angels  favourite funeral song  angels by robbie williams is the song britons would most like played at their funeral  a survey has suggested.  while the melancholy hit topped the uk poll  europeans favoured queen s more upbeat anthem the show must go on as their first choice. frank sinatra s my way was second in the uk vote with monty python s always look on the bright side of life in third place. more than 45 000 people were surveyed by digital tv station music choice.  the european chart  which included denmark  france and germany  put led zeppelin s stairway to heaven in second and ac/dc s highway to hell in third. queen s who wants to live forever was highly favoured by both uk and european voters.  both lists featured only one traditional or classic song each  with britons requesting the royal scots dragoon guards  amazing grace and their continental counterparts opting for mozart s requiem.  wanting to share your most treasured musical gem with those you re leaving behind is the perfect way to sign off and leave a lasting impression   music choice music and marketing manager simon george said.


split-caps pay £194m compensation investors who lost money following the split-capital investment trust scandal are to receive £194m compensation  the uk s financial watchdog has announced.  eighteen investment firms involved in the sale of the investments agreed the compensation package with the financial services authority (fsa). splits were marketed as a low-risk way to benefit from rising share prices. but when the stock market collapsed in 2000  the products left thousands of investors out of pocket. an estimated 50 000 people took out split-capital funds  some investing their life savings in the schemes. the paying of compensation will be overseen by an independent company  the fsa said.  further details of how investors will be able to claim their share of the compensation package will be announced in the new year.  this should save investors from having to take their case to the financial ombudsman service  something  no doubt  that will be very welcome   rob mcivor  fsa spokesman  told bbc news. agreeing to pay compensation did not mean that the eighteen firms involved were admitting any guilt  the fsa added. any investor accepting the compensation will have to waive the right to take their case to the financial ombudsman service.  the fsa has been investigating whether investors were misled about the risks posed by split-capital investment trusts. the fsa s 60 strong investigation team looked into whether fund managers colluded in a so-called  magic circle   in the hope of propping up one another s share prices.  firms involved were presented with 780 files of evidence detailing 27 000 taped conversations and over 70 interviews. in may  the fsa was widely reported as having asked firms to pay up to £350m in compensation. mr mcivor told the bbc that the final settlement figure was smaller because two unnamed firms had pulled out of the compensation negotiations. investors in these two firms may now have to take any compensation claim to the financial ombudsman service or the courts.


microsoft releases patches microsoft has warned pc users to update their systems with the latest security fixes for flaws in windows programs.  in its monthly security bulletin  it flagged up eight  critical  security holes which could leave pcs open to attack if left unpatched. the number of holes considered  critical  is more than usual. they affect windows programs  including internet explorer (ie)  media player and instant messaging. four other important fixes were also released. these were considered to be less critical  however. if not updated  either automatically or manually  pc users running the programs could be vulnerable to viruses or other malicious attacks designed to exploit the holes. many of the flaws could be used by virus writers to take over computers remotely  install programs  change  and delete or see data.  one of the critical patches microsoft has made available is an important one that fixes some ie flaws. stephen toulouse  a microsoft security manager  said the flaws were known about  and although the firm had not seen any attacks exploiting the flaw  he did not rule them out. often  when a critical flaw is announced  spates of viruses follow because home users and businesses leave the flaw unpatched. a further patch fixes a hole in media player  windows messenger and msn messenger which an attacker could use to take control of unprotected machines through .png files. microsoft announces any vulnerabilities in its software every month. the most important ones are those which are classed as  critical . its latest releases came the week that the company announced it was to buy security software maker sybari software as part of microsoft s plans to make its own security programs.


escaped prisoner report ordered first minister jack mcconnell has ordered a report on the decision to allow a paranoid schizophrenic knife attacker to go on a visit unguarded.  michael ferguson  36  escaped after being allowed out of the high-security carstairs unit. the snp s nicola sturgeon has demanded to know who was responsible for signing off the leave. the scottish executive said ministers would be notified but it would  not be common practice  to sign approval. an executive spokesman said the health department and the state hospital itself would work together on preparing the report. ministerial responsibility for carstairs rests with rhona brankin  the deputy health minister. ms brankin said:  the first minister has called for a review of what has happened  we need to talk to the state hospital and we need to reflect on this.  ms sturgeon has written to mr mcconnell asking for clarification on the move to allow the prisoner out. she said questions must be answered about his escape  if the public is to be reassured about safety. police are still searching for ferguson  who failed to return after a trip to east kilbride on monday.  the scottish national party s parliamentary leader argued that under the law  authorisation of ferguson s leave of absence would have come directly from ministers. she said:  the scottish executive seemed to indicate yesterday that the escape of mr ferguson was a matter for carstairs.  however  my understanding is that  under the mental health legislation  the decision to grant this patient - and any restricted patient - leave of absence  would have required direct and specific authorisation by scottish ministers.  she added:  i have written to the first minister today asking for confirmation of that fact. i have also asked him to confirm which minister would routinely take decisions of this nature and what information they are based on.  this is not an attempt to apportion blame  but to ensure a better understanding of the decision making process in such important and sensitive cases.   police said ferguson posed a danger to the public. bbc scotland political correspondent glenn campbell said the first minister had ordered an urgent report into the situation. he said:  we understand from the executive that in this case no individual minister signed off the approval for michael ferguson to be released unescorted from carstairs.  the executive concedes that it is up to scottish ministers  they have a legal responsibility for approving this sort of leave  but they say routinely it is specialised officials that make that decision and simply inform ministers that they have taken it.  but at that stage presumably ministers can ask hard questions and can ask for reassurances that the patient is not a serious danger to the public or that any risk has been minimised.  scottish conservative leader  david mcletchie  said earlier it was  almost beyond belief that this has been allowed to happen .  the executive spokeswoman said the recommendation for leave was agreed by a psychiatric advisor  in conjunction with officials on behalf of ministers . she said:  ministers were told of that  notified of it  but it would not be common practice for them to sign it off.  they do have statutory responsibility  but the common practice has been that people who work with the patient and have the best knowledge about risk would make that decision.  ferguson  who slashed a man in a doctors  surgery in coatbridge in 1994  had been out to see his fiancée annabella holmes  47  whom he met when she was a patient at the high security complex in south lanarkshire. he is described as being 5ft 9ins tall  slim  with blond hair  blue eyes and a fair complexion. ferguson was wearing a black jacket  grey jeans  black jumper and black shoes when he was last seen. he has multiple fading tattoos on his left hand and a very faded tear tattoo under his left eye. ms holmes is not missing but there have been no sightings of ferguson since monday. strathclyde police asked anyone who spots ferguson to contact sergeant keith mcdonald on  .


legendary dutch boss michels dies legendary dutch coach rinus michels  the man credited with developing  total football   has died aged 77.  referred to in the netherlands as  the general   michels led the dutch at the 1974 world cup - when they reached the final only to lose 2-1 to germany. however  he guided his side to the 1988 european championship title with a 2-0 win over the soviet union in the final. michels played for ajax and coached the side to four national titles between 1965-71 and a european cup in 1971. his 1970s dutch team was built around johan cruyff and johan neeskens and introduced the concept of  total football  to the world. the strategy was to foster team coherence and individual imagination - with all players possessing the skills to play in any part of the pitch. cruyff was the on-field organiser of a team whose players rotated in and out of defence at will and was encouraged to play creative attacking football. michels had recently undergone heart surgery and dutch football federation (knvb) spokesman frank huizinga said:  he was one of the best coaches we had in history.  the no-nonsense coach also enjoyed spells at barcelona  who he took to a spanish title in 1974  fc cologne and bayer leverkusen. michels  named coach of the century by world football s governing body fifa in 1999  also won five caps for the netherlands as a bruising centre forward. dutch sports minister clemence ross-van dorp said:  he was the man who  together with cruyff  made dutch football big.


