screensaver tackles spam websites net users are getting the chance to fight back against spam websites  internet portal lycos has made a screensaver that endlessly requests data from sites that sell the goods and services mentioned in spam e-mail. lycos hopes it will make the monthly bandwidth bills of spammers soar by keeping their servers running flat out. the net firm estimates that if enough people sign up and download the tool  spammers could end up paying to send out terabytes of data.   we ve never really solved the big problem of spam which is that its so damn cheap and easy to do   said malte pollmann  spokesman for lycos europe.  in the past we have built up the spam filtering systems for our users   he said   but now we are going to go one step further.    we ve found a way to make it much higher cost for spammers by putting a load on their servers.  by getting thousands of people to download and use the screensaver  lycos hopes to get spamming websites constantly running at almost full capacity. mr pollmann said there was no intention to stop the spam websites working by subjecting them with too much data to cope with. he said the screensaver had been carefully written to ensure that the amount of traffic it generated from each user did not overload the web.  every single user will contribute three to four megabytes per day   he said   about one mp3 file.  but  he said  if enough people sign up spamming websites could be force to pay for gigabytes of traffic every single day. lycos did not want to use e-mail to fight back  said mr pollmann.  that would be fighting one bad thing with another bad thing   he said.  the sites being targeted are those mentioned in spam e-mail messages and which sell the goods and services on offer.  typically these sites are different to those that used to send out spam e-mail and they typically only get a few thousand visitors per day. the list of sites that the screensaver will target is taken from real-time blacklists generated by organisations such as spamcop. to limit the chance of mistakes being made  lycos is using people to ensure that the sites are selling spam goods. as these sites rarely use advertising to offset hosting costs  the burden of high-bandwidth bills could make spam too expensive  said mr pollmann. sites will also slow down under the weight of data requests. early results show that response times of some sites have deteriorated by up to 85%. users do not have to be registered users of lycos to download and use the screensaver. while working  the screensaver shows the websites that are being bothered with requests for data. the screensaver is due to be launched across europe on 1 december and before now has only been trialled in sweden. despite the soft launch  mr pollmann said that the screensaver had been downloaded more than 20 000 times in the last four days.  there s a huge user demand to not only filter spam day-by-day but to do something more   he said  before now users have never had the chance to be a bit more offensive.


cactus diet deal for phytopharm a slimming aid made from a southern african cactus is set to be developed by uk firm phytopharm and unilever.  anglo-dutch food giant unilever will help the pharmaceutical firm develop the snacks containing hoodia extract. phytopharm shares jumped 10.7% on the news  with analysts saying sales of $600m (£309m) a year were possible. the plant  licensed to phytopharm in 1997  has been used for thousands of years by the sans bushmen of the kalahari desert to stave off hunger. studies have reportedly shown the plant curbs appetite instead of reducing calorific intake like many existing products.  phytopharm will receive an initial fee of £6.5m from unilever - out of a potential total of £21m - as well as future royalties on product sales. under the deal  production of the hoodia cactus at phytopharm s nursery in south africa will also rise from eight million plants to potentially hundreds of millions  said phytopharm chief executive richard dixey. the firm had initially hoped to market a slimming drug from hoodia with pfizer. but the research collaboration came to an end in 2003. analysts said unilever could launch the new products in 2007.  this deal goes a long way to restoring the market faith in phytopharm s pipeline after the pfizer exit   said analyst erling refsum at nomura.


abba reunite for musical premiere the original stars of swedish pop quartet abba have reunited for the home premiere of hit musical mamma mia! which is based on the band s songs.  it is the first time in almost 20 years that the four  bjorn ulvaeus  benny andersson  agnetha faltskog and anni-frid lyngstad  have met publicly. faltskog has been a virtual recluse since the band split up in 1982. the musical  which has become a global phenomenon  will be performed in swedish for the first time. fans camped outside stockholm s cirkus theatre in the snow for a glimpse of the stars. the premiere marks abba s first public reunion since the legendary band s acrimonious break-up in the early 1980s. it was thought that faltskog would appear in london for the musical s fifth anniversary celebrations in april 2004 but she stayed away due to her fear of flying.  original abba member bjorn ulvaeus set about translating the musical into the band s mother tongue for the celebrated homecoming  alongside swedish artist niklas stromstedt. almost all of abba s original songs  which have sold more than 350 million records worldwide  were written and recorded in english. the musical  set on a small greek island  tells of the story of a young woman and her fiercely independent single mother. the show will include such classics as super trouper  sos and dancing queen. there are currently 14 productions being staged worldwide  including new york and london  with road shows in toronto  south korea and madrid. more than 20 million people around the world have seen the show.


slow start to speedy net services faster broadband in the uk is becoming a reality as more internet providers offer super-fast services.  some lucky britons can already take advantage of uk online s 8 megabits per second service  which was launched in november 2004. bt retail has announced that it will trial the same speed service  with a national rollout by year end. other service providers are expected to follow suit and a glut of new voice and video services will follow.   if the bandwidth is there then isps will buy it   said jill finger  a research director at analyst firm idc. others will be watching bt retail s trials  which is initially for employees and later in the summer for customers  with interest. for bt retail  she said  the super-fast service could be a way of differentiating it from other players.  it has been losing market share and this could be one way of gaining some of that back   said ms finger. wanadoo is set to trial an 8mbps service in the summer and also plans to roll out unbundled services - which means it takes over the network from bt - which will provide speeds of up to 15mbps. there is no timetable for this at the moment. cable firms ntl and telewest are also bound to increase bandwidth at some time in the future and  according to an ntl spokesman  are in a better position than bt in the long term.  bt s network is limited compared to that of cable. with all the other services coming on stream such as video on demand  the question is will 8mbps be enough   he asked.


housing plans criticised by mps  irreversible environmental damage  will be caused by government plans to build more than one million homes in south-east england  mps have warned.   sustainable communities  were being promoted without a real understanding of what  sustainable  means  the environmental audit committee said. it said issues like energy needs and transport were not properly addressed. deputy prime minister john prescott said the report was completed before new initiatives were announced. he said:  we are working across government  especially with our colleagues at defra  to create cleaner  safer and greener communities  while protecting and enhancing the environment.   the report said there was far too little attention paid to many environmental issues  including water  even though supplies in parts of the south east are already too low. regulations designed to ensure energy-efficient buildings are too lax  and builders routinely flout them anyway  it said.  financing for improving transport was around one-twentieth of what would be required. the report was a stinging rebuke for the government and especially john prescott s department  bbc environment correspondent richard black said. chairman of the environmental audit committee peter ainsworth mp  said:  the government s housing policy is an alarming example of disjointed thinking in an areas where joined-up policy is crucial.  i accept the need to improve housing supply but  as things stand  the principal beneficiary of housing growth will be property developers  with the environment we all depend on being the principal loser.  points raised in the report included:    - no proposals to further increase housing supply should be taken forward without strong supporting evidence.   - the government should recognise shortcomings of the treasury s barker review  which said 140 000 new homes a year were needed in britain.   - the government should consider a  national spatial framework  for england such as those already in place in scotland and wales.   - the office of the deputy prime minister should maximise brown field development and housing densities.   - measures to encourage improved energy efficiency for existing homes should be considered - including reduced stamp duty for homes that achieve set standards and a clear timetable for achieving zero-emissions homes.   - the government should make clear how it intends to measure its success at creating sustainable communities.     conservative local government spokeswoman caroline spelman said:  there is now growing evidence that john prescott s buildings programme is environmentally unsustainable  leaving a concrete scar across the face of rural england.


probe launched on ken nazi jibe an investigation by the standards board is under way following allegations that ken livingstone has brought his office into disrepute.  the probe follows the london mayor s comments to a jewish journalist comparing him to a concentration camp guard  after a party about a week ago. the local government watchdog also said the allegation related to a failure to respect others. it has the power to suspend or bar labour s mr livingstone from office. a complaint was made to the body by the board of deputies of british jews and the commission for racial equality.  speaking after the investigation was announced bob neill  leader of the london assembly conservatives  said:  he has behaved in a manner unbecoming of his office and in so doing  has shown extraordinarily poor civic leadership.  his administration is now in crisis.  on sunday  deputy mayor nicky gavron told the bbc s politics show she believed the mayor of london would say sorry on tuesday for offending the wider jewish community. the prime minister tony blair is among those who have called for an apology but so far the mayor has refused.  the mayor accused oliver finegold  of the evening standard newspaper  of  doorstepping  him at a  predominately gay event  held for mp chris smith. ms gavron said she thought mr livingstone s comments were  inappropriate  but she did not believe the mayor was anti-semitic. she said:  i work very closely with ken so i can speak of what he s like in his guarded and unguarded moments and... he is in no way anti-jewish  i wouldn t for a moment work with him if he were.  on the other hand  i think his remarks were inappropriate and i believe it is important  and i believe he will  come to the point where he says   i regret that i have caused offence to the wider jewish community .  i hope he will do it soon and it is mooted that he is going to make some sort of statement on tuesday.


