safin plays down wimbledon hopes newly-crowned australian open champion marat safin has ruled out any chance of winning wimbledon in the future.  after losing in round one last year  safin said he had  given up  on wimbledon and winning his second grand slam title has not changed his mind.  i ll play  but with no expectations. i feel like i can t waste my time  my energy on that surface   he said.  some people  they cannot play on clay. some people  they cannot play on a hard court. me  i can t play on grass.  however  safin is hopeful that winning the australian open will give him the belief he needs to win more grand slam titles.  it s a relief for me. two grand slams  it s already something. but with this one i worked really hard for it   he said.  basically  i would love to win a couple more. i think i have a chance if i continue this way.   if (coach) peter lundgren will stick around with me and wants to work with me for a bit longer  i think i can make it.  the 25-year-old shocked pete sampras in the 2000 us open final to win his first major title but then lost in two australian open finals. safin admitted he had begun to doubt whether he would win another grand slam.  i didn t expect that (to win the 2000 us open) - it was against sampras  i wasn t the favourite so i had no pressure whatsoever   he said.  after the first final that i didn t win against thomas johansson (in 2002)  i couldn t see myself winning the grand slams anymore.  i was once in the semi-finals of the french open  but i didn t believe i can win it.  i just couldn t handle the pressure. you need to believe in yourself  and i didn t.   and after losing the first set 6-1 to lleyton hewitt in sunday s final  safin said he began to doubt himself again.  i am 25. i m playing against hewitt. at least you have to have the opportunity to win it  at least have a chance   he said.  it s like you go there and you lose first set 6-1  then you start to think:  this is not my day. the way i m playing is ridiculous.   but then you start to really be a little bit more selfish and try to find a way out of there.  and i found it. i was like really much i was much happier than in 2000  that s for sure  because i get over it.


europe backs digital tv lifestyle how people receive their digital entertainment in the future could change  following the launch of an ambitious european project.  in nice last week  the european commission announced its networked & electronic media (nem) initiative. its broad scope stretches from the way media is created  through each of the stages of its distribution  to its playback. the commission wants people to be able to locate the content they desire and have it delivered seamlessly  when on the move  at home or at work  no matter who supplies the devices  network  content  or content protection scheme. more than 120 experts were in nice to share the vision of interconnected future and hear pledges of support from companies such as nokia  intel  philips  alcatel  france telecom  thomson and telefonica. it might initially appear to be surprising that companies in direct competition are keen to work together. but again and again  speakers stated they could not see incompatible  stand-alone solutions working. a long-term strategy for the evolution and convergence of technologies and services would be required.  the european commission is being pragmatic in its approach. they have identified that many groups have defined the forms of digital media in the areas that nem encompasses. the nem approach is to take a serious look at what is available and what is in the pipeline  pick out the best  bring them together and identify where the gaps are. where it finds holes  it will develop standards to fill them. what is significant is that such a large and powerful organisation has stated its desire for digital formats to be open to all and work on any gadget. this is bound to please  if not surprise  many individuals and user organisations who feel that the wishes of the holder of rights to content are normally considered over and above those of the consumer. many feel that the most difficult and challenging area for the commission will be to identify a solution for different digital rights management (drm) schemes. currently drm solutions are incompatible  locking certain types of purchased content  making them unplayable on all platforms. with the potential of having a percentage of every media transaction that takes place globally  the prize for being the supplier of the world s dominant drm scheme is huge. although entertainment is an obvious first step  it will encompass the remote provisions of healthcare  energy efficiency and control of the smart home. the 10-year plan brings together the work of many currently running research projects that the ec has been funding for a number of years.  simon perry is the editor of the digital lifestyles website  which covers the impact of technology on media


israeli club look to africa four african players  including zimbabwe goalkeeper energy murambadoro  are all ready to play for israeli club hapoel bnei sakhnin in the uefa cup.  bnei sakhnin are the first arab side ever to play in european competition and will play english premiership side newcastle united in the first round. warriors  goalkeeper murambadoro  who made a name for himself at the african nations cup finals in tunisia  helped bnei sakhnin overcome albania s partizani tirana 6-1 in the previous round. murambadoro moved to israel recently after a brief stint with south african club hellenic. the club won the israeli cup final last season and are based in sakhnin  which is near haifa. the club have a strong ethic and are high profile promoters of peace and co-operation within israel. the three other africans at the club are former cameroon defender ernest etchi  dr congo s alain masudi and nigerian midfielder edith agoye  who had a stint with tunisian side esperance.


arsenal  may seek full share listing  arsenal vice-chairman david dein has said the club may consider seeking a full listing for its shares on the london stock exchange.  speaking at the soccerex football business forum in dubai  he said a full listing was  one of the options  for funding after the club moves to its new stadium. the club - which is currently listed on the smaller ofex share exchange - is due to move into its new 60 000-seater emirates stadium at ashburton grove for the start of the 2006/07 season. mr dein also warned the current level of tv coverage of the premiership may be reaching saturation level  with signs that match attendances have been dropping off in the first few months of this season.  when arsenal moves to its new stadium it will see its proportion of turnover from media earnings drop from 52% this season to 34% in two years  time. the club is hoping to increase matchday earnings from 29% to 40% of turnover  and has not ruled out other money-earning means  including a full share listing.  when the new stadium opens we will go through a thorough financial review   mr dein said.   listing would be one option  but we are flexible and no decisions have been made on that issue yet.  we want to be in the best financial health - maybe clubs can do it (listing)  manchester united have been a success.   mr dein said that  although television money and coverage had driven the english game forward in the past 10 years  he feared there might now be too many games being shown. since the formation of the premier league in season 1992/93  premiership clubs have seen their income from television soar.  television has been the driving force over the past 10 years... but we must constantly improve if we want to remain as the world s leading league competition.  we must monitor the quality of the product and ensure attendances do not decline  and we must balance that with the quantity of exposure on tv too.  i think we have practically reached saturation point... sometimes i think less is more.   the club is funding its move to ashburton grove through a number of sources  including debt from banks  from money it already has and will receive in coming years from sponsors  and from the sale of surplus property  including its highbury stadium. it is also looking to create new revenue streams from overseas markets  including asia.  we have two executives travelling round japan and china at the moment building relationships with organisations and clubs  and we know our supporters clubs are growing there too  as they are around the world.  we have got a very good product  so it is very important we go and look at these markets  and make sure we are on the case.


chris evans back on the market broadcaster chris evans has begun selling thousands of his possessions from a stall in camden market  london.  evans perched on a stool as shoppers wandered around the open-fronted shop packed with his furniture. among the items from his homes in los angeles and london were countless sofas  chairs  pictures  beds and memorabilia from his past tv shows. asked the reason for the sale  evans said:  i just want to get rid of it all  it s just a headache.  he added:  it feels good to be selling this stuff  it s a weight off my mind.  look at it all  there s so much clutter. i ve enjoyed every bit of furniture and every poster but it s not important anymore.  the normally gregarious evans cut a peculiarly unshowbusiness-like figure as he sipped coffee and smoked cigarettes  wrapped in a big coat and scarf in front of his aladdin s cave.  however  the ostentation of some of the items on sale painted a picture of the eccentricity that endeared him to the british public in shows such as channel 4 s gameshow don t forget your toothbrush. the most striking thing about many of the pieces was their sheer size. sofas looked like they could seat a small party and a bed seemed big enough for four. the elaborate nature of the pieces  many custom-made  had to be admired  particularly a huge red and gold upholstered  throne  and a stripy deckchair from the queen mary liner.  to help people in their browsing  evans had given the pieces labels with not only the price but a helpful  often comic  aside.  isn t it great  was the comment on the £1 950 throne and  bob dylan s old sofa - honest  was written on a dark wood couch priced £4 250.  the prices were steep by a lot of people s standards but evans said it was not deterring shoppers.  i ve sold quite a lot already. everything here is on sale for less than i bought it for but it s not really about the money. it s about getting rid of it all. we ve all been bartering  that s what it s all about.  he added that he was not going to reveal what he was going to do with the money he was making. vintage tv and film posters also lined the walls  including a rare portrait of raquel welch and an original advertising print from the benny hill show. and  almost hidden at the back of the lock-up  were the two giant toothbrushes from his former channel 4 show  although these were not for sale.  despite the sheer curiosity value of the sale  there was a healthy trickle of interest from the public rather than the perhaps expected crowds. some wandered in just to browse  as they would any of the other stalls  not knowing that it belonged to evans.  paul burgess said:  i didn t realise. i thought it was just a load of junk. i should go back and have a better look.  but local resident francesca detakats came specially to the stall and left happy with her purchase of an original 1960s photograph of the who by david wedgburg. ms detakats said she was a collector and did not mind paying £350 for the print.  if you like something  you don t really count it like that   she said.  martin hellewell  who had also made a point of visiting evans  shop  said he thought it was a great idea.  why not  if you ve got stuff to get rid of it s a good place to do it   said mr hellewell. evans has taken out the stall with business partner pete winterbottom. they plan to open every day if possible  although evans did not know how often he would be there.  we ll stay definitely until christmas and then maybe a week after that   said evans.


