nadal puts spain 2-0 up result: nadal 6-7 (6/8) 6-2 7-6 (8/6) 6-2 roddick  spain s rafael nadal beats andy roddick of the usa in the second singles match rubber of the 2004 davis cup final in seville. spain lead 1-0 after carlos moya beat mardy fish in straight sets in the opening match of the tie.  nadal holds his nerve and the crowd goes wild as spain go 2-0 up in the tie.  roddick holds serve to force nadal to serve for the match but the american surely cannot turn things around now.  nadal works roddick around the court on two consecutive points to earn two break points. one is enough  the spaniard secures the double-break and roddick is now teetering on the edge.  roddick is trying to gee himself up but the clay surface is taking its toll on his game and he is looking tired. nadal wins the game to love.  nadal steps up the pressure to break and spain have the early initiative in the fourth set.  nadal also holds convincingly as both players feel their way into the fourth set.  roddick shrugs off the disappointment of losing the third-set tiebreak and breezes through his first service game of the fourth set.  nadal earns the first mini-break in the tiebreak as the match enters its fourth hour. a couple of stunning points follow  one where nadal chases down a roddick shot and turns into a passing winner. then roddick produces some amazing defence at the net to take the score to 4-4. roddick has two serves for the set but double-faults to take the score to 5-5. nadal saves a roddick set point then earns his own with a drive volley - and a crosscourt passing winner sends the crowd wild.  nadal tries to up his aggression and he passes roddick down the line to go 15-40 and two set points up. roddick saves the first with a desperate lunge volley and smacks a volley winner across the court to take the score back to deuce before securing the game. the set will go to another tiebreak.  nadal enjoys another straightforward hold and roddick must once again serve to stay in the set.  roddick again holds on  despite some brilliant shot-making from his opponent.  nadal races through his service game to put the pressure straight back onto roddick.  roddick hangs in on his serve to level matters but nadal is making him fight for every point.  nadal could be suffering a disappointment hangover from the previous game as he goes 0-30 down and then has to save a break point after a tremendous rally in which he is forced into some brilliant defence. but it pays off and the spaniard edges ahead in the set.  roddick s serve is not firing as ferociously as usual and has to rely on his sheer competitive determination to stay in the set. three times  nadal forces a break point and three times the world number two hangs in. and roddick s grit pays off as he manages to hold.  roddick still looks a bit sluggish but he attacks the net and is rewarded with a break point  which nadal saves with a good first serve and the spaniard goes on to hold.  there is a disruption in play as roddick is upset about something in the crowd. the spanish captain gets involved as does the match referee but it is unclear what the problem is. one thing for certain is that the crowd are roused into support of nadal and they go wild when roddick loses the next point and goes break point down. roddick saves the break point and then bangs down his ninth ace before clinching the game with a service winner.  the game passes the two-hour mark as nadal holds serve to edge ahead in the third set.  now roddick has to defend a break point and he produces a characteristic ace to save it. it is immediately followed by another and he holds with a little dinked half-volley winner.  roddick is looking a little leaden-footed but does carve out a break point for himself. but he plays it poorly and nadal avoids the danger.  roddick has gone off the boil and again struggles. he fails to get down properly for a low forehand volley and gives nadal three break points. the american blasts an ace to save one but follows up with a double fault and the rubber is level.  nadal edges towards taking the second set with a comfortable hold.  two good serves put roddick 30-0 up but he then makes a couple of errors to find himself 30-40 down. he saves the break point with an ace and then manages to hold.  roddick s level has dropped while nadal is on a hot streak. the spaniard includes a superb crosscourt winner off the back foot as he races through his service game without dropping a point.  roddick double-faults twice and nadal takes full advantage of the break point offered  powering a passing winner past roddick.  nadal wins another tight game. neither player has dipped from the high standard of play in the first set.  nadal puts the american under pressure and roddick saves a break point with a superb stop volley before going on to hold.  nadal puts the disappointment of losing the first-set tiebreak to claim the opening game in the second.  roddick double-faults to concede the first mini-break and then nadal loops a crosscourt winner to seize advantage in the tiebreak. he lets one slip but wins his next serve to earn three set points. but roddick saves them and then earns one himself. nadal comes up with a down-the-line winner but then nets tamely on roddick s next set point.  nadal s nerve is tested as he tries to force a tiebreak. both players come up with some scintillating tennis and the spaniard has several chances to clinch the game before finally doing so when roddick drives wide.  a pulsating game sees nadal racing round the court retrieving and refusing to give roddick any easy points. the point of the match so far involves roddick s slam-dunk smash being returned by nadal before roddick finally manages to end the rally. on the very next point  nadal blasts a forehand service return from right of court that passes roddick and even the american is forced to applaud. but roddick comes up with two big serves to polish off the game.  nadal outplays roddick to reach 40-0 but the american fights back to 40-30 before nadal s powerful crosscourt forehand winner secures the game.  the crowd are getting very involved  cheering between roddick s first and second serves. but the american comes through to hold and edge ahead in the set.  nadal manages to hold again despite roddick piling the pressure on his serve. the spaniard wins the game courtesy of another lucky net cord.  roddick double faults buts manages to keep his composure. a well-placed serve is unreturnable and roddick holds.  a powerful ace down the middle gives nadal a simple love service game - the first time he has held serve so far in the match. if roddick didn t know before  he knows now that he is in a real contest.  another superb game as nadal breaks to once again lift the roof. he produces some fine groundstrokes to leave roddick chasing shadows. four of the first five games have seen a break of serve.  despite the disappointment of losing his serve  roddick is not phased and storms into a 40-15 lead when the umpire leaves his seat to confirm a close line-call. nadal takes the next point but roddick breaks again with a sharp volley at the net.  roddick s advantage is short lived as nadal breaks back immediately. a fortunate net cord helps the spaniard on his way and when roddick fires a forehand cross court shot wide to lose his serve  nadal pumps his fist in celebration.  the american is pumped up for this clash and takes on nadal s serve from the start. nadal s drop shot is agonisingly called out and roddick claims the vital first break.  after moya s win in the opening rubber  a raucous seville crowd is buoyed by nadal s impressive start which sees him race into a 30-0 lead. however roddick fights back to hold his serve.


howard unveils tory asylum plans tory plans to cut immigration to the uk are not racist and will make the asylum system fairer for genuine refugees  michael howard has said.  as his party set out detailed asylum reform plans  mr howard said they would help smash people smuggling gangs. there would be an annual limit on asylum and all claims would be processed overseas. some charities say the plans would put refugees  lives at risk if they were turned away once quotas were filled.  tony blair said labour would set out workable plans for tackling immigration abuse in the next few weeks and attacked the tory plans.  by cutting the number of front-line immigration staff at our borders  they will actually make the problem worse   said mr blair. liberal democrat chairman matthew taylor said there needed to be a quick  fair and firm asylum system. but he said it was  absolutely disgusting  to propose a system which could turn away genuine refugees. the conservatives say there is little risk of this happening as demand for asylum will be considered when quotas are set.  in a speech in london on monday  mr howard said:  it s not racist  as some people to claim  to talk about controlling immigration far from it.  he said that coming from an immigrant family himself he recognised that  firm but fair  immigration controls were essential for good community relations.    - withdrawing from the 1951 united nations convention on refugees  which obliges countries to accept people being persecuted on the basis of need  not numbers   - introduce laws to allow the immediate removal of asylum seekers whose claims were clearly unfounded because they came from safe countries or had destroyed documents   - detain asylum seekers without documents so people whose identity was not known were not able to move freely around the uk - a worry for  national security    - stop considering asylum applications inside the uk and instead take people from united nations refugee agency camps. anyone applying for asylum would be taken to new centres close to their countries of origin.     the tories also want quotas for those seeking work permits through an australian-style points system and those wanting to join families in the uk.  mr howard said nearly 160 000 people were settling in the uk every year - the size of a city like peterborough. the plans would help achieve a  substantial reduction  in immigration  he said  although he could not predict a figure. he said that only two out of 10 asylum seekers had their claims accepted under the current  unfair and inhumane  system.   we need to break the link between arriving in britain and claiming asylum   mr howard said.  by breaking that link we can smash the criminal gangs at the heart of the trade in people smuggling.   but the un refugees agency is worried the policy sends the wrong message to poorer countries which receive the bulk of refugees. and a spokesman for european justice and home affairs commissioner franco frattini said the plans would contravene eu asylum policy  which meant the uk could not simply refuse to hear an asylum case. refugee council chief executive maeve sherlock called the plans  dangerous  ill thought-out and hugely irresponsible . lives could be put at risk if refugees were turned away once the quotas were filled  she warned. commission for racial equality chairman trevor phillips said asylum applications were down 40% and economic migration down about 10%.  he did not think mr howard intended to centre the debate about race. but he warned that some campaigners could use his words to hint the policy was about keeping out people of a different colour or culture. mr howard called that suggestion  disgraceful .