bookmakers back aviator for oscar the aviator has been tipped by uk bookmakers as the favourite to win the best film award at this year s oscars.  ray star jamie foxx is clear favourite in the best actor category while million dollar baby s hilary swank is tipped to win the best actress prize. bookmakers predict cate blanchett will be named best supporting actress. william hill and ladbrokes have given the aviator 4/9 and 8/13 odds of winning best film  with million dollar baby in second place at 9/4.  bet direct and bet 365 also tip the aviator  with the majority of bookmakers regarding finding neverland as the outsider. the aviator is also widely tipped to win the best director prize for martin scorsese. british star clive owen is second favourite at william hill to take the best supporting actor award  for his performance in closer. the favourite in that category is sideways star thomas hayden church. vera drake star imelda staunton has 5/1 odds of winning the best actress oscar at bet 365 and william hill  ahead of fellow uk star kate winslet who has odds of 25/1 at william hill.  mike leigh is the outsider in the best director category for vera drake  a position he holds jointly with ray s taylor hackford at bookmakers vc bet. this year s academy awards will be handed out in hollywood on 27 february. x factor judge sharon osbourne will present sky television s live coverage of the event. meanwhile  clive owen s best supporting actor nomination has led a bookmaker to shorten his odds of becoming the next james bond. he has moved from 4/1 to 5/2 favourite to play 007  with hugh jackman and ewan mcgregor joint second favourite.  clive owen s nomination has sparked a betting frenzy from james bond fans  who feel that his heightened global recognition will have done his chances of becoming the next bond a world of good   said william hill spokesman rupert adams.


budget aston takes on porsche british car maker aston martin has gone head-to-head with porsche s 911 sports cars with the launch of its cheapest model yet.  with a price tag under £80 000  the v8 vantage is tens of thousands of pounds cheaper than existing aston models. the vantage is  the most important car in the history of our company   said aston s chief executive ulrich bez. aston - whose cars were famously used by james bond - will unveil the vantage at the geneva motor show on thursday. mr bez - himself a former executive at rival porsche - said the new car was the company s  most affordable car ever and makes the brand accessible . this in turn would make aston martin  globally visible  but still very  very exclusive   he added.  first shown as a concept car at the 2003 north american international auto show in detroit  the v8 vantage will be available in the uk in late summer. development costs for the vantage have been kept low by sharing a platform with aston s db9  which mr bez described as  the previous most important car for our company . there is currently an 18 months waiting list for the db9  mr bez said. the vantage will be built at the new aston factory in gaydon  near warwick  and should more than double aston s total output from about 2 000 presently.


uk will stand firm on eu rebate  britain s £3bn eu rebate is not up for renegotiation at next week s european council summit  jack straw said.  the foreign secretary told mps the rebate  secured by margaret thatcher in 1984  was  entirely justified . new european commission president jose manuel barroso has suggested the cash could be shared out among net contributors to the eu budget. mr straw acknowledged some countries in the newly enlarged 25 nation eu still had to  see the light  on the rebate.  but the foreign secretary told the commons foreign affairs committee:  our position is very clear: it is entirely justified and it is not for negotiation.  he added that he did not think there would be a political price to pay for the uk s stance - britain contributed more and received less than other eu states. the two-day european council summit in brussels begins on 16 december and is widely expected to mark the beginning of a lengthy negotiating period over the eu s budget for 2007-13. the wrangling could stretch into 2005  even 2006.  the uk  france  germany  austria  the netherlands and sweden want the eu budget to be capped at 1% of member states  combined national incomes - the commission wants it to be 1.26%. mr straw said the eu commission s proposal would mean a 35% hike in the budget.  i don t know of any national government thinking of increasing its budget by that amount   he added. the foreign secretary said he hoped the talks next week could produce a date in 2005 for the beginning of negotiations with turkey about possible eu membership although that there would be no prospect of a date for joining for some time.


women mps reveal sexist taunts women mps endure  shocking  levels of sexist abuse at the hands of their male counterparts  a new study shows.  male mps pretended to juggle imaginary breasts and jeered  melons  as women made commons speeches  researchers from birkbeck college were told. labour s yvette cooper said she found it hard to persuade commons officials she was a minister and not a secretary. some 83 mps gave their answers in 100 hours of taped interviews for the study  whose secretary are you  minister .  the research team  under professor joni lovenduski  had set out to look at the achievements and experiences of women at westminster. but what emerged was complaints from mps of all parties of sexist barracking in the chamber  sexist insults and patronising assumptions about their abilities. barbara follet  one of the so-called  blair babes  elected in 1997  told researchers:  i remember some conservatives - whenever a labour woman got up to speak they would take their breasts - imaginary breasts - in their hands and wiggle them and say  melons  as we spoke.  former liberal democrat mp jackie ballard recalled a stream of remarks from a leading mp on topics such as women s legs or their sexual persuasion. and ex-tory education secretary gillian shepherd remembered how one of her male colleagues called all women  betty .   when i said   look you know my name isn t betty   he said   ah but you re all the same  so i call you all betty .  harriet harman told researchers of the sheer hostility prompted by her advancement to the cabinet:  well  you ve only succeeded because you re a woman.  another current member of the cabinet says she was told:  oh  you ve had a very fast rise  who have you been sleeping with   even after the great influx of women mps at the 1997 general election  and greater numbers of women in the cabinet  female mps often say they feel stuck on the edge of a male world.  liberal democrat sarah teather  the most recent female mp to be elected  told researchers:  lots of people say it s like an old boys club.  i ve always said to me it feels more like a teenage public school - you know a public school full of teenagers.  prof joni lovenduski  who conducted the study with the help of margaret moran mp and a team of journalists  said she was shocked at the findings.  we expected a bit of this but nothing like this extent. we expected to find a couple of shocking episodes.  but she said there was a difference between the experiences of women before the 1997 intake and afterwards. this was mainly because there were more women present in parliament who were not prepared to  put up with  the sexist attitudes they came across  prof lovenduski said. but she added:  some women  including the women who came in 1997  received extraordinary treatment and i am not convinced that if the number of women changed back to what it was before 1997 that things would not change back.  what i think is shocking to the general public is that these things go on in the house of commons.  the interviews are to be placed in the british library as a historical record.


musical future for phones analyst bill thompson has seen the future and it is in his son s hands.  i bought my son max a 3g phone  partly because they are so cheap and he needed a phone  and partly because i am supposed to know about the latest technology and thought i should see how they work in real life. after using it for a while i am not at all tempted to get rid of my sonyericsson p800 smart phone. that has a relatively large screen  even if it does only have slower gprs access to the network. i can read my e-mail  surf the web using a proper browser and write stuff using the stylus on its touch screen. last week someone e-mailed me a document that had been compressed into a zip file  and i was pleasantly surprised to discover that my phone even knew how to decompress it for me. by contrast the confusing menus  complicated keyboard and truly irritating user interface of max s 3g phone simply get in the way  and i did not see much value in the paid-for services  especially the limited web access. the videos of entertainment news  horoscopes and the latest celebrity gossip did not appeal  and i did not see how the small screen could be useful for any sort of image  never mind micro-tv.  but then max started playing  and i realised i was missing the point entirely.  it is certainly not a great overall experience  but that is largely due to the poor menu system and the phone layout: the video content itself is compelling. the quality was at least as good as the video streaming from the bbc website  and the image is about the same size. max was completely captivated  and i was intrigued to discover that i had nearly missed the next stage of the network revolution. it is easy to be dismissive of small screens  and indeed anyone of my generation  with failing eyesight and the view that  there s never anything worth watching on tv   is hardly going to embrace these phones. but just as the world wide web was the  killer application  that drove internet adoption  music videos are going to drive 3g adoption. with vodafone now pushing its own 3g service  and 3 already established in the uk  video on the phone is clearly going to become a must-have for kids sitting on the school bus  adults waiting outside clubs and anyone who has time to kill and a group of friends to impress.  this will please the network operators  who are looking for some revenue from their expensively acquired 3g licences. but it goes deeper than that: playing music videos on a phone marks the beginning of a move away from the  download and play  model we have all accepted for our ipods and mp3 players. after all  why should i want to carry 60gb of music and pictures around with me in my pocket when i can simply listen to anything i want  whenever i want  streamed to my phone  oh - and of course you can always use the phone to make voice calls and send texts  something which ensures that it is always in someone s pocket or handbag  available for other uses too. i have never really approved of using the internet protocol (ip)  to do either audio or video streaming  and i think that technically it is a disaster to make phone calls over the net using  voice over ip .  but i have to acknowledge that the net  at least here in the developed western countries  is fast and reliable enough to do both.  i stream radio to my computer while i work  and enjoy hearing the bizarre stations from around the world that i can find online but nowhere else. i am even playing with internet telephony  despite my reservations  and i appear on go digital on the world service  streamed over the web each week. but 3g networks have been designed to do this sort of streaming  both for voice and video  which gives them an edge over net-based ip services. the 3g services aren t quite there yet  and there is a lot to be sorted out when it comes to web access and data charges. vodafone will let you access its services on vodafone live! as part of your subscription cost but it makes you pay by the megabyte to download from other sites - this one  for example. this will not matter to business users  but will distort the consumer market and keep people within the phone company s collection of partner sites  something that should perhaps be worrying telecoms regulator ofcom. but we should not see these new phones simply as cut-down network terminals. if i want fast access to my e-mail i can get a 3g card for my laptop or hook up to a wireless network. the phone is a lot more  and it is as a combination of mini-tv  personal communications device and music/video player that it really works. there is certainly room in the technology ecosystem for many different sorts of devices  accessing a wide range of services over different networks. 3g phones and ipods can co-exist  at least for a while  but if i had to bet on the long term i would go for content on demand over carrying gigabytes in my pocket. or perhaps some enterprising manufacturer will offer me both. an mp3g player  anyone   bill thompson is a regular commentator on the bbc world service programme go digital.