lufthansa flies back to profit german airline lufthansa has returned to profit in 2004 after posting huge losses in 2003.  in a preliminary report  the airline announced net profits of 400m euros ($527.61m; £274.73m)  compared with a loss of 984m euros in 2003. operating profits were at 380m euros  ten times more than in 2003. lufthansa was hit in 2003 by tough competition and a dip in demand following the iraq war and the killer sars virus. it was also hit by troubles at its us catering business. last year  lufthansa showed signs of recovery even as some european and us airlines were teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. the board of lufthansa has recommended paying a 2004 dividend of 0.30 euros per share. in 2003  shareholders did not get a dividend. the company said that it will give all the details of its 2004 results on 23 march.


melzer shocks agassi second seed andre agassi suffered a comprehensive defeat by jurgen melzer in the quarter-finals of the sap open.  agassi was often bamboozled by the austrian s drop shots in san jose  losing 6-3 6-1. defending champion and top seed andy roddick rallied to beat sweden s thomas enqvist 3-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-5. but unseeded cyril saulnier beat the fourth seed vincent spadea 6-2 6-4 and tommy haas overcame eighth seed max mirnyi 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-3) 6-2. melzer has now beaten agassi in two of their three meetings.   i had a good game plan and i executed it perfectly   he said.  it s always tough to come out to play andre.  i didn t want him to play his game. he makes you run like a dog all over the court.  and agassi  who was more than matched for power by his opponent s two-handed backhand  said melzer was an example of several players on the tour willing to take their chances against him.  a lot more guys are capable of it now   said the american.  he played much better than me. that s what he did both times.  i had opportunities to loosen myself up   agassi added.  but i didn t convert on the big points.


visa row mandarin made sir john the top civil servant at the centre of the david blunkett visa affair has been knighted in the new year honours.  sir john gieve was home office permanent secretary during the saga which ended with mr blunkett quitting. he and other civil servants were criticised for failing to recall how the visa for mr blunkett s ex-lover s nanny came to be fast-tracked. the outgoing head of the troubled child support agency doug smith also earns an honour in the new year s list. mr smith  57  whose retirement was announced by work and pensions secretary alan smith in november  is made a commander of the order of bath.  both men were giving evidence to a commons committee on the computer difficulties facing the agency  which left thousands of single parents without any maintenance payments  when the announcement was made. the knighting of sir john  54  will be received with astonishment by opposition politicians.  the liberal democrats said it  beggared belief  he and fellow officials could not remember how leoncia casalme s application for indefinite leave to remain went from mr blunkett s office to the head of the immigration and nationality department. meanwhile  the conservatives accused officials of a  collective failure  of memory. but sir alan budd  who led an inquiry into the affair  said he had no reason to believe anyone involved had deliberately withheld information.  downing street defended the decision to honour both men  with a spokesperson saying:  you have to look at their whole career.  sir john was made permanent secretary in april 2001 following a civil service career which dates back to 1974. he has also worked in the treasury and the department of employment. a department for work and pensions spokeswoman said of mr smith s honour:  the award reflects all that he has achieved in a civil service career  principally in the inland revenue  spanning over 40 years - not just his role as chief executive of the child support agency.   in his career he has personally led a number of successful major change programmes.  mr smith is set to stay on at the csa until march. less controversial will be the knighthoods for derek wanless and mike tomlinson  who undertook major government reviews on health and education respectively. former natwest chief executive mr wanless  57  has delivered not one but two major reports on the nhs. ex-chief inspector of schools mr tomlinson  62  has recommended replacing a-levels and gcses with a new diploma system in a shake-up of the exams system.


redknapp poised for saints southampton are set to unveil harry redknapp as their new manager at a news conference at 1500 gmt on wednesday.  the former portsmouth boss replaces steve wigley  who has been relieved of first-team duties after just one win in 14 league games in charge. redknapp  57  quit his fratton park position on 24 november and vowed:  i will not go down the road - no chance.  pompey coach kevin bond is poised to join redknapp  who will be saints  third boss of the season. redknapp s first game in charge will be at home to middlesbrough on saturday. portsmouth chairman milan mandaric said he was  disappointed  by the news and claimed redknapp had been in talks with southampton for  some time .   it would appear that negotiations over this have been going on for some time   mandaric said on portsmouth s official website.  i am surprised and a little shocked that the chairman of southampton has not picked up the phone and kept me informed.  according to mandaric  redknapp vowed he would not join their south coast rivals when he left portsmouth.  i said to harry  i hope you don t go to southampton   and he told me  absolutely not    he said.  i m wouldn t say i m bitter  disgusted or angry  just disappointed  but it s harry s life and it s his decision.  redknapp became a cult hero after leading portsmouth into the premiership for the first time  and then masterminding their survival in their debut season. but he left the club claiming he needed a break from football  though many believed he was upset with mandaric s decision to bring in velimir zajec as executive director.  southampton chairman rupert lowe was desperate to give former academy director wigley  who replaced paul sturrock just two games into the season  every chance to succeed at st mary s. but results under wigley have been poor and southampton are deep in trouble near the foot of the table. when redknapp s appointment is confirmed  he will be saints  ninth manager in eight years.


goldsmith:  i was not leant on  the attorney general has again denied being  leant on  by downing street to make the legal case for invading iraq.  claims a written answer on the legality of the war was drafted by downing street were  wholly unfounded   he insisted during stormy lords exchanges. lord goldsmith said the answer represented his  genuinely held independent view  the war was legal. the text was released on the eve of a crucial commons vote in which mps backed the invasion of iraq. many labour mps have since indicated that the attorney general s answer played a pivotal role in their willingness to back the conflict. the government has resisted calls to publish the full advice  saying such papers are always kept confidential. in the house of lords  the attorney general faced a call by former tory lord chancellor lord mackay to now publish the  full text  of the advice - the suggestion was rejected. another peer meanwhile  lord skidelsky  said not to publish the full legal opinion would  strengthen the suspicion that the the original text was doctored for public consumption  in exactly the same way as the notorious intelligence dossier on weapons of mass destruction .  last week lord goldsmith said in a statement:  i was fully involved throughout the drafting process and personally finalised  and of course approved  the answer.  he said the answer had been prepared in his office with the involvement of solicitor general harriet harman  two of his own officials  three foreign office officials  a qc  christopher greenwood and the then lord chancellor  lord irvine of lairg.  no other minister or official was involved in any way.   as i have always made clear  i set out in the answer my own genuinely held  independent view that military action was lawful under the existing (un) security council resolutions   he said.  the answer did not purport to be a summary of my confidential legal advice to government.  former foreign secretary robin cook said lord goldsmith s admission that his parliamentary answer was not a summary of his legal opinion suggested parliament may have been misled.  the attorney general may never have presented his answer as a summary  but others certainly did   he said.  what is clear from his statement today is that he does not believe that it was a full  accurate summary of his formal opinion.   tony blair has dismissed questions about the attorney general s advice  and said his parliamentary statement had been a  fair summary  of his opinion.  that s what he [lord goldsmith] said and that s what i say. he has dealt with this time and time and time again   mr blair told his monthly news conference in downing street. he refused to answer further questions on the issue. on the question of whether such papers have always been kept confidential  tory mp michael mates  who is a member of the commons intelligence and security committee and was part of the butler inquiry  told the bbc:  that  as a general rule  is right  but it s not an absolute rule.  he said there had been other occasions when advice had been published  most recently regarding prince charles s marriage plans. the government could not pick and choose when to use the convention  he said. mr mates added:  this may be one of those special occasions... when it would be in the public interest to see the advice which the attorney general gave to the prime minister.  a book published by philippe sands qc  a member of cherie blair s matrix chambers says lord goldsmith warned tony blair on 7 march 2003 that the iraq war could be illegal without a second un resolution sanctioning military action. a short statement about lord goldsmith s position presented in a written parliamentary answer on 17 march 2003 - just before a crucial commons vote on the military action - did not suggest this.


dollar hovers around record lows the us dollar hovered close to record lows against the euro on friday as concern grows about the size of the us budget deficit.  analysts predict that the dollar will remain weak in 2005 as investors worry about the state of the us economy. the bush administration s apparent unwillingness to intervene to support the dollar has caused further concern. however  trading has been volatile over the past week because of technical and automated trading and light demand. this has amplified reactions to news  analysts said  adding that they expect markets to become less jumpy in january.  the dollar was trading at $1.3652 versus the euro on friday morning after hitting a fresh record low of $1.3667 on thursday. one dollar bought 102.55 yen.  disappointing business figures from chicago triggered the us currency s weakness on thursday. the national association of purchasing management-chicago said its manufacturing index dropped to 61.2  a bigger fall than expected.  there are no dollar buyers now  especially after the chicago data yesterday   said abn amro s paul mackel. at the same time  german chancellor gerhard schroeder and italian prime minister silvio berlusconi voiced concerns about the strength of the euro. mr berlusconi said the euro s strength was  absolutely worrying  for italian exports. mr schroeder said in a newspaper article that stability in foreign exchange markets required a correction of global economic imbalances. investors will now look towards february s meeting of finance ministers from the g7 industrialised nations in london for clues as to whether central banks will combine forces to stem the dollar s decline.