blair backs  pre-election budget  tony blair has backed chancellor gordon brown s pre-budget report amid opposition claims he was too bullish about the state of the uk economy.  in a speech in edinburgh  the prime minister said thursday s report reinforced stability and opportunity. and that would be central to labour s next election campaign  planning for which was already well advanced. mr brown earlier denied his economic forecasts were too optimistic - but refused to rule out future tax rises.  he told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  no politician should make the mistake that john major and his colleagues made in 1992 of saying no matter what the circumstances are  they can make all sorts of guarantees on every individual thing.   that is not what politicians should do  it would not be responsible to do.  mr brown insisted his spending plans were  affordable  and he could afford to be optimistic because britain was now a stable  low-inflation economy and house prices were now stabilising. mr blair praised his chancellor for his role in creating economic stability  which he said was the  cornerstone  of labour s programme.  in a speech at edinburgh s napier university  he said labour would publish over the next few months  a rich agenda for future policy in any possible third term .   in every area of work there is a detailed plan for the future  much clearer than those in 1997 or 2001. all of it fits together around common themes of opportunity  security and stability for all   mr blair said. in his pre-budget report  mr brown surprised some city experts by forecasting uk growth at between 3% and 3.5% for next year. many believe the figure is more likely to be under 3% - and fear tax rises or spending cuts  saying tax receipts have been overestimated. carl emmerson  from the institute for fiscal studies  told bbc news:  he thinks everything will come out in the wash and it will  in fact  be ok. we re not so sure.  david page  of investec securities  said:  his forecast that he will meet the golden rule with a margin of £8bn is way too optimistic.  it s going to take a significant turnaround in the economy to meet these targets.   conservative shadow chancellor oliver letwin said:  i can t find a single economic forecaster from the imf to the institute of fiscal studies who believes anything other than the chancellor has got a black hole in his finances.  in order to deal with that he will have to raise taxes after the next general election.  mr letwin accused the chancellor of using  fancy statistics  to hide public service failures. vincent cable  for the liberal democrats  called on mr brown to open up the government s books to the national audit office  to see if he had met his  golden rule .  it is very clear that there are some serious loose ends in government public spending   mr cable told mps.


sainsbury s labour election gift science minister lord sainsbury has made a £2m donation to the labour party for its general election fund.  it is the latest hefty donation to the party by the billionaire - he has contributed more than £10m since 1999. david sainsbury said he was pleased to give cash to a party that had the  vision  to deliver economic prosperity and better public services for britain. general secretary matt carter said it was  a fantastic gift  that would help labour  fight and win the election .   through the generosity of david sainsbury and other labour supporters  labour will be campaigning hard to take britain forward and to stop the tories taking us back   mr carter said. lord sainsbury added:  i am pleased to be able to make this contribution to the general election funds of the labour party because i believe that they are the only party that has the vision to deliver both economic prosperity and better public services for britain.  the 64-year-old latest donation follows a £2.5m gift to the party in 2003. lord sainsbury was created a life peer in 1997  a year before he was appointed as minister for science.


hearts of oak 3-2 cotonsport hearts of oak set up an all ghanaian confederation cup final with a 3-2 win over cameroon s cotonsport garoua in accra on sunday.  the win for hearts means they will play asante kotoko in the two-leg final  after the kumasi team qualified from group a on saturday. in the other group b game cameroon s  beat  of south africa 3-2 in douala  neither side could have qualified for the final. hearts of oak started the game needing a win to qualify for the final while cotonsport only needed to avoid defeat to go through. louis agyemang scored the first two goals for hearts either side of half time before ben don bortey scored the third. hearts looked set for a comfortable win but cotonsport staged a late fight back scoring twice late on. first of all boukar makaji scored in the 89th minute and then 3 minutes into injury time at the end of the game andre nzame iii was on target. but it was too little too late for the cameroonians and hearts held on to win the game and a place in the final. the first leg of the final will be played in accra on the weekend of 27-28 november and the second leg two weeks later on the 11 december in kumasi. in the other group b game cameroon s sable batie took the lead in the 35th minute through kemadjou before santos equalised on the hour mark thanks to thokozani xaba . bernard ngom put sable ahead just five minutes later and then ernest nfor settled the game on 68 minutes. ruben cloete scored the south african sides consolation with just three minutes left on the clock.


us bank boss hails  genius  smith us federal reserve chairman alan greenspan has given a speech at a scottish church in honour of the pioneering economist  adam smith.  he delivered the 14th adam smith lecture in kirkcaldy  fife. the adam smith lecture celebrates the author of 1776 s wealth of nations  which became a bible of capitalism. dr greenspan was invited by chancellor gordon brown  whose minister father john used to preach at the st bryce kirk church. mr brown introduced dr greenspan to the 400 invited guests as the  the world s greatest economist . dr greenspan  79  who has been in the uk to attend the g7 meeting in london  said the world could never repay the debt of gratitude it owed to smith  whose genius he compared to that of mozart.  he said the philosopher was a  towering contributor to the modern world .  kirkcaldy  the birthplace in 1723 of adam smith and  by extension  of modern economics  is also of course  where your chancellor was reared.  i am led to ponder to what extent the chancellor s renowned economic and financial skills are the result of exposure to the subliminal intellect-enhancing emanation in this area.  he continued:  smith reached far beyond the insights of his predecessors to frame a global view of how market economics  just then emerging  worked.  in so doing he supported changes in societal organisation that were to measurably enhance standards of living.   dr greenspan said smith s revolutionary philosophy on human self-interest  laissez-faire economics and competition had been a force for good in the world.  the incredible insights of a handful of intellectuals of the enlightenment - especially with smith toiling in the environs of kirkcaldy - created the modern vision of people free to choose and to act according to their individual self-interest   he said. following his lecture  dr greenspan - who received an honorary knighthood from the queen at balmoral in 2002 - was awarded an honorary fellowship of the royal society of edinburgh. he later opened an exhibition dedicated to smith in the atrium of fife college of further and higher education. joyce johnston  principal of the college  said:  it is very fitting that the world s premier economist delivered this lecture in tribute to the world s first economist.  dr greenspan - who became chairman of the federal reserve for an unprecedented fifth term in june 2004 - will step down in january next year. he has served under presidents george w bush  bill clinton  george bush  and ronald reagan. he was also chairman of the council of economic advisors to gerald ford.


uk bank seals south korean deal uk-based bank standard chartered said it would spend $3.3bn (£1.8bn) to buy one of south korea s main retail banks.  standard chartered said acquiring korea first bank (kfb) fulfilled a strategic objective of building a bigger presence in asia s third largest economy. its shares fell nearly 3% in london as the bank raised funds for the deal by selling new stocks worth £1bn ($1.8bn)  equal to 10% of its share capital. standard chartered expects about 16% of future group revenue to come from kfb.  the south korean bank will also make up 22% of the group s total assets. the move  a year after citigroup beat standard chartered to buy koram bank  would be the south korean financial sector s biggest foreign takeover. this time around  standard chartered is thought to have beaten hsbc to the deal. kfb is south korea s seventh largest bank  with 3 million retail customers  6% of the country s banking market and an extensive branch network.  the country s banking market is three times the size of hong kong s with annual revenues of $44bn. standard chartered has its headquarters in london but does two thirds of its business in asia  and much of the rest in africa.  we re comfortable with the price paid...the key here has been speed and decisiveness in making sure that we won   said standard chartered chief executive mervyn davies at a london press conference. standard chartered said kfb was a  well-managed  conservatively run bank with a highly skilled workforce  and represented a  significant acquisition in a growth market . in london  standard chartered s sale of 118 million new shares to institutional investors pushed its share price down  and contributing to the ftse 100 s 0.3% decline. standard chartered s shares were 28 pence lower at 925p by midday. some analysts also queried whether standard chartered had overpaid for kfb. the deal  which requires regulatory approval  is expected to be completed by april 2005 and to be earnings accretive in 2006  standard chartered said.  rival banking giant hsbc  which is based in london and hong kong  was also in the running. standard chartered is believed to have gained the initiative by putting together a bid during the christmas break.  they were able to move so quickly it caught hsbc by surprise   the financial times newspaper quoted an insider in the talks as saying. hsbc will now have to wait for the next south korean bank in line to be sold off - thought likely to be korea exchange bank  also currently in the hands of a us group. standard chartered said it was buying 100% of kfb  an agreement that would bring an end to the bank s complex dual ownership. the south korean government owns 51.4% of kfb  while the remaining shareholding  and operational control  are in the hands of us private equity group newbridge capital. newbridge bought its stake during the government s nationalisation of several banks in the wake of the 1997 asia-wide currency crisis which crippled south korea s financial institutions.  south korea s economy is expected to grow by 4.5% this year. although often thought of an export-driven economy  south korea s service sector has overtaken manufacturing in the last decade or so. services now make up roughly 40% of the economy  and consumer spending and retail banking have become increasingly important. in the aftermath of the asian financial crisis  the government encouraged the growth of consumer credit. bad loan problems followed; lg card  the country s biggest credit card provider  has been struggling to avoid bankruptcy for months  for instance. but analysts believe south korea s financial services industry is still in its infancy  offering plenty of scope for new products. standard chartered sees  the opportunity to create value by the introduction of more sophisticated banking products . since 1999  kfb has been restructured from a wholesale bank into a retail bank focused on mortgage lending  which makes up 45% of its loans.