blunkett row should end - blair prime minister tony blair said it was time to draw a line under the controversy surrounding david blunkett.  the tories and the lib dems have called for a second inquiry into the fast-tracking of a visa application for mr blunkett s ex-lover s nanny. sir alan budd found a  chain of events  linked mr blunkett to leoncia casalme s indefinite leave to remain application. at the end of his middle east trip  mr blair said he still admired mr blunkett and thought his integrity was intact.  on tuesday sir alan said the application for leave to remain in the uk made by kimberly quinn s nanny was processed in 52 days  120 days faster than the average. but he could not find evidence to show whether mr blunkett s intervention was intended to give special help for his then lover s nanny - or if he was raising the case as an example of poor departmental performance. in his first comments since sir alan s announcement  mr blair told bbc news he had not yet read the report in detail. but told bbc news:  as far as i m concerned  we have drawn a line under that.   asked if mr blunkett could return to frontline politics at some point  he replied:  i have made my admiration for david very clear and it remains.  he s been a tremendous colleague  he s done a great job for us  first as home secretary then as education secretary. the future is something we will have to approach in the future.  the prime minister shrugged off claims from conservative leader michael howard that he led a  grubby government . he said mr blunkett s integrity remained intact:  he was the person first of all who asked for this inquiry to be set up. he accepted that what he originally thought had happened had not happened  he said.  but i think sir alan budd also accepted there wasn t some conspiracy or cover-up and i just think a line should be drawn under now and we should move on.   earlier  mr howard said:  there does need to be another inquiry  a judge-led inquiry. there were so many questions that weren t answered.  there was  deceit at the heart of government  which was not limited to the visa affair  he argued. lib dem home affairs spokesman mark oaten also said there was  a strong case for a judge-led judicial review .  he said:  next time it happens it may not be about a nanny and their visa. it may be about something even more important than that.  mr blunkett quit as home secretary last week after being told in advance of sir alan s findings. in a statement  the ex-home secretary said he accepted the inquiry s findings. he said he had told the truth throughout and had raised the nanny case as an example of unacceptable backlogs in the system.


broadband in the uk growing fast high-speed net connections in the uk are proving more popular than ever.  bt reports that more people signed up for broadband in the last three months than in any other quarter. the 600 000 connections take the total number of people in the uk signing up for broadband from bt to almost 3.3 million. nationally more than 5 million browse the net via broadband. britain now has among the highest number of broadband connections throughout the whole of europe.  according to figures gathered by industry watchdog  ofcom  the growth means that the uk has now surpassed germany in terms of broadband users per 100 people. the uk total of 5.3 million translates into 7.5 connections per 100 people  compared to 6.7 in germany and 15.8 in the netherlands. the numbers of people signing up to broadband include those that get their service direct from bt or via the many companies that re-sell bt lines under their own name. part of the surge in people signing up was due to bt stretching the reach of adsl - the uk s most widely used way of getting broadband - beyond 6km.  asymmetric digital subscriber line technology lets ordinary copper phone lines support high data speeds. the standard speed is 512kbps  though faster connections are available.  this breakthrough led to a dramatic increase in orders as we were suddenly able to satisfy the pent-up demand that existed in many areas   said paul reynolds  chief executive of bt wholesale which provides phone lines that other firms re-sell. bt retail  which sells net services under its own name  also had a good quarter and provided about 30% of the new broadband customers. this was a slight increase on the previous three months. despite the good news about growth in broadband  figures from telecommunications regulator ofcom show that bt faces increasing competition  and dwindling influence  in other sectors. local loop unbundling  (llu)  in which bt rivals install their hardware in exchanges and take over the line to a customer s home or office  is growing steadily. cable & wireless and ntl have announced that they are investing millions to start offering llu services. by the end of september more than 4.2 million phone lines were using so-called carrier pre-section (cps) services  such as talktalk and one.tel  which route phone calls across non-bt networks from a local exchange. there are now more than 300 different firms offering cps services and the percentage of people using bt lines for voice calls has shrunk to 55.4%.


roddick to face saulnier in final andy roddick will play cyril saulnier in the final of the sap open in san jose on sunday.  the american top seed and defending champion overcame germany s tommy haas  the third seed  7-6 (7-3) 6-3.  i was feeling horrible earlier in the week   roddick said.  i thought tonight was a step in the right direction.  saulnier battled to a 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-3 win over seventh seed jurgen melzer  who twisted his ankle early in the second set. roddick won the last four points of the first-set tie-break before being broken at the start of the second set. but he broke straight back and then broke haas again to lead 4-2.  it s extremely frustrating when you have chances against a top-five player and don t do anything with them   admitted haas.  i rushed a few backhands and he took advantage.  saulnier will move into the world s top 50 for the first time after his passage through to the final.  it s taken a lot of work and a lot of fighting in my mind   he revealed.  sometimes i didn t believe i could get to a final and now i am here. i ve stayed mentally strong.  i m on the way. i ll keep fighting and work a lot and i ll be up there.


prince crowned  top music earner  prince earned more than any other pop star in 2004  beating artists such madonna and elton john in us magazine rolling stone s annual list.  the singer banked $56.5m (£30.4m) from concerts  album and publishing sales with his musicology tour and album. he kept madonna in second place  as she earned $54.9m (£29.5m) while embarking on her global re-invention tour. veterans simon and garfunkel were in 10th place  their comeback tour helping them earn $24.9m (£13.4m) last year.   prince returned to centre stage after a decade in the commercial wilderness   the magazine reported. the singer s 2004 tour took $90.3m (£48.5m) in ticket sales and he sold 1.9 million copies of his latest album musicology.  although she grossed more than prince last year  madonna remained in second place because of the  monumental  production costs of her tour. heavy metal band metallica s madly in anger with the world tour helped push their 2004 earnings up to $43.1m (£23.1m). they were ahead of sir elton john  who took fourth place and almost $42.7m (£23m) from performances including a debut on the las vegas strip. other seasoned performers in the list included rod stewart  whose sold-out shows and third volume of the great american songbook covers album helped net him £35m (£19m). the highest-ranking rap act in the list was 50 cent  who at number 19 took $24m (£13m) to the bank.


ebbers denies worldcom fraud former worldcom chief bernie ebbers has denied claims that he knew accountants were doctoring the books at the firm.  speaking in court  mr ebbers rejected allegations he pressured ex-chief financial officer scott sullivan to falsify company financial statements. mr sullivan  made accounting decisions   he told the federal court  saying his finance chief had  a keen command of the numbers . mr ebbers has denied charges of fraud and conspiracy. during his second day of questioning in the new york trial mr ebbers played down his working relationship with mr sullivan and denied he frequently met him to discuss company business when questioned by the prosecution.   in a lot of weeks  we would speak ... three or four times   mr ebbers said  adding that conversations about finances were rarely one-on-one and were usually discussed by a  group of people  instead.  mr ebbers relationship to mr sullivan is key to the case surrounding financial corruption that led to the collapse of the firm in 2002 following the discovery of an $11bn accounting fraud. the prosecution s star witness is mr sullivan  one of six worldcom executives indicted in the case  he has pleaded guilty to fraud and appeared as a prosecution witness as part of an agreement with prosecutors. during his time on the witness stand mr sullivan repeatedly told jurors he met frequently with mr ebbers  told him about changes made to worldcom s accounts to hide costs and had warned him such practises were improper. however during the case on tuesday mr ebbers denied the allegations.  i wasn t advised by scott sullivan of anything ever being wrong   he told the court.  he s never told me he made an entry that wasn t right. if he had  we wouldn t be here today.  mr ebbers could face a jail sentence of up to 85 years if convicted of all the charges he is facing. shareholders lost about $180bn in worldcom s collapse  20 000 workers lost their jobs and the company went bankrupt. the company emerged from bankruptcy last year and is now known as mci.


china now top trader with japan china overtook the us to become japan s biggest trading partner in 2004  according to numbers released by japan s finance ministry on wednesday.  china accounted for 20.1% of japan s trade in 2004  compared with 18.6% for the us. in 2003  the us was ahead with 20.5% and china came second with 19.2%. the change highlights china s growing importance as an economic powerhouse. in 2004  japan s imports from and exports to china (and hong kong) added up to 22 201bn yen ($214.6bn;£114.5bn). this is the highest figure for japanese trade with china since records began in 1947. it compares with 20 479.5bn yen in trade with the us.  trade with the us during 2004 was hurt by one-off factors  including a 13-month ban on us beef imports following the discovery of a cow infected with mad cow disease (bse) in the us. however  economists predict china will become an even more important japanese trading partner in the coming years. on tuesday  figures showed china s economy grew by 9.5% in 2004 and experts say the overall growth picture remains strong. analysts see two spurs to future growth as being china s membership of the world trade organisation and lower trade tariffs. during 2004  japan s trade surplus grew 17.9% to 12.011 trillion yen  with more than half the surplus  6.962 trillion yen  accounted for by its trade with the us. in december  the surplus grew 1.8% on a year ago to 1.14 trillion yen thanks to stronger-than-expected exports.