el guerrouj targets cross country double olympic champion hicham el guerrouj is set to make a rare appearance at the world cross country championships in france.  but the moroccan  who has not raced over cross country for 15 years  will not decide until two weeks before the event which starts on 19 march.  if i am to compete in it  it is only if i feel i can win   said the 30-year-old  who is retiring in 2006.  otherwise there is not much point in me going.  el guerrouj achieved a lifetime ambition last august when he clinched his first olympic titles over 1500m and 5 000m. but the four-time world 1500m champion is still hungry for more success before calling time on his career. the 30-year-old has set his sights on clinching the world 5 000m crown in helsinki this summer. and he is aiming to break 10 000m olympic champion kenenisa bekele s 5 000m and 10 000m world records.  el guerrouj could meet bekele in march as the ethiopian is the defending world cross country champion over both the long and short courses. but the moroccan will not commit himself to the st galmier event until he assesses how well his winter training is going.  the return to training was very difficult because i accepted a lot of invitations these past few months   said el guerrouj.  i am almost a month behind but i am on the right track.     - britain s paula radcliffe has also not ruled out competing in the world cross country championships.  i haven t quite decided what events i will compete in prior to london but the world cross country is an event which is also special to me and is a definite possibility   said the two-time champion.


aviator  creator  in oscars snub the man who said he got oscar-nominated movie the aviator off the ground and signed up leonardo dicaprio has been shut out of the academy awards race.  charles evans jr battled over his role with the people who eventually made the film  and won a producer s credit. but he is not on the list of producers who can win a best film oscar due to a limit on the number of nominees. the oscars organisers have picked two of the aviator s four producers to be nominated for best film.  up to three producers can be named per film but the studios behind the aviator and million dollar baby failed to trim their credits - so the academy of motion pictures arts and sciences (ampas) has done it for them. the aviator s nominated producers are michael mann and graham king - with mr evans and sandy climan  mr mann s former deputy  left off. mr evans sued mr mann in 2001  claiming he came up with the idea  spent years developing it and persuaded dicaprio to play hughes - but said he was later excluded from the project. the two sides settled out of court in a deal that has remained secret apart from the fact mr evans  name has appeared as a producer when the film s credits roll. at the golden globes  mr evans - who was named among the winners when the film won best drama film - evaded a security guard to have his photo taken with dicaprio  director martin scorsese  mr mann and mr king.  ampas decided to limit the number of producers who could be nominated after shakespeare in love s victory in 1999 saw five producers collect awards. the eligible names for the aviator and million dollar baby were decided by ampas  producers branch executive committee on wednesday. the decision also saw clint eastwood get his third personal nomination for million dollar baby. he is now named in the best film category as well as being nominated for best director and best lead actor. the academy awards ceremony will be held in hollywood on 27 february. chinese actress ziyi zhang  star of crouching tiger  hidden dragon  hero and house of flying daggers  is the latest name to be added to the list of presenters on the night.


share boost for feud-hit reliance the board of indian conglomerate reliance has agreed a share buy-back  to counter the effects of a power struggle in the controlling family.  the buy-back is a victory for chairman mukesh ambani  whose idea it was. his brother anil  the vice-chairman  said had not been consulted and that the buy-back was  completely inappropriate and unnecessary . the board hopes the move will reverse a 13% fall in reliance s shares since the feud became public last month. the company has been fractious since founder dhirubhai ambani died in 2002  leaving no will.  today s round has gone to [mukesh]  there is no doubt about it   said nanik rupani  president of the indian merchants chamber  a bombay-based traders  body. the company plans to buy back 52 million shares at 570 rupees (£6.80; $13) apiece  a premium of more than 10% to its current market price.


insurance bosses plead guilty another three us insurance executives have pleaded guilty to fraud charges stemming from an ongoing investigation into industry malpractice.  two executives from american international group (aig) and one from marsh & mclennan were the latest. the investigation by new york attorney general eliot spitzer has now obtained nine guilty pleas. the highest ranking executive pleading guilty on tuesday was former marsh senior vice president joshua bewlay.  he admitted one felony count of scheming to defraud and faces up to four years in prison. a marsh spokeswoman said mr bewlay was no longer with the company. mr spitzer s investigation of the us insurance industry looked at whether companies rigged bids and fixed prices. last month marsh agreed to pay $850m (£415m) to settle a lawsuit filed by mr spitzer  but under the settlement it  neither admits nor denies the allegations .


booming markets shed few tears the market  former british government minister michael heseltine once said  has no morality.  and indeed  stock exchange traders around asia have wasted little time regretting the victims of this week s disaster. stock markets in indonesia and india have hit all-time highs this week; even in sri lanka  more comprehensively affected  the main index has lost only 5% since the waves hit. bigger markets further afield have barely twitched. the msci world share index  a measure of global stock market performance  hit its highest level this week since early 2001; the bbc global 30 has risen by 3% in the past week. and this at a time when - all sentiment aside - insurance costs are already estimated in the tens of billions of dollars  and countries around the region are looking at trimming their growth forecasts.  in fact  the markets are being perfectly rational.  for a start  the notional insurance cost of the disaster will have little bearing on corporate bottom lines. the overwhelming majority of the victims will have had no insurance: according to estimates from india  only one-quarter of those affected there were wealthy enough to afford insurance  and only one-quarter of that group at most will have taken out policies. indonesia is likely to have even lower take-up rates. and where insurance certainly is in place - in  for example  the many tourist complexes affected - the costs will be borne in far-away corners of the global reinsurance market  rather than landing locally.  second  stock markets do not trade the sort of companies likely to have been damaged. most of the biggest companies traded on the soaring jakarta stock exchange are in oil  technology and financial services - none of which have been hit by the flooding. tourist businesses  the most likely sufferers  are either foreign-owned or too small to have their shares listed. those that are listed have suffered: confifi hotel holdings  a small sri lankan tourism firm  has halved in value this week. but there are winners as well as losers. asian stock markets are heavily inclined towards property and construction companies  many of which will be rubbing their hands over the reconstruction opportunities. in indonesia  shares in state construction companies adhi karya and semen gresik have jumped sharply this week.  more broadly  the academic consensus is that major disasters are largely neutral in their longer-term economic impact.  according to the natural hazards research and applications information center at colorado state university  there is little evidence that disasters are inevitably followed by a depression. the need to find money to replace lost and damaged property is balanced by the beneficial effect of reconstruction activity; there is rarely  the centre says  any sort of rebuilding boom  but in most cases sizeable indirect losses are avoided. a study of the 1993 des moines floods  from the disaster research center at the university of delaware*  found that 70% of local businesses were no worse off after the disaster  and another 18% felt themselves better off.  although it is commonly assumed on the basis of anecdotal evidence that disasters result in business failures and bankruptcies on a large scale  our research indicates that most businesses  even those that are especially hard-hit  do indeed recover   the authors concluded.  but disasters have a vast psychological impact  and markets are driven by psychological factors.  in particular  many analysts warn of panic spreading unchecked through the global financial system  as investors seek to cover themselves against the unforeseeable effects of unguessable events. in fact  again  the risks here are lower than they seem. even the costliest natural disaster is rendered minuscule by the global capital market - currently $30 trillion and rising. a series of recent shocks  the colorado centre has argued  have demonstrated that this seamless global contagion hardly ever happens: market tremors rarely translate into economic slumps  and economic woes rarely seriously undermine markets. the trillion-dollar debts of japan s banks  for example  have had no effect on stock markets further afield than tokyo. and the us stock market was on its way down long before 11 september  2001; it rose by 20% during the six months following the attacks.  it is not that the broking community is indifferent to disasters or feelings   one bombay trader said this week.  but the reaction would have been seen if business had been affected. business sense probably tends to overrule everything else.


films on war triumph at sundance a study of the united states at war in the past 50 years has picked up one of the main awards at the 2005 sundance film festival in utah  in the us.  why we fight scooped the grand jury prize for documentaries at the world s leading independent film festival. british director sean mcallister s the liberace of baghdad - about a pianist in war-torn iraq - won a special prize in the world documentary category. both why we fight and the liberace of baghdad were made for the bbc. why we fight is due to be screened on bbc four in march.  the sundance festival was founded by actor robert redford in 1981. this year s festival - which ended on sunday after a 11-day run - has been dominated by the themes of war and politics. in the new world cinema drama category  the angolan film the hero triumphed to win the grand jury prize. the film - an angolan/french/portuguese production - tells the story of a veteran of the country s civil war who returns home to face a new battle of survival. twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focused on countries and people under siege.  finnish film the three rooms of melancholia looks at the war in chechnya and shake hands with the devil: the journey of romeo dallaire tells the story of a un mission to rwanda during the 1994 genocide. but it was dutch documentary shape of the moon - a study of an extended family in indonesia - which took the top prize. meanwhile  french-israeli production wall  which looks at israel s controversial security wall separating it from the palestinian territories  picked up a world cinema special jury prize for documentaries. in the main drama category  forty shades of blue was named winner of the grand jury prize. the film tells the tale of a forbidden tug-of-love between a father  his russian immigrant girlfriend and his son.  during its 24-year history  the sundance film festival has showcased successes such as reservoir dogs  the blair witch project and the full monty. last year s festival provided a platform for hits such as open water  napoleon dynamite  garden state and super-size me. the festival is held in the mountain resort of park city  east of salt lake city  which sees its population rise from 7 500 to 45 000 during the festival.