debate needed  on donations cap a cap on donations to political parties should not be introduced yet  the elections watchdog has said.  fears that big donors can buy political favours have sparked calls for a limit. in a new report  the electoral commission says it is worth debating a £10 000 cap for the future but now is not the right time to introduce it. it also says there should be more state funding for political parties and candidates should be able to spend more on election campaigning.  there were almost £68m in reported donations to political parties in 2001  2002 and 2003  with nearly £12m of them from individual gifts worth more than £1m. the rules have already been changed so the public can see who gives how much to the parties but the report says there are still public suspicions. the commission says capping donations would mean taxpayers giving parties more cash - something which would first have to be acceptable to the public and shown to work.  while we are not in principle opposed to the introduction of a donation cap  we do not believe that such a major departure from the existing system now would be sensible   says its report. if there was to be a cap  it should be £10 000 - a small enough amount to make a difference but which would have banned £56m in donations between 2001 and 2003.  even without changes the commission does urge political parties to seek out more small-scale donations and suggests there should be income tax relief for gifts under £200. it also suggests increasing state funding for parties to £3m so help can be extended to all parties with at least two members in the house of commons  european parliament  scottish parliament  welsh assembly or northern ireland assembly. and it suggests new ways of boosting election campaigning  seen as a way of improving voter turnout. all local election candidates should be entitled to a free mailshot for campaign leaflets  says the watchdog. and there should be a shift in the amount of money allowed to be spent at elections from a national level to a local level to help politicians engage better with voters.  the report suggests doubling the money which can be spent by candidates  while cutting national spending limits from £20m to £15m. the commission also says the spending limits for general elections should cover the four months before the poll - as happens with other elections. electoral commission chairman sam younger said:  there is no doubt that political parties have a vital role to play in maintaining the health of our democracy and for this they need to be adequately resourced.  our research has shown that people want to be more informed about party politics and that they want politicians to be more visible and accessible.  the public are reluctant for the state to fund parties but at the same time are unhappy with large private donations.  he called for a wider public debate on party funding to find the consensus needed for radical changes to the current system.


jamieson issues warning to bigots scotland s justice minister has warned bigoted soccer fans that she wants to hit them  where it hurts most  by banning them from matches.  cathy jamieson said exclusion orders are one of a series of measures being considered in the scottish executive campaign against sectarianism. she praised celtic and rangers for their work in tackling the problem. however  the minister said stopping sectarian abuse associated with old firm matches is a key objective. ms jamieson was speaking ahead of the third round scottish cup clash between the glasgow clubs at parkhead on sunday. the sectarianism long associated with sections of the support from both clubs has become a significant target for the executive. last week ms jamieson and first minister jack mcconnell met supporters  representatives from both clubs to discuss the issue.  they plan to hold an anti-sectarian summit next month with officials from the clubs  church leaders  senior police officers and local authority chiefs among those to be invited. speaking on bbc radio scotland s sunday live programme  ms jamieson described friday s meeting as  very productive  and said putting the squeeze on the bigots would be a key aim. ms jamieson stressed that sectarianism has not been confined to football but it can act as a  trigger  for tensions and violence. clubs have taken action in the past to ban troublesome fans and supporters  groups expressed their desire to ensure that the game is no longer tainted by the problem.  ms jamieson said the executive should have a role in tackling the soccer troublemakers. she said:  we can t get away from the fact that in some instances some of the religious hatred that some people try to associate with football boils over into violence.  that is the kind of thing we want to stop and that s the kind of thing supporters  groups are very clear they don t want to be part of either  and they will work with us to try and deal with that.   ms jamieson praised the police for their action and said:  the police do want to identify whether there are particular individuals who are going over the top and inciting hatred or violence - they will crack down very effectively on them.  we have of course already indicated that we will consider the introduction of banning orders to give additional powers to where there are people who are going over the top  who have made inappropriate behaviour at football matches  to be able to stop them attending the games.  that s the kind of thing that will hit those kind of people where it hurts the most in not allowing them to attend the games   she said. praising celtic and rangers for their efforts  she said:  i don t think there is any doubt that we have seen some positive moves from the clubs.  both rangers and celtic football clubs have been involved in working with the executive to produce  for example  an educational pack for young people.


robben plays down european return injured chelsea winger arjen robben has insisted that he only has a 10% chance of making a return against barcelona in the champions league.  the 21-year-old has been sidelined since breaking a foot against blackburn last month. chelsea face barcelona at home on 8 march having lost 2-1 in the first leg. and robben told the daily star:  it is not impossible that i will play against barcelona but it is just a very  very small chance - about 10%.   robben has been an inspirational player for chelsea this season following a switch from psv einhoven last summer. he added:  my recovery is going better than we expected a few weeks ago but i think the barcelona game will come too soon.  i won t take any risks and come back too soon.


strong demand triggers oil rally crude oil prices surged back above the $47 a barrel mark on thursday after an energy market watchdog raised its forecasts for global demand.  the international energy agency (iea) warned demand for opec s crude in the first quarter would outstrip supply. the iea raised its estimate of 2005 oil demand growth by 80 000 barrels a day to 84 million barrels a day. us light crude rose $1.64 to $47.10  while brent crude in london gained $1.32 to $44.45.  the paris-based iea watchdog  which advises industrialized nations on energy policy  said the upward revision was due to stronger demand from china and other asian countries. the fresh rally in crude prices followed gains on wednesday which were triggered by large falls in us crude supplies following a cold spell in north america in january. the us department of energy reported that crude stockpiles had fallen 1m barrels to 294.3m. on top of that  ongoing problems for beleaguered russian oil giant yukos have also prompted the iea to revise its output estimates from russia - a major non-opec supplier.  i think that prices are now beginning to set a new range and it looks like the $40 to $50 level   said energy analyst orin middleton of barclays capital.


tomlinson stays focused on europe long jumper chris tomlinson has cut his schedule to ensure he is fully fit for the european indoor championships.  the 23-year-old has a minor injury and has pulled out of international meets in madrid and lievin this week as well as warm-weather training in lanzarote.  it s nothing serious   said his coach peter stanley.  he strained a muscle in his abdomen at the birmingham meeting but is back in full training.  sprinter mark lewis-francis will also not compete in madrid on thursday. the birmingham athlete  who clocked a season s best of 6.61 seconds over 60m in birmingham last week  also prefers to focus his attentions on next month s european indoor championships.  lewis-francis  who was runner-up to british team-mate jason gardener at the europeans three years ago  will continue his training at home. meanwhile  tomlinson is still searching for this first major medal and this season he has shown he could be in the sort of form to grab a spot on the podium in madrid. the middlesbrough athlete jumped a season s best of 7.95m at the birmingham grand prix - good enough to push world indoor champion savante stringfellow into second.


ultra fast wi-fi nears completion ultra high speed wi-fi connections moved closer to reality on thursday when intel said it would list standards for the technology later this year.  intel is developing ultra-wideband technology (uwb) which would allow fast data transfer but with low power needs. uwb is tipped to be used for wireless transfer of video in the home or office and for use in wireless usb devices which need low power consumption. a rival uwb standard is being developed by motorola and chip firm freescale. at the mobile phone conference 3gsm in cannes last month samsung demonstrated a phone using uwb technology from freescale.  at a press conference on thursday intel announced that two uwb groups  wimedia alliance and multi-band ofdm alliance had merged to support the technology. uwb makes it possible to stream huge amounts of data through the air over short distances. one of the more likely uses of uwb is to make it possible to send dvd quality video images wirelessly to tv screens or to let people beam music to media players around their home.  the technology has the potential to transmit hundreds of megabits of data per second.  consumer electronics companies want uwb to replace cables and simplify set-up   jeff ravencraft  technology strategist at intel and chairman of the wireless usb promoter group  told technology site zdnet.  thirty percent of consumer electronics returns are because the consumer couldn t set up the equipment.  the first products using uwb technology from intel are due to hit the market later this year. initially they will be products using wireless usb 2.0 connections. uwb could also be used to create so-called personal area networks that let a person s gadgets quickly and easily swap data amongst themselves. the technology works over a range up to 10 metres and uses billions of short radio pulses every second to carry data. intel says the benefit of uwb is that it does not interfere with other wi-fi technologies already in use such as wi-fi  wimax and mobile phone networks.


blind student  hears in colour  a blind student has developed software that turns colours into musical notes so that he can read weather maps.  victor wong  a graduate student from hong kong studying at cornell university in new york state  had to read coloured maps of the upper atmosphere as part of his research. to study  space weather  mr wong needed to explore minute fluctuations in order to create mathematical models. a number of solutions were tried  including having a colleague describe the maps and attempting to print them in braille. mr wong eventually hit upon the idea of translating individual colours into music  and enlisted the help of a computer graphics specialist and another student to do the programming work.   the images have three dimensions and i had to find a way of reading them myself   mr wong told the bbc news website.  for the sake of my own study - and for the sake of blind scientists generally - i felt it would be good to develop software that could help us to read colour images.  he tried a prototype version of the software to explore a photograph of a parrot. in order to have an exact reference to the screen  a pen and tablet device is used. the software then assigns one of 88 piano notes to individually coloured pixels - ranging from blue at the lower end of this scale to red at the upper end. mr wong says the application is still very much in its infancy and is only useful for reading images that have been created digitally.  if i took a random picture and scanned it and then used my software to recognise it  it wouldn t work that well.   mr wong has been blind from the age of seven and he thinks that having a  colour memory  makes the software more useful than it would be to a scientist who had never had any vision.  as the notes increase in pitch i know the colour s getting redder and redder  and in my mind s eye a patch of red appears.  the colour to music software has not yet been made available commercially  and mr wong believes that several people would have to work together to make it viable. but he hopes that one day it can be developed to give blind people access to photographs and other images.