downing injury mars uefa victory middlesbrough boss steve mcclaren hopes that stewart downing did not seriously damage his hamstring during the 2-1 uefa cup win over graz ak.  the winger was carried off on a stretcher in the closing stages as boro booked their place in the last 16. mcclaren said:  stewart has tweaked a hamstring  which is a blow for us. we will assess it in the morning.  but i m delighted with the match result. they say in sport you can win ugly - and we certainly did.  mcclaren was relieved to make it through after a tough encounter at the riverside.   to be fair to graz  they had a gameplan - they knocked the ball forward  especially in the first half  and we struggled to deal with it.  in the second half we were better but it was frustrating because we got the goal - but one slip and they were back in it.  boro face sporting lisbon for a place in the quarter-finals after the portuguese side saw off feyenoord on thursday. and mcclaren added:  sporting are technically very good - portuguese sides always are.  but the journey goes on for us and we will now go to their magnificent stadium - after the first game here - we ll look forward to it.  goalscorer jimmy floyd hasselbaink added:  it wasn t a particularly beautiful match to watch - but they made it difficult for us.  we didn t play well at all. but you need a little bit of luck and i think we got that when my shot went through the legs of their goalkeeper.  i would have liked to play in holland - that would have been a little bit special to me.  but so is going back to portugal - i ll be playing against some lads i played with at boavista.


mps to debate  euthanasia laws  mps are preparing to debate a bill which critics claim would legalise euthanasia  by the back door .  the bill would give legal force to  living wills   where people say they want medical treatment withheld if they become severely incapacitated. the mental capacity bill has broad support from charities who say it would give better safeguards over treatment. but christian groups say it could mean doctors withholding food and fluids even if they think it inappropriate.  ministers insist the mental capacity bill - for england and wales - would not change laws on assisted suicide and contains a presumption in favour of preserving life.  the bill would establish a legal presumption that everybody can make decisions about their own treatment unless proved otherwise. it would allow people to give somebody the power of attorney to make decisions on their behalf  which could be challenged by doctors. critics fear it could allow  killing by omission  through withdrawing treatment. an amendment to the bill - specifically preventing decisions that would bring about death - has been tabled by former conservative leader iain duncan smith. ninety one mps have signed a petition backing the amendment. mps could vote on it later on tuesday  during the bill s report stage debate. the bill will then go to a third reading and be debated in the lords  before becoming law.  the christian medical fellowship (cmf) and lawyers  christian fellowship (lcf) said the mental capacity bill would allow euthanasia by the  back door . peter saunders of the cmf said it believed advance refusals should be only advisory  not legally binding.  cmf is concerned that patients will make unwise and hasty advance decisions to refuse food and fluids without being properly informed about the diagnosis and the expected course their illness will take   he said.  the lcf s andrea williams said there were  too many loopholes that could be abused by unscrupulous doctors . ex-labour minister frank field told bbc two s newsnight programme there was a danger people would feel under pressure to  do away  with themselves so relatives could inherit their assets.  constitutional affairs minister david lammy said laws affecting 750 000 people with dementia needed updating. mr lammy told bbc news labour mps would not get a free vote as the law was being strengthened  not changed.  we are against euthanasia  we are against assisted suicide but we are in a situation now where people can make living wills and that has the force of the common law   he said.  doctors are saying they want more clarity. patients are saying they want more clarity.  the making decisions alliance  which includes the alzheimer s society  age concern  mencap and the national autistic society  said misunderstandings over the bill had to be cleared up.  it will not change the current law on euthanasia and will actually provide a series of better safeguards when decisions are made for people who lack capacity   the alliance said in a statement. the british medical association also backs the bill  saying it just gives incapacitated people the same rights as others. debate on legalising euthanasia has intensified in the uk because of cases like that of motor neurone patient diane pretty. she died two years ago after losing a legal battle to allow her husband to help her commit suicide.


drink remark  acts as diversion  the first minister s statement that it was okay to get drunk  once in a while  has diverted attention from the real issues  it has been claimed.  jack law  chief executive of alcohol focus scotland  said jack mcconnell s comment was  ill-advised . the media attention had helped to move the focus from scotland s binge drinking problems  mr law said. scotsman journalist hamish macdonell said he believed the bigger picture had been  obscured  by the remark. mr mcconnell was speaking on monday to more than 100 secondary pupils from schools in the highlands about the problems of binge drinking and drink promotions.  the one-sentence comment was immediately criticised by the scottish national party which accused him of encouraging young people to get drunk. but the scottish executive has insisted mr mcconnell was speaking about adults and his comments were  a recognition that people will get drunk . mr macdonell  political editor of the scotsman  said:  i think we have to say right at the outset that this was a very stupid and ill-advised remark by the first minister.  if you come out with something like this  saying that by all means get drunk  then you will be pilloried for it.  however  he added that  perhaps mr mcconnell could feel rightly aggrieved about the coverage .  mr macdonell said:  i think the problem here is that he did say a lot more things about binge drinking and under age drinking.  but that whole side of things has been lost in the furore over one sentence. i understand why  but i think there is a much bigger message here that has been obscured.  mr law  from voluntary body alcohol focus scotland  believed damage had been done to scotland s fight against binge drinking. he said he accepted that young people drank and they did have problems with drink. mr law added:  i think the remark was ill-advised - but these remarks are blown out of all proportion and they so easily misrepresent what we are trying to do in scotland.   we don t want to preach to young people  but we need to acknowledge that they do drink problematically.  this diverts us from the real issues which are about promoting responsibility and reducing harm and indeed tackling our drinking culture which is a culture about binge drinking and drunkenness.  he said it was vital that young people were properly informed about the risks incurred to themselves and others when they got drunk. mr macdonell said that the first minister should know by now that if he said things which were  off the mark   they were bound to  come back and bite him . he added:  here  mr mcconnell was talking in the highlands to 100 teenagers and every word he said was put out on a webcast by the scottish executive and then looked at by other politicians and reporters.  i think in this instance he has done a lot of really good things and he will be regretting this remark.   the scottish national party s holyrood leader nicola sturgeon wrote to mr mcconnell on tuesday accusing him of an error of judgement and calling for him to apologise for his  ill-judged comment  and withdraw it immediately. in a furious response  the first minister said his comments had been distorted and taken out of context. he told ms sturgeon:  it is disappointing that you have contributed to this distortion by saying it is staggering that i  should encourage young people to get drunk .  that is completely untrue. perhaps it would have been wiser for you to find out what was actually said before you rushed to represent my position  undermine the convener of education at highland council and insult the intelligence of the young people i spoke with - all for the sake of a simple soundbite.


housewives lift channel 4 ratings the debut of us television hit desperate housewives has helped lift channel 4 s january audience share by 12% compared to last year.  other successes such as celebrity big brother and the simpsons have enabled the broadcaster to surpass bbc2 for the first month since last july. however the channel s share of the audience fell from 11.2% to 9.6% last month in comparison with january 2004. celebrity big brother attracted less viewers than its 2002 series.  comedy drama desperate housewives managed to pull in five million viewers at one point during its run to date  attracting a quarter of the television audience. the two main television channels  bbc1 and itv1  have both seen their monthly audience share decline in a year on year comparison for january  while five s proportion remained the same at a slender 6.3%. digital multi-channel tv is continuing to be the strongest area of growth  with the bbc reporting freeview box ownership of five million  including one million sales in the last portion of 2004. its share of the audience soared by 20% in january 2005 compared with last year  and currently stands at an average of 28.6%.


disputed nirvana box set on sale a box set featuring 68 unreleased nirvana tracks has gone on sale in the us  after years of legal wrangles.  with the lights out was intended to be released in 2001  to mark the 10th anniversary of the album nevermind. it was blocked by courtney love  the widow of nirvana frontman kurt cobain  who did not want unreleased song you know you re right on the box set. the dispute between love and surviving band members krist novoselic and drummer dave grohl was settled in 2002. work began on the box set in 1998  but legal battles put the project on hold. the legal fight centred on a studio recording of the unreleased track you know you re right  regarded by fans as one of the unreleased gems of nirvana. the set  released on tuesday  features three cds and a dvd of rare performance and rehearsal footage. the dvd also includes the first performance of smells like teen spirit  the track that launched nirvana on to the international stage in 1991.  the band wasn t always pretty  or always in tune. this is not nirvana unplugged. it s nirvana unedited   said cobain biographer charles cross. the band s development ended tragically when songwriter kurt cobain committed suicide in april 1994.


mps issued with blackberry threat mps will be thrown out of the commons if they use blackberries in the chamber speaker michael martin has ruled.  the £200 handheld computers can be used as a phone  pager or to send e-mails. the devices gained new prominence this week after alastair campbell used his to accidentally send an expletive-laden message to a newsnight journalist. mr martin revealed some mps had been using their blackberries during debates and he also cautioned members against using hidden earpieces.  the use of electronic devices in the commons chamber has long been frowned on. the sound of a mobile phone or a pager can result in a strong rebuke from either the speaker or his deputies. the speaker chairs debates in the commons and is charged with ensuring order in the chamber and enforcing rules and conventions of the house. he or she is always an mp chosen by colleagues who  once nominated  gives up all party political allegiances.