windows worm travels with tetris users are being warned about a windows virus that poses as the hugely popular tetris game.  the cellery worm installs a playable version of the classic falling blocks game on pcs that it has infected. while users play the game  the worm spends its time using the machine to search for new victims to infect on nearby networks. the risk of infection by cellery is thought to be very low as few copies of the worm have been found in the wild.  the cellery worm does not spread via e-mail like many other viruses. instead it browses computer networks for pcs that have not shut off all the insecure ways they connect to other machines. when it infects a machine  cellery installs a version of tetris that users can play. as the game starts up the worm also starts a music file to accompany it. at the same time the virus starts scouring networks for other vulnerable machines. the virus does no damage to machines but heavily infected networks could slow down as scanning traffic builds. productivity may suffer too if users spend time playing tetris. pcs running windows 95  98  me  nt  2000  and xp could be vulnerable to the worm.  if your company has a culture of allowing games to be played in the office  your staff may believe this is simply a new game that has been installed - rather than something that should cause concern   said graham cluley  spokesman for anti-virus firm sophos. so far the number of people infected by cellery is thought to be very small and the risks of further infection is very low. sophos urged users and companies to update their anti-virus software to keep themselves protected.


new york rockers top talent poll new york electro-rock group the bravery have come top of the bbc news website s sound of 2005 poll to find the music scene s most promising new act.  the bravery  who have been compared to the cure and new order  were the most heavily-tipped act in the survey of 110 impartial critics and broadcasters. rock band keane won sound of 2004 while us rapper 50 cent topped sound of 2003. other new artists in this year s list include london indie group bloc party at second and uk rapper kano third. the bravery played their first gig in 2003 and have since supported bands including the libertines  interpol and echo and the bunnymen.  they were the subject of a record company bidding war in 2004 and their debut single  unconditional  caused a huge buzz when it was released in the uk in november. singer sam endicott said he felt  great  about coming top of the sound of 2005 list.  anyone that says they don t want a zillion screaming fans is a jackass  a liar   he said. one of the experts to tip the bravery was the times  music critic paul connolly  who said they were  spiky but in love with pop . chris hawkins  host of bbc 6 music s chart show  said the band had  great guitars and a mastery of the electro-clash sound .  the bravery are proof alone that new york city is still home to hot new talent   he said. alison howe  producer of tv show later... with jools holland  booked the group to appear the day after seeing them at a west london pub.   they played like they were headlining the main stage at glastonbury   she said.  great songs  a good look  a touch of attitude and a cracking live band.   q magazine reviews editor ted kessler said they were  pretty-boy new york clothes horses  with  an unusually nimble ear for concise  yearning pop in the mould of duran duran or the strokes . other pundits to take part in the survey included bbc radio 1 dj trevor nelson  nme editor conor mcnicholas  top of the pops presenter fearne cotton  glastonbury organiser emily eavis and bbc radio 2 music editor colin martin. elsewhere on the top 10  second-placed rock band bloc party began their rise after supporting franz ferdinand and uk garage mc kano  in third  is signed to the streets  record label. us rapper the game is hip-hop great dr dre s latest protege while leeds group kaiser chiefs came fifth with a promise to lead a britpop revival. in last year s survey  keane were followed by franz ferdinand  razorlight and joss stone in the top five - all of whom were virtually unknown outside the music industry at that point.  boy band mcfly were sixth while scissor sisters  who had the uk s best-selling album of 2004  were seventh. in the survey  the pundits were asked for tips for three acts they thought were capable of reaching the top in their chosen genre  either in terms of sales or critical acclaim. the artists could be from any country and any musical genre  but must not have had a uk top 20 single  been a contestant on a tv talent show or already be famous for doing something else  such as a soap actor. those tips were then counted and compiled to make the top 10.


security papers  found in street  an inquiry is under way after files containing security details about the pakistani president s visit to london were found by a member of the public.  the files are believed to contain detailed security arrangements for gen pervez musharraf s visit this week  including police codes. scotland yard said the policing operation had been reviewed. a spokesman said president musharraf s safety had not been compromised  as the papers had been handed in promptly.  we cannot discuss who was responsible for the documents  only that they contained the policing arrangements for the official visit   said the spokesman.  the papers are believed to have been found by a member of the public in a street in mayfair and given to the mirror newspaper. the police spokesman said the newspaper handed the report over on monday. the force s directorate of professional standards is investigating the circumstances surrounding the loss of the documents  he said. gen musharraf held talks with tony blair on monday. he arrived in britain on sunday night after flying from the united states  where he met president george w bush. he is due to visit the pakistani community in manchester on tuesday afternoon.


brown shrugs off economy fears gordon brown is to freeze petrol duty increases  fund a £1bn package to avoid big council tax rises and boost childcare and maternity leave.  in an upbeat pre-budget report  he slightly increased borrowing but insisted economic targets would be met. the chancellor also hailed the longest period of growth in uk  industrial history  but denied he was  gloating . but oliver letwin  for the tories  attacked government red tape and debt  dubbing mr brown  sir wastealot .  the shadow chancellor said mr brown s  golden rule  had  turned to dross in his hands  and said he was borrowing to spend  not invest  with predicted debt over the coming years totalling £170bn. mr letwin told mps:  the tide is going out on the chancellor s credibility. he is spending  borrowing and taxing so much because he is not getting value for taxpayer s money.   vincent cable  for the liberal democrats  accused mr brown of ducking tough choices.  he said:  last week the prime minister gave us the politics of fear; this week the chancellor has offered the economics of complacency.  there are serious challenges ahead from the falling dollar and from the rapid downturn in the uk housing market and rising personal debt. but they have not been confronted.  mr brown rejected the lib dem s call to open up the government s books to the national audit office  saying decisions on tax and spending should be made by ministers. some economists say his forecasts on public finances are wishful thinking. bbc economic editor evan davis said the figures were plausible but also a gamble.  mr brown s insistence he was not  gloating  was a pointed rebuttal of a warning from new european commissioner peter mandelson. in his speech  he set out a 10-year childcare strategy for if labour wins the next election.  it includes a £285m cash injection to extend paid maternity leave from six months to nine  with parents able to transfer leave from the mother to the father. he also promised to increase free nursery education for three and four-year-olds to 15 hours from april 2007. and funds would be provided to keep schools open from 0800 to 1800gmt to look after children while their parents were at work. taken together  the measures would create a  welfare state that is truly family-friendly for the first time in its history   said mr brown. he also announced a cash hand-out for older pensioners  with payments of £50 for the over-70s as part of the winter fuel allowance. in a move ministers say should keep council tax rises below 5% next year  the chancellor said he was providing an extra £1bn for local councils. the money is expected to come from government departments such as health and education.  mr brown said he was set to meet his two fiscal rules - to borrow only to invest and keep debt  low and sustainable  - both in this economic cycle and the next. borrowing figures for 2003/4 are £35bn - £2.5bn less than the £37.5bn predicted in march s budget  as already announced by the office for national statistics. borrowing is tipped to fall to £31bn by 2005/06 - but that is still £2bn more than mr brown predicted in his march budget. inflation would be 1.75% next year and 2% in the years to follow  mr brown forecast. he also pledged an extra £105m for security and counter-terrorism. business groups have welcomed efforts to improve competitiveness and invest more in skills and innovation. but there worries about the costs of more family-friendly working. simon sweetman  from the federation of small businesses  said:  the proposals on maternity leave have clearly been made with a general election in mind and with little thought to the impact on small employers.


jobs growth still slow in the us the us created fewer jobs than expected in january  but a fall in jobseekers pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years.  according to labor department figures  us firms added only 146 000 jobs in january. the gain in non-farm payrolls was below market expectations of 190 000 new jobs. nevertheless it was enough to push down the unemployment rate to 5.2%  its lowest level since september 2001. the job gains mean that president bush can celebrate - albeit by a very fine margin - a net growth in jobs in the us economy in his first term in office. he presided over a net fall in jobs up to last november s presidential election - the first president to do so since herbert hoover. as a result  job creation became a key issue in last year s election. however  when adding december and january s figures  the administration s first term jobs record ended in positive territory.  the labor department also said it had revised down the jobs gains in december 2004  from 157 000 to 133 000.  analysts said the growth in new jobs was not as strong as could be expected given the favourable economic conditions.  it suggests that employment is continuing to expand at a moderate pace   said rick egelton  deputy chief economist at bmo financial group.  we are not getting the boost to employment that we would have got given the low value of the dollar and the still relatively low interest rate environment.   the economy is producing a moderate but not a satisfying amount of job growth   said ken mayland  president of clearview economics.  that means there are a limited number of new opportunities for workers.