economy  stronger than forecast  the uk economy probably grew at a faster rate in the third quarter than the 0.4% reported  according to bank of england deputy governor rachel lomax.  private sector business surveys suggest a stronger economy than official estimates  ms lomax said. other surveys collectively show a rapid slowdown in uk house price growth  she pointed out. this means that despite a strong economic growth  base rates will probably stay on hold at 4.75%. official data comes from the office for national statistics (ons). though reliable  ons data takes longer to publish  so now the boe is calling for faster delivery of data so it can make more effective policy decisions.  recent work by the bank has shown that private sector surveys add value  even when preliminary ons estimates are available   ms lomax said in a speech to the north wales business club.  the ons is due to publish its second estimate of third quarter growth on friday.  the mpc judges that overall growth was a little higher in the third quarter than the official data currently indicate   ms lomax said. the bank said successful monetary policy depends on having good information. rachel lomax cited the late 1980s as an example of a time when weak economic figures were published  but substantially revised upwards years later.   the statistical fog surrounding the true state of the economy has proved a particularly potent breeding ground for policy errors in the past   she said. improving the quality of national statistics is the single the best way of making sure the monetary policy committee (mpc) makes the right decisions  she said. the bank of england is working in tandem with the ons to improve the quality and speed of delivery of data. her remarks follow criticism from the house of lords economic affairs committee  which said the mpc had held interest rates too high given that inflation was way below the 2% target.  a slowdown in the housing market and this year s surge in oil prices has made economic forecasting all the more tricky  leading to a more uncertain outlook.  this year rising oil prices and a significant slowdown in the housing market have awoken bad memories of the 1970s and 1980s   ms lomax said.  the mpc will be doing well if it can achieve the same stability over the next decade as we have enjoyed over the past 10 years.  decisions on interest rates are made after the mpc gathers together the range of indicators available every month. the clearest signals come when all indicators are pointing the same direction  ms lomax intimated.  in economic assessment  there is safety in numbers.


umaga ready for lions all blacks captain tama umaga has warned the british and irish lions will be his most fearsome opponents yet ahead of their summer tour.  but umaga  in england for saturday s irb rugby aid match  also backed new zealand to win the three-test series against the lions. he told bbc sport:  it s potentially the most fearsome line-up i ve ever come up against. they re awesome.  but i d back us all the way to beat them when they come over.  lions boss sir clive woodward is set to announce his squad for the june-july tour next month.  when woodward was appointed last year  it was widely believed he would rely heavily on his former england players. but umaga said:  he d be hard pushed to do that now considering the shape of the six nations.  don t get me wrong  england have got a lot of talented guys and i m sure there are some of them who ll make the lions test xv.  but you can t disguise wales and ireland in particular. some of the tries they ve scored have been great. i ll admit it ll be fairly awesome lining up against the likes of brian o driscoll.   umaga will meet o driscoll in saturday s rugby aid match at twickenham  with the irish captain leading the northern hemisphere side. o driscoll is among a host of players in the northern hemisphere squad  coached by woodward  that are tipped for lions call-ups.  it ll be good for us to get an early idea of some of these guys  although a lot can change between now and june   umaga said. the 31-year-old admitted interest in the lions tour was immense  calling it  the biggest thing to hit new zealand since lord of the rings . he added:  as players  it s enough for us to be driven by the rarity of playing the lions. in fact  it s not just us all blacks - it s the talk of the country.   umaga admitted the fear of injury weighed on his mind ahead of saturday s charity game  which features a host of big names including george gregan  andrew mehrtens and chris latham. but he admitted the value of the cause - proceeds of the match will go to aiding victims of the tsunami - easily won him over.  the second [southern hemisphere coach] rod macqueen made the approach  i didn t hesitate. it was great when new zealand rugby then gave me the all clear.  thankfully i didn t know anyone that was involved in the tragedy of the tsunami but you couldn t miss all the horrific reports on the news.  there are so many people that were affected  are still affected and will be affected for a long time. it s just good to know we can do something minor to help out.   - the match will be televised on bbc one at 1400 gmt on saturday.


mps assess scots fishing industry a group of mps are on a two-day fact-finding mission to scotland to gather evidence for a report into the uk s fishing industry.  members of westminster s environment  food and rural affairs committee will be touring fish markets and talking to fish processors. they will also talk to fisheries minister ross finnie and scientists. mps are deciding whether to recommend a new system of  community quotas  to conserve fish stocks. the aim is that fishing ports like peterhead or fraserburgh would be allocated a quota and local people would decide how to fish it. the scheme is a variation on the local management committees already being established by the european union.  details are contained in a royal commission report for the uk government  along with the more controversial idea of closing some mixed fishing grounds completely. six members of the committee will be in scotland to seek views from fishermen and processors in aberdeen and peterhead. they will also speak to mr finnie  representatives of the royal society and the sea fish industry authority. committee chairman austin mitchell said some way has to be found of harvesting mixed fisheries without wasting stocks.


corbett attacks  dumbed-down tv  ronnie corbett has joined fellow comedy stars victoria wood and david jason in attacking the declining standards of british television programmes.  speaking to the radio times  the two ronnies star said there is too much bad language and reality tv.  you get fed up watching shows with not much care and love   he complained. corbett  soon to reunite with ronnie barker for a new two ronnies series  also criticised quiz shows like the bbc s they think it s all over.  it s just laughing at each other and thinking   aren t we clever    said the 74-year-old comedian. corbett is the latest comedy star to bemoan the  dumbing down  of modern tv programmes. in an interview published in the radio times in january  victoria wood slated comedian sacha baron cohen for his character ali g s  horrible  brand of  victim  humour.   with so many good writers and good performers  it s a shame people can t just write a script and have other people learn it   she said. and last week only fools and horses star david jason criticised british tv for being  too safe and too cheap .  we ve got to be careful not to dumb down for the audience   he said.  they shouldn t be sitting at home on the sofa vegetating.  corbett said he and barker were always mindful of their family audience while making the two ronnies.  our material was good-natured   he said.  we knew what would upset the average man in the street.  there s a lot of swearing on tv today. they even have documentaries with the f-word.   corbett goes on to criticise  reality programmes where they put people in a house for a fortnight and film them doing everything . the two ronnies ran from 1971 to 1987 and attracted 17 million viewers at its peak. its bespectacled stars will return later this year in the two ronnies sketchbook  which will combine classic sketches with newly recorded material. corbett claims he and barker differ from today s celebrities in that they did not allow their success to go to their heads.  we were never temperamental  fractious or walked out slamming doors   he said.  we were fussy though   he added.  we wanted everything done properly.


kenyan school turns to handhelds at the mbita point primary school in western kenya students click away at a handheld computer with a stylus.  they are doing exercises in their school textbooks which have been digitised. it is a pilot project run by eduvision  which is looking at ways to use low cost computer systems to get up-to-date information to students who are currently stuck with ancient textbooks. matthew herren from eduvision told the bbc programme go digital how the non-governmental organisation uses a combination of satellite radio and handheld computers called e-slates.  the e-slates connect via a wireless connection to a base station in the school. this in turn is connected to a satellite radio receiver. the data is transmitted alongside audio signals.  the base station processes the information from the satellite transmission and turns it into a form that can be read by the handheld e-slates.  it downloads from the satellite and every day processes the stream  sorts through content for the material destined for the users connected to it. it also stores this on its hard disc.   the system is cheaper than installing and maintaining an internet connection and conventional computer network. but mr herren says there are both pros and cons to the project.  it s very simple to set up  just a satellite antenna on the roof of the school  but it s also a one-way connection  so getting feedback or specific requests from end users is difficult.   the project is still at the pilot stage and eduvision staff are on the ground to attend to teething problems with the linux-based system.  the content is divided into visual information  textual information and questions. users can scroll through these sections independently of each other.  eduvision is planning to include audio and video files as the system develops and add more content. mr herren says this would vastly increase the opportunities available to the students. he is currently in negotiations to take advantage of a project being organised by search site google to digitise some of the world s largest university libraries.  all books in the public domain  something like 15 million  could be put on the base stations as we manufacture them. then every rural school in africa would have access to the same libraries as the students in oxford and harvard  currently the project is operating in an area where there is mains electricity. but mr herren says eduvision already has plans to extend it to more remote regions.  we plan to put a solar panel at the school with the base station  have the e-slates charge during the day when the children are in school  then they can take them home at night and continue working.  maciej sundra  who designed the user interface for the e-slates  says the project s ultimate goal is levelling access to knowledge around the world.  why in this age when most people do most research using the internet are students still using textbooks  the fact that we are doing this in a rural developing country is very exciting - as they need it most.


