ukip s secret weapon  by any measure  new yorker dick morris is that thing americans love over everything else - a winner.  this is the man who  some pundits believe  was almost single-handedly responsible for bill clinton s sensational 1992 comeback victory. but morris is no ideologue. he has worked as election strategist for any number of republicans as well and  more recently  politicians from mexico to uruguay. now he is back in london as the uk independence party s not-so-secret electoral weapon after returning from the ukraine where he helped - you guessed it - opposition candidate viktor yushchenko. if there is one regular criticism levelled at morris  it is that he is too ready to switch allegiances. that he enjoys the game more than the politics.  so why britain and why ukip which  despite its recent eu election successes  is not likely to pull off a sensational victory in the looming general election. on this subject  morris appears almost evangelical.   i was on a cruise in the mediterranean and  coincidentally  so was ukip leader roger knapman.  i had just written a piece saying how the english channel was now wider than the atlantic which he liked and it went from there . but what is it about ukip that particularly attracts him  many might think it is simply another chance to practice his art  irrespective of the politics.  i think the greatest threat to democracy in the world is not terrorism but bureaucratism . a great soundbite  but a surprise coming from a new yorker post 11 september.  it is the growth of these bodies composed of experts who know better  who don t believe in letting democracy govern but believe in letting the correct solution be determined.  that s international bankers  the world trade organisation  the international monetary fund  the world bank and  primarily  the european union .  so he is out to help ukip take britain out of this organisation which he believes is unreformable and inherently undemocratic. and he is scathing of the tory party which he also appears to believe is unreformable.  the tory party is schizophrenic about europe. but until somebody says they are willing to leave the eu they can t possibly re-negotiate anything (as michael howard is pledged to do).  it s like walking into a liquor store with a gun to rob it and saying:  before i can proceed with the robbery i want to make clear i am not going to shoot anybody  . possibly a very american analogy  but another great soundbite.  the basic point is that the eu seeks political integration to move the entire nexus of decision making away from britain - and we oppose that and the tories cannot be trusted to oppose it .  so is ukip s job to destroy the tories  as former member robert kilroy-silk once notoriously declared   no. the aim of ukip is to withdraw from the eu and if it has any relation to the tories it is to stiffen the tories  spine on the issue by having a large enough ukip vote so that we move the tories in the direction they are refusing to move.   but it s not just to shift the tories. i think ukip had a huge amount to do with tony blair s decision to hold a referendum on the european constitution and i think it had a huge amount to do with his refusal to go into the euro . and  while we are on the subject of mr kilroy-silk  mr morris despatches him with another of his neat soundbites.  robert kilroy silk is not a team player - it is a good idea our party stands for some thing and not some one .  so what is the big plan for the general election. how will he achieve the breakthrough   look  we are not going to be forming the next government   he said. neither does ukip have to fight every seat. as with the 2004 us presidential election  he says  the outcome will be decided by a small number of swing seats - just as he believes it will in britain. so  with limited resources  the aim is to target those seats and end the day with a significant group in the commons. he also believes it is possible the internet could have a big part in the poll.  the internet was a decisive factor in the 2004 presidential election - through blogs (individuals posting their views in online diaries). people just did it .  anything can happen in the next general election. there is an inherent instability at the moment.  labour and the tories have drawn the consensus so tightly and to the left there is room for another voice .  that might  he suggests  lead to a hung parliament with ukip and others holding the balance of power. it is a huge task  surely. but there is undoubtedly a sense that the next general election may indeed produce some surprises - even while most still believe it is labour s for the taking. ukip s performance in last year s european elections was just such a shocker and showed that mr morris may have a point about the new consensus. and after all  he has a reputation to sustain.


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


apple attacked over sources row civil liberties group the electronic frontier foundation (eff) has joined a legal fight between three us online journalists and apple.  apple wants the reporters to reveal 20 sources used for stories which leaked information about forthcoming products  including the mac mini. the eff  representing the reporters  has asked california s superior court to stop apple pursuing the sources. it argues that the journalists are protected by the american constitution. the eff says the case threatens the basic freedoms of the press.  apple is particularly keen to find the source for information about an unreleased product code-named asteroid and has asked the journalists  e-mail providers to hand over communications relevant to that.  rather than confronting the issue of reporter s privilege head-on  apple is going to the journalist s isps for his e-mails   said eff lawyer kurt opsahl.  this undermines a fundamental first amendment right that protects all reporters.  if the court lets apple get away with this  and exposes the confidences gained by these reporters  potential confidential sources will be deterred from providing information to the media and the public will lose a vital outlet for independent news  analysis and commentary   he said. the case began in december 2004 when apple asked a local californian court to get the journalists to reveal their sources for articles published on websites appleinsider.com and powerpage.org.  apple also sent requested information from the nfox.com  the internet service provider of powerpage s publisher jason o-grady. as well as looking at how far corporations can go in preventing information from being published  the case will also examine whether online journalists have the same privileges and protections as those writing for newspapers and magazines. the eff has gained some powerful allies in its legal battle with apple  including professor tom goldstein  former dean of the journalism school at the university of california and dan gillmor  a well-known silicon valley journalist. apple was not immediately available for comment.


music mogul fuller sells company pop idol supremo simon fuller has sold his 19 entertainment company to an us entrepreneur in a $156m (£81.5m) deal.  robert sillerman s sports entertainment enterprises  which is to be renamed cfx  recently also bought an 85% share in the estate of elvis presley. mr fuller has been appointed to the cfx board and will plan and implement the company s creative strategy. the 19 firm handles a roster of music artists  tv shows and pr strategies for stars including the beckhams. the deal sees mr fuller receive £64.5m in cash and about 1.9 million shares in sports entertainment. there will also be a further £19.2m in either cash or stocks by the end of the financial year in june. mr fuller has signed a long-term agreement with the company which will see him continue to expand and develop entertainment brands. he said:  this is a hugely exciting new partnership for myself and 19 entertainment.   ckx will provide 19 with a powerful platform for global growth and allow us to fully take advantage of all the amazing opportunities that lie ahead. i cannot wait to get started.   mr fuller was the creative drive behind pop idol and its us offspring american idol. 19 management runs the careers of many of its successful contestants including will young  gareth gates and kelly clarkson. the company was set up 15 years ago by mr fuller  taking the name from his first successful single - 19 by paul hardcastle. fuller was the driving force behind the spice girls phenomenon  using canny marketing and catchy pop songs to secure their place as the most lucrative girl group in history. he then put together s club 7  who had their own tv show as well as a music career. mr sillerman s deal to buy the presley estate sees him control the operation of graceland  as well as money from the late star s music and films. presley s daughter lisa marie retains possession of graceland and many of her father s  personal effects .


gerrard plays down european hopes steven gerrard has admitted that liverpool have little chance of winning the champions league this season.  the 24-year-old reds skipper spoke out ahead of tuesday s first leg at home to bayer leverkusen in the last 16  which he will miss through suspension.  let s be realistic  there are some fantastic teams left in the champions league   he told bbc radio five live.  we are just going to try to stay in as long as possible but we realise that maybe it is not our year this year.  gerrard has made no secret of his desire to be involved in europe s premier club competition.  last season he described qualification for the champions league as the  be all and end all  - and rumours persist that he will leave anfield if the reds fail to secure a place in the competition. he has consistently been linked with a move away from liverpool  with chelsea the favourites to snap up the england midfielder. and blues boss jose mourinho backed gerrard s view that rafael benitez s team could struggle to progress this season.  rafa has still time in front of him to build an even better team  maybe he s a little bit behind (right now)   he told bbc radio five live.  gerrard  who fired liverpool into the last 16 of this season s competition with a brilliant goal in december s win over olympiakos  insisted he was still fully focused on helping liverpool to glory this season. the reds are currently fifth in the premiership table  five points off the crucial fourth spot  which brings champions league qualification - and they face chelsea in sunday s carling cup final.  it s big couple of months for liverpool   he added.  we re fighting for the fourth spot for the champions league for next season but we are still involved in two cup competitions  which are very important.  we are confident we can upset chelsea in the carling cup final and get to the last eight of the champions league because  financially  it is big for the club and  personally for myself  it is very good.