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


blair defends terror law changes the prime minister has defended measures to allow house arrest without trial  saying  several hundred  people in the uk are plotting terror attacks.  the government is facing opposition from tory and lib dem mps and its own backbenchers as it prepares for the final commons debate on the changes. but tony blair said there could be no concession on the  basic principle . mr blair told the bbc the  control orders  would only be used in the most limited circumstances. critics in the opposition and civil rights activists are worried that the home secretary will have the power to issue the detention orders. but the government has so far resisted pressure for judges to be responsible for making the orders  instead saying judges will be able to quash them.  an explanation is being sent by home secretary charles clarke to all mps and peers ahead of the final debate in the house of commons. on sunday  conservative shadow home secretary david davis claimed judges would get the powers to issue detention orders. and liberal democrat leader charles kennedy said some concessions had already been offered by the government during last-minute negotiations. some 32 labour mps voted against the legislation last week. barbara follett  whose first husband was killed while under house arrest in south africa during the apartheid era  confirmed she would vote against the government.  but the government is continuing to insist that  control orders  must be issued by the home secretary. mr blair told bbc radio 4 s woman s hour:  we are being advised by the police and the security services...  what they say is you have got to give us powers in between mere surveillance of these people - there are several hundred of them in this country who we believe are engaged in plotting or trying to commit terrorist acts - you have got to give us power in between just surveying them and being able  being sure enough of the proof  to prosecute them beyond reasonable doubt.  and these will be restrictions on their liberty that we will use only in the most limited circumstances.   a yougov poll in the daily telegraph suggested 75% of respondents thought action was sometimes necessary against people who had not committed an offence but who had been found by intelligence services to be planning a terrorist attack. but tory leader michael howard told bbc news that the government was again making a mistake in  rushing  anti-terrorism legislation.  i very much hope it would be possible to reach a compromise on this.  he said after meeting tony blair he had been left with the impression that  he really wasn t interested in any of the various proposals we have put forward . mr clarke wants house arrest and other powers to replace indefinite jail for terror suspects - something the law lords have ruled against on the basis that it breaches human rights. bbc political correspondent vicky young said some form of concession on the measures was likely to be needed to get the legislation through the house of lords  where labour does not have a majority and would require support from other parties. shami chakrabarti  director of civil liberties pressure group liberty  said who was able to issue the control orders was not the main issue. she said the legislation was  a travesty and a perversion of justice  and would remain  unpalatable  even if a judge was involved early in the process.


quake s economic costs emerging asian governments and international agencies are reeling at the potential economic devastation left by the asian tsunami and floods.  world bank president james wolfensohn has said his agency is  only beginning to grasp the magnitude of the disaster  and its economic impact. the tragedy has left at least 25 000 people dead  with sri lanka  thailand  india and indonesia worst hit. some early estimates of reconstruction costs are starting to emerge. millions have been left homeless  while businesses and infrastructure have been washed away.  economists believe several of the 10 countries hit by the giant waves could see a slowdown in growth.  in sri lanka  some observers have said that as much as 1% of annual growth may be lost. for thailand  that figure is much lower at 0.1%. governments are expected to take steps  such as cutting taxes and increasing spending  to facilitate a recovery.   with the enormous displacement of people...there will be a serious relaxation of fiscal policy   glenn maguire  chief economist for the region at societe generale  told agence france presse.  the economic impact of it will certainly be large  but it should not be enough to derail the momentum of the region in 2005   he said.  first and foremost this is a human tragedy.  india s economy  however  is less likely to slow because the areas hit are some of the least developed. the regional giant has enjoyed strong growth in 2004. but india now faces other problems  with aid workers under pressure to ensure a clean supply of water and sanitation to prevent an outbreak of disease.  thailand s prime minister thaksin shinawatra has estimated the destruction at 20bn baht ($510m). analysts said that figure is likely to rise and the country s tourist industry is likely to be hardest hit. thailand s fishing and real estate sectors also will be affected by sunday s 9.0 magnitude earthquake  which sent huge waves from malaysia to africa. malaysia said as many as 1 000 fishermen will be affected and that damage to the industry will be  significant   agence france presse reported. rapid rebuilding will be key to limiting the impact of the tragedy.  in three months  we should rebuild 70% of the damage in the three worst hit provinces   said juthamas siriwan  governor of the tourism authority of thailand. the outlook for sri lanka is less optimistic  with analysts predicting that the country s tourist industry will struggle to recovery quickly. tourism is a vital to many developing countries  providing jobs for 19 million people in the south east asian region  according to the world travel and tourism council (wttc).


wales silent on grand slam talk rhys williams says wales are still not thinking of winning the grand slam despite a third six nations win.   that s the last thing on our minds at the moment   said williams  a second- half replacement in saturday s 24-18 win over france in paris.  we all realise how difficult a task it is to go up to scotland and beat them.  we ve come unstuck there a couple of times recently so our focus is on that game and we ll worry about ireland hopefully after we ve beaten scotland.  with captain gareth thomas ruled out of the rest of the campaign with a broken thumb  williams is vying for his first start in the championship so far.  kevin morgan is probably favourite to replace thomas at full-back  leaving williams and hal luscombe to battle for the right wing berth. a hamstring injury denied luscombe the opportunity to make a third successive start  but the dragons winger is expected to be fit for the trip to murrayfield on 13 march. hooker robin mcbryde is doubtful after picking up a knee injury in paris  but centre sonny parker and flanker colin charvis are set to recover from injury to be in contention for selection. said wales assistant coach scott johnson:  they ve worked through the weekend and the reports are a bit more positive.  so we re getting a couple back and that adds to the depth of the squad.  scotland secured their first win of the campaign on saturday by grinding out an 18-10 win over italy.  matt williams  side has shown little in attack  but johnson insisted the scots will be difficult opposition to break down.  italy are really brave opposition and sometimes it s very hard to win   he said.  so an ugly win can be just as effective as a 30 or 40 point victory.  scotland are a hard side and very underrated so we re not taking anything for granted.  we re not basking in the glory of winning our first three games. we ve got to be diligent in our preparation.  that s my job and we ve got to make sure we re focused.


india power shares jump on debut shares in india s largest power producer  national thermal power corp (ntpc) have risen 13% on their stock market debut.  the government s partial sell-off of ntpc is part of a controversial programme to privatise state-run firms. the 865 million share offer  a mix of new shares and sales by the government  raised 54bn rupees($1.2bn). it was india s second $1bn stock debut in three months  coming after the flotation by software firm tata. the share offer was eleven times oversubscribed.  it is a good investment bet   said suhas naik  an investment analyst from ing mutual fund.  power needs in india are set to rise and ntpc will benefit from that.  analysts say the success of the ntpc flotation would encourage the government to reduce stakes in more power companies. ntpc has said it will use the money from the share sale to feed the growing needs of the country s energy-starved economy. the firm is the largest utility company in india  and the sixth largest power producer in the world.