hariri killing hits beirut shares shares in solidere  the lebanese company founded by assassinated former prime minister rafik hariri  fell 15% in renewed trading in beirut.  the real estate firm  which dominates lebanon s stock exchange  ended the day down at $8.08. traders said there was some panic selling during friday s session  the first since a three-day market closure to mourn the death of mr hariri. beirut s benchmark blom stock index closed down 7.9% at 642.80.  solidere  in which mr hariri was a major shareholder  was the major drag on the index. the company owns much of the property in central beirut  which it restored and redeveloped following the end of lebanon s bitter 15-year civil war.  solidere should be above $10 but because of this disaster it is falling   said one trader.  if solidere drops much lower i would consider it a buying opportunity. this is a very big company held by many lebanese.  critics had accused mr hariri of using lebanon s post-war reconstruction drive for his personal financial gain. but his assassination on monday sent shudders through lebanon s business community  which saw the billionaire tycoon as the country s best hope for economic revival. solidere posted profits of $12.5m in the first half of 2004  and its shares had been gaining in recent months.


report attacks defence spending the ministry of defence has been criticised over the soaring spending costs and growing delays of its top equipment projects.  a national audit office report on the 20 biggest projects says costs have risen by £1.7bn in the past year. it says there is  little evidence  the mod s performance had improved  despite the introduction of a  smart acquisition  policy six years ago. a senior defence official told the bbc lessons were being learned. the nao s annual report showed the total cost of the 20 projects covered was expected to reach £50bn - 14% higher than originally planned. the total delays amounted to 62 months  with average individual delays rising by three months.  sir john bourn  head of the nao  said the problems showed the principles of the scheme known as smart acquisition had not been consistently applied.  many problems can be traced to the fact that the mod has not spent enough time and resources in the assessment phase   the report says. the nao found that projects launched since the start of the scheme were showing the same worrying tendencies as the older  legacy projects   such as the eurofighter. a senior defence official  speaking to the bbc s defence correspondent paul adams  said that although the figures were still not good enough  the report reflected unrealistic expectations early on in the project cycle. this year s overspend was significantly less than last year s £3.1bn total  and the defence procurement agency - which is responsible for buying defence equipment - was improving.  lord bach  minister for defence procurement  said he was  obviously still disappointed with the cost and time increases shown   but insisted that the defence procurement agency had  undertaken a huge amount of work to expose any underlying problems on projects . the latest findings follow a string of critical reports issued within the last 12 months  and  according to our correspondent  contain few new surprises. turning around the defence procurement agency  was a little like trying to turn around a super tanker - it takes a very long time indeed   he said. our correspondent said it was the same projects  including the joint strike fighter  the nimrod and a400m aircraft and the type 45 destroyer  which were resonsible for the bulk of the cost over-runs and delay. but he added some projects  such as the c-17 heavy lift aircraft and successor identification friend or foe (siff)  were showing good performances.


chepkemei hit by big ban kenya s athletics body has suspended two-time london marathon runner-up susan chepkemei from all competition until the end of the year.  athletics kenya (ak) issued the ban after chepkemei failed to turn up for a cross country training camp in embu.  we have banned her from all local and international competitions   said ak chief isaiah kiplagat.  we shall communicate this decision to the iaaf and all meet directors all over the world.  the 29-year-old finished second to paula radcliffe in the 2002 and 2003 london races  and was also edged out in an epic new york marathon contest last year.  but the ban will prevent the two-time world half-marathon silver medallist from challenging radcliffe at this year s london event in april. global sports communications  chepkemei s management company  said she had wanted to run in the world cross country championships in march. but ak maintained it was making an example of chepkemei as a warning to other kenyan athletes.  we are taking this action in order to salvage our pride   said kiplagat.  we have been accused of having no teeth to bite with and that agents are ruling over us.  ka has also threatened three-time women s short-course champion edith masai with a similar ban if reports that she feigned injury to avoid running at the cross country world championships are true. masai missed the national trials in early february  but was included in the provisional team on the proviso that she ran in a regional competition. she failed to run in the event  citing a leg injury.


chepkemei joins edinburgh line-up susan chepkemei has decided she is fit enough to run in next month s great edinburgh international cross country.  the kenyan was initially unsure if she would have recovered from her gruelling tussle with paula radcliffe in the new york marathon in time to compete. but she has declared herself up to the task and joins a field headed by world cross country champion benita johnson. race director matthew turnbull said:  susan will add even more strength in depth to the world-class line up.  chepkemei  who won the six kilometre event three years ago when it was staged in newcastle  endured an epic battle with radcliffe in the big apple until the briton outsprinted her in the final 400m. tirunesh dibaba of ethiopia will defend the title she won last year in tyneside - before the race was moved north of the border. recently-crowned european cross country champion briton hayley yelling also competes in edinburgh on 15 january  as does in-form scot kathy butler.


player burn-out worries robinson england coach andy robinson says english rugby has to act now to prevent injury destroying players  careers.  he will be without a host of big names for the six nations as the intensity of professional rugby union hits players.  injuries are part of the sport but we have to have a look at the amount of injuries that occur in the english season   robinson told bbc sport.  i think players are probably going to have three or four years taken off their careers.  robinson will be missing an entire midfield for the six nations with the likes of jonny wilkinson  mike tindall and will greenwood injured.  rugby union has become far more physically demanding since the game went professional nearly 10 years ago. as a result three of the major stakeholders in english rugby have launched an  injury audit  to find out how players are coping. the audit is jointly funded by the professional rugby players  association  the rugby football union and premier rugby. as far as robinson is concerned its findings must not be ignored.  i think there s an injury audit coming out in march that s got some great information in there that i think everybody in the english game has got to look at   he said.  if we don t the situation is going to get worse and not better  so i think rugby as a whole has got to look at this.


student  fee factor  played down a rise has been recorded in the number of students from south of the border applying to universities in scotland.  however  lifelong learning minister jim wallace said that this would not result in scottish students missing out. applications from england and wales rose by 17% between january 2005 and the previous year  up 23 600 to 27 700. fears had been expressed that a flood of  fee refugees  would try to avoid top-up fees of up to £3 000 a year being introduced in england. in june last year  mr wallace announced proposals to increase tuition fees for english students studying in scotland by £2 000 in an attempt to prevent a cross-border flood  although no figure has yet been agreed. legislation to introduce the top-up fees in england is not due to take effect until autumn 2006 and students who start before then will not have to pay additional fees at all.  the figures were made public on thursday by admissions service ucas. universities scotland  which represents university principals  claimed that an increase in applications did not amount to scottish students being squeezed out. director  david caldwell  said some students could be applying in an attempt to avoid the possible increase in annual fees at english universities  but this was not a major factor. he told bbc radio scotland s good morning scotland programme:  the reason people are opting for scottish universities is that they are perceived as being of very high quality  they offer very attractive courses and scotland is seen as a very attractive place to study.   they know that when they take up their studies in 2006 they will be hit by top-up fees if they are going to a university in england and that may be part of the reason why the numbers coming to scotland are so inflated.  however  it does not mean that we will see thousands of additional students from england studying here.  mr wallace agreed and said the figures had to be looked at in context. he explained that when applications were translated into acceptances  the number was not huge - an additional figure of about 200.  also  the picture was further blurred by the fact that applications from wales  where there are no plans for top-up fees  have also risen  by 19%. mr wallace said:  accepting students from all parts of the world does show the high regard in which scottish higher education is held  not just in britain.  we want to make sure that when students are making their choice  they do so on the nature of the course and not because they are under some sort of financial pressure to go to scotland.  we do not want to have a situation where it becomes impossible for scottish students to get places at scottish universities because we are seen as the cheap option.  very often the quality of the university experience is enhanced by the fact there are students coming from a wide range of backgrounds so it would be wrong to go the other way and start excluding students.