arsenal through on penalties arsenal win 4-2 on penalties  the spanish goalkeeper saved from alan quinn and jon harley as arsenal sealed a quarter-final trip to bolton with a 4-2 victory on penalties. lauren  patrick vieira  freddie ljungberg and ashley cole scored for arsenal  while andy gray and phil jagielka were on target for the blades. michael tonge and harley wasted chances for the underdogs  but paddy kenny was inspired to keep arsenal at bay. arsenal  stripped of attacking talent such as thierry henry and dennis bergkamp  partnered 17-year-old italian striker arturo lupoli with ljungberg up front. it was a revamped arsenal line-up  and they were almost a goal behind within seconds as tonge wasted a glorious chance. gray ran free down the right flank  and his cross left tonge with the simplest of chances  but he blazed over the top from six yards.  arsenal were barely seen as an attacking force in the opening 45 minutes  although ljungberg turned a half-chance wide after good work by cesc fabregas. arsene wenger introduced quincy owusu-abeyie for the ineffective lupoli at half-time  and the pacy dutch youngster had an immediate impact. he ran clear after good work by mathieu flamini  but his finish was tame and kenny saved easily. owusu-abeyie then fired in a testing cross  which was met by fabregas  and it needed a desperate clearance by kenny s legs to save the blades. arsenal were now totally dominant  and were desperately unlucky not to take the lead after 62 minutes when fabregas crashed a rising drive against the bar from 20 yards. it then took a brilliant tackle by jagielka to deny ljungberg as he was poised to strike. arsenal continued to press  and once again kenny was called into action with eight minutes left  diving low to clutch another close-range effort from fabregas. neil warnock s side almost snatched victory in the dying seconds when derek geary s cross found harley at the far post  but his diving header was brilliantly turned over by almunia. owusu-abeyie s pace was causing all sorts of problems for the blades  and as extra-time began  another surging run into the penalty area almost set up a chance for ljungberg. pascal cygan missed arsenal s best chance after 106 minutes  blazing across the face of goal when he was unmarked at the far post. arsenal sent on jeremie aliadiere with seven minutes of extra-time left  and he almost broke the deadlock with his first touch. kolo toure s misplaced free-kick landed at his feet  but kenny once again blocked from a tight angle. arsenal laid siege to sheffield united s goal in the dying minutes  but they somehow held on to force penalties. almunia was then arsenal s hero as another brave blades cup campaign came to a losing end.  kenny  geary  morgan  bromby  harley  liddell  montgomery  jagielka  thirlwell  tonge (quinn 97)  gray.  subs not used: francis  kabba  shaw  haystead.  morgan.  almunia  lauren  cygan  senderos  cole  fabregas (toure 90)  vieira  flamini (aliadiere 113)  clichy  lupoli (owusu-abeyie 45)  ljungberg.  subs not used: eboue  taylor.  clichy  lauren  senderos.  27 595  p dowd (staffordshire).


singapore growth at 8.1% in 2004 singapore s economy grew by 8.1% in 2004  its best performance since 2000  figures from the trade ministry show.  the advance  the second-fastest in asia after china  was led by growth of 13.1% in the key manufacturing sector. however  a slower-than-expected fourth quarter points to more modest growth for the trade-driven economy in 2005 as global technology demand falls back. slowdowns in the us and china could hit electronics exports  while the tsunami disaster may effect the service sector.  economic growth is set to halve in singapore this year to between 3% and 5%. in the fourth quarter  the city state s gross domestic product (gdp) rose at an annual rate of 2.4%. that was up from the third quarter  when it fell 3.0%  but was well below analyst forecasts.  i am surprised at the weak fourth quarter number. the main drag came from electronics   said lian chia liang  economist at jp morgan chase. singapore s economy had contracted over the summer  weighed down by soaring oil prices. the economy s poor performance in the july to september period followed four consecutive quarters of double-digit growth as singapore bounced back strongly from the effects of the deadly sars virus in 2003.


bollywood dvd fraudster is jailed a major distributor of pirated dvds of bollywood films has been sent to prison for three years.  jayanti amarishi buhecha from cambridge was found guilty of two trademark offences last month  and sentenced at harrow crown court  london  on tuesday. buhecha  who made £26 000 per month from his illegal trade  was called  one of the biggest bollywood pirates in the uk  by the sentencing judge. the british phonographic industry (bpi) worked for two years on the case.  an operation was launched against buhecha in 2002 after complaints were received about his activities. the judge in the case  which lasted seven days  said that  a heavy penalty was called for because of the enormous damage buhecha caused to legitimate business . fake dvds were manufactured in pakistan and malaysia and sold on wholesale to shops by buhecha  who traded in conterfeit dvds in 2002 and 2003.  in december 2002  he was stopped in his car by trading standards officers  who uncovered 1 000 pirated dvds and faked inlay cards printed with registered trademarks. despite being arrested and bailed  buhecha was caught a second time at the end of 2003. his home and a lock-up in cambridge were found to contain 18 000 counterfeit dvds and further faked inlay cards. buhecha was previously a legitimate distributor of bollywood films  but was suspended and sued by his employers for dealing in illegal copies of bollywood classic mohabbatein. legitimate bollywood film distributors have hailed the conviction as  a major boost . bollywood music and film suffers piracy at the rate of 40%  which is more than that suffered by mainstream productions. the bpi welcomed the news of the prison sentence  but warned there are plenty of other active counterfeiters of bollywood films. the organisation s anti-piracy director david martin said:  the problem simply will not disappear with buhecha. others and more will take his place  so it s vital that keep up our efforts in this field.


electronics firms eye plasma deal consumer electronics giants hitachi and matshushita electric are joining forces to share and develop technology for flat screen televisions.  the tie-up comes as the world s top producers are having to contend with falling prices and intense competition. the two japanese companies will collaborate in research & development  production  marketing and licensing. they said the agreement would enable the two companies to expand the plasma display tv market globally.  plasma display panels are used for large  thin tvs which are replacing old-style televisions. the display market for high-definition televisions is split between models using plasma display panels and others - manufactured by the likes of sony and samsung - using liquid-crystal displays (lcds). the deal will enable hitachi and matsushita  which makes panasonic brand products  to develop new technology and improve their competitiveness. hitachi recently announced a deal to buy plasma display technology from rival fujitsu in an effort to strengthen its presence in the market.  separately  fujitsu announced on monday that it is quitting the lcd panel market by transferring its operations in the area to japanese manufacturer sharp. sharp will inherit staff  manufacturing facilities and intellectual property from fujitsu. the plasma panel market has seen rapid consolidation in recent months as the price of consumer electronic goods and components has fallen. samsung electronics and sony are among other companies working together to reduce costs and speed up new product development.


fido  to be taken off vote lists the risk of pets and children being given votes could be cut by changing how people register to vote  the uk elections watchdog has said.  those are some of the mistakes found under the current system  where one person in each household applies for voting forms for the other occupants. the electoral commission says enabling people to register individually could cut some errors and combat fraud. voters need to register by 11 march if the next poll is on 5 may as expected. but any individual registration scheme would not be introduced in britain before that general election.  the proposed scheme would mean voters using individual  identifiers  when they vote - such as their own voting number  date of birth and signature. the electoral commission says having voters register individually rather than the head of household do it for them fits better with human rights laws. chairman sam younger told mps on tuesday care was needed to ensure that people were not lost off the register in the process - which happened when northern ireland switched to a similar system. there have been rare cases when household pets have been put on the electoral roll  the mps heard. and some people have registered all their family  regardless of their age - birth dates are not included on the forms so election officers cannot easily check. non-british citizens who are not entitled to vote have also been registered in some cases.  mr younger said there was anecdotal evidence of inaccuracies in the register  the vast majority of which were caused by genuine mistakes. he argued local councils could look harder at promoting targeted campaigns at  hard to reach  voters  for example. some authorities already run such programmes but in others councillors worry about the party political impact of encouraging particular areas to turn out. mr younger said using the royal mail s postal redirection service had already helped election officers retrace about 50 000 voters.  he argued individual registration would also increase security for postal ballots and other new ways of voting. there have been fears there are too few checks to ensure current postal votes are cast by the person on the voting form. he said it might also help register students in halls of residences  where the hall warden often has to do the job for everybody. the mps on the office of the deputy prime minister and constitutional affairs select committees pressed mr younger on how to avoid losing voters in any changeover. he said the northern ireland example illustrated real difficulties to be confronted. currently  british voters have to re-register to vote every year or face being removed from the electoral rolls if they fail to do so two years running. mr younger suggested the re-registration could happen less frequently but argued efforts were needed to check the electoral rolls were up-to-date.


wenger steps up row arsene wenger has stepped up his feud with sir alex ferguson by claiming the manchester united manager is guilty of bringing football into disrepute.  the pair s long-running row was put back in the headlines on saturday when ferguson said his arsenal counterpart was  a disgrace . wenger initially refused to bite back  saying only:  i will never answer any questions any more about this man.  but now he claims ferguson should be punished by the football association. the latest twist in the ferguson-wenger saga came on saturday when the united boss  in an interview with the independent newspaper  discussed the events after the game between the two sides in october. united won 2-0 that day  at old trafford  but the game was followed by a now notorious food fight which saw ferguson s clothes covered in soup and pizza. the sides meet again at highbury on 1 february.  in the tunnel wenger was criticising my players  calling them cheats  so i told him to leave them alone and behave himself   ferguson said on saturday.  he ran at me with hands raised saying  what do you want to do about it    to not apologise for the behaviour of the players to another manager is unthinkable. it s a disgrace  but i don t expect wenger to ever apologise  he s that type of person.   those allegations were put to wenger after saturday s game at bolton  which arsenal lost to slip 10 points behind chelsea in the title race. at first he said only:  i ve always been consistent with that story and told you nothing happened.  if he has to talk  he talks. if he wants to make a newspaper article  he makes a newspaper article.  he doesn t interest me and doesn t matter to me at all. i will never answer to any provocation from him any more.  he does what he likes in england anyway. he can go abroad one day and see how it is.  but later on saturday  according to the independent  wenger spoke to a smaller group of reporters and expanded on his reaction.  i have no diplomatic relations with him   the arsenal boss is quoted as saying.  what i don t understand is that he does what he wants and you (the press) are all at his feet.   the situation (concerning the food fight) has been judged and there is a game going on in a month.  the managers have a responsibility to protect the game before the game. but in england you are only punished for what you say after the game.  now the whole story starts again. i don t go into that game. we play football. i am a football manager and i love football above all ... no matter what people say.  reminded that ferguson called him  a disgrace   wenger added:  i don t respond to anything. in england you have a good phrase. it is  bringing the game into disrepute .  but that is not only after a game  it is as well before a game.   ferguson had also claimed that united chief executive david gill and arsenal vice-chairman david dein had agreed at boardroom level not to discuss the incident in public. but ferguson added:  in the ensuing weeks all you got was a diatribe from arsenal about being kicked off the pitch and all that nonsense. gill phoned dein three times to complain but nothing was done.  the return is on 1 february and they will come out with another diatribe.  david gill and i feel we should set the record straight because arsenal have not written to us to apologise and we would not let that happen here.  meanwhile  the league managers association have offered to act as peacemakers in the hope of resolving the on-going row. during that stormy game in october  united striker ruud van nistelrooy caught arsenal s ashley cole with one particularly strong tackle. wenger later accused van nistelrooy of  cheating  and was fined £15 000 and  severely reprimanded  by the football association. ferguson admitted on saturday that van nistelrooy s tackle  which earned the dutchman a ban   could have given (cole) a serious injury   but he believes arsenal were the main aggressors.   wenger is always complaining the match was not played in the right spirit   he added.  they are the worst losers of all time  they don t know how to lose. maybe it is just manchester united  they don t lose many games to other teams.  we tend to forget the worst disciplinary record of all time was arsenal s up until last season. in fairness it has improved and now they are seen as paragons of virtue.  but to wenger it never happens  it is all some dream or nightmare.