muslim police stops  more likely  uk muslims should accept that people of islamic appearance are more likely to be stopped and searched by police  a home office minister has said.  hazel blears said innocent muslims would be targeted because of the search for islamic extremists. qualifications for religious leaders to enter the uk could also be made tougher  she told a commons inquiry. her comments have been described as  irresponsible  and  outrageous  by the islamic human rights commission (ihrc).   the threat is most likely to come from those people associated with an extreme form of islam  or who are falsely hiding behind islam   the salford mp told the commons home affairs committee.   it means that some of our counter-terrorism powers will be disproportionately experienced by the muslim community.  it was a reality that should be recognised  she said.  if a threat is from a particular place then our action is going to be targeted at that area   she added. on ministers of religions  such as imams  she said faith groups would be asked what other qualifications and skills  such as civic knowledge and ability to engage the community  should be demanded. last year  ministers introduced a requirement that ministers should speak english to a certain level.  ihrc chairman massoud shadjareh accused ms blears of  playing an islamophobia card  in the run-up to a general election.   she is demonising and alienating our community   he said.  it is a legitimisation for a backlash and for racists to have an onslaught on our community.  this sort of comment is just music to the ears of racists.  later  the prime minister s official spokesman urged people to put ms blears  comments into context. the minister had been saying she understood there was a perception that stop and search was aimed at one community  but that was not what was happening  the spokesman said.   what is happening is that those powers are aimed at those who are suspected of carrying out or planning certain activity who happen to come from one community.  it is not aimed at a particular community  it is not police policy to aim these powers at a particular community   he added. statistics showed that of the 17 people found guilty of terrorist acts in the uk since the 11 september attacks  only four of the 12 whose ethnic backgrounds were known were muslim  he added figures published last week showed that people from ethnic minorities were increasingly likely to be targeted by police stop and search tactics.  figures showed that  for 2003/2004  asians were 1.9 times more likely to be stopped and searched  compared with 1.7 times more likely in the previous year. separate figures on police searches in england and wales carried out under the terrorism act 2000 showed that ethnic minorities were more likely to be targeted. muslim groups have repeatedly claimed that their communities are being victimised under terror laws. in 2003/2004  12.5% searches under the laws were on asian people  even though they make up 4.7% of the population. last july  the police were accused of islamophobia by muslim groups after stop and search figures showed the numbers of asians targeted had risen by 300% since the introduction of anti-terror laws.


learning to love broadband we are reaching the point where broadband is a central part of daily life  at least for some  argues technology analyst bill thompson.  one of the nice things about being a writer is that i rarely have to go to an office to work. i can sit in a café or a library  with or without a wi-fi connection  and research and write articles. if i am passing through kings cross station on my way to a meeting then i can log on from the platform. and i can spend the day working with my girlfriend anne  a children s writer  at her house in cambridge  sharing her wireless network. but just over a week ago i arrived at her house to find that there was no network connection.  we checked the cable modem and noticed that it had no power  and when she changed the power lead it sparked at her in a way which made it abundantly clear that it was never going to talk to the internet again. she called her service provider  and they told her it would be five days before an engineer would show up with a new cable modem. this did not seem too bad  but in fact she really suffered until her connection was restored on wednesday. with no modem installed in her computer  she had to borrow internet access from friends or use the dial-up connection on her daughter s laptop  so she had to choose between copying her files onto her usb memory card or accepting a slower and flakier net connection. as a result she did not submit the pictures she wanted to use for a book on earthquakes because they were too big to send over dial-up.  she could not research other material because she is used to having easy access to a fast link that lets her search quickly and effectively. but the impact spread into her personal life too. she did not take her children to the cinema during half-term because she could not find out which films were showing at the local cinemas. she planned a trip to norfolk but did not check the weather because the only place she knows to look for weather information is the bbc website. and she did not know where to go fossil-hunting on the trip because she could not type  fossils norfolk  into google. of course  she readily admits  she could have answered these questions if she had looked in the local paper  listened to the radio or found a book on fossils. but she did not  because having fast  always on  and easy access to the net has become part of the routine of her daily life  and when it was taken away it was too much effort to go back to the old ways of doing things. she may be unusual  but i do not think anne is alone.  according to ofcom there were almost four million broadband users in the uk in april 2004  and numbers are climbing fast. there will certainly be five million by the end of the year. dial-up users are switching to broadband. my dad finally made the change earlier this month and new net users are selecting broadband from the start. more and more of these broadband users are beginning to mould their daily lives around the availability of broadband internet connections  and they too will find it difficult to cope if they cannot get online for any reason.  it is part of the process of adaptation  and it is a vital step in the growth of broadband in the uk and elsewhere. people who have integrated net access into their daily lives tell their friends about it  and show off the cool stuff they can do. they encourage other people to get broadband so that they can share digital photos and do all of the other things that need fast and reliable connectivity. of course  broadband in the uk is laughably slow compared to other parts of the world. in south korea  japan and hong kong normal connection speeds are measured in megabits  or millions of bits  a second rather than the thousands that we are supposed to be happy with. but speed is only a small part of the attraction of broadband  and when it comes to checking websites for film times  looking at weather forecasts  or all of the other small things that make a real difference to the routines and habits of our daily lives  even uk speeds are sufficient. it may not be the brave new world of streaming full-screen video and superfast file downloads  but it will do for now. and it is certainly better than slow access or no access. just ask anne.  bill thompson is a regular commentator on the bbc world service programme go digital.


games enter the classroom video games could soon be transplanted from their natural habitat to the more academic atmosphere of the classroom.  with violent titles continuing to top the charts  gaming and learning have not always sat well together but the tide could be beginning to turn. recent research by the london institute of education concluded that games have a valid place in the classroom.  games teach life skills such as decision making  problem solving   said martin owen  at futurelab. mr owen said games could also help children make quick assessments of situations and learning by trial and error.  futurelab is a non-profit organisation looking at ways of using technology for innovative learning. most game firms are too busy turning a profit in the lucrative commercial market to consider developing games for use in schools but liverpool-based games firm lateral visions saw a gap in the market.  learning games were somewhat old-fashioned and we didn t see anyone else doing what we wanted to do   said dr carl gavin  managing director of lateral visions. the company set out to write something that had all the look and feel of a commercial game but with an educational and learning element. the result is racing academy  a massively multiplayer car racing game  which requires not only a thirst for speed but a working knowledge of physics and engineering as well.  it is being used by futurelab to test the viability of using gaming in the classroom.  we are keen to find out whether alongside learning a game  we can also learn something that the rest of the world can understand as being educational   said mr owen. players will have to understand how a car works in order to win races and the knowledge of physics and engineering that they gather along the way will be done in a way that no text book can teach. the game requires users to build and maintain their vehicles and to monitor and analyse performance using data from a variety of outputs  before and after racing. teamwork is essential and a chat area allows students to exchange information and data  work collaboratively and review their own performances. this fusion of chatrooms and gaming is of special interest to futurelab as it is through talking to others that much of the learning can be achieved  thinks mr owen.  the game has been trialled in two secondary schools in bristol and feedback from students has been positive.  pupils used the statistics to work out the best way to build their cars and the online message board to share ideas and support each other   said ben williamson  a researcher at futurelab charged with testing the game in real schools. dr gavin thinks the game satisfies both teachers  need for learning outcomes and the children s desire to rise to a challenge.  games in the classroom need to support the teacher. it is not about giving children free rein to play game but recognising that games attract attention and offer a challenge   he said. professor angela macfarlane  based at bristol university  has spent several years researching how games can be incorporated into classrooms.  use of games in schools has been patchy she found  with sim city proving the most popular. traditionally schools have eschewed mainstream games in favour of used so-called edu-tainment software in a belief that such packages help to make learning fun  she found in her research.  it is perhaps in a compromise between edutainment and mainstream games that the greatest potential for classroom useable games lies   she wrote in a paper entitled games and learning.  lite  versions of existing games could be the way forward and would overcome one of the biggest hurdles - persuading developers to write for the educational market. this would appeal to developers because of the low costs involved in adapting them as well as offering a new opportunity for marketing. already there are games on the market  such as civilisation and age of empire  that have educational elements said mr owen.  even in grand theft auto it is not just the violence that engages people   he said. it could be some time until that particular game makes it into the classroom though.