web radio takes spanish rap global spin the radio dial in the us and you are likely to find plenty of spanish-language music. but what you will not find is much spanish-language hip-hop.  hip-hop and rap are actually quite popular in the spanish-speaking world  but local artists are having trouble marketing their work abroad. but now  a us company is bringing rap and hip-hop en espanol to computer users everywhere. los caballeros de plan g are one of mexico s hottest hip-hop acts. they have a devoted fan base in their native monterrey. but most mexican hip-hop fans  not to mention fans in most of the spanish-speaking world  rarely get a chance to hear the group s tracks on the radio.   you can t really just go on the radio and listen to hip-hop in spanish... it s just not accessible   says manuel millan  a native of san diego  california.  it s really hard for the spanish hip-hop scene to get into mainstream radio. you usually have a very commercialised sound and the groups are not really known around the country or around the world.  millan and two friends set out to change that - they wanted to make groups like los caballeros de plan g accessible to fans globally.  mainstream radio stations were not going to play this kind of music  and starting their own broadcast station was economically impossible. so  millan and his friends launched a website called latinohiphopradio.com. the name says it all: it is web-based radio  devoted to the hottest spanish language rap and hip-hop tracks. the site  which is in both in english and spanish  is meant to be easy to navigate. all the user has to do is download a media player. there are no djs. it is just music streamed over the net for free. suddenly  with the help of the website  los caballeros de plan g are producing  export quality  rap.  the web might be just the right medium for spanish language hip-hop right now. the genre is in what millan calls its  infant stage . but the production values are improving  and artists such as argentina s mustafa yoda are pushing to make it better and better. mustafa yoda is currently one of the hottest tracks on latinohiphopradio.com.  he s considered the eminem of argentina  and the latin american hip-hop scene   millan says.  he really hasn t had that much exposure as far as anywhere in the world  but he s definitely the one to look out for as far as becoming the next big thing in the spanish-speaking world.  currently  the chilean group makisa is also in latinohiphopradio.com s top 10  as is cuban artist papo record.  every country s got it s own cultural differences and they try to put those into their own songs   millan says. latinohiphopradio.com has been up and running for a couple of months now. the site has listeners from across the spanish speaking world. right now  mexico leads the way  accounting for about 50% of listeners. but web surfers in spain are logging in as well - about 25% of the web station s traffic comes from there. that is not surprising as many consider spain to be the leader in spanish-language rap and hip-hop. millan says that spain is actually just behind the united states and france in terms of overall rap and hip-hop production. that might be changing  though  as more and more latin american artists are finding audiences.  but one spaniard is still firmly in latinohiphopradio.com s top 10. his name is tote king and manuel millan says that he is the hip-hop leader in spain. on his track uno contra veinte emcees  or one against 20 emcees  tote king shows he is well aware of that fact.  it s basically him bragging that he s one of the best emcees in spain right now   millan says.  and it s pretty much true. he has the tightest productions  and his rap flow is impeccable  it s amazing.  latinohiphopradio.com is hoping to expand in the coming year. millan says they want to include more music and more news from the world of spanish language hip-hop and rap.  clark boyd is technology correspondent for the world  a bbc world service and wgbh-boston co-production.


apple unveils low-cost  mac mini  apple has unveiled a new  low-cost macintosh computer for the masses  billed as the mac mini.  chief executive steve jobs showed off the new machine at his annual macworld speech  in san francisco. the $499 macintosh  sold for £339 in the uk  was described by jobs as the  most important mac  made by apple. mr jobs also unveiled the ipod shuffle  a new music player using cheaper flash memory rather than hard drives  which are used in more expensive ipods.  the new computer shifts the company into new territory - traditionally  the firm is known as a design and innovation-led firm rather than as a mass-market manufacturer. the mac mini comes without a monitor  keyboard and mouse  and a second version with a larger hard drive will also be sold for $599.  the machine - which will be available from 22 january - was described by jobs as  byodkm... bring your own display  keyboard  and mouse . in an attempt to win over windows pc customers  mr jobs said it would appeal to people thinking of changing operating systems.  people who are thinking of switching will have no more excuses   he said.  it s the newest and most affordable mac ever.  the new computer has been the subject of speculation for several weeks and while few people will be surprised by the announcement many analysts had already said it was a sensible move. in january  apple sued a website after it published what it said were specifications for the new computer. ian harris  deputy editor of uk magazine mac format  said the machine would appeal to pc-owning consumers who had purchased an ipod.   they want a further taste of mac because they like what they have seen with ipod.  harris added:  everybody thought that apple was happy to remain a niche maker of luxury computers  and moving into a market dominated by low margin manufacturers like dell is a bold move.  but it shows that apple is keen to capitalise on the mass market success it s had with the ipod. the mac mini will appeal to pc users looking for an attractive   no fuss  computer.  the new ipod shuffle comes in two versions - one offering 512mb of storage for $99 (£69 in the uk) and a second with one gigabyte of storage for $149 (£99) - and went on sale tuesday. the music player has no display and will play songs either consecutively or shuffled. the smaller ipod will hold about 120 songs  said mr jobs. mr jobs told the delegates at macworld that ipod already had a 65% market share of all digital music players.


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


child access law shake-up planned parents who refuse to allow former partners contact with their children could be electronically tagged under plans being considered by ministers.  curfews and community service orders were other options which could be used if court orders to allow parental access were defied  lord falconer said. the constitutional affairs secretary outlined some of the plans on tuesday. he denied fathers  activists had forced the changes  telling the bbc  there is a recognition that something is wrong . between 15 000 and 20 000 couples go to court to resolve access disputes each year  although in nine out of 10 separations there is no court intervention.  lord falconer told bbc radio 4 s today programme he hoped voluntary mediation could help solve disputes before they reached court. but he opposed compulsory mediation  saying that it would lead to many people taking part with the wrong attitude. other plans include:  - parenting plans to give advice on access arrangements  based on real-life examples that have worked in the past   - extending in-court conciliation - more informal hearings before contested court cases   - better access to legal  emotional and practical advice by telephone and internet   - legal aid changes to give incentives for early resolution of disputes.  judges can already jail parents who breach contact orders but that was a  nuclear option  which was rarely used as it was not seen as being in the child s interests  a spokesman said. the aim of the new legislation was to provide a  medium range  of penalties  such as fines  community service orders  compulsory anger management or parenting classes or curfews.  failure to comply with these measures could result in offenders being electronically tagged. on the possibility of tagging uncooperative parents  lord falconer said:  tagging may be going too far  but let s have a debate about that.  full details of the new powers will not be revealed until a bill is published  in the next two weeks   a spokesman said.  the government s proposals have met with disapproval from fathers  rights groups. john ison  from the controversial group fathers 4 justice  said:  it is very disappointing. what we have got is a cynical case of recycling existing legislation.  jim parton  from families need fathers  said the new proposals  lacked compulsion .   we would like to see couples develop a plan and then have it as a source of a court order - then you know where you stand  you know what the minimum access is.  otherwise  you see people make agreements which then fall apart.  mr parton said he had been told by children s minister margaret hodge there was not enough time to pass the bill through parliament before the general election  which is likely to take place in may.  the conservatives have called for an equal split between parents on access to be made law. theresa may  shadow secretary for the family  told bbc radio 4 s today programme that the government s plans were  inadequate  and were  papering over the cracks of the current system . she said a conservative government would bring a  radical reform  of the family courts  as well as enforcing a  legal presumption of co-parenting and compulsory mediation .  we want to make courts the last resort  rather than the first resort   she added. the government says children cannot simply be divided up  like property  when a marriage collapses. the liberal democrats have argued for flexibility in deciding access rules  rather than having  rigid targets .


hantuchova in dubai last eight daniela hantuchova moved into the quarter-finals of the dubai open  after beating elene likhotseva of russia 7-5 6-4  and now faces serena williams.  australian open champion williams survived an early scare to beat russia s elena bovina 1-6 6-1 6-4. world number one lindsay davenport and anastasia myskina also progressed. davenport defeated china s jie zheng 6-2 7-5  while french open champion myskina sailed through after her opponent marion bartoli retired hurt. american davenport will now face fellow former wimbledon champion  conchita martinez of spain  who ousted seventh-seeded nathalie dechy of france 6-1 6-2. myskina will face eighth-seed patty schnyder from switzerland  who defeated china s li na 6-3 7-6 (10-8). the other quarter final pits wild card sania mirza of india against jelena jankovic of serbia and montenegro  who both won on tuesday.  before her meeting with martinez  davenport believes there is some room for improvement in her game.  i started well and finished well  but played some so-so games in the middle   she said. williams was also far from content.  i don t know what i was doing there   she said.  it was really windy and i hadn t played in the wind. all my shots were going out of here.  but hantuchova is in upbeat mood ahead of her clash with the younger williams sister  who was handed a first-round bye.  i feel i have an advantage (over serena) because i have already played two matches on these courts   she said.  it is a difficult court to play on. very fast and sometimes you feel you have no control over the ball.