blair prepares to name poll date tony blair is likely to name 5 may as election day when parliament returns from its easter break  the bbc s political editor has learned.  andrew marr says mr blair will ask the queen on 4 or 5 april to dissolve parliament at the end of that week. mr blair has so far resisted calls for him to name the day but all parties have stepped up campaigning recently. downing street would not be drawn on the claim  saying election timing was a matter for the prime minister.  a number 10 spokeswoman would only say:  he will announce an election when he wants to announce an election.  the move will signal a frantic week at westminster as the government is likely to try to get key legislation through parliament. the government needs its finance bill  covering the budget plans  to be passed before the commons closes for business at the end of the session on 7 april.  but it will also seek to push through its serious and organised crime bill and id cards bill. mr marr said on wednesday s today programme:  there s almost nobody at a senior level inside the government or in parliament itself who doesn t expect the election to be called on 4 or 5 april.  as soon as the commons is back after the short easter recess  tony blair whips up to the palace  asks the queen to dissolve parliament ... and we re going.  the labour government officially has until june 2006 to hold general election  but in recent years governments have favoured four-year terms.


baa support ahead of court battle uk airport operator baa has reiterated its support for the government s aviation expansion plans to airports throughout the country.  the comments come a day ahead of a high court challenge by residents  groups and local councils to the government s white paper. the judicial review will centre on government plans for expansion at heathrow  stansted and luton airports. baa  which operates all three  said it was consulting with local communities.  we are...consulting on voluntary compensation schemes which go beyond our statutory obligations   a baa spokesman said.  groups challenging the plans include stop stansted expansion  heathrow anti-noise campaigners hacan clearskies and the london boroughs of hillingdon and wandsworth. at heathrow  gatwick  edinburgh and glasgow airports  baa launched a series of consultations on blight to properties from the proposed expansion in september 2004  which will close next week. the company is also offering to buy noise-hit properties for an index-linked  unblighted price. among other measures  baa has set up a homeowner support scheme for people living near stansted  and has launched a special scheme for those close to the airport but far enough away not to be covered by the homeowner scheme. at heathrow  baa said it was working closely with all interested parties to see how the strict environmental  air quality and noise targets for a third runway can be met.  at gatwick  the company has written to homes and business likely to be affected by any extra runway. stop stansted expansion said the white paper  published in december 2003  was  fundamentally flawed  and did not follow the proper consultation process.  we do not underestimate the scale of the challenge before us because the courts have never before overturned a government white paper   said stop stansted expansion chairman peter sanders said. hacan chairman john stewart said:  almost exactly a year ago the government published its 30-year aviation white paper with much fanfare.  it hoped that would be the end of the debate and it could proceed with its plans for a massive expansion of aviation.  yet  a year later the protesters are still here  and stronger than ever.   a judgement from mr justice sullivan is expected early in february.


japan economy slides to recession the japanese economy has officially gone back into recession for the fourth time in a decade.  gross domestic product fell by 0.1% in the last three months of 2004. the fall reflects weak exports and a slowdown in consumer spending  and follows similar falls in gdp in the two previous quarters. the tokyo stock market fell after the figures were announced  but rose again on a widespread perception that the economy will recover later this year. on wednesday  the government revised growth figures from earlier in 2004 which  when taking into account performance in the most recent period  effectively tips japan into recession.  a previous estimate of 0.1% growth between july and september was downgraded to a 0.3% decline. a recession is commonly defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth  although the japanese government takes other factors into account when judging the status of its economy.  figures released by the government s cabinet office showed that gdp  on an annualised basis  fell 0.5% in the last three months of 2004. however  politicians remain upbeat about prospects for an economic boost later in the year.  the economy has some soft patches but if you look at the bigger picture  it is in a recovery stage   said economic and fiscal policy minister heizo takenaka. gross domestic product measures the overall value of goods and services produced in a country.  the economy must be assessed comprehensively and we cannot look at gdp alone   mr takenaka stressed.  ministers pointed to the fact that consumer spending had been depressed by one-off factors such as the unseasonably mild winter. analysts said the figures were disappointing but argued that japan s largest companies had been recording healthy profits and capital spending was on the rise. japan s economy grew 2.6% overall last year - fuelled by a strong performance in the first few months - and is forecast to see growth of 2.1% in 2005. however  the economy s fragile recovery remains dependent on an upturn in consumer spending  a fall in the value of the yen and an improvement in global economies.  the results came in at the lower end of expectations but we shouldn t be too pessimistic about the current state and the outlook for the economy   said naoki iizuka  senior economist at the dai-ichi life research institute. japan s economy has seen stretches of moderate growth over the past decade but has periodically slipped back into recession.


disney settles disclosure charges walt disney has settled charges from us federal regulators that it failed to disclose how family members of directors were employed by the company.  the media giant was not fined by the securities and exchange commission  but has agreed to refrain from any future violations of securities law. disney failed to tell investors that between 1999 and 2001 it employed three adult children of three then directors. the firm has neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing in the settlement.  the three disney directors in question in the central matter of the sec s investigation - reveta bowers  stanley gold and raymond watson - have all since left the company  with ms bowers and mr watson both retiring  and mr gold quitting in 2003. their children were paid between $60 000 (£30 800) and $150 000 a year  with shareholders not being informed. the sec also found that disney did not disclose that a 50% disney-owned subsidiary company - lifetime - employed the wife of current disney director john bryson  and that she earned more than $1m a year. louise bryson remains with lifetime.  disney also failed to disclose payments to air shamrock  an airline owned by mr gold and fellow former disney directors roy disney. finally  disney also did not reveal that it provided more than $200 000 annually for office space  secretarial services  and a leased car and driver to former director thomas murphy.  shareholders have a significant interest in information regarding relationships between the company and its directors   said sec deputy enforcement director linda thomsen.  failure to comply with the sec s disclosure rules in this area impedes shareholders  ability to evaluate the objectivity and independence of directors.


us industrial output growth eases us industrial production continued to rise in november  albeit at a slower pace than the previous month.  the us federal reserve said output from factories  mines and utilities rose 0.3% - in line with forecasts - from a revised 0.6% increase in october. analysts added that if the carmaking sector - which saw production fall 0.5% - had been excluded the data would have been more impressive. the latest increase means industrial output has grown 4.2% in the past year. many analysts were upbeat about the prospects for the us economy  with the increase in production coming on the heels of news of a recovery in retail sales.  this is very consistent with an economy growing at 3.5 to 4.0%. it is congruent with job growth and consumer optimism   comerica chief economist david littman said of the figures.  the us economy grew at a respectable annual rate of 3.7% in the three months between july and september  while jobs growth averaged 178 000 during the same period. while the employment figures are not spectacular  experts believe they are enough to whittle away at america s 5.4% jobless rate. a breakdown of the latest production figures shows mining output drove the increase  surging 2.1%  while factory output rose 0.3%. but utility output dropped 1.4%. meanwhile  the amount of factory capacity in use during the month rose to 77.6% - its highest level since may 2001.  many investors think that product market inflation won t be a problem until the utilisation rates are at 80% or higher   cary leahy  senior us economist at deutsche bank securities  said.  so there is still a lot of inflation-fighting slack in the manufacturing sector    overall i d say manufacturing at least away from autos continues to improve and i would bet that it improves at a faster rate in coming months given how lean inventories are   citigroup senior economist steven wieting added.


