.  a key factor for eu decision makers should be whether or not turkey has met its economic criteria. but economics is not a science. and although the state of turkey s economy is important  as is its pace of reform  the final decision on 17 december will be taken by politicians who will  of course  be guided by their political instincts.


federer claims dubai crown world number one roger federer added the dubai championship trophy to his long list of successes - but not before he was given a test by ivan ljubicic.  top seed federer looked to be on course for a easy victory when he thumped the eighth seed 6-1 in the first set. but ljubicic  who beat tim henman in the last eight  dug deep to secure the second set after a tense tiebreak. swiss star federer was not about to lose his cool  though  turning on the style to win the deciding set 6-3. the match was a re-run of last week s final at the world indoor tournament in rotterdam  where federer triumphed  but not until ljubicic had stretched him for five sets.  i really wanted to get off to a good start this time  and i did  and i could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm   federer said.   that took me all the way through to 6-1 3-1 0-30 on his serve and i almost ran away with it. but he came back  and that was a good effort on his side.  ljubicic was at a loss to explain his poor showing in the first set.  i didn t start badly  but then suddenly i felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying a little bit too much. and with roger  if you relax for a second it just goes very quick   he said.  after those first three games it was no match at all. i don t know  it was really weird. i was playing really well the whole year  and then suddenly i found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court.  but despite his defeat  the world number 14 was pleased with his overall performance.  i had a chance in the third  and for me it s really positive to twice in two weeks have a chance against roger to win the match.  it s an absolutely great boost to my confidence that i m up there and belong with top-class players.


laura ashley chief stepping down laura ashley is parting company with its chief executive ainum mohd-saaid.  the clothing and home furnishing retailer said ms mohd-saaid had resigned for personal reasons. her departure will come into effect on 1 february and follows the departure of co-chief executive rebecca navarednam on 1 january. ms mohd-saaid is to be replaced by lillian tan  presently a non-executive director of the company and head of a malaysian retailer.  in a statement issued on thursday  laura ashley thanked ms mohd-saaid for her services to the company. its shares were down 8.51% to 10.75p in late thursday morning trading on the london stock exchange.  since 2002  ms tan has been managing director and chief executive of metrojaya  one of the largest retail groups in malaysia. laura ashley  which is due to issue its next trading statement in the next few weeks  has in recent months been hit by reports of poor sales. in october last year  it announced the closure of one of its two welsh factories. in september  the company had said that its half-year clothing sales had been  below expectations . in recent times  it has put renewed focus on home furnishings rather than clothing  but last september it reported that interim six month losses had risen from £1m to £1.2m  while sales had fallen from £138m to £118m.  laura ashley  which floated on the london stock exchange for £200m ($376m) in 1995  is majority-owned by malaysia entrepreneur dr khoo kay peng. in 1996  its share price was more than 200p. it has long been reported that dr khoo intends to take the company private  but he has always denied this.  laura ashley is a bit of a shrivelled husk of a company   said retail analyst nick bubb of evolution securities.  it is all pretty odd with its malaysian owners seemingly just shuffling the deckchairs.  laura ashley was founded by its late namesake in kent in 1955  before moving to mid wales in 1961 where it still has its main uk factory.


brookside creator s channel 4 bid the creator of defunct tv soap brookside has written to the culture minister to offer to buy channel 4.  phil redmond  now chairman of mersey tv  told tessa jowell he would run it with its current remit intact for the next 10 years. but media watchdog ofcom has said the the commercially funded public service broadcaster will not be privatised. a spokesman for the department for culture  media and sport said there were no plans to sell the channel.  he added that primary legislation would be required for the station to be sold off  which the government was not intending to introduce. brookside was axed in 2003 after its ratings slumped from a peak of seven million to just 1.5 million. redmond also brought teen soap hollyoaks to channel 4 and created grange hill  the school-based drama serial which was first broadcast on bbc one in 1978. he was awarded the cbe for services to drama earlier this year.


hingis to make unexpected return martina hingis makes her return to competitve tennis after two years out of the game at the volvo women s open in pattaya  thailand  on tuesday.  she faces german marlene weingartner in the first round.  as a competitor and athlete  i always want to win. i hope my body will hold up   said hingis.  you miss being out there in a grand slam final and not competing. it s a big difference between playing and commenting for tv. i miss it a lot.  the former world number one was 22 when she retired after having surgery on both ankles  and her last wta event was in filderstadt  germany  in october 2002  when she lost to elena dementieva. only last year she insisted that a comeback was unlikely  but speaking in thaliand hingis admitted:  i said that because i didn t know what would happen with my body.  her appearance will also benefit charities in the region and the swiss star will donate her prize money.