france telecom gets orange boost strong growth in subscriptions to mobile phone network orange has helped boost profits at owner france telecom.  orange added more than five million new customers in 2004  leading to a 10% increase in its revenues. increased take-up of broadband telecoms services also boosted france telecom s profits  which showed a 5.5% rise to 18.3bn euros ($23.4bn; £12.5bn). france telecom is to spend 578m euros on buying out minority shareholders in data services provider equant.  france telecom  one of the world s largest telecoms and internet service providers  saw its full-year sales rise 2.2% to 47.2bn euros in 2004.  orange enjoyed strong growth outside france and the united kingdom - its core markets - swelling its subscriber base to 5.4 million. france telecom s broadband customers also increased  rising to 5.1 million across europe by the end of the year. the firm said it had met its main strategic objectives of growing its individual businesses and further reducing its large debt. an ill-fated expansion drive in the late 1990s saw france telecom s debt soar to 72bn euros by 2002. however  this has now been reduced to 43.9bn euros.  our results for 2004 allow us to improve our financial structure while focusing on the innovation that drives our strategy   said chief executive thierry breton.  looking ahead  the company forecast like-for-like sales growth of between 3% and 5% over the next three years. france telecom is consolidating its interest in equant  which provides telecoms and data services to businesses. subject to approval by shareholders of the two firms  it will buy the shares in equant it does not already own. france telecom said it would fund the deal by selling an 8% stake in telephone directory company pagesjaunes.


comic morris returns with sitcom comedian chris morris  who created controversial tv show brass eye  is to return to screens with a new sitcom about a spoof london media worker.  morris will direct and co-write nathan barley - a character from cult website tv go home - for channel 4. it is a send-up of the stereotypical  cool  metropolitan media scene  with nicholas burns in the title role. a brass eye satire of the media handling of paedophilia sparked 2 500 complaints in 2001.  nathan barley will be  a character-driven comedy   according to charlie brooker  who created tv go home in 1999 and has co-written the series. barley is described as a  webmaster  guerrilla film-maker  screenwriter  dj and in his own words  a  self-facilitating media node . the story will also feature dan ashcroft  a style magazine columnist  and his sister claire  a film-maker who hates the  cool  scene. as well as brass eye  morris was behind another news show satire  the day today  and dark sketch comedy jam. the new show is expected to begin in february.


february poll claim  speculation  reports that tony blair is planning a snap general election for february 2005 have been described as  idle speculation  by downing street.  a spokesman said he had  no idea  where the reports in the sunday times and sunday telegraph had come from. the papers suggest ministers believe the government could benefit from a  baghdad bounce  following successful iraq elections in january. a british general election was last held in february in 1974. in that election  edward heath lost and failed to build a coalition with the liberals. harold wilson took over and increased his majority later in the year in a second election  the latest speculation suggests the prime minister favours a february poll in order to exploit his current opinion poll lead over conservative leader michael howard. but that strategy could prompt criticism he was seeking to  cut and run  after less then four years of a parliamentary term. the papers report that alan milburn  labour s head of elections strategy  has played a key role in the plan for a february election  which would include a new year advertising blitz. new labour s campaign  both newspapers said  would be centred around the slogan  britain is working . a labour party spokesman said the election date was ultimately a matter for mr blair  but he was unaware of anything to suggest it would be in february. most commentators have been expecting an election on 5 may. the last election was in june 2001.


ireland 17-12 south africa ronan o gara scored all ireland s points as the home side claimed only their second ever win over south africa on an emotional day at lansdowne road.  o gara s first-half try  poached after a quick tap-penalty  helped the irish to a 8-3 lead at half-time. three further o gara penalties extended ireland s lead to 17-6 as the game entered the final quarter. two percy montgomery penalties set up a frantic finish but ireland held out to claim a famous victory. ireland began strongly and were never led  but the match was tense and closely fought throughout. aware of the threat posed by the south africans  ireland pressed hard from the outset  and played some impressive rugby while searching for a breakthrough. early on  denis hickie thought he was in for a try after a delightful backline move but shane horgan s pass was adjudged to have gone forward by referee paul honiss.  ireland continued to press and they showed their intent by opting for a line-out in the 19th minute when three straight-forward points were on offer. another south african infringement a minute later led to ireland s first points - o gara took a quick tap-penalty and charged over the opposition line for an irish try. the springboks could feel hard done by as captain john smit had his back to the play when o gara pounced after referee honiss had told the skipper to warn his own players after consistent infringements. stung by the score  the south africans almost replied with a try of their own within 60 seconds with geordan murphy s ankle-tap tackle denying a certain try for percy montgomery. however  the springboks did win a penalty a minute later which montgomery easily slotted to cut ireland s lead to 5-3.  ireland got out of jail when the south africans had a three-to-one overlap near the irish line only to waste the chance. after the sustained springboks pressure  the irish produced an attack of their own in the 34th minute which culminated with o gara s clever drop-goal to restore his side s lead to five points which remained the margin at half-time. sustained irish pressure immediately after half-time was rewarded by another o gara penalty. however  montgomery responded quickly by slotting over a superb penalty from near the right touchline to cut ireland s lead to five points again. montgomery then burst through the irish defence in the 48th minute and it took a superb girvan dempsey tackle to prevent a try. the south africans suffered a double-blow in the 52nd minute when schalk burger was sin-binned for the second week in a row after killing the ball and o gara punished the transgression by notching another penalty.  in the 61st minute  hickie was left frustrated by a poor pass from girvan dempsey as a chance to seal the match was wasted. however  a late tackle on brian o driscoll enabled o gara to notch another penalty in the 63rd minute which extended ireland s lead to 17-6. however  two montgomery penalties had ireland s lead in peril again as the springboks closed to within five points with seven minutes remaining. south africa produced a huge effort in the closing minutes but ireland held on to claim a deserved victory.  g dempsey; g murphy  b o driscoll (capt)  s horgan  d hickie; r o gara  p stringer; r corrigan  s byrne  j hayes  m o kelly  p o connell  s easterby  j o connor  a foley.  f sheahan  m horan  d o callaghan  e miller  g easterby  d humphreys  k maggs.  : p montgomery; b paulse  m joubert  de wet barry  a willemse  j van der westhuyzen; f du preez; o du randt  j smit (captain)  e andrews  b botha  v matfield  s burger  aj venter  j van niekerk.  : h shimange  cj van der linde  g britz  d rossouw  m claassens  j de villiers  g du toit/j fourie.  paul honiss (new zealand)


loyalty cards idea for tv addicts viewers could soon be rewarded for watching tv as loyalty cards come to a screen near you.  any household hooked up to sky could soon be using smartcards in conjunction with their set-top boxes. broadcasters such as sky and itv could offer viewers loyalty points in return for watching a particular channel or programme. sky will activate a spare slot on set-top boxes in january  marketing magazine new media age reported.  sky set-top boxes have two slots. one is for the viewer s decryption card  while the other has been dormant until now.  loyalty cards have become a common addition to most wallets  as high street brands rush to keep customers with a series of incentives offered by store cards. now similar schemes look set to enter the highly competitive world of multi-channel tv. viewers who stay loyal to a particular tv channel could be rewarded by free tv content or freebies from retail partners. broadcasters aiming content at children could offer smartcards which gives membership to exclusive content and clubs.  parents could pre-pay for some content  as a kind of tv pocket money card   said nigel whalley  managing director of media consultancy decipher.  viewers could even be rewarded for watching ad breaks  with ideas such as ad bingo being touted by firms keen to make money out of the new market  said mr whalley. credit cards that have been chipped could be used in set-top boxes to pay for movies  gambling and gaming.  the idea of an intelligent card in boxes offers a lot of possibilities. it will be down to the ingenuity of the content players   said mr whalley. for the bbc  revenue-generating activity will be of little interest but the new development may prompt changes to freeview set-top boxes  said mr whalley. currently most freeview boxes do not have a slot which would allow viewers to use a smartcard. some 7.4 million households have sky boxes and sky is hoping to increase this to 10 million by 2010. loyalty cards could play a role in this  particularly in reducing the number of people who cancel their sky subscriptions  said ian fogg  an analyst with jupiter research.


top tories on lib dem  hit list  the liberal democrats are aiming to unseat a string of top tories - including leader michael howard - at the next general election.  mr howard s seat is at the top of the liberal democrats  list. others targeted include oliver letwin  david davis and theresa may  lib dem s elections chief lord rennard said. he said it was  nothing personal  but that  very many of the prominent conservatives  had slender leads in seats where the lib dems were second.  in 2001  michael howard won the folkestone & hythe seat with 20 645 votes  compared to 14 738 for the liberal democrat candidate peter carroll  giving the tory leader a majority of 5 907. asked if this amounted to the party s much vaunted  decapitation strategy  lord rennard said it was not a term he had ever used. but he urged labour supporters to vote tactically to remove prominent conservatives.  i just don t think labour voters in these sort of seats could resist the temptation to use their votes effectively to remove a conservative.  he denied this strategy was opportunism  insisting the lib dem s policies on issues such as tuition fees  the council tax and free care for the elderly appealed  to all sides of the political spectrum .  we are in favour of tactical voting as long as the tactic is to vote liberal democrat   he added. a conservative spokesperson said:  the liberal democrats can talk all they like about strategy. the problem the liberal democrats face is that a large number of lib dem voters do not agree with their policies.  we will be pointing out how they are soft on crime  how they support higher taxes  their opposition to controlled immigration and support for giving europe more control over our lives .