sony wares win innovation award sony has taken the prize for top innovator at the annual awards of pc pro magazine.  it won the award for taking risks with products and for its  brave  commitment to good design. conferring the award  pc pro s staff picked out sony s pcg-x505/p vaio laptop as a  stunning piece of engineering . the electronics giant beat off strong competition from toshiba and chip makers amd and intel to take the gong.  paul trotter  news and features editor of pc pro  said several sony products helped it to take the innovation award.  he said sony s clie peg ux50 media player with its swivel screen and qwerty keyboard  broke the design rules yet again . other sony products that helped included the vaio w1 desktop computer and the ra-104 media server. mr trotter said sony s combining of computer  screen and keyboard in the w1 was likely to be widely copied in future home pcs. the company has also become one of the first to use organic leds in its products.  while not always inventing new technology itself  sony was never afraid to innovate around various formats   said mr trotter.  other awards decided by pc pro s staff and contributors included one for canon s eos 300d digital camera in the most wanted hardware category.  microsoft s media player 10 took the award for most wanted software. this year was the 10th anniversary of the pc pro awards  which splits its prizes into two sections. the first are chosen by the magazine s writers and consultants  the second are voted for by readers. mr trotter said more than 13 000 people voted for the reliability and service awards  twice as many as in 2003. net-based memory and video card shop crucial shared the award for online vendor of the year with novatech.


campbell rescues arsenal sol campbell proved to be an unlikely match-winner to earn arsenal a hard-fought win at portsmouth.  the england defender lashed home a 25-yard shot for his first goal in 16 months to take arsenal back into second spot  five points behind chelsea. but before campbell scored the best two chances of the game fell to pompey striker ricardo fuller. in the first half he blasted wide when clear  and his control let him down in the second half when well placed. portsmouth got plenty of bodies behind the ball to deny arsenal space in the early stages. but their marking was slack at a corner and patrick vieira should have done better when the ball fell to him 16 yards out. a mistake by arjan de zeeuw let thierry henry in behind the pompey defence on 17 minutes but as he bore down on goal linvoy primus got in a saving tackle. with just fuller as an out-and-out striker  portsmouth s shape made life difficult for arsenal. but a delightful touch by robin van persie gave henry a sight of goal  although the angle was too tight for his shot to trouble jamie ashdown.  ashdown caused hearts to flutter on 28 minutes when he missed his punch at a corner and kolo toure headed just wide and  as arsenal began to press  van persie blasted over a good opportunity after henry had set him up. henry took a quick return pass from vieira but ashdown was out quickly to block  and there were some anxious seconds for pompey as the ball ran loose before matthew taylor cleared. after playing second fiddle  portsmouth should have taken the lead on 34 minutes. referee howard webb played a good advantage to allow steve stone to send gary o neil away but  having shrugged off toure  the pompey midfielder planted his shot wide from 10 yards. as half-time approached  henry teased a shot through a ruck of players and inches wide. at the other end  fuller broke clear but failed to hit the target as toure closed him down.  fuller was given the best chance of the match so far on 48 minutes when patrik berger s break and slipped pass played him clear. but a poor first touch lost him the opportunity and even when he checked back and went down under vieira s challenge  referee webb was not interested. fuller paid the price when he gave way on 55 minutes to aiyegbeni yakubu  who returned after six weeks out with a knee injury. but it needed alert reflexes and safe handling from ashdown to cling on to van persie s shot as henry sniffed for scraps.  portsmouth were growing in confidence and keeper manuel almunia had to stand his ground to beat away a powerful shot from berger. arsenal were struggling to find their rhythm but took the lead through the unlikely source of campbell. the england defender needed little invitation as pompey backed off to stride forward and lash a ferocious shot past ashdown. arsenal might have stretched their lead two minutes later when mathieu flamini escaped his marker to flash a header wide from henry s free-kick. almunia went full length to grab berger s long-range shot  while ashdown palmed away substitute dennis bergkamp s shot.  ashdown  griffin  de zeeuw  primus  taylor  stone  o neil  faye (berkovic 83)  berger  lualua  fuller (yakubu 55).  subs not used: hislop  quashie  cisse.  almunia  lauren  toure  campbell  cole  pires  flamini  vieira  clichy  van persie (bergkamp 68)  henry.  subs not used: lehmann  fabregas  senderos  hoyte.  cole.  campbell 75.  20 170.  h webb (s yorkshire).


pre-poll clash on tax and spend labour and the tories have clashed over tax and spending plans as the row over gordon brown s budget turned into a full scale pre-election battle.  tony blair claimed a tory government would  cut  £35bn from public services hitting schools  hospitals and police. tory chairman liam fox accused labour of  at best misrepresentation at worst a downright lie  and said the  smear  tactics were a sign of desperation. the lib dems accused mr brown of ducking the issue of council tax rises.  appearing together at a labour poster launch  the prime minister hailed his chancellor s  brilliant  performance. and he claimed the tories would cut £35bn from public services  which was the equivalent of sacking every doctor and teacher in the uk.  the tories said they would not cut spending but agreed public spending would increase more slowly under their plans - leading to a total of £33.5bn less spending than that anticipated by labour by 2011. but they say not a single doctor  teacher or nurse will be cut. dr fox said:  we have said we will be spending more  year on year over and above inflation.  and to call that a cut is at best a misrepresentation  at worst a downright lie.   tory shadow chancellor oliver letwin also predicted mr brown would have to raise taxes by £10bn or £11bn if labour was re-elected because he was borrowing and spending too much. for the lib dems  vince cable said the chancellor had failed to deal with the  looming problems  of revaluation of council tax bands which he argued would result in  massive increases  for some. mr brown and mr blair staged a show of unity on thursday morning  the day after the chancellor delivered a record-breaking ninth budget.  mr cable said taxation as a share of the economy would go up under all three of the main parties. the chancellor meanwhile insisted his spending plans were  affordable . in wednesday s budget  mr brown doubled the level at which homebuyers pay stamp duty  unveiled a rise in child tax credit and a £200 council tax refund for over-65s. defending the plans  he told today:  i will take no risks with the stability of the economy.  all our spending plans announced yesterday [wednesday]  including what we can do for pensioners  as well as for young families and on stamp duty and inheritance tax  all these are costed and affordable.  in a further sign  if any were needed  that the election is approaching  the house of commons authorities have formally told mps their offices will be  deep cleaned  during the three-week poll campaign. mr blair has yet to name the day - but it is widely expected to be 5 may.


bryan twins keep us hopes alive the united states kept the davis cup final alive with victory in saturday s doubles rubber  leaving spain 2-1 ahead going into the final day.  masters cup champions mike and bob bryan thrashed juan carlos ferrero and tommy robredo 6-0 6-3 6-2 in front of a partisan crowd in seville. victory would have given spain the title but they were outclassed. in sunday s reverse singles  carlos moya takes on andy roddick before rafael nadal faces mardy fish.  it feels good  but it s not going to be as good if we don t win two tomorrow   said mike bryan.  it feels good to give those guys another shot  and spain has to go to sleep on that.  bob bryan added:  i m really confident in andy winning that first match  and then anything can happen.  spain coach jordi arrese chose to rest 18-year-old nadal in the doubles after his epic singles win over roddick on friday. he was replaced by former world number one ferrero  but the spanish pair were out of their depth against one of the world s best doubles teams.  the 26-year-old bryan twins have won all four of their davis cup matches this year. and they quickly silenced the huge crowd at the olympic stadium  racing through the opening set to love. the spaniards then twice surrendered breaks of serve at the start of the second before the bryans broke to go 5-3 ahead and served out. when robredo dropped serve in the opening game of the third set the match was all but over  and the unflappable bryan brothers powered on to an impressive win. ferrero  who was upset to be dropped for friday s singles  hinted at further dissatisfaction after the defeat.  it was a difficult game against the best doubles players   he said.  they have everything calculated and we had very little to do.  i was a bit surprised that i was named to play the doubles match because i hardly play doubles.  arrese said:  juan carlos hasn t played at all badly. he played the right way but the bryans are great doubles players.


eu fraud clampdown urged eu member states are failing to report fraud and irregularities in eu funds on a consistent basis  the uk s public spending watchdog has said.  the national audit office said although the latest figures showed reported fraud was falling  the eu still had no common definition of fraud. it also expressed concern that  for the 10th year  the european court of auditors had qualified the eu accounts. the nao urged the government to push for improvements in reporting fraud. it said member states needed to be more accountable on how money was spent. the report said:  member states still do not report fraud and other irregularities to the european anti-fraud office on a consistent basis.   as the court has now qualified its opinion on the community accounts for a decade  it is essential for all the authorities involved to contribute to the strengthening of the audit of eu revenue and expenditure and improving accountability for the financial management and use of eu resources.  it said there were 922 cases of reported fraud or irregularities in eu funds in the uk in 2003  worth £38.5m (52m euros)  up from 831 cases worth £35.7m in 2002. at the same time  reported fraud throughout the eu dropped from 10 276 cases worth £808m to 8 177 cases worth £644m. edward leigh  chairman of the commons public accounts committee  said britain had to set an example when it assumed the eu presidency.   any fraud in other member states is potentially fraud against the uk taxpayer  given that we are the second largest net contributor to the community   he said.  departments responsible for administering eu funds need to make sure that they re doing everything possible to weed out improper spending.  the government must take the opportunity afforded by the uk presidency of the eu to press the commission and other member states to take an equally robust stance against fraud and irregularity  and raise overall standards of financial management.  a spokesman for the european anti-fraud office said the organisation agreed with the nao s assessment of fraud reporting.  the quality of reporting does differ from member state to member state  and there is room for improvement   spokesman jorg wojahn said. he added that there is generally good co-operation with member states and the anti-fraud office on specific cases of fraud  with the statistics studied by nao providing a  good overview for planning strategic ways of detecting fraud .