mobile games come of age the bbc news website takes a look at how games on mobile phones are maturing. a brief round-up follows but you can skip straight to the reviews by clicking on the links below. part two will follow on monday.  reviews of call of duty  splinter cell - pandora tomorrow  lord of the rings and pocket kingdom will follow on monday if you think of snake when some mentions  mobile games  then you could be in for a bit of a surprise. this is because mobile games have come a long way in a very short time. even before nokia s n-gage game phone launched in late 2003  many mobile operators were realising that there was an audience looking for something to play on their handset.  and given that many more people own handsets than own portable game playing gadgets such as the gameboy it could be a very lucrative market. that audience includes commuters wanting something to fill their time on the way home  game fans looking for a bit of variety and hard core gamers who like to play every moment they can. life for all these types of player has got immeasurably better in the last year as the numbers of titles you can download to your phone has snowballed. now sites such as wireless gaming review list more than 200 different titles for some uk networks and the ranges suit every possible taste. there are ports of pc and arcade classics such as space invaders  lunar lander and bejewelled. there are also versions of titles  such as colin mcrae rally  that you typically find on pcs and consoles.  there are shoot-em-ups  adventure games  strategy titles and many novel games only found on handsets. rarely now does an action movie launch without a mobile game tie-in. increasingly such launches are all part of the promotional campaign for a film  understandable when you realise that a good game can rack up millions of downloads. the returns can be pretty good when you consider that some games cost £5. what has also helped games on mobiles thrive is the fact that it is easier than ever to get hold of them thanks to technology known as wap push. by sending a text message to a game maker you can have the title downloaded to your handset. far better than having to navigate through the menus of most mobile operator portals. the number of handsets that can play games has grown hugely too. almost half of all phones now have java onboard meaning that they can play the increasingly sophisticated games that are available - even the ones that use 3d graphics.  the minimum technology specifications that phones should adhere to are getting more sophisticated which means that games are too. now double key presses are possible making familiar tactics such as moving and strafing a real option. the processing power on handsets means that physics on mobile games is getting more convincing and the graphics are improving too. some game makers are also starting to take advantage of the extra capabilities in a mobile. many titles  particularly racing games  let you upload your best time to see how you compare to others. usually you can get hold of their best time and race against a  ghost  or  shadow  to see if you can beat them. a few games also let you take on people in real time via the network or  if you are sitting close to them  via bluetooth short-range radio technology. with so much going on it is hard to do justice to the sheer diversity of what is happening. but these two features should help point you in the direction of the game makers and give you an idea of where to look and how to get playing.  too fast too furious (digital bridges)  as soon as i start playing this i remember why i never play driving games - because i m rubbish at them. no matter if i drive the car via joystick or keypad i just cannot get the hang of braking for corners or timing a rush to pass other drivers. the game rewards replay because to advance you have to complete every section within a time limit. winning gives you cash for upgrades. graphically the rolling road is a convincing enough evocation of speed as the palm trees and cactus whip by and the city scrolls past in the background. the cars handle pretty well despite my uselessness but it was not clear if the different models of cars were appreciably different on the track. the only niggle was that the interface was a bit confusing especially when using a joystick rather than the keypad to play.  fatal force (macrospace)  a futuristic shooter that lets you either play various deathmatch modes against your phone or run through a series of scenarios that involves killing aliens invading earth. graphics are a bit cartoon-like but only helps to make clear what is going on and levels are well laid out and encourage you to leap about exploring. both background music and sounds effects work well. the scenarios are well scripted and you regularly get hints from the fatal force commanders. weapons include flamethrowers  rocket launchers  grenades and at a couple of points you even get chance to use a mech for a short while. with the right power-up you can go into a matrix-style bullet time to cope with the onslaught of aliens. the game lets you play via bluetooth if others are in range. online the game has quite a following with clans  player rankings and even new downloadable maps.


blair says uk tsunami aid to soar tony blair has predicted the british government will eventually give  hundreds of millions  of pounds in aid to countries hit by the tsunami.  the prime minister was speaking publicly for the first time since returning from his holiday in egypt. mr blair insisted he had been  intimately involved  in  all decisions at all times  despite being abroad. he was speaking before the uk joins a three-minute silence at noon across the eu for the estimated 150 000 dead.  the foreign office says 41 britons are now confirmed to have died in the tsunami which struck south asia on boxing day  with 158 others missing. asked about criticism that he did not cut short his holiday  mr blair told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  i don t think this is a situation in which the british people need me to articulate what they feel.   i think they feel - as we all do - shock  horror  and absolute solidarity with those people who have lost their lives.  the important thing was action and not words  he said  adding that of the £50m given by the government so far only  six or seven million  had been spent. it would become easier in the coming weeks to assess just how much money would have to be put in.  my estimate is we will need to spend from government several hundred million pounds. so we will far and away more than match the generosity of the british people   he said. asked whether he had not returned to work immediately because he was under doctors orders to rest  mr blair said there was also a story he had been away for plastic surgery.  as you can see unfortunately i am still looking the same as i always did   he joked.  the prime minister took personal charge of the uk s response on tuesday  chairing a meeting of the emergency committee of ministers that has convened daily since boxing day. he also spoke on the telephone to us president george bush  and the presidents of sri lanka and indonesia. chancellor gordon brown earlier backed a plan to freeze the foreign debts of all the affected nations.  mr brown  who was not at the downing street meeting  says he has been in  intensive talks  with other g8 finance ministers. germany proposed a freeze last week and canada has begun its own moratorium. the chancellor said the plan would initially save the most affected countries about $3bn (£1.58bn) in repayments. tory leader michael howard also backed the proposals but said ministers had been  playing catch-up  with public donations.  foreign secretary jack straw is to visit thailand and indonesia this week. during his trip  mr straw will represent the g8 at the international conference called in jakarta  indonesia on thursday. on friday  he will visit the thai beach resort of phuket  where british families are still searching for relatives.  international development secretary hilary benn will also visit aceh in indonesia  as well as sri lanka. the british public has now pledged £76m in aid with emergency supplies from the british government starting to arrive in the region on three raf flights in a joint operation with scandinavian countries. two ships - the royal fleet auxiliary ship diligence and frigate hms chatham - have arrived in the disaster area. a second royal fleet auxiliary vessel  the bayleaf  is also being sent. uk charities have also begun chartering planes to deliver aid.    - a bbc news special: asia remembered  including the three-minutes silence  will be shown on bbc one and bbc news 24 from 1130 to 1215 gmt on wednesday.


mutu to hold talks with juventus disgraced former chelsea striker adrian mutu is to begin talks with juventus as he looks for a new club.   mutu will be in our club s main stand to watch the match between juventus and fiorentina   said a juventus official  who declined to be named.  then he will meet some important people of the club   he added. mutu  25  sacked by chelsea and banned for seven months for taking cocaine  is now represented by alessandro moggi  son of juve manager luciano moggi. mutu  banned by the english fa  can resume playing next may. he is to undergo a drug education and rehabilitation programme. mutu wants to train with romanian side dinamo bucharest whilst serving his ban  say the bucharest side.


iaaf to rule on greek sprint pair greek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou are expected to find out on wednesday if they will be banned for missing drugs tests this summer.  the international association of athletics federations (iaaf) council held a conference call on tuesday and are set to announce their decision. kenteris and thanou could be suspended for up to two years. the duo withdrew from the olympics after missing a test but claimed they had suffered a motorcycle crash. the greek authorities have also brought criminal charges against the sprinters for avoiding a drugs test and faking an accident. their former coach christos tzekos is also facing charges and all three are awaiting a trial date.  however  the iaaf will determine the sprinters  future on the track after carefully considering all the evidence. the sport s ruling body is expected to direct the greek federation in what action it should take against the sprinters. kenteris and thanou can appeal against any decision at the court of arbitration for sport. the sprinters both sent written explanations to the iaaf  which have been taken into account. the iaaf sent an official warning to the sprinters and coach tzekos after they were discovered training in qatar rather than in crete  where they had said they would be. but kenteris and thanou then went on to skip tests in tel aviv and chicago  when they decided to fly back to greece early. just before the olympics  the pair dramatically missed another test in athens before withdrawing from the games. kenteris  31  won gold in the 200m at the sydney olympics in 2000  where thanou  29  won silver in the 100m.