mixed christmas for us retailers us retailers posted mixed results for december - with luxury retailers faring well while many others were forced to slash prices to lift sales.  upscale department store nordstrom said same store sales were 9.3% higher than during the same period last year. trendy youth labels also sold well  with sales jumping 28% at young women s clothing retailer bebe stores and 32.2% at american eagle outfitters. but wal-mart only saw its sales rise after it cut prices. the company saw a 3% rise in december sales  less than the 4.3% rise seen a year earlier.  customers at the world s biggest retailer are generally seen to be the most vulnerable to america s economic woes.  commentators claim many have cut back on spending amid uncertainty over job security  while low and middle-income americans have reined in spending in the face of higher gasoline prices. analysts said wal-mart faced a  stand-off  with shoppers  stepping up its discounts as the festive season wore on  as consumers waited longer to get the best bargains. however  experts added that if prices had not been cut across the sector  christmas sales - which account for nearly 23% of annual retail sales - would have been far worse.  so far  we are faring better than expected  but the results are still split   ken perkins  an analyst at research firm retailmetrics llc  told associated press.  stores that have been struggling over the last couple of months appear to be continuing that trend. and for stores that have been doing well over the last several months  december was a good month.  overall  december sales are forecast to rise by 4.5% to $220bn - less than the 5.1% increase seen a year earlier.  one discount retailer to fare well in december was costco wholesale  which continued a recent run of upbeat results with a better-than-expected 8% jump in same store sales. however  the losers were many and varied. home furnishings store pier 1 imports saw its same store sales sink by a larger-than-forecast 8.8% as it battled fierce competition. leading electronics chain best buy  meanwhile  missed its sales target of a 3-5% rise in sales  turning in a 2.5% increase over the christmas period. accessory vendor claire s stores also suffered as an expected last minute shopping rush never materialised  leaving its same store sales 5% higher  compared to a 6% rise last year. jeweller zale also felt little christmas cheer with december sales down 0.7% on the same month last year.  this was not a good period for retailers or shoppers. we saw a dearth of exciting  new items   kurt barnard  president of industry forecaster retail consulting group  said. however  one beneficiary of the desertion of the high street is expected to be online stores. according to a survey by goldman sachs & co  harris interactive and neilsen/net ratings sales surged 25% over the holiday season to $23.2bn.


mogul wilson backing uk rap band tony wilson  the music mogul who established the influential factory records in the 1980s  is to launch a new label - convinced he has discovered his  third major band .  factory were the label of both joy division - who became new order after singer ian curtis committed suicide - and the happy mondays. now wilson believes rap act raw t - signed to his f4 label  the fourth incarnation of factory - will  complete the hat-trick .  suddenly  when raw t came into my life  i realised they are my third major band   he told bbc world service s the music biz programme. the group are set to release their first single on 21 february  and follow it up with an album  realise and witness  in march.  wilson has twice tried to resurrect factory - which lasted for 14 years before folding - but conceded these efforts had been  despondent and dismal experiences . but it has not put him off.  of all the things i do in my life the most exciting thing i ve ever done  and the thing i have most loved  is being part of a record company   he added.   the idea of working with brilliant young musicians  and being close to the centre of popular culture  is just the biggest thrill in my life.  wilson explained how his son persuaded him to go and see raw t  but he had initially been reluctant saying he  detested  young british people rapping.  it s always inauthentic  it s always crass  it never really works for me   he said.  i went to see this group  raw t - which stands for realise and witness talent - and like everyone else in the room that night  we were utterly blown away.  wilson believes raw t could be  to f4 as joy division were to factory records .  the story of factory records - which also owned the legendary hacienda club in manchester - was told in the michael winterbottom film 24 hour party people  in which wilson was played by steve coogan.  wilson stressed that the independent music scene remained  as important  as it had been during the 1980s  when labels such as factory and rough trade proliferated. he pointed out that franz ferdinand and the white stripes -  perhaps the two most important bands since the millennium  - were signed to indies.  i think that is a reflection of how useful and how powerful the indie philosophy is  and how bands prefer it   he added.  they can make more money that way - it s a more generous relationship  and also it s a more understanding relationship.  i think independents are in a wonderful position at this moment in time.


howard denies split over id cards michael howard has denied his shadow cabinet was split over its decision to back controversial labour plans to introduce id cards.  the tory leader said his front bench team had reached a  collective view  after holding a  good discussion   but admitted it was  not an easy issue . he had decided to support the plans as the police said they would help fight terror  crime and illegal immigration. the lib dems have pledged to oppose the bill when it is debated next monday.  tory sources say senior party figures had argued vociferously against the id card scheme. among those reported to have serious reservations over the strategy were senior shadow cabinet members david davis  oliver letwin and tim yeo. but mr howard denied mr yeo  his transport and environment spokesman  said the plans  stink . he also said he was confident shadow home secretary mr davis would  set out the position very clearly  when he stands up to debate the matter next week. mr howard said the police had said id cards could  help them foil a terror bomb plot in which people could lose their lives . he added:  when the police say that you have to take them seriously .  he acknowledged there were  good libertarian arguments  against the cards  but said the shadow cabinet had weighed up all the  conflicting interests  before reaching its decision.  i don t pretend that it is an easy decision but at the end of the day a decision has to be taken.  he also denied he was afraid of looking  soft  on the issue  compared to labour. the conservatives announced their support for the government plans on monday evening.  sources within the party told the bbc mr howard had always been in favour of id cards  and tried to introduce them when he was home secretary. but the tories insisted they would hold ministers to account over the precise purpose of the scheme.  they said they would also press labour over whether objectives could be met and whether the home office would be able to deliver them. and they pledged to assess the cost effectiveness of id cards and whether people s privacy would be properly protected.  it is important to remember that this bill will take a decade to come into full effect   a spokesman said. lib dem home affairs spokesman mark oaten has branded the id scheme a waste of money and  deeply flawed . he said:  this has all the signs of michael howard overruling colleagues  concerns over id cards.   the chairman of the bar council  guy mansfield qc warned there was a real risk that people on the  margins of society  would be driven into the hands of extremists.  what is going to happen to young asian men when there has been a bomb gone off somewhere  they are going to be stopped. if they haven t [id cards] they are going to be detained.  tory ex-minister douglas hogg said he opposed the plans for id cards branding them a  regressive  step which would intrude into the lives of ordinary citizens without any counterbalancing benefits. he predicted ultimately carrying the cards would become compulsory and that would lead to large numbers of britain s ethnic minorities being stopped by police.


howard backs stem cell research michael howard has backed stem cell research  saying it is important people are not frightened of the future.  the controversial issue was a feature of the recent us presidential election  where george bush opposed extending it. but the tory leader argued there was a moral case for embracing science which could help victims of alzheimer s  parkinson s and motor neurone disease.  i believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses   he said. the use of embryonic stem cells in the uk is already allowed. stem cells are master cells that have the ability to develop into any of the body s tissue types. scientists hope that by growing such cells in the laboratory they can programme them to form specific tissue such as kidney  heart or even brain tissue.  mr howard acknowledged there were genuine concerns about stem cell research. but he argued:  we mustn t be frightened of change or nostalgic about the past - we must be optimistic about the future.  politicians must create the right framework so that the great potential of science can be harnessed for the benefit of mankind.  with the life expectancy of the average briton now around the mid-70s  society has a responsibility to enhance the quality of people s lives as they grow older.  i know many people are concerned about stem-cell research. they are fearful of meddling with what they see as the stuff of souls.  i respect those concerns. but i also believe we have a duty to offer hope to the millions of people who suffer devastating illnesses like parkinson s  multiple sclerosis  motor neurone disease  alzheimer s and - as we saw in the papers today - now possibly heart problems.   mr howard acknowledged there were  no easy answers  over such an issue but it was necessary to  have the courage to do what we know to be morally right . he added:  of course  stem cells are still a recent discovery. more research needs to be done. but we must look at their potential in a responsible and grown-up way. the hopes of millions of people rest on what could be achieved.  former superman actor the late christopher reeve was an advocate for the research after he was paralysed in a horse riding accident. mr howard made his remarks during a speech in westminster to the conservative national women s committee on ambitions and values.