errors  doomed first dome sale the initial attempt to sell the millennium dome failed due to a catalogue of errors  a report by the government s finance watchdog says.  the report said too many parties were involved in decision-making when the attraction first went on sale after the millennium exhibition ended. the national audit office said the dome cost taxpayers £28.7m to maintain and sell in the four years after it closed. finally  a deal to turn it into a sport and entertainment venue was struck. more than £550m could now be returned to the public sector in the wake of the deal to regenerate the site in greenwich  london.  the nao report said that this sale went through because it avoided many of the problems of the previous attempt to sell the dome. deputy prime minister john prescott said a good deal had been secured.  delivery of the many benefits secured through this deal will continue the substantial progress already made at the millennium village and elsewhere on the peninsula   he said. but edward leigh  who is chairman of the commons public accounts committee  warned the government would have to work hard to ensure taxpayers would get full benefit from the dome deal. he said:  this report also shows that the first attempt to sell the dome proved a complete fiasco. every arm of government seems to have had a finger in the pie. the process was confused and muddled.  he added:  four years after the millennium exhibition closed  the government finally has a deal to find a use for what has been a white elephant since it closed in a deal that  incredible as it may seem  should bring in some money and provide a benefit for the local area and the country as whole. however  it was more a question of luck that a strong bid turned up after thefirst abortive attempt.  nao head sir john bourn said:  in difficult circumstances following the failure of the first competition  english partnerships and the office of the deputy prime minister have worked hard to get a deal.


george michael to perform for bbc george michael is to perform live at london s abbey road studios as part of a bbc radio 2 special next month.  the session  which will broadcast on 18 december  will also see him talk about how his biggest hits came about. michael s appearance is part of the station s sold on song initiative  which explores the art of songwriting. the station also confirmed that chris tarrant will be hosting a one-off new year s eve programme. he left london s capital fm this year after 17 years. the former breakfast show host - who attracted some of the highest ratings in britain  despite only broadcasting to london - will offer his own individual take on the year in the two-hour show.  this should be great fun   tarrant said.  i ve had a fantastic year and i know that lots of other people have as well. i m definitely looking forward to being on radio 2.  other christmas specials from radio 2 include singer jamelia hosting a christmas day concert from the london community gospel choir  while actor christopher lee will read fireside tales from the likes of edgar allan poe  e nesbit and ambrose bierce. comedian harry hill will host a spoof nostalgia show on christmas day  while singer jamie cullum will perform a live concert for the station.


collins named uk athletics chief uk athletics has ended its search for a new performance director by appointing psychologist dave collins.  collins  who worked with the british teams at the 2000 and 2004 olympics  takes over from max jones. six candidates were interviewed for the job  including denise lewis  coach charles van commenee and former british triple jumper keith connor.  we ve searched long and hard to ensure we have found the right person   said uka chief executive david moorcroft.  we have thoroughly tested the candidates. i believe david will make a great leader and i have great faith in what he will achieve.  collins said:  it s a great challenge. over the next few months i will spend time listening to those who already make a significant contribution to athletics and other elite sports in the uk.  collins  who has worked with javelin thrower steve backley in the past  started his career as a royal marine before becoming a pe teacher. he is currently professor of physical education and sport performance at edinburgh university  where he helps competitors across many sports  including rugby  athletics  judo and football.  he has specialised in helping competitors fulfil their potential through psychology and has worked with the great britain women s curling team  who won gold at the 2002 winter olympics. mark lewis-francis sought collins  advice in athens when he was looking for inspiration before he ran the final leg of britain s surprise triumph in the 4x100m relay. collins has played rugby at regional level  was captain of the great britain american football team  and competed at national level in judo and karate. he arrives with british athletics at a crossroads. despite kelly holmes  golden double and the success of the sprint relay squad  the gb team failed to live up to expectations in athens. many older competitors have retired or are coming to the end of their careers  and britain failed to win a single medal at the world junior championships in italy this year. collins will not have day-to-day coaching contact with the athletes  but will be expected to make changes to the system and coaching set-up in order to secure medals at the beijing olympics in 2008. the appointment of a new performance director was one of the main recommendations in sir andrew foster s review of the sport  which was published in may. it was commissioned by uk sport and sport england  which wanted uk athletics to justify funding of more than £40m from the government following the failure to hang on to the 2005 world championships  which are now being held in helsinki. van commenee dropped out of the selection process to take on the same role with the dutch olympic committee  while connor s application was rejected after an arduous interview process. foster  however  declared himself satisfied with how the appointment was made.  the appointment of david collins  with his strong mix of leadership skills and managerial experience  is testament to the professional and detailed recruitment process   he said.


stars shine on bafta red carpet hollywood stars brought a touch of glamour to london on saturday for the biggest night in the british film calendar.  cate blanchett  leonardo dicaprio and richard gere were just some of the actors who attended the 2005 bafta film awards. they emerged from limos at leicester square to an uncertain british climate that threatened rain one moment and promised late winter sunshine the next. but the gods were certainly shining on the thousands of film fans who lined the red carpet to meet their idols. screaming built up into a crescendo as more and more big name stars appeared. the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the aviator star leonardo dicaprio  who paused in the chilly february air to sign autographs for the throngs. he said the ear-piercing welcome was  unlike anything i ve ever encountered. it s very intense and very loud.   best actress winner imelda staunton  who wore a green chiffon dress that sparkled with sequins and beads  told the bbc news website that vera drake was the highlight of her career. her role as a backstreet abortionist in the gritty low-budget film has already led to a clutch of awards and an oscar nomination. she said:  never in a million years did i think this was going to happen.  being here and just being nominated is great  but i hope it means more people will go and see the film as well.  rooting for staunton in the best actress category was cate blanchett  herself nominated for her supporting role as hollywood icon katherine hepburn in the aviator.  shivering in a floor-length shimmering armani dress  the australian-born actress stopped to sign autographs and joked:  it s tight but i love it.  glamour was also brought to the evening by actress sienna miller  supermodel claudia schiffer - who was supporting her director husband matthew vaughn - troy actress diane kruger and star of the tv programme the oc  micha barton. wearing a caramel-coloured floaty frock by the designer alexander mcqueen  miller told reporters the red carpet experience was  intense  nerve-wracking and cold . the younger stars of british film were also represented in the shape of emma watson  who plays hermione in the harry potter films. the 14-year-old said she was hoping to meet dicaprio and keanu reeves but joked that  they are probably a little too old for me .  actor christian slater  who is currently starring in one flew over the cuckoo s nest in london s west end  was greeted by cries of  christian  christian  by the ever vocal crowd. keanu reeves  who presented the best actress award  said being on the red carpet was an  exciting  part of his job.  it is always surreal and when it is nice  it is nice   he said. martin scorsese  whose movie the aviator went on to win best film  said being honoured in the uk meant a lot to him. he said:  i am a great admirer of british cinema since the 1930s and 40s  up until now.   they give me a new energy when i see the best coming out of england and every two or three years is a whole new cycle of tough and young film-makers  and even the older ones are making good films.  to recognise me in this way is a great honour.  british actor clive owen  who has won a golden globe and a bafta for his supporting role in closer  said it  meant a lot  to be at the ceremony. he said:  just to be here really  at the baftas. the bottom line is it is a celebration of british films.


ray dvd beats box office takings oscar-nominated film biopic ray has surpassed its us box office takings with a combined tally of $80m (£43m) from dvd and video sales and rentals.  ray s success on dvd outstripped its $74m (£40m) us box office total  earning more than $40m (£22m) on the first day of the dvd s release alone. ray has been nominated in six oscar categories including best film and best actor for jamie foxx. the film recounts the life of blues singer ray charles  who died in 2004. in its first week on home entertainment release the film was the number one selling dvd  with the limited edition version coming in at number 11. sony horror film the grudge  starring michelle gellar  was the us  second best-selling dvd  with jennifer lopez and richard gere s romantic comedy shall we dance  at number three. foxx s critically acclaimed performance as ray has already earned him a screen actors guild award for best actor  as well as a prestigious golden globe. ray director taylor hackford  responsible for the classic 1982 film an officer and a gentleman  has also received an oscar nomination in the best director category. the film s three other oscar nominations are for costume  film editing and sound mixing.