losing yourself in online gaming online role playing games are time-consuming  but enthralling flights from reality. but are some people taking their fantasy lives too seriously   when video game world of warcraft hit the shops in europe last week fans wrote in to the bbc website to express their delight - and to offer a warning.  an addiction to a game like this is far more costly in time than any substance could impair - keep track of time   wrote travis anderson  in texas. some of the comments were humorous:  this game is so good i m not going to get it  there s no way i could limit the hours i d spend playing it   wrote charles macintyre  from england.  but some struck a more worrying tone about the massively multiplayer online role playing game (mmorpg):   you need to get out more  could be the motto of any mmorpg. shame they are getting more popular  as you know this problem is just going to mushroom   wrote stuart stanton-davies  in huddersfield. scare-mongering articles about  addictive video games  have existed since the days the first game of pong stopped everyone from working at the atari offices.  gaming is like any other pastime - it can quickly become an unhealthy obsession  whether it is spending too much time in the gym  in front of the television  or reading poetry.  unfortunately  gaming and addiction is a far too easy association to make. however  stories about gamers spending 10 to 15 hours a day in front of some video games are becoming more frequent. and the impact that is having on their families is quite distressing for some.  massively multiplayer online role playing games - mmorpgs - allow thousands of gamers to share a common experience of sharing fantasy or science fiction worlds. the scope of these games - like warcraft  everquest  ultima among others - is epic  and exploration and adventure is almost infinite. part of the  problem  is grinding - by which gamers have to perform long-winded  mindless tasks  to bring up their levels and gain access to more adventure. such open-endedness brings with it a desire to keep playing; not for no reason is everquest (eq) nicknamed evercrack. e hayot  writing in the culture blogzine print culture  said recently:  i used to play the online role-playing game everquest a lot.  by  a lot   i mean probably 15 to 20 hours a week on average  and on weeks where i didn t have to work  as many as 30 or 40 hours.   he says that in the world of online gaming such behaviour  wasn t that unusual; lots of people i knew in the game played eq that much .  you lie; you don t go into work because you  had stuff to do at home ; you cancel or refuse invitations to dinner  you spend much less time watching tv (a good thing  presumably)   he wrote  explaining how everquest took over his time. he quit the game  he says  because he realised life was more fun than everquest.  let us be clear - such obsession is rare. but the huge growth in online gaming means a growth in the numbers of people who take their passion for a hobby too far. almost 400 000 people bought a copy of world of warcraft in the first two days on sale earlier this month. only a fraction will descend into obsessives. the thoughts of families and friends of gamers who have been affected by everquest can be found on one blog everquest daily grind. jane  who runs the website  compiles a chronicle of heart-rending stories.  i am actually convinced at this point that there are more than  some  people who spend more times in mmoprgs than in reality   she said. one unnamed correspondent - all are anonymous - wrote:  on the rare nights when my husband does come to bed at the same time as i do  i find that i am so used to sleeping by myself that it is difficult to get to sleep with another body laying next to me.   i can t talk to him while he is playing. there is absolutely no point as he doesn t hear me or is so distracted that i get a  ummm... ya  a few minutes after i ask him a question.    gaming widows  has become a comedic term for women who have been shut out by male gamers. but for some it is not in the least funny. another correspondent wrote:  i believe that he is addicted to the online gaming  and that is the cause of his depression and restlessness.  and some of them are even sadder:  today our son was five days old.  the sad truth is my husband spent 11 hours today playing his warcraft game. he did not interact with our sweet tiny baby because there were important quests waiting online.  video game fans often complain that their hobby is misunderstood or marginalised. but as gaming becomes ever more mainstream  and games ever more immersive  there will be no hiding place for social problems.    i wish 30-40 hours a week was unusual but i think it probably isn t. an 11 hour stretch isn t that surprising - i ve known people to play 15+ hours at a stretch. i know of people who are spending their week s holiday from work playing warcraft. i know of people who would play ever[crack] in shifts...waking at 3am to take over from their friends and resume waiting for an item they  needed  to appear. i understand that the key sign of an addiction is if you alter your life around it rather than fit it into your life. by all standards many of us are addicts. so is the solution to force ourselves to stop playing..or do we just need to make real life a bit more interesting   sadly with all the talk of people becoming obsessed with gaming  i find myself longing to have the time to join them. i have been in a long term relationship for over 4 years - since that began  games have become more and more complex. and more and more so i find i have less and less time to play them  with and marriage and work being the main drag on my time.  i think the line between playing a game a lot and a gaming addiction is really quite distinct. i play games a lot  definately over 20 hours a week  but i don t go missing work or other commitments in order to play games.  i have  about a year ago  deleted every game on my computer. rpgs are the worst - the real world fades and all your worries sorround a new magic staff or mighty sword. unlike books  or perhaps even tv  you gain absolutely nothing. when you stop playing you re at the same point as when you started; all the achievements of your 10 hour session are irretrievably locked in the game and  since you ve gained nothing in the real world  you may as well pile on more achievement in the fake one.  despite having little monetary value  the  rewards  and encouragement offered by these mmorpgs is enough to hook games for hours daily. if only business could learn to leverage that very simply human need for easily measurable progress and recognition. perhaps the unhealthily obsessed simply need more recognition for their achievements in reality   my advice to gaming widows is  if you can t beat  em  join  em . that is  try playing it yourself. if he wants to play as well  well at least you ll be together somewhere...  i was an addict and it cost me my relationship. i still play now  but without the guilt   hehe  how long have i played in one sitting  from morning till the early hours of the next day  the birds were singing out side and i had to hobble to the bath room cos my bladder was so full i was in pain  i would hardly eat  perhaps some toast  smoke endlessly and drink. now  thankfully the fascination has worn off and i have a girlfriend but still no job. for the most part online gaming give me an adiction to illusory achievement  and as there is no end in sight you keep going for the mirage of the ultimate.  obsessive behaviour is  of course  always cause for concern  but it always bothers me when articles about gaming talk in terms of  reality . obviously  somebody who spends thirty hours a week playing everquest has a problem. this problem  however  has nothing to do with a dysfunctional sense of reality. an obsessive eq player does not consider the game to be  real  any more than - for example - an obsessive automotive tinkerer considers their car to be human. if mmorpgs have a unique danger  in terms of encouraging obsessive behaviour  it is not that they create an absorbing virtual world  but rather that they can be easily accessed 24/7. the problem here does not lie with the nature of gaming  but with the nature of modern 24 hour culture.  the problem with these so called mmorpgs is that you can never really complete them  there s always another quest to do. a few of my friends have only had about 10 hours sleep since it was released friday...  championship manager consumed my life for years. one particular session started at about 2pm on a sunday  paused for a brief sleep at 5am on the monday and after visit to university for classes restarted at about midday for another 10 hour session. the people who tend to hark on about about the problems of  hardcore gaming  seem to be those who have rarely allowed themselves to become immersed in a game. i would expect their perspective to change if they were to do that.  i used to be an everquest addict while i was in college. it came to the point where the gaming world felt more real than the real one. i failed alot of my courses and was able to barely graduate. i was lucky that i came to my senses when i did  others were less fortunate and dropped out of college. now that i am holding a job  i avoid online rpgs like the plague.  when i was made redundant i told my partner i had a new job for three months whilst every day i played everquest from 7:30am till 5:pm. when she came home i pretended i had just got in as well  hence justifying playing it all evening. i have since quit playing mmorpg and have a good job.  when i got to the point where i was eating my dinner in front of the pc i realised things were getting silly so i m trying not to spend so much time on there. it s not easy. i feel as if i ve got a real addiction going on here.  for me the problem is that i love to complete a goal. once it is completed that is it  i am finished  time to move on. i become obsessed to complete the goal  so from that standpoint it is an addiction. in a game where you will never complete an  ultimate  goal  well it would be like falling into a black pit. it is easier to escape into a controlled fantasy world than face reality at times - in other words the goal offered in the pc game are  easier  and more fun than the real world. pretty scary implications if you think about it.  i can t buy world of warcraft as it would destroy my marrage  i just know it!!  i played star wars galaxies for about a year and can attest to the addictiveness of these games. they are all engineered in such a way that early on in the game you progress quickly  but this progress becomes exponentially slower  requiring more and more time to reach the next level. i m sad to say that at the peak of my addiction i was spending entire weekends in front of my monitor  slowly building up my character  stopping only for food and toilet breaks. thankfully i made a clean break  and actually managed to sell my jedi account for £800 - which is my only sanity check in an otherwise completely unproductive time vacuum.  seven years ago  i began playing ultima online. this game dominated 2 years of my life. they were 2 wonderful years and i still have vivid memories of the experiences and friends i had. online gaming can be a world of escapism where you can be yourself without fear of the thoughts of others. something that cannot always be achieved in the day to day running of a normal life. whilst i would warn against people giving to much of there life to these games  i believe they are a better way to spend your time than say watching tv.  gaming is addictive and should be made a recognised addiction. when i was single i used to play upto eight hours a night after work every night for about a year  building up my stats  completing evermore quests and battling ogres. but somehow i found time to get out  even met someone and got married! has my life changed  hell no! i still cast spells and battle till the early hours of the morning. on with the fun!  online gaming should be enjoyed just as much as you would enjoy watching television  or going to the cinema or the pub with your mates.  many people use recreational drugs on an occasional basis and are able to lead succesfull lives with families  relationships and good careers. a minority allow drugs to take over and destroy their lives and become addicted. according to this article the same is true of mmorpgs. the message to the government is clear  either legalise drugs  or outlaw online gaming!!  sounds like there are some sad stories here - and i can believe them all. i play alot of warcraft myself  and know full well how addictive it is. i am resolute that it will not take over my life. it certainly gets in the way though. i think that some people simply do not know how to draw this line  or lack the willpower to stop themselves stepping over it.  i think i m obsessed with gaming in general  i spend far too much time playing games like everquest 2 and football manager rather than going out and interacting with real people and when i do try to  i m always thinking in the back if my mind that i d rather be in front of the computer winning the league with cambridge united.  i am obsessed with online role playing games. it s not so much quests but it has the adrenaline of a real life situation - goals to achieve etc. i spend about five hours per day online playing it and i rarely get more than four to five hours sleep before getting up for work the next morning...  as many of the players spend their time in mmorpgs rather than in front of the tv i fail to see how it will affect players social lives negatively. furthermore these types of games contain a huge social aspect  whereas other games and some other pursuits (such as being a couch potato) the players could be indulging in are solitary by nature.  these games are like most things -- too much of anything is a bad thing  but as long as you can walk away from the computer to do other things too  they can be great fun.  living in korea at the moment  they have lots pc bangs (internet cafes). nearly most of south koreans are addicted to online games  and one korean died because of the lack of food and water he had through playing online games.  i play xbox live every day. i find my self lying and rescheduling everything around my gaming fix. the longest i played was a 24 hour straight session. i know i play for to long but it s an obsession that i can t control. can you reccomend a counsellor - this is not a wind up... but something i m increasingly concerned with...  me and my mate play online for an hour or two a day  we re both aware of how much time can disappear by sitting in front of a tv  trying to  frag  some individual. it s getting the balance between getting home and relasing the stress of a day by an hour or so gaming  and enjoying  real  life...  i bought the us version of world of warcraft when it came out. the longest period i played was 23 hrs straight. i gave up the game after a month because it was so addictive  but have subsequently just bought the european version (couldn t help myself). in future  i m going to regulate my time far more strictly. great game!  having played mmorpg games for some years i agree that these type of games can be life sucking. but my concern is for the younger generation of gamers that play for hours on end in an adult enviroment. most mmorpg games you need a credit card to play but i dont think parents know just what they are letting there children into.  unless there is undeniable medical proof that staring at a computer screens for hours at a time can damage a person¿s health  you can expect this not to decline but to get worse.  these people are pathetic. they need to get off their machines and notice that our world is being swiftly overcome by issues and troubles that make the trifling worries of and  online universe  absolutely meaningless.  24hours  when i was a kid at school and i was on half term  ultima online was the game  ahhhh them was the days ! lol