rapper kanye west s shrewd soul us hip-hop star kanye west - who leads the race for this year s grammys with 10 nominations - rose to prominence by producing songs for artists such as jay-z and alicia keys.  he then emerged from his behind-the-scenes role to become an artist as well as a producer. but his solo career almost ended before it began after a near-fatal car crash left west with his jaw wired shut in 2002. the resulting song  through the wire  became west s first uk hit in april 2004 and subsequent album the college dropout became a transatlantic success  both critically and commercially. west  26  began rapping as a teenager at his chicago school  inspired by the beats and rhymes of 1980s pioneers run dmc.  hip-hop producer no id encouraged west to sample old soul and r&b hits then revive them with an updated sound  an approach that would become his trademark.  i feel like a lot of the soul that s in those old records that i sample is in me   he said.  so when i hear them and i put them with the drums and i bring them to the new millennium  it s just like god s doing that. i m one with them records right there. it s a blessing.   leaving his chicago art school after only one year - a move which would later inspire the title of his album - west began his music career co-producing songs for artists mase and the madd rapper. this drew the attention of superstar rapper jay-z  who signed west up to his roc-a-fella record label to produce numerous artists on his roster. west s work gained mainstream recognition when he produced the singles takeover and izzo (hova) on jay-z s own 2001 album blueprint. incorporating samples of five to one by the doors and the jackson five s i want you back respectively  the hits were credited with injecting soul back into hip-hop.  as their success attracted further production work for jay-z ( 03 bonnie & clyde) and artists such as ludacris (stand up) and alicia keys (you don t know my name)  west announced plans for a solo album. driving home from a late-night los angeles recording session in october 2002  he was involved in the car crash that left his jaw fractured in three places.  anytime i hear about any accident my heart sinks in and i just thank god that i m still here   he later said.  that steering wheel could have been two inches further out  and that would have been it.   west s account of the accident sampled chaka khan s hit through the fire to become the heart of his completed solo album the college dropout. released last year  it was by turns smooth  humorous and sharp and largely avoided the clichéd hip-hop preoccupation with guns  girls and jewellery.  through the wire was quickly joined in the uk and us charts by slow jamz  on which west collaborated with rapper twista and ray actor jamie foxx. the college dropout spawned two further uk hits and a string of award nominations. west was shortlisted for 10 grammys - including nominations for artist and album of the year - and took the best hip-hop artist  producer and album titles at last year s music of black origin (mobo) awards. now a respected rapper and producer in the influential field of hip-hop  kanye west is unlikely to regret his decision to leave college early.


hospital suspends  no welsh  plan an english hospital has suspended plans to stop treating welsh patients who have waited more than three months.  hereford county hospital had earlier said that from the new year patients waiting longer than this would be taken off waiting lists for hip and knee operations. gps in wales had feared patients could be pushed to the back of another queue. but after talks with powys health board the hospital called off its plan until health chiefs meet early in january. hereford hospital trust caused an outcry when it sent out a letter telling patients that for financial and administrative reasons it planned to turn down some orthopaedic patients. shocked health officials in powys said this meant they would be left with the prospect of patients and doctors having to find new appointments in other hospitals. andy williams  chief executive of powys local health board  had said it was  a totally unacceptable way to behave .  mr williams had said he did not think it was a welsh-english issue  but said hereford hospital was  struggling financially and trying to pass the problem back to powys . he had told bbc radio wales:  i have written straight back to the trust... to insist they withdraw this threat and treat the patients i am paying them to treat.  but after the hospital had agreed to the suspension  mr williams said he was optimistic a compromise could be reached which would ensure welsh patients continued to be treated there. he said the problem had been caused by the difference in waiting time targets between england and wales.  the target is 12 months for welsh patients  but just three months in england. the contract with the powys health board was worth £7m a year for the hospital and accounts for 12% of its patients. in a statement before the suspension of the idea  the welsh assembly government said the situation was  unacceptable .  but powys local health board is committed to ensuring our patients receive the care that is appropriate   said the assembly government.  although we will be challenging hereford s decision we will put in place appropriate care for our patients. they will be contacted by their gps in the next week.  earlier  david rose  chief executive of hereford hospitals nhs trust  had said:  it is with real regret that we have taken this step.  we want to continue providing an excellent and fast service to powys people but can only do this if we are paid to provide the service.  in 2005 our waiting time will fall to a maximum of 6-months and we want powys people to ask to be referred to our modern hospital.  we appeal to powys local health board to allow powys people to choose hereford for their treatment.


no charges against tv s cosby us comedian bill cosby will not face charges stemming from an allegation of sexual misconduct.  authorities in philadelphia said they found insufficient evidence to support the woman s allegations regarding an alleged incident in january 2004. the woman reported the allegations to canadian authorities last month. cosby s lawyer  walter m phillips jr  said the comedian was pleased with the decision.  he looks forward to moving on with his life   he said. district attorney bruce l castor jr  who was in charge of the case  said that detectives could find no instance  where anyone complained to law enforcement of conduct which would constitute a criminal offence.  he also said that the fact the woman waited a year before coming forward  and she had had further contact with cosby during that time  were also factors in his decision. the unidentified woman s lawyer  dolores m troiani  said her client was likely to sue the comedian.  i think that s the only avenue open to her. she felt  as we did  that it s a very strong case and she was telling the truth.  she also said that the woman supplied further evidence to prosecutors that she believed strengthened her allegations. cosby emerged as one of the first black comics to have mainstream success in the us. he was a successful stand-up before hosting the children s show fat albert and the cosby kids  and starring in the cosby show  one of the biggest sitcoms of the 1980s.


palace threat over cantona masks manchester united fans wearing eric cantona masks will not be allowed in selhurst park on saturday.  united fans are planning to mark the 10th anniversary of cantona s infamous kung-fu kick on crystal palace fan matthew simmons by wearing the masks. but palace stadium manager kevin corner has warned:  if they wear them inside selhurst park they will be immediately rejected on safety grounds.  and no fans wearing cantona masks will be allowed entry to the stadium.  united fans had declared saturday as  cantona day  and had planned to wear masks  that were popular during the frenchman s time as a player at the old trafford club. cantona received a nine-month ban following the incident and palace are keen to avoid an incident that would stir up ill feeling between the two sets of supporters. four months after the cantona incident a palace fan  paul nixon  was killed prior to an fa cup semi-final at villa park.


hanks greeted at wintry premiere hollywood star tom hanks was in london s leicester square for the uk premiere of polar express.  the west end landmark was turned into a festive landscape complete with snow and carol singers to celebrate the arrival of the animated film.  this is leicester square like you ve never seen it before   said hanks  who plays five roles in the movie. polar express is based on a children s book which tells the story of a young boy s journey to meet santa claus. the 48-year-old actor crossed a three-metre high bridge built in the square  which he said was  almost impossible to get across . hundreds of fans greeted the star  all wearing santa hats  and mince pies were on offer. hanks said that the new film has an  elegant message .  christmas is a special time of the year and you get out of it what you put into it   added the two-time academy award winner.   i believe in the spirit of christmas and i think that s embodied in santa claus   he said. polar express uses technology similar to that used in lord of the rings to bring gollum to life. the  performance capture  technique enables hanks to play a number of roles  including the eight-year-old boy who is at the centre of the story  and father christmas. it is directed by robert zemeckis  who has previously worked with hanks on forrest gump and castaway.


manchester wins labour conference the labour party will hold its 2006 autumn conference in manchester and not blackpool  it has been confirmed.  the much trailed decision was ratified by labour s ruling national executive committee in a break with the traditional choice of a seaside venue. it will be the first time since 1917 that the party has chosen manchester to host the annual event. blackpool will get the much smaller february spring conference instead in what will be seen as a placatory move.  for years the main political parties have rotated between blackpool  bournemouth and brighton. and the news the much larger annual conference is not to gather in blackpool will be seen as a blow in the coastal resort. in 1998 the party said it would not return to blackpool but did so in 2002. the following year bournemouth hosted the event before the party signed a two year deal for brighton to host the autumn conference.  colin asplin  blackpool hotel association said:  we have tried very hard to make sure they come back to blackpool.  obviously we have failed in that. i just hope manchester can handle the crowds.  it amazes me that the labour party  which is a working class party  doesn t want to come to the main working class resort in the country.  the exact cost to blackpool in terms of lost revenue for hotel accommodation is not yet known but it is thought that block bookings will be taken at the major manchester hotels after the official announcement.


yukos unit buyer faces loan claim the owners of embattled russian oil giant yukos are to ask the buyer of its former production unit to pay back a $900m (£479m) loan.  state-owned rosneft bought the yugansk unit for $9.3bn in a sale forced by russia to part settle a $27.5bn tax claim against yukos. yukos  owner menatep group says it will ask rosneft to repay a loan that yugansk had secured on its assets. rosneft already faces a similar $540m repayment demand from foreign banks. legal experts said rosneft s purchase of yugansk would include such obligations.  the pledged assets are with rosneft  so it will have to pay real money to the creditors to avoid seizure of yugansk assets   said moscow-based us lawyer jamie firestone  who is not connected to the case. menatep group s managing director tim osborne told the reuters news agency:  if they default  we will fight them where the rule of law exists under the international arbitration clauses of the credit.   rosneft officials were unavailable for comment. but the company has said it intends to take action against menatep to recover some of the tax claims and debts owed by yugansk. yukos had filed for bankruptcy protection in a us court in an attempt to prevent the forced sale of its main production arm. the sale went ahead in december and yugansk was sold to a little-known shell company which in turn was bought by rosneft. yukos claims its downfall was punishment for the political ambitions of its founder mikhail khodorkovsky and has vowed to sue any participant in the sale.