director nair s vanity project indian film director mira nair has said she was thrilled to be given the chance to make william makepeace thackeray s novel vanity fair - as the book has been a favourite through her life.  the book is one of the classics of english literature - the story of scheming 19th century social climber becky sharp  played in the film by reese witherspoon. nair said that she jumped at the chance to work on the film  which she has - controversially - made in a bollywood style  including two song-and-dance routines in the film s second half.  it was serendipity really - i was offered vanity fair by the studio focus features  who had distributed monsoon wedding   nair told bbc world service s masterpiece programme.  they offered me their next-best thing  not realising that vanity fair had actually been one of my favourite novels since i was 16 years old in an irish catholic boarding school in india.   since her 1988 debut feature salaam bombay! - nominated for the best foreign language oscar and winner of best first feature at cannes - nair has become one of india s most famous and respected directors. she is not restricted to bollywood  however - she followed salaam bombay! with mississippi masala  starring denzel washington  and the perez family  her first hollywood film.  her career peaked with monsoon wedding in 2001  which won the golden lion award at venice. nair s indian-style adaptation of vanity fair  however  has been attacked by critics in the us - where it only reached number eight at the box office in its opening week - who described the bollywood elements as  jarring.  the film has a new ending  with becky sharp running off for a new life in india. but nair said that her film had picked up on the way thackeray - who was born in india but moved to england as a young man - had seen the world.  first  when i was 16  it was becky sharp  who is a completely memorable character  because i recognised myself in her - i recognised all the ladies who did not want to be ladies  who wanted to buck the system that they were in   she said.  but it was the sort of novel i somehow kept at the side of my bed for many years  and i would dip into every now and then and suddenly get completely mesmerised again.  as i got older and read it  i think it was thackeray s clarity - his clear-sightedness about his own society  the fact that he was born in india but came to england as a young man - that gave him the eyes of an outsider  and yet he was an insider.  that perspective was something i really loved.   nair also defended her decision to cast an american actress - reese witherspoon - as becky sharp  despite the fact that all the rest of the cast are british or irish.  i cast intuitively - in my films i cast as many non-actors as i cast actors   she said.  for me  it is intuition - i have to fall in love with an actor. it is a visceral response.   thackeray describes becky sharp as a minx. also she s described as someone who s tiny  red-headed and thin. reese had that completely minx-like irresistibility about her.  having won the role because she seemed physically perfectly suited to the part  however  witherspoon then became pregnant. but nair said that  though this had created the need for some filming tricks  it had in fact also helped the film.  it was a self-fulfilling prophesy - when i first met her husband [actor ryan philippe]  i said  knock her up  won t you  i need some flesh on the girl    she joked.  i m not a fan of the underfed los angeles actor at all. this was  for me  about becky sharp being  eventually  a full-blown woman through the course of the film.  i love the luminosity that pregnancy brings  i love the fleshiness  i love the ample bosom - it gave me much more to play with.  nair explained how camera tricks had been used to disguise witherspoon s  bump  in various scenes - including hiring a number of young boys in costumes to stand in front of her.  she runs  she gets off coal carts  she jumps off horses - she does everything   nair said.  but there s also a certain carriage with horses that is going to wipe the screen at a certain moment  because of the bump.


tsunami debt deal to be announced chancellor gordon brown has said he hopes to announce a deal to suspend debt interest repayments by tsunami-hit nations later on friday.  the agreement by the g8 group of wealthy nations would save affected countries £3bn pounds a year  he said. the deal is thought to have been hammered out on thursday night after japan  one of the biggest creditor nations  finally signed up to it. mr brown first proposed the idea earlier this week.  g8 ministers are also believed to have agreed to instruct the world bank and the international monetary fund to complete a country by country analysis of the reconstruction problems faced by all states hit by the disaster. mr brown has been locked in talks with finance ministers of the g8  which britain now chairs. germany also proposed a freeze and canada has begun its own moratorium. the expected deal comes as foreign secretary jack straw said the number of britons dead or missing in the disaster have reached 440.


de niro film leads us box office film star robert de niro has returned to the top of the north american box office with his film hide and seek.  the thriller shot straight to the number one spot after taking $22m (£11.7m) at the box office. de niro recently spent three weeks at the top with comedy meet the fockers  which was at number five this week. oscar hopefuls the aviator  million dollar baby and sideways all cashed in on their multiple nominations with stronger ticket sales.  in hide and seek  de niro plays a widower whose daughter has a creepy imaginary friend. despite lukewarm reviews from critics  the film took more than the expected $18m (£9.5m).  the element of a real actor in a psychological thriller certainly elevated it   said bruce snyder  president of domestic distribution at 20th century fox. clint eastwood s million dollar baby led the oscar hopefuls with $11.8m (£6.3m)  coming in at number three during its first weekend of wide release. the aviator  a film biography of howard hughes that leads the oscar field with 11 nominations  was at number six for the weekend with $7.5m (£4m). oscar best-picture nominee sideways entered the top ten for the first time in its 15th week of release. it came in seventh $6.3 (£3.35m). last week s top film  ice cube s road-trip comedy are we there yet   slipped to second place with $17m (£9m)  while coach carter fell two places to number four  taking $8m (£4.25m) in its third week. rounding out the top ten were in good company - starring dennis quaid and scarlett johansson - racing stripes and assault on precinct 13.


india and russia in energy talks india and russia are to work together in a series of energy deals  part of a pact which could see india invest up to $20bn in oil and gas projects.  on the agenda are oil and gas extraction as well as transportation deals  to be led by russian energy giant gazprom and india s ongc. the indian firm is also expected to hold talks on tuesday about buying a stake in assets once owned by yukos. it is reported to be keen on buying a 15% stake in oil unit yuganskneftegas. the former yukos subsidiary was controversially sold off last year and eventually acquired by state-owned energy giant rosneft.  russian media reported that india and russia signed a memorandum of understanding on energy co-operation on tuesday during a meeting between oil and natural gas corporation chairman subir raha  gazprom chairman aleksey miller and india s petroleum minister mani shankar aiyar.  the agreement is likely to see the two companies develop refining facilities in russia  india and elsewhere and organise delivery of oil  gas and petrochemicals from russia to india and other countries across asia. ongc could invest in gas and oil fields in sakhalin  in the far east of russia  and may also take part in joint tender bids for projects in eastern siberia and the caspian sea.  india is urgently searching for fresh energy supplies - particularly liquefied natural gas - as domestic demand is growing at more than 5% a year.  ongc s mr raha said the two could work together on joint bids from next year.  at current oil and gas prices  our cash flow situation is good   he told reuters.  what we are saying is - gazprom has a huge amount of gas and we have the money.  the investment may go up to $20bn or more for a period of five years or so.   russian news agencies reported that india s petroleum minister mr aiyar and russian energy minister viktor khristenko would discuss the future of yugansk at a meeting on tuesday. ongc s mr raha declined to be drawn on his firm s reported interest in the company. however  he stressed that ongc was not interested in a  loan-for-oil deal  in connection to yugansk  similar to that concluded recently between rosneft and china s national petroleum corporation.  china s problem is it has immediate demand and they needed the oil for their coastal refineries. we do not. we would like long-term security through equity participation.  it is thought that any decision over yugansk will be delayed until a us court has decided whether to grant yukos bankruptcy protection. yukos is suing a host of companies involved in the sale of yugansk  auctioned off to pay a huge back-tax bill. it has also threatened legal action against any business which has future commercial dealings with its former subsidiary.


no re-draft  for eu patent law a proposed european law on software patents will not be re-drafted by the european commission (ec) despite requests by meps.  the law is proving controversial and has been in limbo for a year. some major tech firms say it is needed to protect inventions  while others fear it will hurt smaller tech firms. the ec says the council of ministers will adopt a draft version that was agreed upon last may but said it would review  all aspects of the directive . the directive is intended to offer patent protection to inventions that use software to achieve their effect  in other words   computer implemented invention .  in a letter  ec president josé manuel barroso told the president of the european parliament  josep borrell  that the commission  did not intend to refer a new proposal to the parliament and the council (of ministers)  as it had supported the agreement reached by ministers in may 2004.  if the european council agrees on the draft directive it will then return for a second reading at the european parliament. but that will not guarantee that the directive will become law - instead it will probably mean further delays and controversy over the directive. most eu legislation now needs the approval of both parliament and the council of ministers before it becomes law. french green mep alain lipietz warned two weeks ago that if the commission ignored the parliament s request it would be an  insult  to the assembly. he said that the parliament would then reject the council s version of the legislation as part of the final or conciliation stage of the decision procedure. in the us  the patenting of computer programs and internet business methods is permitted.  this means that the us-based amazon.com holds a patent for its  one-click shopping  service  for example. critics are concerned that the directive could lead to a similar model happening in europe. this  they fear  could hurt small software developers because they do not have the legal and financial might of larger companies if they had to fight patent legal action in court. supporters say current laws are inefficient and it would serve to even up a playing field without bringing eu laws in line with the us.


teenagers to be allowed to be mps teenagers will be able to become mps under plans unveiled by ministers.  in a written statement  constitutional affairs minister christopher leslie said the current minimum age of 21 for an mp would be reduced to 18. the proposals follow a recommendation last year by elections watchdog the electoral commission.  the government intends to legislate  when parliamentary time allows  to lower the age   said mr leslie  who was elected in 1997 at the age of 24. even if the move does go ahead it is unlikely it will be in place before the next general election  widely predicted for may.  the announcement from mr leslie - who was elected in 1997 in a formerly safe tory seat - prompted calls for a lowering of the voting age to 16. the votes at 16 alliance said it was a good thing to  engage people  by lowering the candidacy age but argued lowering the voting age would be much more effective.  candidacy affects only politicians. the voting age affects millions of younger people   said spokesman alex folkes.  we would hope that the government will table a bill that is broad enough to allow for amendments to be brought to test support for a reduction in the voting age.   currently candidates in both local and national votes must be 21 while the voting age is 18. that is because the age of majority was reduced to 18 in 1969 but laws dating from 1695 which determine the current voting age stayed in place. irish republican bernadette devlin was one of just a handful of 21-year-olds elected to parliament in the 20th century winning a seat in 1969. but the youngest is understood to have been tory edward turnour  who won the 1904 horsham by-election aged 21 and 144 days and served in parliament for 47 continuous years. last april s report by the electoral commission said there was no strong argument for leaving the age for standing for election at 21. the commission found the most common approach around the world is for the voting age to be the same as the candidacy age.