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


latin america sees strong growth latin america s economy grew by 5.5% in 2004  its best performance since 1980  while exports registered their best performance in two decades.  the united nations  economic commission for latin america and the caribbean said the region grew by 5.5% this year. the inter-american development bank (iadb) said regional exports reached $445.1bn (£227bn;331bn euros) in 2004. doubts about the strength of the us recovery and overheating of the chinese economy do however pose risks for 2005. both organisations also warned that high oil prices raise the risk of either inflation or recession.  nevertheless  the economic commission for latin america and the caribbean (eclac) still forecasts growth of 4% for 2005. strong recovery in some countries  such as venezuela and uruguay  boosted the overall performance of the region. eclac also said that the six largest latin american economies (argentina  brazil  chile  colombia  mexico and venezuela) grew by more than 3% for only the second time in 20 years. chinese and us economic strength helped boost exports  as did strong demand for agricultural and mining products. in fact  latin american exports to china grew 34%  to $14bn. higher oil prices also helped boost exports  as mexico and venezuela are important oil exporters. regional blocs as well as free trade agreements with the us contributed to the region s strong performance  the iadb said.


duran duran show set for us tv chart stars duran duran are to appear in a vh1 special in the us including interviews and concert footage.  the show airs on tuesday and will feature a studio performance  behind the scenes footage and fan interviews.  they seemed like a perfect fit with our audience   said rick krim  vh1 s vice president of music and talent. the band recently released a new album  astronaut  the first from the original line-up since 1983. they will also tour japan and the us next year.   when we started playing together  we didn t try and make a really sort of mature album. we just really wanted to make a great duran duran album   said keyboard player nick rhodes.  it s pretty much in line with a lot of stuff out there.  duran duran are currently promoting the album s second single  what happens tomorrow.  simon le bon said earlier this year that the group were not trying to update their sound too much.  we wouldn t want to lose them [older fans] by trying too hard by trying to connect with a new audience   the singer said. le bon also said the five members were getting on very well.  we re like any people who get very close. sometimes you argue with each other. but the fact is we inspire each other musically.  nobody else does it for me   he said.  it s just very special.


blinx sequel purrs nicely the original blinx was intended to convert many platform game lovers to microsoft s then new xbox console.  its sharp graphics and novel gameplay  with the main character able to pause  slow  rewind and fast-forward time  were meant to lure many fans to the new machine. but poor design meant the game became a very frustrating affair with players often stranded half-way through a level without the required tools to finish. thankfully  the sequel has fixed many of the original faults. this time around you do not play as blinx but instead you are given the chance to create two unique cat characters and two pig characters.  the character generator is very detailed and a few minutes of tweaking and adjusting will create a unique personality to unleash on the game.  as the game progresses you swap between the two rival factions  pig and feline  assuming the role of your created characters. the thrust of the game sees the two factions competing to recover pieces of a missing time crystal. as in the original  your feline persona can control time  but this time the pigs get to control space. there are a number of puzzles which require control over time to solve while the pigs can create things such as warps  space bubbles and void traps in order to progress. the control over space and time is achieved through a number of vcr-style icons and is quite intuitive.  annoyingly  the puzzles are a little too obviously flagged up and most gamers will find it more of a chore than a challenge to solve them. the game has also tried to emulate franchises such as jak and daxter and ratchet and clank on ps2 and so there are a number of combat elements. these are a little predictable and tend to drag the general polish of the game down to a more dulled affair. but the game s excellent graphics  easily the best-looking platform game around  sound and dollops of humour make it an attractive game for younger platform fans.  blinx 2 is out on xbox now.


virgin radio offers 3g broadcast uk broadcaster virgin radio says it will become the first station in the world to offer radio via 3g mobiles.  the radio station  in partnership with technology firm sydus  will broadcast on selected 2g and high-speed 3g networks. later this year listeners will be able to download software from the virgin website which enables the service. james cridland  head of new media at virgin radio  said:  it places radio at the heart of the 3g revolution.  virgin radio will be the first station made available followed by two digital stations  virgin radio classic rock and virgin radio groove.  mr cridland said:  this application will enable anyone  anywhere to listen to virgin radio simply with the phone in their pocket.  this allows us to tap into a huge new audience and keep radio relevant for a new generation of listeners.  saumil nanavati  president of sydus  said   this radio player is what the 3g network was built for  giving consumers high-quality and high-data products through a handset in their pocket.  virgin says an hour s listening to the station via mobile would involve about 7.2mb of data  which could prove expensive for people using pay as you download gprs or 3g services. some networks  such as orange  charge up to £1 for every one megabyte of data downloaded. virgin says radio via 2g or 3g mobiles is therefore going to appeal to people with unlimited download deals. there are 30 compatible handsets available from major manufacturers including nokia and samsung while virgin said more than 14.9 million consumers across the globe can use the service currently.


nat insurance to rise  say tories national insurance will be raised if labour wins the next election  tory leader michael howard has claimed.  tony blair has said he does not want higher tax rates for top earners but on wednesday said other tax promises would be left to labour s manifesto. prime minister s questions also saw mr blair predict that new plans would probably cut net immigration. he attacked tory plans to process asylum claims abroad - but mr howard said labour had proposed the idea too.  the commons questions session again saw the leaders of the two biggest parties shape up for the forthcoming election campaign. the tories have promised £4bn in tax cuts but have yet to say where they will fall. mr howard pointed to the institute for fiscal studies  predictions that labour will need to increase taxes to cover an £11bn gap in its spending plans. he accused ministers of wasting money on unsuccessful attempts to curb bad behaviour and truancy in schools and on slow asylum processing. it was no good mr blair claiming tax pledges were being left to the manifesto as he had given one to mps on tuesday about the top rate of income tax  argued mr howard. pointing to national insurance  he added:  everyone knows tax will go up under labour: isn t it now clear which tax it would be    mr blair instead hailed labour s achievement in using a strong economy to invest in public services.  when we have money not only going into extra teachers and nurses but equipment in schools and hospitals  that money is not wasted   he said. on the tax questions  he added:  we will make commitments on tax at the time of the manifesto.  home secretary charles clarke this week published plans for a new points system for economic migrants  with only high-skilled workers allowed into the uk from outside the european union.  mr blair said abuses would be weeded out and chain migration  where families automatically get the right to settle with immigrant workers  would end. that would probably create a fall in the migrant numbers  he said. the prime minister ridiculed the tory plans for asylum quotas and for processing all asylum claims overseas. he challenged the tories on which country would house their processing centres - what he called a  fantasy island . mr howard read from a letter about the government s own plans at the european council of ministers for processing asylum seekers outside the eu. but mr blair said:  all the other countries could not agree on the way forward  nor could the un.


moya clinches cup for spain spain won the davis cup for the second time in their history when carlos moya beat the usa s andy roddick in the fourth rubber in seville.  moya won 6-2 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-5) to give the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead with only one singles rubber remaining. roddick battled hard and had chances in the second set  but moya s clay-court expertise proved the difference. mardy fish beat tommy robredo 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 in the final dead rubber to cut spain s winning margin to 3-2. spain s only other davis cup title came in 2000  when they beat australia in barcelona. this time they chose to play the final in seville and the city s olympic stadium was revamped to allow for a record crowd for a competitve tennis event of 27 000 spectators. and the home fans gave vociferous support to their players  with 18-year-old nadal and moya winning both friday s singles rubbers. american twins mike and bob bryan gave the visitors hope with victory over juan carlos ferrero and tommy robredo in saturday s doubles. but it remained an uphill task for a us team far happier on hard courts than clay  and 1998 french open champion moya had too much for world number two roddick.  this has been incredible - the moment i ve been waiting for for years   said moya  who missed out in 2000 through injury.  i ve prepared myself for this day. i knew that playing on clay i would have my chances to win.   the davis cup is my dream. i can t ask for more. there is nothing bigger than what i ve lived today.  moya stormed into a 4-0 lead on his way to taking the first set against roddick and recovered immediately from dropping serve in the second. the match came down to two tie-breaks and moya dominated both  clinching victory on his third match point. wild celebrations followed  with an emotional moya congratulated by his team-mates  including nadal  who at 18 years and 187 days becomes the youngest ever victor in davis cup history.  i think we put up a better fight here than in paris two years ago   said roddick  who was on the us team which lost to france in the 2002 semi-finals at roland garros.  they were just better than us this weekend. i have nothing to be ashamed of  i gave it my all.  i am not going to walk out of here with my head down  that s for sure.  there s no miracle answer. we have to improve.