bell set for england debut bath prop duncan bell has been added to england s 30-man squad to face ireland in the rbs six nations.  and with phil vickery sidelined for at least six weeks with a broken arm and julian white out with a neck injury  bell could make his england debut. bell  30  had set his sights on an international career with wales. but last december  the international rugby board confirmed that he could only be eligible for england as he had travelled on tour with them in 1998. england coach andy robinson could take a gamble and call inexperienced sale sharks prop andrew sheridan into his front row. but sheridan favours the loosehead side of the scrum and a more likely scenario is for uncapped bell - who was among the tryscorers when england a beat france a 30-20 nine days ago - to be drafted in. robinson also has an injury worry over centre olly barkley  who withdrew from bath s starting line-up to face gloucester last weekend.  he was due to have a hospital scan on monday  while gloucester centre henry paul  who started at fly-half against bath  limped out at kingsholm because of an ankle problem. despite barkley s three missed penalties in the 18-17 defeat against france  he is expected to retain his place at inside centre  although leicester s in-form prospect ollie smith would be an obvious replacement. bath coach john connolly rates barkley as no better than a 50/50 chance to make the dublin trip. uncapped fly-half andy goode has been named in a 30-man training squad for the ireland game  and he strengthened his selection claims by kicking 28 points during leicester s record 83-10 win against newcastle on sunday. england s players are due to meet at their surrey training base on monday.


volcano drama erupts on bbc one supervolcano  a docu-drama about a volcanic eruption in yellowstone national park in the us  is among the highlights on the bbc one this winter.  the £178m winter schedule also includes the return of doctor who and a drama about angela cannings  who was wrongly convicted of killing two of her babies. sarah lancashire and timothy spall will star in the real-life drama  cherished. itv also unveiled their festive season on tuesday  which includes stephen fry in a remake of tom brown s schooldays. supervolcano  follows in the footsteps of last year s pompei  which drew 10 million viewers to bbc one in october 2003.  the programme merges science  drama and computer imagery to reveal what could happen if yellowstone - home to the only currently active supervolcano in the world - were to erupt again. bbc two will run a two-part documentary  the science behind supervolcano  in conjunction with the transmission. other educational highlights include a documentary about infamous mongolian warrior genghis khan and grandchild of the holocaust. grandchild of the holocaust  part of the bbc commitment to holocaust memorial day  follows adrian  13  on a journey to uncover the truth about what happened to his grandmother in auschwitz and belsen.  new drama includes archangel  an adaptation of the robert harris best-seller  which stars daniel craig on the trail of stalin s diaries in communist russia. and sarah waters  gets her second adaptation on bbc one with imelda staunton and charles dance lined up to star in fingersmith. the adaptation  about a conman in victorian england  will make an interesting contrast to julie burchill s sugar rush - a lesbian teenage drama part of channel four s winter season. on a lighter note  jessica stevenson will star in new bbc one sitcom  the world according to bex  penned by my family creator fred barron and the two ronnies return for a celebration of their classic comedy series.  fry s portrayal of headmaster dr arnold dominates a muted christmas schedule on itv1  which sees the channel retreat from broadcasting blockbuster movies in favour of extended soap episodes and popular quiz shows.  sir paul mccartney  wife heather mills and manchester united manager sir alex ferguson will join a celebrity edition of who wants to be a millionaire  on christmas day. also on christmas day  john nettles will return in a one-off edition of midsomer murders  while two episodes of the new miss marple drama will air over the festive period. films on itv1 include gus van sant s finding forrester  starring sean connery  and classics such a mary poppins  star wars and the good  the bad and the ugly. in contrast  bbc s christmas season includes terrestrial debuts of the first harry potter film  shrek and steven spielberg s ai  as well as new epipsodes of the vicar of dibley and the final auf wiedersehen  pet.


evil twin  fear for wireless net people using wireless high-speed net (wi-fi) are being warned about fake hotspots  or access points.  the latest threat  nicknamed evil twins  pose as real hotspots but are actually unauthorised base stations  say cranfield university experts. once logged onto an evil twin  sensitive data can be intercepted. wi-fi is becoming popular as more devices come with wireless capability. london leads the global wi-fi hotspots league  with more than 1 000. the number of hotspots is expected to reach 200 000 by 2008  according to analysts.  users need to be wary of using their wi-fi enabled laptops or other portable devices in order to conduct financial transactions or anything that is of a sensitive or personal nature   said professor brian collins  head of information systems at cranfield university.   users can also protect themselves by ensuring that their wi-fi device has its security measures activated   he added. bt openzone  which operates a vast proportion of public hotspots in the uk  told the bbc news website that it made every effort to make its wi-fi secure.  naturally  people may have security concerns   said chris clark  chief executive for bt s wireless broadband.   but wi-fi networks are no more or less vulnerable than any other means of accessing the internet  like broadband or dial-up.  he said bt openzone  as well as others  have sophisticated encryption from the start of the login process to the service at a hotspot.  this means that users  personal information and data  logon usernames and passwords are protected and secure   said mr clark.  in the vast majority of cases  base stations straight out of the box from the manufacturers are automatically set up with the least secure mode possible  said dr nobles. cybercriminals who try to glean personal information using the scam  jam connections to a legitimate base station by sending a stronger signal near to the wireless client. anyone with the right gear can find a real hotspot and substitute it with an evil twin.  cybercriminals don t have to be that clever to carry out such an attack   said dr phil nobles  a wireless net and cybercrime expert at cranfield.  because wireless networks are based on radio signals they can be easily detected by unauthorised users tuning into the same frequency.   although wi-fi is increasing in popularity as more people want to use high-speed net on the move  there have been fears over how secure it is. some companies have been reluctant to use them in large numbers because of fears about security. a wireless network that is not protected can provide a backdoor into a company s computer system. public wi-fi hotspots offered by companies like bt openzone and the cloud  are accessible after users sign up and pay for use. but many home and company wi-fi networks are left unprotected and can be  sniffed out  and hi-jacked by anyone with the correct equipment.  bt advises that customers should change all default settings  make sure that their security settings on all equipment are configured correctly   said mr clark.  we also advocate the use of personal firewalls to ensure that only authorised users can have access and that data cannot be intercepted.  dr nobles is due to speak about wireless cybercrime at the science museum s dana centre in london on thursday.


man utd through after exeter test manchester united avoided an fa cup upset by edging past exeter city in their third round replay.  cristiano ronaldo scored the opener  slipping the ball between paul jones  legs after just nine minutes. united wasted a host of chances to make it safe as jones made some great saves  but wayne rooney put the tie beyond doubt late on with a cool finish. exeter had chances of their own  sean devine twice volleying wide and andrew taylor forcing tim howard to save. united boss sir alex ferguson was taking few chances after their 0-0 draw in the first game and he handed starts to paul scholes and ryan as well as ronaldo and rooney. exeter began brightly with devine and steve flack seeing plenty of the ball  but it did not take united long to assert their authority and the hosts soon found themselves a goal down. scholes played a lovely pass in to ronaldo on the left-hand side of the six-yard box and the portuguese winger slid the ball between the legs of jones to open the scoring.  united sensed a chance to finish the tie as a contest early on and ronaldo blazed over before jones saved well from scholes and then rooney. the visitors  pressure by now was incessant and rooney had another shot blocked while ronaldo slammed well over the bar again from a good position. just before the break giggs had a golden chance to double the advantage  but the welshman dragged a left-foot effort badly wide from 10 yards. in stoppage time exeter created their best chance as alex jeannin swung in a cross from the left that devine managed to flick goalwards  but the ball flew wide of howard s goal. the grecians came out after the break in determined fashion and howard had to show safe hands to collect two searching crosses into the united box. rooney looked like he might have sealed the result with a turn and shot but the ball stuck in the st james park mud and jones raced back to gather on the goalline. moments later devine had the chance to make himself a hero  but he could only volley jeannin s brilliant cross wide of howard s goal after being left unmarked six yards out. after rooney had completely messed up a free-kick 20 yards out taylor showed him how it should be done  his stunning drive from distance forcing a flying stop from howard. the home crowd were baying for a goal and they did get the ball into the net only for devine s low effort to be ruled out for an obvious offside. the persistent rooney eventually rounded jones with three minutes to go and slotted into an empty net to book a home tie with middlesbrough in the fourth round.  jones  hiley  sawyer  gaia  jeannin  moxey  taylor (martin 89)  ampadu (afful 69)  clay  flack (edwards 74)  devine. subs not used: rice  todd.  ampadu  clay.  howard  phil neville  gary neville  o shea  fortune  giggs (saha 70)  miller (fletcher 66)  scholes  djemba-djemba (silvestre 80)  ronaldo  rooney. subs not used: ricardo  bellion.  ronaldo 9  rooney 87.  9 033.  p dowd (staffordshire).