concerns over windows atms cash machine networks could soon be more susceptible to computer viruses  a security firm has warned.  the warning is being issued because many banks are starting to use the windows operating system in machines. already there have been four incidents in which windows viruses have disrupted networks of cash machines running the microsoft operating system. but banking experts say the danger is being overplayed and that the risks of infection and disruption are small.  for many years the venerable ibm operating system  known as os/2  has been the staple software used to power many of the 1.4m cash machines in operation around the world. but ibm will end support for os/2 in 2006 which is forcing banks to look for alternatives. there are also other pressures making banks turn to windows said dominic hirsch  managing director of financial analysis firm retail banking research.  he said many cash machines will also have to be upgraded to make full use of the new europay  mastercard and visa credit cards that use computer chips instead of magnetic stripes to store data. us laws that demand disabled people get equal access to information will also force banks to make their cash machines more versatile and able to present information in different ways. todd thiemann  spokesman for anti-virus firm trend micro  said the move to windows in cash machines was not without risks. mr thiemann said research by the towergroup showed that 70% of new cash machines being installed were windows based.  already  he said  there have been four incidents in which cash machines have been unavailable for hours due to viruses affecting the network of the bank that owns them.  in january 2003 the slammer worm knocked out 13 000 cash machines of the bank of america and many of those operated by the canadian imperial bank of commerce. in august of the same year  cash machines of two un-named banks were put out of action for hours following an infection by the welchia worm. incidents like this happen  said mr thiemann  because when banks start using windows cash machines they also change the networking technology used to link the devices to their back office computers. this often means that all the cash machines and computers in a bank share the same data network.  this could mean that cash machines get caught up in the viruses that are going around because they have a common transmission system   he said.  banks need to consider protection as part of the investment to maintain the security of that network   mr thiemann told bbc news online.  but mr hirsch from retail banking research said the number of cash machines actually at risk was low because so few were upgraded every year.  currently  he said  a cash machine has a lifetime of up to 10 years which means that only about 10% of all atms get swapped for a newer model every year.  windows cash machines have been around for several years   he said.  most banks simply upgrade as part of their usual replacement cycle.   in theory there is a bigger threat with windows than os/2   he said   but i do not think that the banks are hugely concerned at the moment.   it s pretty unusual to hear about virus problems with atms   he said. the many different security systems built-in to cash machines meant there was no chance that a virus could cause them to start spitting out cash spontaneously  he said. banks were more likely to be worried about internal networks being overwhelmed by worms and viruses and customers not being able to get cash out at all  he added. a spokesman for the association of payment and clearing services (apacs) which represents the uk s payments industry said the risk from viruses was minimal.  there s no concern that there s going to be any type of virus hitting the uk networks   he said. risks of infection were small because the data networks that connect uk cash machines together and the operators of the atms themselves were a much smaller and tightly-knit community than in the us where viruses have struck.


former ni minister scott dies former northern ireland minister sir nicholas scott has died at a london hospice  his family has announced.  the former conservative mp for kensington and chelsea  died after a long illness diagnosed as alzheimer s. the 71-year-old served in northern ireland from 1981 to 1987 during the premiership of margaret thatcher. as a northern ireland minister he dealt with education and later security where he rode out the mass ira escape from the maze in 1983.  in education  he encountered criticism over school closures and the future of the catholic training colleges. he also merged the new university of ulster and the ulster polytechnic to create the university of ulster. sir nicholas was a strong defender of the anglo-irish agreement and was held in esteem in dublin government and sdlp circles. but he experienced hostility from unionists some of whom dubbed him  minister of discord . after leaving northern ireland in a reshuffle  he became a uk disability minister. sir nicholas was replaced as the member for kensington and chelsea by the flamboyant alan clark  after being deselected by his constituency in december 1996. his deselection followed a series of scandals including being found slumped in the street by police during the tory party conference in bournemouth and taken back to his hotel.  sir nicholas claimed strong painkillers he was taking for a back problem had reacted badly with a small amount of alcohol. after his sacking  he bitterly said that despite the support of cabinet ministers and tory backbenchers  the eurosceptics in his constituency were  absolutely determined to get rid of me . his colourful career also included a very public disagreement with daughter victoria over civil rights for the disabled. sir nicholas admitted he misled mps when he denied his department had been involved in wrecking tactics designed to kill the disability bill in 1994. victoria  a lobbyist for disabled rights  denounced her father s actions and heaped insult on injury when she joined the calls for him to resign. he joined the backbenches two months later.


what now for kelly holmes  last april  kelly holmes spoke to the bbc sport website about her loneliness  her fight to stay fit and her decision not to contest both the 800m and 1500m at the olympics.  it just goes to show even the most meticulous and measured athletes cannot predict what fate has in store for them. four months later  holmes stormed to double olympic gold and has since been made a dame  won the bbc sport personality of the year and written a book whilst still finding time to coach aspiring athletes. with so much time spent in the spotlight  holmes has increasingly dropped hints that her ambition on the track has begun to wilt. and when asked about her plans for both the indoor and outdoor seasons ahead  the 34-year-old has repeatedly chosen to tick the  don t know  box. holmes has now pulled out of this weekend s european indoor championships  where she was selected for both the 800m and 1500m  because of a hamstring injury. but should we be surprised if the olympic champion over both those distances decides she just does not feel like racing anymore   well  it s a lot easier being the double olympic champion  being feted by everybody  than training to be at the top in middle distance running   points out former olympian and bbc pundit steve cram.  you have to have a real strong desire to carry on doing it even if you re very talented.   holmes  drive and determination have always been unquestionable - that is the reason she has battled back from a string of injuries that threatened to see her finish her career empty-handed. but alarm bells start ringing when the kent athlete begins questioning herself.  will i have as much commitment  desire and energy to go through a major championship   holmes asked in the new year.  that is what i don t know.  at 34  holmes will also be aware that time is running out. us 400m and 200m legend michael johnson  a five-time olympic gold medallist  retired shortly after his 34th birthday as did britain s double olympic champion decathlete daley thompson. the physical demands of the day-to-day grind will only get harder for holmes  who has already admitted she  doesn t like the training anymore.  whilst out on the circuit the allure of defeating a double olympic champion will spur her opponents on. holmes will not want to needlessly suffer the indignity of being beaten. unless she is certain she has a strong chance of winning any race  she will not step onto the track. but if the kent athlete finds the form that fuelled her ambitions last summer  there are more prizes up for grabs. the day after completing her double in athens  the 34-year-old revealed she would still like to win her first indoors title.  holmes  wish could easily be met in madrid before she goes on to prepare for the outdoor season where there are still scores to be settled  such as a first gold at the world championships in helsinki. there is just one small truth which could gnaw away at holmes  motivation - the realisation that no matter how hard she trains  nothing she wins now can surpass her achievements in athens. on the other hand  if those achievements cannot be matched shouldn t they be at least shared and celebrated   you don t get the chance very often in your career to step onto the track as the double olympic champion   agreed cram.  you want to be able to take your bow in front of the fans because it s a fantastic feeling.  i think deep down kelly wants to run. i think she will compete and run races on the circuits but whether or not she runs in the major championships is much less certain.   athletics fans had every reason to believe they would see the new-look kelly holmes tearing up the track again. after her olympic glory she emphatically denied she planned to retire. so  why is holmes dragging her heels about making a decision on where  when or whether to even bother competing again   that s just kelly   explains cram.  she s always been like that.  she enjoys people trying to guess what she is going to do next. she knows every time she makes a pronouncement now it s headline news.  kelly has to figure out for herself what it is she wants and that will be based on athletics decisions  whether she can be competitive  if she is fit enough to put her neck on the line.  and if she decides not to run again  no-one is going to turn round and say  you re making the wrong decision.