us duo in first spam conviction a brother and sister in the us have been convicted of sending hundreds of thousands of unsolicited e-mail messages to aol subscribers.  it is the first criminal prosecution of internet spam distributors. jurors in virginia recommended that the man  jeremy jaynes  serve nine years in prison and that his sister  jessica degroot  be fined $7 500. they were convicted under a state law that bars the sending of bulk e-mails using fake addresses.  they will be formally sentenced next year. a third defendant  richard rutkowski  was acquitted. prosecutors said jaynes was  a snake oil salesman in a new format   using the internet to peddle useless wares  news agency associated press reported. a  fed-ex refund processor  was supposed to allow people to earn $75 an hour working from home. another item on sale was an  internet history eraser . his sister helped him process credit card payments. jaynes amassed a fortune of $24m from his sales  prosecutors said.  he s been successful ripping people off all these years   ap quoted prosecutor russell mcguire as saying. jaynes was also found guilty of breaking a state law which prohibits the sending of more than 100 000 e-mails in 30 days  virginia state attorney general jerry kilgore reportedly said. prosecutors had asked for 15 years in jail for jaynes  and a jail term for his sister. but jaynes  lawyer david oblon called the nine-year recommended term  outrageous  and said his client believed he was innocent. he pointed out that all three of the accused lived in north carolina and were unaware of the virginia state law. spam messages are estimated to account for at least 60% of all e-mails sent.


blackburn v burnley ewood park  tuesday  1 march  2000 gmt  howard webb (south yorkshire)  home to leicester in the quarter-finals  but defender andy todd is suspended and could be replaced by dominic matteo - if he recovers from a hamstring injury. burnley have major injury concerns over frank sinclair and john mcgreal. michael duff looks set to continue at right-back with john oster in midfield and micah hyde is expected to recover from a knee injury.  - blackburn boss mark hughes:  burnley are resolute and have individual talent but i fully expect us to progress.  i thought we were comfortable in the first game and never thought we were under pressure.  it s a competition we want to progress in and we are doing okay. if we beat burnley  we have a home tie against another lower league club (leicester).    - burnley boss steve cotterill:  they will be fresh and we ll be tired. that is an honest opinion but our lads just might be able to get themselves up for one more big game.  the atmosphere at the last game was very hot - a good verbal contest.  our fans will not need whipping up for this game. i just want them to help us as much as they can in a positive way.  key match stats   - blackburn rovers against bolton is part two of an east lancashire hotpot that didn t turn out to be that spicy when first staged on a sunday lunchtime the weekend before last  and resulted in a scrappy goalless draw.   - rovers  who are aiming to win the cup for a seventh time in their history and first time in 77 years  face another replay against championship opposition after eventually disposing of cardiff at ewood park in the third round. but they ve not been beaten in the competition by a club outside the premiership for nine years  since ipswich - then in the second tier - defeated them 0-1 after extra time in a third round replay at ewood park on 16 january 1996. history is on rovers side. when they last met their near neighbours in the fa cup 45 years ago  it also required an ewood park replay  which the home side won 2-0  and when they last met in the league  rovers did the double. they first won their nationwide division one trip to turf moor 0-2 four seasons ago  and then thrashed the clarets on home soil 5-0.   - manager mark hughes  who won the cup four times as a player  is aiming to steer rovers into the quarter-finals for the second time in 12 years  and first time since the 2000/2001 season. success here  and victory home to leicester in the next round  could see rovers in the semi-finals without having played premiership opposition.   - burnley make the eight mile journey to their fierce rivals  determined to send blackburn the same way as liverpool in the third round. but having failed to pull off another shock at turf moor  it could be that the championship outfit - 17 places inferior on the league ladder - have missed their best opportunity. having said that  burnley are yet to concede a goal in this cup run.   - steve cotterills  clarets have been knocked out in the fifth round four times in the last seven years  and have made only one appearance in the sixth round in 21 years. that was in the season before last  when they disposed of premiership fulham at this fifth round stage.   - while blackburn have not played since the fifth round tie  burnley have had two league outings away from home  drawing 1-1 at derby and losing 1-0 at preston. that takes their winless run to four games. the combatants from one-time prosperous mill towns  are both founder members of the football league. head to head  16th prem  winners (six times)  13th championship  winners (once)


job cuts  false economy   - tuc plans to shed 71 000 civil service jobs will prove to be a  false economy  that could hamper public sector reforms  according to a tuc report.  public and commercial services union members have already voted to strike over cuts for one day on 5 november. the tuc said cuts would deliver less than 6% of the £22bn ministers hope to save through efficiency reforms. general secretary brendan barber warned the  costs could easily outweigh the benefits .  the government s big boost to public spending is now showing results   said mr barber.  public services are improving but looking for simple savings through job cuts at this stage could be a false economy.   they may shoot a tory fox  but cutting thousands of civil service jobs will hit the morale and capabilities of the public servants expected to implement government reforms. the costs could easily outweigh the benefits.  next friday s strike action by the pcs is the biggest in the civil service since 1993  hitting jobcentres  benefit agencies  pensions offices  customs and driving tests. the union says it is concerned about pensions  sick pay and forced relocation as well as the cut in jobs. last month it was announced that a total of 37 social security offices and jobcentres across the uk would close in the first wave of plans to shed civil service jobs. the number of civil servants in britain rose to more than 520 000 in april. other areas the strike will affect include passports  museums and galleries  libraries and health and safety inspections.


corry backs skipper robinson england forward martin corry says jason robinson is the right man to lead the national team back to winning ways.  after losses to wales and france  critics have started to wonder whether robinson can captain from full-back. but corry has backed robinson  who was given the role after the injury to fly-half jonny wilkinson  ahead of this weekend s trip to ireland.  jason is doing a tremendous job. every week my respect for him goes up   corry told bbc radio five live.  he is an inspirational captain. when he talks with the squad he talks with a lot of sense.  the players have a lot of respect for him. it s an honour to be in the england side and an honour to play under him.   england are under immense pressure following their poor start to the year and victory is vital if they are to rescue their six nations campaign. but corry insists england are in the right frame of mind for the contest.  there is apprehension going into every game   he added.  but you have to use that fear and put it into a positive mindset.  when the whistle goes on sunday  what has happened in the past does not count for anything.   we have not performed but if we put in a performance on sunday then we can start turning results around.  there are a lot of changes taking place with england and we are at the start of something. we have not got off to the greatest of starts but you need to experience the bad the before you can fully appreciate the good.   a trip to lansdowne road is daunting at any time  especially against an ireland side that are flying high after two impressive wins. they are the form team of the tournament and are tipped to claim their first grand slam since 1948. but corry is relishing the prospect of taking on the irish in their own backyard.  they are full of confidence and are playing a great team game   he said.  the forwards are creating a great platform and they have explosive runners out wide.  if you look at the team on paper  they have stars from one to 15. it s a huge task but it is a great opportunity for us.  lansdowne road is a tremendous venue to play in and we have to use it to our advantage.


wmc says xstrata bid is too low australian mining firm wmc resources has said it is worth up to 30% more than a hostile 7.4bn australian dollar ($5.8bn; £3bn) bid by rival xstrata.  there is now pressure on swiss-based xstrata to increase its takeover offer. a report from investment firm grant samuel in wmc defence documents values wmc shares at a$7.17 to a$8.24  against xstrata s bid of a$6.35 a share. analysts said the defence documents provided more details on wmc  and may trigger a possible rival bid.  if a bid is going to emerge it is probably likely in the next one to two weeks   said daiwa securities analyst mark pervan. he said the valuation would put increased pressure on xstrata to look at  sweetening  its offer. marc gonsalves  an executive at xstrata  said:  we will review the information contained in the target s statement over the next week or so.  he added:  while we will review the assumptions made by grant samuel in detail  we are extremely sceptical of their conclusion  and suggest that wmc shareholders take extreme care in presuming that these optimistic assumptions are capable of being realised.   last month australia s competition watchdog said it would not oppose the purchase of wmc by zurich and london-based xstrata. on tuesday  wmc chairman tommie bergman said in a statement the directors believed it was in shareholders  best interest to reject the offer. he said wmc would pursue  value-creating options  provided by a portfolio of  world class assets . and wmc chief executive andrew michelmore claimed the xstrata offer was aimed at creating value for xstrata s shareholders  and was not being made for the benefit of wmc s shareholders. grant samuel said its valuation of wmc was based on lower average prices for nickel  copper and uranium than current market levels.  any longer term commodity price improvements would only improve our outlook   mr michelmore said.  in 2003 xstrata acquired australia s largest copper miner - mim holdings. wmc resources is the world s third-largest producer of concentrated nickel  and also a miner of copper and uranium. it owns the olympic dam mine in south australia  which contains about one-third of the world s known uranium resources and is also the world s fourth largest copper mine. xstrata is a global mining giant with operations in australia  south africa  spain  germany  argentina and the uk. its core products are copper  coking coal  thermal coal  ferrochrome  vanadium and zinc. it also has growing businesses in gold  lead and silver.