lib dems  to target stamp duty  the liberal democrats are promising to raise the stamp duty threshold if they win the general election  in a bid to court first-time house buyers.  vince cable  the party s treasury spokesman  said raising the threshold to £150 000 would prevent over 400 000 home-buyers from paying the tax. he said first-time buyers were being  squeezed out  of the housing market. the labour party said the liberal democrats needed to explain how they would pay for the plan. the plan forms part of a wider lib dems policy to encourage first time buyers and those on lower incomes into the market.  under the proposals  the average saving for a new buyer would be more than £1 000  according to mr cable.  first time buyers are being squeezed out of the housing market not only by higher house prices but also by being swept into the stamp duty net   he said.  by failing to uprate the stamp duty threshold gordon brown has hit first time buyers and those on low incomes the hardest.  by pledging to increase the threshold to £150 000  the liberal democrats will make it possible for many first time buyers to buy a property without facing this tax.  paul boateng mp  labour s chief secretary to the treasury  said:  the lib dems  sums don t add up.  they can have no credibility until they can say how they would fund their ever growing list of tax and spending commitments.  mr cable will publish his  alternative budget  on monday.


defiant hunts put ban to the test thousands of hunt supporters have been out on the first day of hunting in england and wales after the ban on hunting with dogs came into force.  the countryside alliance called on hunt supporters to meet as normal  but vowed to stay within the law. although hunting with dogs is now a criminal offence  exercising hounds  chasing a scent trail and flushing out foxes to be shot are still legal. one anti-hunt protester was taken to hospital after a violent clash in kent.  the man suffered facial injuries after an incident involving a group of men at the end of the east kent hunt  near ashford. in wiltshire  police arrested four men under the new law suspected of hunting with dogs. the group  from south wales and ireland  have been released on bail but police say they may face prosecution under new poaching laws.  it is believed more than 270 hunts went out on saturday  just one day after the ban came in.  they were greeted by big crowds in many areas of the country  with actor jeremy irons and former minister kate hoey among the supporters. anti-hunt groups - such as the league against cruel sports - deployed 100 monitors at hunts to check for illegal activity.  mike hobday  from the league  said video evidence of the law being broken was to be passed onto police.  our evidence suggests that most hunts did operate within the law  many meeting and promptly going home and others peacefully exercising their hounds or drag hunting.  however  we have received reports of what we believe is clearly illegal activity by a number of hunts across britain.  bbc correspondent simon hall at postbridge on dartmoor in the west country said 2 000 people had turned out to welcome the hunt.  and the bbc s sarah mukherjee  with the beaufort hunt in badminton  gloucestershire said several hundred people had gathered on foot to see the hunt  with 150 on horseback. tom heap  bbc rural affairs correspondent  said it appeared that hunstman had  for now  been sticking to the new rules. and while there was big turnout in support of the hunts on saturday  he said it remains to be seen if the level of backing can be maintained.  before riding out with the hunt  former minister kate hoey told crowds:  we will prevail and this law will have to be overturned.  judith moritz  in melton mowbray  said anti-hunt activists were out to monitor the four hunts operating in that part of leicestershire  but were outnumbered by large crowds of followers. the countryside alliance said the meets would show the new law was  impossibly difficult to determine  and open to different interpretations.  chief executive simon hart said:  there has been hunting in england for 700 years. this [ban] may take two or three years  perhaps two or three months  to unpick.  it will be nothing more than a temporary break in normal service  as broadcasters say.  conservative family spokeswoman theresa may said if the party was in government again it would make sure the law was repealed. suffolk chief constable alastair mcwhirter  the association of chief police officers  spokesman on rural policing  told the bbc the law would be enforced  although the police would not break up hunts. the attorney general lord goldsmith has so far not issued any instructions to police on how they should deal with any hunters who do violate the law. he said he would consult the director of public prosecutions and the police  in the near future  to decide what measures to take on hunting prosecutions.


curbishley delight for johansson charlton manager alan curbishley paid tribute to two-goal striker jonatan johansson after beating norwich.  curbishley said after the 4-0 win:  there was talk about norwich being interested in the summer but i have a lot of faith in jonatan.  when there was talk of other clubs i just told him he was going nowhere.  he s part of our squad and he got us a couple of important goals early on. i m sure he s happy here  but i was delighted with all the players.  curbishley was subjected to criticism from charlton fans recently  and he said:  the thing about this club is that we have got where we are by all pulling in the same direction.  that s happened for however long i ve been here and we don t want people taking sides.


nissan names successor to ghosn nissan has named a lifetime employee to run its operations after carlos ghosn  its highly successful boss  takes charge at renault.  as chief operating officer  toshiyuki shiga will run nissan on a daily basis  although mr ghosn  who masterminded its recovery  will remain chief executive. mr ghosn is to become chairman and chief executive of renault  which owns 44% of the japanese carmaker  in april. mr ghosn transformed nissan into a fast-growing and profitable business.  mr shiga will nominally serve as mr ghosn s deputy. however  he will be nissan s most senior japan-based executive and will be in charge of the firm s global sales and marketing.  he is currently in charge of nissan s operations across asia and australasia and is credited with significantly improving its sales in china. he will inherit a strong legacy from mr ghosn  who has overseen a dramatic turnaround in nissan s fortunes in the past five years. dubbed  le cost killer  for pushing through huge cost cuts in previous jobs  mr ghosn reduced nissan s overheads by 20% and trimmed its workforce by about 200 000 after taking charge in 1999. these actions helped nissan turn a 684bn yen ($6.4bn) loss in 2000 into a 331bn yen ($2.7bn) profit the following year. during his tenure  nissan has increased its market share and made significant strides in key export markets. nissan aims to increase vehicle sales to more than four million by 2008  launching 28 new models in the process.  in his new job as renault chief executive  mr ghosn will devote 40% of his time to renault  40% to nissan and the rest to the group s activities in north america and other key markets.  mr ghosn said mr shiga s appointment would ensure a  seamless  transition in management.  i need a leadership team capable of accelerating the performance and delivery of results that has characterized nissan over the past six years   mr ghosn said.  i have full confidence in toshiyuki shiga and the new leadership team to help me implement the next chapter of nissan s growth.  nissan also announced a number of other management appointments with promotions for several younger executives.


clarke faces id cards rebellion charles clarke faces his first real test as home secretary on monday with a possible backbench rebellion over the controversial id cards bill.  up to 30 labour mps could oppose the scheme during a commons debate. mr clarke  who took on the post on thursday after david blunkett quit  has rejected calls to  pause  on the bill. tory leader michael howard also faces a possible rebellion after deciding to back identity cards. the liberal democrats oppose the plans.  mr clarke  writing in the times  accused some critics of  liberal woolly thinking and spreading false fears  by claiming id cards would erode civil liberties. he writes that it is actually a  profoundly civil libertarian measure because it promotes the most fundamental civil liberty in our society - which is the right to live free from fear crime and fear . mr clarke is expected to try and win over opponents to the scheme by saying officials who secretly accessed information they were not allowed to see would face up to two years in jail. he is also expected to cut the £85 cost of the card and passport  for the elderly and those on lower incomes.  mr howard last week said his front bench team had reached a  collective view  to back id cards after holding a  good discussion   but admitted it was  not an easy issue . he had decided to support the plans as the police said they would help fight terror  crime and illegal immigration. but former shadow attorney general bill cash said there was still  very deep  disquiet about the plan among senior tories. he told bbc radio 4 s today the government was  intensely authoritarian  and was creating  increasingly a big brother society . critics argue that introducing the cards would be a costly scheme with no specific aim.  ministers say it would help the fight against terrorism  illegal immigration and organised crime. but opponents say that similar schemes in other countries have not prevented attacks like the madrid rail bombing. on sunday  lib dem leader charles kennedy repeated his call for a  pause  in considering the legislation.  he told bbc s breakfast with frost programme that mr clarke had a  real opportunity  on monday following the departure of mr blunkett.  if you were running a family or a business would you have the second reading of the identity cards bill tomorrow or would you pause to reflect and see what you might do about it in the new year   that is the sensible way to go about it but i think this government has got itself so much into tram lines now that it is not behaving sensibly at all.  the first cards would be issued in 2008 and  when he was introducing the bill  mr blunkett suggested parliament could decide in 2011 or 2012 whether to make it compulsory for everybody to own the cards  although not to carry them. the new bill would also create new criminal offences on the possession of false identity documents.


mobile gaming takes off in india gaming on the move is one of the fastest-growing activities among the tech-savvy in india  says a report.  the indian mobile gaming market is expected to generate about $26m (£13.8m) by the end of 2004  according to market analysts in-stat/mdr. in october  mobile phone users grew by 1.4 million to 44.9 million  overtaking the number of landlines  said the telecom regulatory authority of india. analysts say cheap rates and a huge youth market is driving the market. india has a large population of under-25s  and many in urban areas are fast adopting mobiles as must-have gadgets.  india s mobile gaming market will bring in about $336m (£178m) by 2009  according to the report. mobile gaming is expected to explode globally over the next few years. analysts predict that 220 million people will be playing games on phones by 2009  generating billions for mobile companies.  services other than just voice calls which are offered by mobile operators in india have  as a result of the huge rise in subscribers  grown significantly and rapidly.  the growth of this market sector has attracted publishers  developers  animators  musicians  and content providers  and is also stimulating the development of innovative business models   said clint wheelock  director of in-stat/mdr s wireless research group.   mobile gaming is not just about fun; it also represents one key element of a rich mobile entertainment experience for consumers  and a lucrative market opportunity for industry players.  currently  india has six big games developers and four mobile operators that offer games to their subscribers  said the report. according to in-stat/mdr  it is tipped to make up one of the most important markets in the next wave of mobile multimedia growth.  in january 2003  there were only 10 million mobile subscribers in india. many choose mobiles in rural areas in order to bypass poorer telecoms infrastructure. despite this  the penetration rate is still much lower that other countries. less than 20% of india s total population own a mobile in india  compared to well over 50% in most european countries. the trend echoes the uptake of mobiles in many developing economies  which continues to grow as people opt to leapfrog slower and more expensive state-run fixed-line operators.