england claim dubai sevens glory england beat fiji 26-21 in a dramatic final in dubai to win the first irb sevens event of the season.  having beaten australia and south africa to reach the final  england fell behind to an early try against fiji. they then took charge with scores from pat sanderson  kai horstman  mathew tait and rob thirlby  but fiji rallied to force a tense finale. scotland were beaten 33-15 by samoa in the plate semi-final and ireland lost 17-5 to tunisia in the shield final. mike friday s england side matched their opponents for pace  power and skill in the final and led 19-7 at half-time. but neumi nanuku and marika vakacegu touched down for fiji  only for a needless trip by tuidriva bainivalu on geoff appleford to allow england to run down the clock.  to be honest  england have wanted to win in dubai for a very long time now  and the people here have wanted us to win for just as long   said friday.   we didn t want to put pressure on ourselves but we are thankful we have achieved that and brought through some young talent at the same time that can hopefully play for the england  15s  in a few years.  portugal confirmed their impressive progress in sevens rugby by recording a sudden-death win over france in the bowl final. samoa won the plate title by edging out argentina 21-19.


local net tv takes off in austria an austrian village is testing technology that could represent the future of television.  the people of engerwitzdorf are filming  editing and producing their own regional news channel. the channel covers local politics  sports  events and anything that residents want to film and are prepared to upload for others to watch on pcs. the pilot has been so successful that telekom austria is now considering setting up other projects elsewhere.   it s growing unbelievably fast   said rudolf fischer  head of telekom austria s fixed line division. the trial of buntes fernsehen (multi-coloured tv) was started in late 2004 and creates a net-based tv station run by the 8 000 residents of engerwitzdorf. the hardware and software to turn video footage into edited programmes has been provided by telekom austria but this equipment  following training  has been turned over to the villagers. any video programme created by the villagers is uploaded to a buntes fernsehen portal that lets people browse and download what they want to watch. most people watch the tv on their home pc and a broadband connection is needed to get broadcast quality programmes. in the first four months of the project villagers have created 60 films and put together regular reports on local news items.  they have adopted it very quickly   said mr fischer.  they like the possibility to create their own content and see what s going on in the area.   it s kind of the democratisation of local tv   he said   because none of the bigger broadcasters would ever do anything like this for that region.  the buntes fernsehen project has been such a success that telekom austria is now considering setting up other schemes in similarly rural areas. mr fischer said it was taking the roll-out to other areas slowly because of the work involved in setting up the scheme  getting backers from local government and educating people how to make programmes. the engerwitzdorf scheme is an outgrowth of telekom austria s online tv channel aon which lets people watch programmes on their pc. aon streams a couple of live channels  plus sports  news and music programmes on to the net and has a pay-for-download section that lets people watch what they want when they want to watch it. in october a larger tv-on-demand project is due to launch in vienna that will let people download many programmes from the net.


eurovision  greats  to do battle stars of the eurovision song contest from the show s 50-year history are to compete against each other to celebrate the contest s anniversary.  viewers will choose 14 past songs to be performed by the original artists or others in the spirit of the originals. past eurovision performers include abba  celine dion  bucks fizz  nana mouskouri  lulu and julio iglesias. fans will then vote as usual to pick the all-time best eurovision song during the show in denmark in october. the first contest was organised by the european broadcasting union  or ebu  in 1956  and has become an annual event pitting pop giants against musical minnows - with often surprising results.  while some regard it as an essential celebration of continental talent  others see it as an equally unmissable parade of the reasons some countries do not normally produce international stars. the 50th annual contest will be held in kiev  ukraine  in may  after ukrainian singer ruslana won last year. the 50th anniversary special will be held in denmark later this year because the danish broadcasting corporation came up with the idea for the all-time contest. a plan to hold it in london was scrapped because of problems finding a suitable venue. ireland has been the most successful country in the show s history with seven victories  followed by the uk  france and luxembourg with five each.


costin aims for comeback in 2006 jamie costin should be paralysed.  he says so himself in a matter-of-fact way as he recalls the car accident which occurred nine days before he was scheduled to step out into the olympic stadium in athens for the 50k walk. there is an ironic chuckle as he talks of his immediate thoughts after a lorry  driving on the wrong side of the road  had ploughed into his rental car.  i was in a lot of pain and i guessed that one of my toes was broken   says the waterford man.  but i was thinking maybe with a cortisone injection you never know.  in my back  it felt as though all the muscles had been ripped off my pelvis but i was thinking maybe we could do something with laser therapy and ultra sound and hopefully i d be able to race.  it took over 10 hours before jamie knew with certainty that he would not be competing in his second olympics.  my back had been broken in two places and with one of my vertebrae  the bottom part had exploded so i m fierce lucky not be paralysed.  i d fractured my big toe as well which was on the brake.  jamie didn t finally arrive at hospital in athens until some nine and a half hours after the accident.   for the first nine hours  i had no pain killers which was ridiculous in 35 degrees heat.  but once i got the scans and saw them it was a case of moving on and thinking: ok  i ve got a different set of circumstances now .  within three days he was arriving back in ireland by air ambulance. doctors in athens had wanted to operate on jamie s back immediately but he insisted on delaying any surgery until he arrived back home - something he is now very relieved about.  the greek doctors were going to put three or four inch titanium rods either side of my spinal cord up through my vertebrae.  that would have fused all my lower back and i would never have been able to race again. they were really putting a lot of pressure on me to agree to the surgery.  but when i got to the mater in dublin they said it was possible for it to heal totally naturally which is giving me the chance to get back into competition which is very important to me. the people at the mater have been absolutely fantastic.  jamie had to wear a body cast for three and a half months after the accident and spent most of that time flat on his back.  he then progressed to crutches for six weeks until he was finally able to walk unaided on 10 january.  walking without the crutches seemed like something finally really measurable in terms of my recovery.  physio sessions with johnston mcevoy in limerick have been a vital part of his recovery.  johnston uses an advanced type of acupuncture and it s very effective.  needles get put right close up to my spine. a two and a half inch needle went in yesterday and i m fairly incapacitated today as a result.  jamie has also travelled to receive treatment at the polish training centre in spala where he has trained with triple olympic champion robert korzeniowski over the past five years.  i was there for over a fortnight earlier this month and underwent a fair extreme treatment called cryotherapy.  basically  there s a small room which is cooled by liquid nitrogen to minus 160 degrees centigrade and it promotes deep healing.   jamie heads to poland again on sunday where he will be having daily cryotherapy in addition to twice-daily physio sessions and pool-work. all these sessions are small steps on the way to what jamie hopes will be a return to racing in 2006.  it s all about trying to get mobility in my back. lying down for three and a half months didn t really help with the strength.  there s a lot of work involved in my recovery. i m doing about six hours a day between physio and pool work.  i m also going to the gym to lift very light weights to try and build up my muscles. i m fairly full on with everything i do.  i d hope to be training regularly by march. but training is just part of the process of getting back.  at the moment  every time i go and do a big bit of movement  my whole pelvic area all down my lower back just tightens up.  it s a case of waiting and seeing how it reacts. hopefully  after four or five months my back won t tighten up as much.


milburn defends poster campaign labour s election chief alan milburn has defended his party s campaign posters amid tory claims the ads were nothing short of  sly anti-semitism .  mr milburn said he appreciated people s concerns  but insisted that  what they were was anti-tory  and  not in any way  shape or form anti-semitic . he was responding to tory spokesman julian lewis who said the ads were part of a wider trend of smearing the party. labour has withdrawn two controversial posters and launched four new designs.  a row was sparked after the party published posters appearing to depict michael howard  who is jewish  as fagin  and as a flying pig  amid claims they were anti-semitic. the posters were labelled a  big misjudgement  by the conservatives who said labour s  first shot in the election has badly backfired .  the posters were among a series of ideas shown to labour members  who were asked to vote on their favourite. labour has taken them off its website  saying members preferred other posters. the party s four new designs  launched on tuesday  steer clear of the fagin or flying pig images  but make clear that labour is sticking to its strategy of targeting the tory leader personally  with reminders of his record in office.  the posters were among a series of ideas shown to labour members  who have been asked to choose which one should be used ahead of the election. in the commons  tory spokesman mr lewis suggested the posters were part of a wider trend and reminded mps that labour chairman ian mccartney last year described shadow chancellor oliver letwin as a  21st century fagin .   given the outrage that that smear caused then  how could you have thought anything other than the fact that what you were doing in reviving it in your poster advertisements was nothing more and nothing less than a calculated campaign of sly anti-semitism   mr milburn replied that they were not anti-semitic.  what they were was anti-tory and i make no apologies at all for making clear to the british public exactly what the conservative plans would mean   he said.  i fully understand and indeed respect the views of those who have concerns about any poster designs that have appeared on the labour party website.  the fagin and pigs might fly posters were taken off labour s website on monday after supporters voted for their favourite poster featuring mr howard and shadow chancellor oliver letwin holding a blackboard reading 2+2=5. a labour spokesman later said their removal from the party s website was not affected by the row.