straw praises kashmir moves the uk has welcomed the decision by india and pakistan to open a bus link across the ceasefire line dividing the disputed region of kashmir.  foreign secretary jack straw  touring south east asian countries  praised the  spirit of cooperation  in achieving the breakthrough. media reports in both countries describe the deal as a major step in the ongoing peace process. mr straw said he hoped the agreement would make a difference to kashmiris. the bus service was one of several announcements made after a meeting of foreign ministers of both countries in islamabad on wednesday. kashmiri politicians on both sides of the line of control which divides the region welcomed the move.  in a statement  mr straw said the bus service between srinagar and muzaffarabad  will be able to reunite families that have been divided for decades .  this will make a real difference to the lives of kashmiris on both sides of the line of control   he said.  i warmly applaud the efforts of both india and pakistan to make this happen.  this spirit of cooperation will  i hope  lead to many more measures that will benefit all in the region.   on thursday mr straw was in india visiting sikhism s holiest shrine  the golden temple in amritsar where he tried his hand at making indian bread or roti. he is due to take part in talks with the indian government on friday. a second bus service linking the pakistani city of lahore with amritsar in india was also announced as well as a rail link between rajasthan state and pakistan s sindh province. both sides agreed to begin talks on reducing the risk of nuclear accidents and also said they planned to reopen their respective consulates in karachi and mumbai (bombay). the mountainous region of kashmir has been a flashpoint between the two nuclear powers for more than 50 years.


clarke defends terror detentions the home secretary has defended his decision not to release foreign terror suspects despite a legal ruling their detention breached human rights laws.  house of lords law lords ruled against the detention measures last week. they said it was wrong to have one set of laws for foreign suspects and another for british suspects. new home secretary charles clarke said he would carefully consider the ruling and would return to parliament early in the new year with proposals.  he insisted that he would not be rushed into judgement but would examine the law lords  findings in detail.  my duty is to look at first of all the security of this country and in so doing to consider very carefully the precise legal measures that there are.  mr clarke s comments came in response to an emergency question from liberal democrat constitutional affairs spokesman david heath. mr heath said the judgement contained  unprecedented condemnation and could not have been more unequivocal . he said he accepted the difficult balance between the nation s security and human rights but questioned why the home office had made  no contingency plans for the present circumstances .   these detainees should be prosecuted and tried. simply renewing the present deeply unsatisfactory legislation is not an option.  shadow home secretary david davis said it was not possible to overstate the importance of the judgment and urged the government to move as fast as  competently possible  to sort the problem out in the interests of natural justice.  if you do  we will give you every support.  the law lords  ruling came on charles clarke s first day as home secretary last thursday following david blunkett s resignation. in a statement on the same day  mr clarke said:  i will be asking parliament to renew this legislation in the new year.  in the meantime  we will be studying the judgment carefully to see whether it is possible to modify our legislation to address the concerns raised by the house of lords.   but the government was widely criticised for insisting the detentions would continue following the ruling last week. lord bingham - a senior law lord - said the rules were incompatible with the european convention on human rights as they allowed detentions  in a way that discriminates on the ground of nationality or immigration status  by justifying detention without trial for foreign suspects  but not britons. lord nicholls of birkenhead  in his ruling  said:  indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial is anathema in any country which observes the rule of law.  the detainees took their case to the house of lords after the court of appeal backed the home office s powers to hold them without limit or charge. the government opted out of part of the european convention on human rights concerning the right to a fair trial in order to bring in anti-terrorism legislation in response to the 11 september attacks in the us.


label withdraws mcfadden s video the new video of former westlife singer brian mcfadden has been pulled after a dublin school complained about being associated with his song irish son.  st fintian s high school says it is clearly identified in the video  while mcfadden never went there. mcfadden makes claims that he was beaten at his own school in the song s lyrics  saying it had  cell blocks . the performer s record label sony bmg has withdrawn the video and issued replacements to television stations. the label believed the school name was fictitious until they received the complaint. they have said the reference to the school was unintentional and coincidental.  the head of christian brothers  school st fintian s  richard fogarty  said the video implied that the 24-year-old pop star had attended his school and was abused there.  the school has always treated its pupils with respect   mr fogarty said in a statement. mcfadden makes specific references to the christian brothers in his song  but did not attend st fintian s. corporal punishment was outlawed in irish schools in 1982 when mcfadden was two years old.  mcfadden  whose debut solo album is released next week  has said that every song is autobiographical and  a true story . alcoholism and domestic violence are among the other topics dealt with in his songs  half of which have been written with robbie williams  former collaborator  guy chambers. mcfadden  who quit chart-topping group westlife in march  went to number one in september with his first solo single real to me. he enjoyed 12 chart-toppers with the boy band before parting company with them.