fed warns of more us rate rises the us looks set for a continued boost to interest rates in 2005  according to the federal reserve.  minutes of the december meeting which pushed rates up to 2.25% showed that policy-makers at the fed are worried about accelerating inflation. the clear signal pushed the dollar up to $1.3270 to the euro by 0400 gmt on wednesday  but depressed us shares.  the markets are starting to fear a more aggressive fed in 2005   said richard yamarone of argus research. the dow jones index dropped almost 100 points on tuesday  with the nasdaq also falling as key tech stocks were hit by broker downgrades. the dollar also gained ground against sterling on tuesday  reaching $1.8832 to the pound before slipping slightly on wednesday morning.  the release of the minutes just three weeks after the 14 december meeting was much faster than usual  indicating the fed wants to keep markets more apprised of its thinking. this  too  is being taken in some quarters as a sign of aggressive moves on interest rates to come. the key fed funds rate has risen 1.25 percentage points during 2004 from the 46-year low of 1% reached not long after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. that long trough  might be contributing to signs of potentially excessive risk-taking in financial markets   said the federal open markets committee (fomc)  which sets interest rates. the odds now favour a further boost to rates at the next meeting in early february  economists said. but the respite for the dollar  which spent late 2003 being pushed lower against other major currencies by worries about massive us trade and budget deficits  may be short-lived.  you can t rule out a further correction... but we don t think it s a change in direction in the dollar   said jason daw at merrill lynch.  nothing fundamental has changed.


worldcom director admits lying the former chief financial officer at us telecoms firm worldcom has admitted before a new york court that he used to lie to fellow board members.  speaking at the trial of his former boss bernard ebbers  scott sullivan said he lied to the board to cover up the hole in worldcom s finances. mr ebbers is on trial for fraud and conspiracy in relation to worldcom s collapse in 2002. he pleads not guilty. the firm had been overstating its accounts by $11bn (£8.5bn). mr sullivan  42  has already pleaded guilty to fraud and will be sentenced following mr ebbers  trial  where he is appearing as a prosecution witness. mr ebbers  63  has always insisted that he was unaware of any hidden shortfalls in worldcom s finances.  in the new york court on wednesday  mr ebbers  lawyer reid weingarten asked mr sullivan:  if you believe something is in your interest  you are willing and able to lie to accomplish it  isn t that right     on that date  yes. i was lying   replied mr sullivan. mr weingarten has suggested that mr sullivan is implicating mr ebbers only to win a lighter sentence  something mr sullivan denies. mr sullivan also rejects a suggestion that he had once told fellow worldcom board member bert roberts that mr ebbers was unaware of the accounting fraud at worldcom. the trial of mr ebbers is now into its third week.  under 23 hours of questioning from a federal prosecutor  mr sullivan has previously told the court that he repeatedly warned mr ebbers that falsifying the books would be the only way to meet wall street revenue and earnings expectations. mr sullivan claims that mr ebbers refused to stop the fraud. mr ebbers could face a sentence of 85 years if convicted of all the charges he is facing. worldcom s problems appear to have begun with the collapse of the dotcom boom which cut its business from internet companies. prosecutors allege that the company s top executives responded by orchestrating massive fraud over a two-year period. worldcom emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2004  and is now known as mci.


ge sees  excellent  world economy us behemoth general electric has posted an 18% jump in quarterly sales  and in profits  and declared itself  in great shape .   we are benefiting from our growth initiatives and an excellent global economy   said ge s chief executive jeff immelt. ge is the us  biggest firm based on stock market valuation. ge s net profits were $5.37bn (£2.86bn) for the final three months of 2004  while sales came in at $43.7bn. the group  whose businesses range from jet engines to the nbc television channel  forecast sustained growth at between 10-15% for this year and next. ge s shares rose 1% on the news before ending friday 0.24% lower.   the industries ge is in are doing very well. the materials  financial and industrial sectors are all picking up   said steve roukis  an analyst at fund manager matrix asset advisors  which has shares in ge. ge said orders in the fourth quarter were 15% higher than in the same period of 2003   with growth across the board .  in the fourth quarter  nine of our 11 businesses delivered at least double-digit earnings growth   said mr immelt. full year 2004 gains were less spectacular  but still respectable. net profit was up 6% at $16.6bn. last year  ge bought vivendi universal  merging it with nbc to form nbc universal. the success of universal studio s film  ray   a portrait of jazz musician ray charles  has helped boost earnings at the unit.


warnings on woeful wi-fi security companies are getting worse at keeping their wireless data networks secure.  a survey of wi-fi networks in london  frankfurt  new york and san francisco by rsa security found more than a third had basic security features turned off. by contrast last year s survey found that 15% of firms had failed to take basic steps to improve security. rsa warned that wi-fi s growing popularity made it much more likely that insecure networks would be found and exploited.  wireless or wi-fi networks have become hugely popular over the last few years in offices because they are easy to set up and make going online much more convenient. this popularity shows no sign of slowing reveals the annual rsa security and netsurity survey which found an annual 66% growth rate in the number of wireless nets being installed in london and frankfurt. although most firms do take steps to turn on the security functions built in to the wi-fi standard and protect themselves from attack  the survey found that a significant proportion were taking unnecessary risks. on average 33% of the wireless networks found by rsa and netsurity researchers in london  frankfurt  new york and san francisco had not used basic security systems. many firms were simply turning on their wireless net access points and use default settings that anyone familiar with wi-fi could easily find out. rsa said that 26% of wi-fi networks found london used default settings compared to 30% in frankfurt  31% in new york and 28% in san francisco. many users of wi-fi nets did not even turn on the encryption that scrambles data traffic between users and the access point helping them go online. this is despite a series of stories warning firms about the dangers of  drive-by hacking  in which computer criminals walk or drive around city centres using easy to use tools to spot wi-fi nets.  these figures are another stark warning to unsecured businesses to get their act together   said phil cracknell  chief technology officer at netsurity. as more public wi-fi hotspots appear and people become more familiar with using them  it was getting more likely that insecure would be found  warned mr cracknell.  accidental or intentional connection to a corporate network can bring with it a series of security issues including loss of confidential data and installation of malicious code   he said.


uk plan to deport terror suspects deals are being sought to allow the uk to deport terror suspects to their home countries without risk of them being tortured or sentenced to death.  home secretary charles clarke told the times he hoped agreement with several countries could be reached. the move follows a law lords judgement that the detention of 12 men at belmarsh prison  london  and woodhill  milton keynes  was unlawful. the 12 affected by the ruling are from algeria  tunisia  egypt and jordan. the government was told that using anti-terror legislation brought in after 11 september to hold the men indefinitely without charge broke human rights laws.  mr clarke told the times:  i think we should be prosecuting much more energetically our ability to deport the individuals concerned to the countries from which they come.  he said it was a route that was being pursued in collaboration with foreign secretary jack straw  in a very positive way . mr clarke said that he was seeking  memorandums of understanding  between overseas governments and britain to ensure suspects would not be subjected to the death penalty on their return. however  he added:  i do not think the solution to the law lords  judgement for this government is in deportations  but they will help.  there are other strands that we have to do.  but the liberal democrat s shadow home secretary  mark oaten  accused mr clarke of avoiding the main issue with the belmarsh detainees.   the critical issue that the home secretary is dodging at this stage is to deal with the very principle  to deal with how we tackle this problem in the future   he told bbc news.  and i do want him to grasp those issues and that means looking at how we can actually secure convictions in this country allowing  for example  intercept communications  telephone tapping to be included   mr oaten said.  deportation may tackle this initial problem but i want to see a wider debate urgently about how we can actually get trials and convictions in this country.   unless we get that  the liberal democrats will vote against this measure when it comes for renewal in march.   the bbc s home affairs correspondent  daniel sandford  said it appeared mr clarke was putting more emphasis on the possibility of deportation than his predecessor  david blunkett. but he said reaching an understanding with some of the detainees  home countries could be difficult.  some of these people are accused of very  very serious crimes in their home countries so it s not an easy agreement to get and i think for some of these suspects it won t be the solution.  daniel sandford said ministers may try to put forward other solutions - such as allowing more secret evidence to be put into normal criminal trials or developing a more secret trials process - in the next few weeks.  the government may try and deport some of them and then those that are left see if they can work out some way of putting them on trial   he said.