gizmondo gadget hits the shelves the gizmondo combined media player  phone and gaming gadget goes on sale on saturday.  priced at £229  the handheld device is debuting in the uk and goes on sale in the us and mainland europe in the next few weeks. a catalogue of about 20 games is being prepared for the gadget including the great escape and conflict vietnam. the british-backed gadget faces stiff competition from handheld gaming devices made by nintendo and sony.  the gizmondo device packs a lot of functions inside its black cover and is aimed at gamers and those that want more from their game-playing gadgets.  it can be used to play games  music tracks and movies. it can take and store digital photos and be used like a mobile phone to send text  multimedia and e-mail messages. the phone service to enable people to send messages is being provided by pre-pay vodafone accounts bundled in with the device. it also works with gps (global position system) so can also be used as a navigation aid or to support a variety of location-based services. the gprs and bluetooth wireless data systems onboard mean that it can be used for multi-player gaming. the gadget will be available from the gizmondo store on london s regent street and from several other retail partners. although the device rolls together an impressive list of functions  it will face serious competition from three established names in mobile gaming: nintendo  nokia and sony.  the main competition is likely to come from nintendo and sony. nintendo s ds handheld went on sale on 11 march and priced at £99 costs far less than the gizmondo. it also has a ready pool of fans of earlier nintendo handhelds to draw on. in the first two days it was on sale in europe the 87 000 ds handhelds were sold - a better debut than the gamecube enjoyed. sony s psp was due to make its european debut in march but now this is likely to be delayed by a few months. the psp is due to go on sale in the us later this month and a bundle including the player  accessories and a copy of spiderman 2 is expected to cost about $250 (£129). the psp can also play music and movies and supports wireless multiplayer gaming. nokia s n-gage could also be a competitor on the telecommunications side. this too crams a fully functional phone into a gadget that also plays games.


spike lee backs student directors film-maker spike lee says black representation is stronger than ever in cinema and tv but the true power in entertainment lies behind the camera.  the she hate me director urged students at his old atlanta university  morehouse college  to seek  gatekeeper positions  behind the scenes. lee told them to  work up the corporate ladder because everybody can t be an actor  everybody can t make a record . he spoke as part of a discussion panel  then led a retrospective of his films.  returning to his old university  which educates only african american students  lee discussed the challenges facing black people in the entertainment industry.  even denzel (washington)  he s getting $20m a movie. but when it comes time to do a movie  he has to go to one of those gatekeepers   lee said. he told aspiring young film-makers in the audience not to ignore non-traditional routes to getting a movie made  including raising funds independently and releasing films straight to dvd.  it s a huge market   the 47-year-old director said.  it s not something that should be looked upon as a stepchild.  lee has made more than 25 films  including jungle fever  do the right thing  summer of sam and 1986 hit she s gotta have it.


eu-us seeking deal on air dispute the eu and us have agreed to begin talks on ending subsidies given to aircraft makers  eu trade commissioner peter mandelson has announced.  both sides hope to reach a negotiated deal over state aid received by european aircraft maker airbus and its us rival boeing  mr mandelson said. airbus and boeing accuse each other of benefiting from illegal subsidies. mr mandelson said the eu and us hoped to avoid having to resolve the dispute at the world trade organisation (wto).   with this agreement the eu and us have confirmed their willingness to resolve the dispute which has arisen between them   mr mandelson said.  i hope our negotiations in the next three months will lead to an agreement ending subsidies to development and production of large civil aircraft.  last year  the us terminated an agreement with the eu  reached in 1992  which limits the subsidies countries can hand over to civil aircraft makers. the us filed a complaint against brussels with the wto over state aid to airbus  prompting a retaliatory eu complaint over us support for boeing. however  both sides agreed to suspend their requests for wto arbitration at the beginning of december  to allow bilateral talks to continue. eads and bae systems  the european defence and aerospace firms which own airbus  welcomed mr mandelson s announcement.  it has always been preferable that any differences between the us and europe on this matter be overcome through constructive discussion rather than through legal recourse   the companies said in a joint statement.  separately  the world s largest package delivery company  ups  said it had placed an order for 10 airbus a380 superjumbo freight-carrying jets  with an option to buy 10 more of the triple-decker aircraft. the us company said it needed to expand its air freight capacity following strong international growth  and would begin receiving deliveries of the a380s from 2009. however  ups said it was cutting a previous order for smaller airbus a300s from 90 planes to 53. so far  airbus has delivered 40 a300s to ups. airbus overtook boeing as the world s largest manufacturer of commercial airliners in 2003.


european medal chances improve what have the european indoor trials told us  well  i think we could be heading to the european championships with half a dozen medal prospects.  it was good to see athletes beginning to make steps forward  to see a few new faces and there were lots of personal bests kicking around.  the best performance on the track for me was sarah claxton s win in the 60m hurdles. running sub-eight seconds twice in a week puts her right up there and if she repeats that in madrid she will be close to picking up a medal. but what was great about sunday s performance was that she was under pressure to produce the goods when it counted. diane allahgreen has been our best hurdler for some time now and i think she was surprised to be beaten by sarah. and knowing that she got the better of diane in a head-to-head race will give sarah confidence. in the men s race on saturday  allan scott was right in there and there is definitely more to come from him. in fact  the men s 60m hurdles is so strong  i think the selectors will pick three hurdlers to go to madrid.  phillips idowu lit up the field events  not only with his hair  but also with his leap of 17.30m  which puts him at the top of the world rankings. i had a chat with him before the competition and he was really looking forward to getting out there. he feels he is in great shape and has some big jumps inside him - but then phillips always has. a lot of the athletes said the runway was not very helpful  so for phillips to jump like that is a good performance. he is such a huge talent but just needs some consistency - and if he does that then the big jumps will get even further. across the board i thought kelly sotherton had a great weekend and continued to show she is developing. she picked up three personal bests in the long jump  high jump and 60m hurdles and you can t ask for more than that. kelly will be up against carolina kluft in the pentathlon at the european championships but she has every chance of a medal on the basis of what we ve seen so far.  she has a complicated training regime where different people help her with different disciplines but it seems to be working really well. it wasn t all good news in sheffield. i thought both the 60m races were disappointing in different ways. jason gardener may have won but he wasn t at his best. i chatted to him afterwards and he knows it was an off-day for him. he s there to be shot at and the other lads nearly got a big scalp out there. in the women s race  jeanette kwayke was hoping to run against defending champion joice maduaka. the pair are enjoying a bit of rivalry but joice had to pull out with a chest infection. if she had made the final i think jeanette would have gone a bit quicker.  janine whitlock competed well in the pole vault on her return following a two-year drugs ban. but the most disappointing thing in the wider view is that she is our best pole vaulter by a long way and that shouldn t be the case. the event has moved on immensely since janine has been away and if there was more domestic competition i think that would help her. a couple of other interesting topics to look out for are the citizenship issues surrounding mark findlay and rabah yusuf. findlay is a londoner who has chosen to represent trinidad and tobago but has never run for them so he could still compete for great britain. yusuf  who came third in the 400m  is from the sudan but is trying to gain british citizenship. he came to britain as a high jumper but damaged his toe  started doing more running and found his talent. so we shall have to see what happens to both of them.


ban on hunting comes into force fox hunting with dogs is now illegal in england and wales after a ban on the activity came into force overnight.  the law faces a stiff test this weekend  with the countryside alliance saying many hunts will be out in force. chief police officers spokesman nigel yeo said he expected most people would obey the law - by drag hunting or chasing foxes then shooting them. he said police would challenge the  one of two isolated hunts  which are threatening to break the law.  but simon hart of the countryside alliance has questioned how police will ensure there are no violations.  the definitions of legal and illegal hunting are so blurred that the police are being asked to make impossible judgements.  you can hunt a rat  but not a mouse  a rabbit but not a hare  an artificial scent  but not a real one   he said.  the attorney general  lord goldsmith  has so far issued no instructions to police on how they should deal with hunters who violate the law. he said he will consult the director of public prosecutions and the police  in the near future  to decide what measures to take with regards to hunting prosecutions. he has rejected a  blanket policy  of not enforcing the ban until the house of lords has considered its legality. john cooper  a barrister and chairman of the league against cruel sports  said the anti-hunting lobby expects the authorities to prosecute wherever there is clear evidence of illegal hunting practices. he said police had  acknowledged their duty to investigate allegations of hunting offences .  the beaufort hunt had one pack out on thursday and has promised a hunt this weekend. under the new law hunters have a number of legal options available to them.  as well as being able to mount a hunt for an artificial scent  it will still be legal for the hunts to  flush out  foxes  as long as they shoot their quarry rather than set the hounds on them.  we are not going away. we will keep these hounds going  we will keep this community going and in the end we will come back and hunt when hunting is legal again   hunt master  captain ian farquhar  said. but tony banks  labour mp for west ham  said the issue would soon disappear  and that  people in a few years time will be wondering what it was all about . he said had the government not prevaricated since 1997 in introducing the ban  hunting with dogs would have passed into history like other former country pursuits such as otter hunting and badger baiting.  let the election decide this because the conservatives have made clear that if they get elected into government they will restore hunting   he said.


ministers  naive  over phone-taps the government is being naive by refusing to allow phone-tap evidence in court  a senior eu politician says.  javier solana  eu foreign policy chief  says phone-tap evidence works in the courts of other european countries. human rights groups  top police officers and many mps say allowing the evidence would remove the need to detain terror suspects without charge. but home secretary charles clarke says the evidence would not make much difference to these cases. mr solana told itv1 s jonathan dimbleby programme:  [phone-tap evidence in court] works  it is normal that it is done  it would be naive not to do it.  it would be naive not to use this technological thing that we have at our disposal.  mr solana s comments come the day after sir ian blair  the newly-appointed metropolitan police commissioner  said he was in favour of phone-tap evidence.  under the anti-terrorism crimes and security act 2001  foreign terror suspects can be detained in british jails without trial or charge. several suspects have been detained under these powers because evidence against them was deemed too sensitive to be heard in court.  some of this evidence is believed to be telephone intercepts. human rights group liberty has argued that if intercept evidence could be heard  these detainees could be brought to trial. but critics of phone-tap trials say the evidence is often weak and can expose the methods of the security services. the home secretary says intercepts would not make much difference because cases against terror suspects frequently rely on other kinds of surveillance. but mr clarke has been forced to change the regime of detention without trial after law lords ruled it illegal. he has opted for a system of  control orders  whereby suspects  both british and foreign  can be held under house arrest or surveillance. these orders will again involve a uk opt-out of parts of the european convention on human rights. while accepting that people  have to be prepared  for a possible terrorist attack  mr solana said he had  qualms  about the home secretary s new plans.  we have to fight terrorism with all our means  but not so far as to change our way of life   he said.