glastonbury fans to get id cards fans who buy tickets for this year s glastonbury festival will be issued with photo id cards in an attempt to beat touts  it has been confirmed.  the cards will include a photograph of the ticket-holder plus an electronic chip with their details to prevent tickets being sold on or forged. tickets for the june event are expected to go on sale in april.  there is only one place in the world where you will be able to get tickets   festival organiser michael eavis said.  that will be the official source. if you get them anywhere else  you won t get in.  fans not wanting to carry the entrance card could present their passport or driving licence instead  he added.  more than 153 000 people are expected to travel to mr eavis  somerset farm from 24-26 june  but the event s rising popularity has meant an extremely high demand for tickets in recent years. when the id card idea was floated  mr eavis  daughter emily said it would be  quite a big step in terms of ticketing for events  if implemented and they were  going as far as we can  to cut touting.  as long as it s approached in the right way  it might really work  it might really change the system   she said. in 2004  all 112 000 tickets for the public sold out in 24 hours. they were personalised with the names of purchasers  who were asked to bring identification  such as a driving licence  passport or household bill. but some forgot to take the right information while some touts simply offered to supply their own bills along with the ticket bearing their name. no details of this year s line-up have been confirmed but rumours have suggested u2 and coldplay may be among the headliners.


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


police urge pub closure power new powers are needed to close disorderly pubs  bars and clubs for up to a week or even permanently  police chiefs have told mps.  association of chief police officers president chris fox said the current 24-hour closure power did not have enough impact on bad landlords. mr fox s comments follow the controversy over plans to allow pubs to open around the clock. he rejected critics  calls for the law change to be delayed. instead  the new licensing act could help reduce drunken disorder - but only if it was properly planned  he argued.  acpo made its call for stronger closure powers in a paper for the commons home affairs select committee. after the meeting  mr fox said being able to close premises for only 24 hours did not necessarily make an impact.  if it s 12.30 on a saturday morning and you close for 24 hours there s not a lot of pain for the premises because they probably wouldn t open on sunday anyway.   this is about getting through to the management that they can t run a disorderly house without facing some immediate sanctions.  under acpo s proposal  the closure orders would be used only with the agreement of the local licensing authority. the new licensing laws will give police greater powers to close pubs and clubs - but only for 24-hour periods.  mr fox said the drinks industry was currently not regulating itself.  it s making money at the cost of human misery and the public purse  and the strategic planning process has been less than useless   he said. mr fox said the new laws  due to start being phased in next month  could help if food outlets  public transport and public toilets could cope with late-night drinkers.  staggering it (closing hours) will be a solution if the infrastructure is there  if the premises are properly managed and people aren t being served rolling drunk and underage and then tossed out into the street   he said.  we have the problem from 11pm to 2am in any event. we have to get a grip on the underlying causes of this.   acpo wants pubs and clubs which cause extra work for police and hospitals to have to pay towards the costs. home secretary charles clarke is currently looking at the idea of a levy on the drinks industry to pay for the cost of extra policing. the licensing changes have sparked concern among some mps  councils and some senior police officers who fear they could exacerbate drinking problems. culture secretary tessa jowell on tuesday said it was not her job to bow to the campaign against the changes. it was the status quo  not the new laws  which were causing current binge drinking problems  she told bbc two s newsnight. leaked documents have suggested ex-home secretary david blunkett branded new opening hours as a  leap in the dark . but ms jowell insisted his concerns had been met. the police s job against alcohol-related crime would be made easier if all pubs did not close at the same time  she added.


mcclaren eyes uefa cup top spot steve mcclaren wants his middlesbrough team to win their uefa cup group by beating partizan belgrade.  boro have already qualified for the knockout stages alongside partizan and villareal  at the expense of lazio. but boss mcclaren is looking for a victory which would mean they avoid a team that has played in the champions league in friday s third-round draw.  to need a win to finish top is fantastic  but it is going to be a tough one   mcclaren said.  when the draw was made  i thought it was the toughest group of them all - and so it has proved.  lazio were favourites  villarreal have been semi-finalists  and partizan have fantastic experience in europe.  the pleasing thing is we did the business in the first two games.  winning those two has put us in a great position and it has been a fantastic experience playing these teams.