sec to rethink post-enron rules the us stock market watchdog s chairman has said he is willing to soften tough new us corporate governance rules to ease the burden on foreign firms.  in a speech at the london school of economics  william donaldson promised  several initiatives . european firms have protested that us laws introduced after the enron scandal make wall street listings too costly. the us regulator said foreign firms may get extra time to comply with a key clause in the sarbanes-oxley act.  the act comes into force in mid-2005. it obliges all firms with us stock market listings to make declarations  which  critics say  will add substantially to the cost of preparing their annual accounts.  firms that break the new law could face huge fines  while senior executives risk jail terms of up to 20 years. mr donaldson said that although the act does not provide exemptions for foreign firms  the securities and exchange commission (sec) would  continue to be sensitive to the need to accomodate foreign structures and requirements . there are few  if any  who disagree with the intentions of the act  which obliges chief executives to sign a statement taking responsibility for the accuracy of the accounts. but european firms with secondary listings in new york have objected - arguing that the compliance costs outweigh the benefits of a dual listing. the act also applies to firms with more than 300 us shareholders  a situation many firms without us listings could find themselves in.  the 300-shareholder threshold has drawn anger as it effectively blocks the most obvious remedy  a delisting. mr donaldson said the sec would  consider whether there should be a new approach to the deregistration process  for foreign firms unwilling to meet us requirements.   we should seek a solution that will preserve investor protections  without turning the us market into  one with no exit   he said. he revealed that his staff were already weighing up the merits of delaying the implementation of the act s least popular measure - section 404 - for foreign firms. seen as particularly costly to implement  section 404 obliges chief executives to take responsibility for the firm s internal controls by signing a compliance statement in the annual accounts. the sec has already delayed implementation of this clause for smaller firms - including us ones - with market capitalisations below $700m (£374m).  a delegation of european firms visited the sec in december to press for change  the financial times reported.  it was led by digby jones  director general of the uk s confederation of british industry (cbi) and included representatives of basf  siemens and cadbury schweppes. compliance costs are already believed to be making firms wary of us listings. air china picked the london stock exchange for its secondary listing in its $1.07bn (£558m) stock market debut last month. there are also rumours that two chinese state-run banks - china construction bank and bank of china - have abandoned plans for multi-billion dollar listings in new york later this year. instead  the cost of sarbanes-oxley has persuaded them to stick to a single listing in hong kong  according to press reports in china.


sbc plans post-takeover job cuts us phone company sbc communications said it expects to cut around 12 800 jobs following its $16bn (£8.5bn) takeover of former parent at&t.  sbc said 5 125 positions would go as a result of network efficiencies. another 1 700 will go from its sales department  3 400 from business operations and 2 600 across legal  advertising and public relations. sbc currently employs 163 000 people while at&t employs 47 000. the takeover was announced on monday. the deal will be financed with $15bn of shares as well as a $1bn special dividend paid to at&t shareholders.  it effectively marks the end of at&t  which was founded in 1875 by telephone pioneer alexander graham bell and is one of the us s best-known companies. sbc and at&t said estimated cost savings of at least $2bn from 2008 were a main driver for the merger. at&t is a long-distance telecoms firm  while sbc is mainly focused on the local market in the western us. both also have data network businesses. the takeover is subject to approval by at&t s shareholders and regulators. the companies said they expected to complete the agreement during the first half of 2006.


no to royal succession shake-up a labour peer has withdrawn proposals to give female members of the royal family the same rights as males.  the legislation would have ended the right of male heirs with older sisters to succeed to the crown. it would also have torn up ancient legislation banning heirs to the throne marrying roman catholics. but the government refused to back lord dubs  succession to the crown bill  saying it was too complex and raised too many constitutional issues.  the lord chancellor  lord falconer  agreed the 1701 act of settlement  which governs the succession  was discriminatory but added that  for all practical purposes its effects are limited .  the changes proposed by lord dubs were a  complex and controversial undertaking raising major constitutional issues   he said. lord falconer said there were 22 members of the royal family in the line of succession after the prince of wales - all of who were eligible to succeed and had been unaffected by the act.  it is not a simple matter that can be tinkered with lightly. while we wish to remove all forms of discrimination... this isn t the proper form   he added.  he did not rule out change in the future but said if lord dubs  private member s bill was passed by peers  he would urge mps to oppose it in the commons. lord dubs agreed to withdraw his bill after its second reading in the house of lords  but urged the government to think again at a later stage.  we cannot forever say we don t want to change things because it is too difficult   he told peers. during the debate  the labour peer and former minister said:  the monarchy should symbolise the values of this country.  what we don t want is a situation where the values of the country have moved on and the monarchy is centuries behind the times.  we are surely all opposed to discrimination on the grounds of gender and we are surely also opposed to discrimination against catholics.  but opponents of the bill  including tory lord campbell of alloway and the bishop of winchester  the rt rev michael scott-joynt  said it would separate the state from both the church of england and the christian faith. such a  secular  state would be markedly  less tolerant   rt rev scott-joynt argued.


wru proposes season overhaul the welsh rugby union wants to restructure the northern hemisphere season into four separate blocks.  the season would start with the celtic league in october  followed by the heineken cup in february and march  and the six nations moved to april and may. after a nine week break  the wru then proposes a two-month period of away and home international matches. wru chairman david pickering said the structure would end problems of player availability for club and country. he added:  we feel sure that spectator interest would respond to the impetus of high intensity rugby being played continuously rather than the fragmented timetable currently in operation.  equally  we suspect that the sponsors would prefer the sustained interest in a continuous tournament and hopefully  the broadcasters would also enjoy increased exposure.  moving the six nations from its traditional february beginning should also ensure better weather conditions and  stimulate greater interest in the games and generally provide increased skills and competition and attract greater spectator viewing   pickering argued. the plan will be put before the international rugby board next month  where four other plans drawn up by independent consultants for a global integrated season will also be discussed. pickering added:  it s very early days and there are a number of caveats associated with it - not least the revenue from the broadcasters  which is extremely important.  we ve got a good plan and one which should be judged on its merits.


kennedy to make temple address charles kennedy is set to address 2 000 people at a hindu temple as part of an appeal to ethnic minority voters.  the liberal democrat leader will visit the shri swaminarayan mandir temple in neasden  north west london. he will say labour  can no longer lay exclusive claim to the votes of britain s ethnic minorities . mr kennedy will also highlight the anger among people of  all races  over the iraq war and call for a  balanced approach  to tackling terrorism. saturday s speech comes days after the lib dems launched their ethnic minority mini-manifesto. mr kennedy is to tell the audience:  many people in britain  of all races  cultures and religions  were angry about the way we were taken to war in iraq.  and they saw the principled stand the liberal democrats took at the time.   he will also say that the lib dems want to  restore britain s reputation on the world stage  by fighting international poverty and climate change  and protecting human rights. mr kennedy will say that a  balanced approach  to tackling terrorism would mean  tough measures to make britain safe - but not at the expense of people s fundamental legal rights like has happened at belmarsh . he will say it also means acting through the united nations on terrorism. mr kennedy held talks with tony blair on friday over government plans to hold terror suspects under house arrest. he said afterwards that the prime minister had offered some  movement  to address his concerns. the plans face trouble in the lords if conservative and lib dem opposition continues.


italy to get economic action plan italian prime minister silvio berlusconi will unveil plans aimed at kickstarting the country s sputtering economy on thursday night in rome.  he will present an  action plan for the development of italy  in a meeting with industrialists and trade union leaders. mr berlusconi is expected to table reforms aimed at boosting research and development (r&d) spending  and the competitiveness of small firms. also in focus will be bankruptcy laws and the slow pace of the legal system. the prime minister is scheduled to start the meeting at 1830 gmt.  the government has been accused of underfunding r&d  making it harder for italy to compete with other european nations and leading to a  brain-drain  of the country s brightest talents. analysts say that hiring and firing staff is still too difficult and expensive  hampering the development of small- and medium-sized businesses. as a result  they say  italy s corporate landscape is filled with numerous smaller companies that are often reluctant to become bigger because of all the extra hassle that would accompany the running of a larger firm. at the same time  bankruptcy laws make it difficult for failed company directors to set up new businesses and emerge from their debts  a situation that is hampering italy s entrepreneurial spirit.  the government says that it has set about tackling the problems  adding that getting growth going was the responsibility of all of italy s 60 million population. according to il sole 24 ore  italy s business newspaper  the government will focus on  opening up markets  infrastructure  research  making more incentives available  bankruptcy law  the slow pace of the justice system .  mr berlusconi has previously promised to cut taxes by 6.5bn euros ($8.6bn; £4.5bn) this year in an effort to get people and companies to spend. he has also promised to cap spending on transport  education and health so as to trim the ballooning budget deficit. italy plans to raise as much as 25bn euros from privatisations in 2005  including a partial flotation of the post office and utility enel. critics argue that these moves do not go far enough and could make italy s problems worse. limiting government spending will lead to job losses  they counter  while the income tax cuts will have a negligible effect on sentiment and ultimately favour the wealthy.  the country has been one of the eurozone s worst economic performers in recent years. growth was 1.1% in 2004  up from just 0.3% in 2003 and 0.4% in 2002 - an improvement but still a long way from ideal. at the same time  business and consumer confidence has dipped and analysts have raised concerns that what little spending there is stems from italians dipping into their savings accounts or using credit cards. without a pick up in national growth  they say  the money could eventually run out  bringing italy s economy to a juddering halt. consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of italy s economy.