kilroy-silk quits  shameful  ukip ex-chat show host robert kilroy-silk has quit the uk independence party and accused it of betraying its supporters.  the mep said he was ashamed to have joined the party  which he labelled as a  joke . he plans to stand in the next general election but refused to confirm he is setting up a new political party called veritas - latin for truth. ukip leader roger knapman said he would  break open the champagne   adding:  it was nice knowing him  now  goodbye .  however  he did say the ex-chat show host had been  quite useful initially .  he has remarkable ability to influence people but  sadly  after the (european) election it became clear that he was more interested in the robert kilroy-silk party than the uk independence party so it was nice knowing him  now  goodbye    mr knapman told bbc radio 4 s today programme. mr knapman rejected the idea mr kilroy-silk posed a threat to ukip and queried why he had failed to confirm rumours he was starting a new political party.  mr kilroy-silk explained his reasons to his east midlands constituents at a meeting in hinckley  leicestershire. his decision came as ukip officials began a process which could have triggered mr kilroy-silk s expulsion. it marks the end of his membership of ukip after just nine months. it began with a flood of publicity which helped ukip into third place in last june s european elections but became dominated by rancour as he tried to take over the party leadership.  mr kilroy-silk accused his fellow ukip meps of being content with growing fat  sitting on their backsides  in brussels. he told bbc news 24:  i tried to change the party  i nagged all the way through the summer to do things  to get moving because i thought it was criminal what they were doing  it was a betrayal.  mr kilroy-silk also told sky news there was  masses of support  for him to form a new party - something he has yet to confirm will happen.  ukip won 12 seats and 16.1% of the vote at the european elections on the back of its call for the uk to leave the european union in his speech  mr kilroy-silk says the result offered ukip an  amazing opportunity  but the party s leadership had done nothing and  gone awol . there were no policies  no energy  no vision and no spokespeople  he said.  the party is going nowhere and i m embarrassed with its allies in europe and i m ashamed to be a member of the party   said mr kilroy-silk.  he said his conviction in britain s right to govern itself had not changed. he would continue that campaign outside ukip when he contested the general election in an east midlands constituency. reports of his new party plans have prompted a formal complaint to ukip s disciplinary committee for bringing the party into  disrepute . on thursday  the party challenged mr kilroy-silk to stand down as an mep so voters can get a genuine ukip candidate.


lib dems target the student vote students can decide the fate of mps in some seats at the next election  liberal democrat leader charles kennedy has claimed.  the party says the votes of students can win it 27 new seats at the poll. the figures assume all students will vote in their university town. in fact  some may vote where the parents live. the lib dems say scrapping university fees wins them student support. but the tories would also end fees and labour says both would cap people s ambitions.  the lib dems have named the 14 seats where there are enough students to take the lib dems from second place to beat labour  and the 13 where they could go from second to beat the tories. launching his campaign to win students  votes at the london school of economics  mr kennedy urged students to  make their mark . he underlined lib dem plans to scrap university fees and reintroduce maintenance grants of up to £2 000. he said:  top-up fees put students off university  especially those from a poorer background.  and is it really right that so many young people are starting out in life with mortgage-style debts hanging round their necks   mr kennedy also said students want action on the environment and see the iraq war  which his party opposed  as a defining issue.  labour has pushed through plans to let universities charge fees of up to £3 000 a year  with the poorest students eligible for non-repayable support of up to £3 000. ahead of mr kennedy s launch  a labour spokesperson said:  like the tories  the liberal democrats would restrict access to higher education and put a cap on aspiration  closing the door to students with good grades and restricting their life ambitions.  they are committed to abandoning labour s targets of getting 50% of 18 to 30-year-olds going into higher education and under lib dem plans students would even have to study near home.  the conservatives say they would abolish university tuition fees and instead offer large student loans at commercial rates of interest.  they say the lib dem policy would leave universities wholly dependent for their income on the  goodwill  of the chancellor.  shadow education secretary tim collins is on thursday setting out a new scheme of vocational grants for 14 to 16-year-olds to tackle what he says are  crippling skills shortages . the lib dem analysis of the difference students could make to its election chances is based on all students being registered to vote near their university  not in their home towns. although the expected 5 may election would be during term time  students can vote by post. the electoral commission and national union of students are worried students in halls of residence can find it hard to register to vote. some hall wardens are reluctant to register students because of data protection fears - but students can get themselves registered. if the election is on 5 may  voters need to register by 11 march.    - the seats where the lib dems say student votes can swing the election for them are: bristol west  cardiff central  leeds north west  cambridge  manchester gorton  sheffield central  oxford east  newcastle-upon-tyne central  liverpool riverside  holborn and st pancras  oldham east and saddleworth  manchester withington  islington south and finsbury  birmingham yardley  surrey south west  taunton  orpington  haltemprice and howden  eastbourne  isle of wight  dorset west  bournemouth east  wells  canterbury  cities of london and westminster  bournemouth west  westmorland and lonsdale.


blunkett hints at election call ex-home secretary david blunkett has given fresh clues that the general election will be announced on monday.  he told bbc radio five live:  i m out in my constituency getting ready for what we presume will be an announcement very shortly at the weekend.  he clarified that he meant he would be in his sheffield seat this weekend  not that he expected an election call then. tony blair is tipped to ask the queen on monday to dissolve parliament ready for a 5 may poll.


triple triumph for little britain top tv cult hit little britain has triumphed over the office at the 15th annual british comedy awards.  the bbc show beat the office christmas special in the best tv comedy category and took the people s choice award. matt lucas and david walliams also jointly won best tv comedy actor over the office creator ricky gervais  who won a special award for writing. it was also a good night for ant and dec who clinched two awards  including best comedy entertainment personality. the geordie duo also secured best comedy entertainment programme for saturday night takeaway  beating i m a celebrity... get me out of here!  which they also host  and the bbc s have i got news for you.  the ceremony was presented by jonathan ross from itv s london studios headquarters on the capital s south bank. little britain began life as a radio series on radio 4  with walliams and lucas playing a range of misfit characters from an alternative britain. it was later commissioned for bbc three  where it proved a huge success  with the second series also shown on bbc one. after receiving his award for best tv comedy actor with walliams  lucas said:  it s a great honour to be nominated alongside ricky gervais and martin clunes.   the show also won the people s choice award  which is the only gong on the night voted for by viewers. speaking after receiving the award for best comedy  walliams said:  it was a real shock but i don t think we deserved to beat the office which is a great show and more than just a comedy. it s a beautiful piece of work.  gervais and the office co-writer stephen merchant received a special award for writing  presented by noel gallagher and tom stoppard. gervais said:  the show has won an awful lot of awards in the last couple of years  too much. it s got embarrassing to be honest.  other winners at the awards included caroline quentin  who took home best tv comedy actress for life begins and von trapped.  catherine tate  from the catherine tate show  was also nominated for the same award  but she did walk away with best comedy newcomer  over james mcavoy from shameless (channel 4) and julian barratt and noel fielding from the mighty boosh (bbc three). nighty night was named britain s best new tv comedy over itv1 shows doc martin and life begins. but doc martin won best tv comedy drama  over jonathan creek (bbc one) and shameless. winner in the best international comedy category was the simpsons  beating sex and the city and curb your enthusiasm. the prize was accepted by matt groening  creator of the simpsons  who also received an outstanding contribution award from scientist stephen hawking  who has been featured in the series. school of rock was voted best comedy film beating shaun of the dead and shrek 2.  matt lucas & david walliams (little britain  bbc three)  caroline quentin (life begins/ von trapped  itv1)  ant & dec (ant & dec s saturday night takeaway/ i m a celebrity  get me out of here!  itv1)  catherine tate (the catherine tate show  bbc two)  nighty night (baby cow productions  bbc three)  little britain (bbc three)  doc martin (buffalo productions  itv1)  ant & dec s saturday night takeaway (granada  itv1)  the simpsons (twentieth century fox  bbc two/sky one/channel 4)  school of rock


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


global digital divide  narrowing  the  digital divide  between rich and poor nations is narrowing fast  according to a world bank report.  the world bank questioned a united nation s campaign to increase usage and access to technology in poorer nations.  people in the developing world are getting more access at an incredible rate - far faster than... in the past   said the report. but a spokesman for the un s world summit on the information society said the digital divide remained very real.  the digital divide is rapidly closing   the world bank report said.  half the world s population now has access to a fixed-line telephone  the report said  and 77% to a mobile network.  the report s figures surpass a wsis campaign goal that calls for 50% access to telephones by 2015. the un hopes that widening access to technology such as mobile phones and the net will help eradicate poverty.  developing countries are catching up with the rich world in terms of access [to mobile networks]   the report said.  africa is part of a worldwide trend of rapid rollout... this applies to countries rich and poor  reformed or not  african  asian  european and latin american.   a spokesman for the world summit for the information society (wsis)  which is meeting this week in geneva  told the bbc news website:  the digital divide is very much real and needs to be addressed.  some financing has to be found to help narrow the divide.  on tuesday  a meeting of the wsis in geneva agreed to the creation of a digital solitary fund.  the fund is voluntary and will help finance local community-based projects   said the wsis spokesman. under the proposals agreed  voluntary contribution of 1% on contracts obtained by private technology service providers could be made to the digital solidarity fund. the exact financing mechanism of the fund is to be ironed out in the coming days  said the wsis. sixty percent of resources collected by the fund will be made available for projects in least developed countries  30% for projects in developing countries  and 10% for projects in developed countries.