jol joy at  professional  cup win tottenham manager martin jol acclaimed his players for their patience in their 3-0 fa cup fifth-round victory over a determined nottingham forest side.   we had the initiative but it wasn t easy. it was a professional sort of performance   the dutchman said.  forest played with a lot of players behind the ball in the first half  but at 2-0 they were dead and buried.  looking ahead to the quarter-final  jol said:  newcastle have got a very good side and they are always difficult.  however  he added that his side  who are four places above the magpies in the premiership  were  not afraid of anyone . robbie keane  skipper for the night and scorer of the crucial second goal  echoed his manager s sentiments on the last-eight match.  they re on a high  but we re confident and in the last few games we ve played well and hopefully we can go there and get the win   he said.  he conceded the win over forest  which included goals from noe pamarot and mido  was not pretty to watch.  it wasn t the best display but it s all about the result   the irishman said.  we knew it was going to be difficult with the conditions. the pitch wasn t the best but we still tried to pass it.  we dug in and the gaffer said to us at half-time to keep being patient and that the goal will come.  forest manager gary megson conceded his team did not deserve anything after a poor performance.  if you play like we did and concede two goals from corners you re going to have an uphill battle against a very good team   he said.  if we defend in the championship like we did we ll not get another point.  we were organised but i felt at times we thought the system would be enough but we didn t look like scoring.


ray charles studio becomes museum a museum dedicated to the career of the late legendary singer ray charles is to open in his former recording studio in los angeles.  his longtime publicist jerry digney said the museum would house  archive materials from recordings  to awards  to ephemera  to wardrobe . a tour bus used by charles and his entourage over the years will also be on permanent display. it is hoped the museum will be ready for visitors in late 2007.  mr digney said the recording studio and offices had been used by charles for many years  and was where he recorded much of his last album  genius loves company. it is hoped the museum will also house an education centre. the building had been declared a historic landmark by the city of los angeles just before charles  death in june 2004 at the age of 73. following his death  charles won eight grammy awards  including album of the year for genius loves company  a collection of duets.


millions buy mp3 players in us one in 10 adult americans - equivalent to 22 million people - owns an mp3 player  according to a survey.  a study by the pew internet and american life project found that mp3 players are the gadget of choice among affluent young americans. the survey did not interview teenagers but it is likely that millions of under-18s also have mp3 players. the american love affair with digital music players has been made possible as more and more homes get broadband.  of the 22 million americans who own mp3 players  59% are men compared to 41% of women. those on high income - judged to be $75 000 (£39 000) or above - are four times more likely to have players than those earning less than $30  000 ( £15 000). broadband access plays a big part in ownership too. almost a quarter of those with broadband at home have players  compared to 9% of those who have dial-up access. mp3 players are still the gadget of choice for younger adults. almost one in five us citizens aged under 30 have one. this compares to 14% of those aged 30-39 and 14% of those aged 40-48. the influence of children also plays a part. sixteen percent of parents living with children under 18 have digital players compared to 9% of those who don t. the ease of use and growth of music available on the net are the main factors for the upsurge in ownership  the survey found. people are beginning to use them as instruments of social activity - sharing songs and taking part in podcasting - the survey found.  ipods and mp3 players are becoming a mainstream technology for consumers  said lee rainie  director of the pew internet and american life project.  more growth in the market is inevitable as new devices become available  as new players enter the market  and as new social uses for ipods/mp3 players become popular   he added.


games firms  face tough future  uk video game firms face a testing time as they prepare for the next round of games consoles  the industry warns.  fred hasson  head of tiga  which represents independent developers  said that more uk firms would go under due to greater risks in making new titles. three leading uk video game companies also predicted that more firms would close as they struggled to adapt. microsoft  sony and nintendo are expected to release new consoles in the next 18 months. microsoft has said repeatedly that it wants to be first to the market and some analysts predict that xbox 2 will be released in the us before the end of 2005.  the new machines will all have much greater processing and graphical power which will have a huge impact on development of next generation games. mr hasson said:  in the last four years we have probably lost a third of independent developers.  he said there were about 150 independent developers left in the industry and more were likely to close.  once the cull has finished its likely to present those still standing with great opportunities   he said.  mr hasson said the industry was predicting that developments costs and teams were likely to need to double in order to cope with the demands of the new machines. that figure was endorsed by three independent companies contacted by the bbc news website - codemasters  climax and rebellion.   as consoles get more powerful  the content gets more detailed and that means more cost   said gary dunn  development director at codemasters  which develops games in house and also publishes titles. jason kingsley  chief executive of rebellion  said the transition from the current generation of consoles to the new machines was difficult because  the production quality expected by consumers will be that much bigger . he added:  we have been through five technology transitions and survived so far.  each one has involved the death of some people. all companies said they were investing in new tools - called middleware - in order to try and avoid staff numbers spiralling out of control.  simon gardner  president of climax s action studio  said:  we are investing in superior tools and editors. we are investing upfront to generate this content without the need for huge teams.  it s vital we avoid huge teams.  he said climax was already directing about 20% of its resources to preparation for next generation titles. mr dunn warned that companies could face a short supply of programming  development and artistic talent.  if companies are hiring bigger and bigger teams  at some point the talent is going to run out.  mr hasson said games developers were beginning to realise that they had to be more  business-like .  there are still some developers who were involved in games from the bedroom coding days.  some of them are still making games for peer group approval - that has to stop.


india opens skies to competition india will allow domestic commercial airlines to fly long haul international routes  a move it hopes will stoke competition and drive down prices.  however  only state controlled carriers will be able to fly the lucrative gulf routes  to countries such as kuwait and saudi arabia  for at least three years. jet airways and air sahara are the two companies that will benefit initially. india is looking to develop its airline industry as booming economic growth drives demand for travel.  monica chadha  bbc delhi reporter  said air travel in india had increased by almost 20% from the previous year and was expected to rise even further. infrastructure development is lagging demand  however  and will have to improve.  most international airports in the country are shabby and ill-equipped to handle heavy air traffic   ms chada said  adding that while the civil aviation minister has promised to modernise and privatise airports little progress has been made. steps have been take to move things forward and the government recently changed legislation that limited foreign investment in domestic airlines. it raised the maximum stake holding allowed to 49% from 40%. local press  meanwhile  have reported that the us and india will start negotiations about adding more routes in january. jet airways is india s premier private domestic carrier; air sahara is ranked third in the category.


man utd to open books to glazer manchester united s board has agreed to give us tycoon malcolm glazer access to its books.  earlier this month  mr glazer presented the board with detailed proposals on an offer to buy the football club. in a statement  the club said it would allow mr glazer  limited due diligence  to give him the opportunity to take the proposal on to a formal bid. but it said it continued to oppose mr glazer s plans  calling his assumptions  aggressive  and his plan  damaging . many of manchester united s supporters own shares in the club  and the fan-based group shareholders united is strongly opposed to any takeover by mr glazer. about 300 fans protested outside the old trafford ground two days ago.  rival local club manchester city has pleaded with visiting fans not to protest inside its ground when the two teams play a televised match on sunday.  manchester united s response comes as little surprise  as the board made clear.  any board has a responsibility to consider a bona fide offer proposal   the club said in its statement. should it become a firm offer  it should be at a price that  the board is likely to regard as fair  and on terms which  may be deliverable . but it also stressed that it stayed opposed to mr glazer s proposal.  the board continues to believe that mr glazer s business plan assumptions are aggressive   the statement said   and the direct and indirect financial strain on the business could be damaging.  whether or not the bid is attractive in monetary terms  in the case of manchester united many investors hold the stock for sentimental rather than financial reasons. at present  mr glazer and his family hold a 28.1% stake  making them manchester united s second biggest shareholders. they own the successful tampa bay buccaneers american football team based in florida. if the family makes a formal offer  they will need the support of the club s biggest shareholders.  irish horse racing millionaires jp mcmanus and john magnier own 29% of united through their investment vehicle cubic expression  and have yet to express a view on the bid approach.  a group of five mps are calling on the department of trade and industry to block any takeover of the club by the us football magnate on public interest grounds. they have signed a house of commons motion  and tony lloyd  the manchester central mp  whose constituency includes the club s old trafford ground  has pledged to take the matter  to tony blair if necessary . the commons motion says  any takeover designed to transform the club into a private company would be against the interests of those supporters and football . however  the dti has dismissed the proposal. a spokesman said the department did not believe there was a case for changing the enterprise act so that takeovers of football clubs could be looked at on non-competition grounds. mr glazer s offer values the club at £800m ($1.5bn). pitched at 300p per share  it also relies less on debt to finance it than an earlier approach from the us tycoon  which was rejected out of hand. manchester united shares closed at 270.25p on friday  down 3.75p on the day.