microsoft makes anti-piracy move microsoft says it is clamping down on people running pirated versions of its windows operating system by restricting their access to security features.  the windows genuine advantage scheme means people will have to prove their software is genuine from mid-2005. it will still allow those with unauthorised copies to get some crucial security fixes via automatic updates  but their options would be  limited . microsoft releases regular security updates to its software to protect pcs. either pcs detect updates automatically or users manually download fixes through microsoft s site. those running pirated windows programs would not have access to other downloads and  add-ons  that the software giant offers.  people who try to manually download security patches will have to let microsoft run an automated checking procedure on their computer or give an identification number.  microsoft s regular patches which it releases for newly-found security flaws are important because they stop worms  viruses and other threats penetrating pcs. some security experts are concerned that restricting access to such patches could mean a rise in such attacks and threats  with more pcs left unprotected. but graham cluley  senior consultant at security firm sophos  told the bbc news website that it was a positive decision.  it sounds like their decision to allow critical security patches to remain available to both legitimate and illegitimate users of windows is good news for everyone who uses the net   he said. windows genuine advantage was first introduced as a pilot scheme in september 2004 for english-language versions of windows.  microsoft s windows operating system is heavily exploited by virus writers because it is so widespread and they are constantly seeking out new security loopholes to take advantage of. the company is trying to tackle security threats whilst cracking down on pirated software at the same time. software piracy has cost the company billions  it says. the company announced earlier in january that it was releasing security tools to clean up pcs harbouring viruses and spyware  which 90% of pcs are infected with. the virus-fighting program  updated monthly  is a precursor to microsoft s dedicated anti-virus software. last year it introduced the windows xp counterfeit project  a uk-based pilot scheme  which ran from november to december. the scheme meant that anyone with pre-installed copies of the operating system in pcs bought before november could replace counterfeit versions of windows xp with legal ones for free. it is also increasing efforts to squash software piracy in china  norway and the czech republic  where pirated software is a huge problem  by offering discounts on legitimate software to users of pirated copies windows.  china in particular is a problem  with piracy estimated at 92%   said mr cluley.


labour seeks to quell feud talk labour s leadership put on a show of unity at a campaign poster launch after mps criticised tony blair and gordon brown over reports of their rift.  mr brown was joined at the launch by john prescott and alan milburn  the man controversially put in charge of election planning by mr blair. a private meeting on monday saw normally loyal mps warn that feuding could jeopardise their election hopes. it follows a new book charting disputes between prime minister and chancellor.  the event was the first time mr milburn has shared a platform with the chancellor since taking mr brown s traditional poll planning role. but the pair chatted amicably and mr brown insisted he was happy with his current campaign task. asked about how he would deal with claims that he did not trust the prime minister  mr brown replied:  you can see that our record on the economy is about the british people trusting us to run the economy.   he refused to comment on the new book  saying nobody should be distracted from the business of government. mr brown later told reporters:  of course i trust the prime minister.  downing street cited that comment when reporters  suggested mr brown had pointedly failed to deny claims he had once told mr blair:  there is nothing you could ever say to me now that i could ever believe . labour s new posters say britain is enjoying the lowest inflation since the 1960s  lowest unemployment for 29 years and the lowest mortgage rates for 40 years. they urge voters not to let the tories take things backwards. mr milburn promised a poll campaign  which is upbeat  confident and above all else optimistic about the future of our country .  conservative co-chairman liam fox derided the photo call  saying:  the show of unity was the worst acting i have seen since prisoner cell block h.  labour had broken promises by raising taxes 66 times and brought the slowest economic growth in the english-speaking world  he said.  the prime minister and chancellor faced backbench discontent at monday s meeting of the parliamentary labour party over claims made in journalist robert peston s new book. mr blair told mps and peers:  i know from everyone here  in cabinet and government  nothing is going to get in the way of a unified labour party with a unified position and winning the third term people desperately need.  labour s paul flynn said the pair had had a  scorching  from mps.  on tuesday  deputy prime minister mr prescott told bbc news:  they told us very clearly  it was the troops telling the leaders: get in line.  the new book claims mr prescott hosted a dinner in november 2003 where the prime minister told mr brown he would stand down before the next election because he had lost trust over the iraq war. mr blair then changed his mind in june 2004  after cabinet allies intervened and amid suspicion the chancellor was manoeuvring against him  writes mr peston. mr prescott said there was a dinner but the discussions were confidential.  of course as a waiter for 10 years i have a professional ability here   he joked.


dublin hi-tech labs to shut down dublin s hi-tech research laboratory  media labs europe  is to shut down.  the research centre  which was started by the irish government and the massachusetts institute of technology  was a hotbed for technology concepts. since its opening in 2000  the centre has developed ideas  such as implants for teeth  and also aimed to be a digital hub for start-ups in the area. the centre was supposed to be self-funded  but has failed to attract the private cash injection it needs. in a statement  media labs europe said the decision to close was taken because neither the irish government nor the prestigious us-based massachusetts institute of technology (mit) was willing to fund it. prime minister bertie ahern had wanted to the centre to become a big draw for smaller hi-tech companies  in an attempt to regenerate the area.  about three dozen small firms were attracted to the area  but it is thought the effects of the dot.com recession damaged the labs  long-term survival. the labs needed about 10 million euros (us$13 million) a year from corporate sponsors to survive.  in the end  it was too deep and too long a recession   said simon jones  the labs  managing director. ian pearson  bt s futurologist  told the bbc news website that the closure was a  real shame . bt was just one of the companies that had worked with the labs  looking at rfid tag developments and video conferencing.  there were a lot of very talented  creative people there and they came up with some great ideas that were helping to ensure greater benefits of technology for society.  i have no doubt that the individuals will be quickly snapped up by other research labs  but the synergies from them working as a team will be lost.   noel dempsey  the government s communications minister  said mr ahern had been  very committed  to the project.  he is  i know  very disappointed it has come to this. at the time it seemed to be the right thing to do   he said.  unfortunately the model is not a sustainable one in the current climate.   during its five years  innovative and some unusual ideas for technologies were developed. in recent months  14 patent applications had been filed by the labs. many concepts fed into science  engineering  and psychology as well as technology  but it is thought too few of the ideas were commercially viable in the near-term. several research teams explored how which humans could react with technologies in ways which were entirely different. the human connectedness group  for example  developed the iband  a bracelet which stored and exchanged information about you and your relationships. this information could be beamed to another wearer when two people shook hands. other projects looked at using other human senses  like touch  to interact with devoices which could be embedded in the environment  or on the body itself. one project examined how brainwaves could directly control a computer game. the labs  set up in an old guinness brewery  housed around 100 people  made up of staff  researchers  students  collaborators and part-time undergraduate students. it is thought more than 50 people will lose their jobs when the labs close on 1 february. according to its latest accounts  media lab europe said it spent 8.16 million euros (about us$10.6 million) in 2003 and raised just 2.56 million euros (us$3.3 million).


amex shares up on spin-off news shares in american express surged more than 8% on tuesday after it said it was to spin off its less profitable financial advisory subsidiary.  the us credit card to travel services giant said off-loading american express financial advisors (aefa) would boost its profitability. aefa has more than 12 000 advisers selling financial advice  funds and insurance to 2.5 million customers. over the years it has delivered poor profits and even some losses.   this is an excellent move by american express to focus on its core businesses  and sell off a laggard division  which has been a problem for quite some time   said marquis investment research analyst phil kain. analysts estimate that a stand-alone aefa could have a market value of $10bn (£5.3bn). the unit was acquired by american express 20 years ago as investors diversified service  of minneapolis  at a time when firms were amassing one-stop financial empires. however  the business of selling investments was never integrated with the rest of the group.