hewitt falls to dent in adelaide lleyton hewitt suffered a shock defeat to taylor dent in the quarter-finals of the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide on friday.  the top seed was a strong favourite for the title but went down 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to the american. dent will face juan ignacio chela next after the fourth seed was too strong for jurgen melzer. olivier rochus beat third seed nicolas kiefer 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 and will take on second seed joachim johansson. the swede reached the last four by beating compatriot thomas enqvist 6-3 4-6 6-1.  i felt like i was striking the ball much better   said johansson.   i felt like i had a lot of break chances  i didn t take care of them all  but i broke him four times and he only broke me once.  i felt that was the key to get up in the set early.  hewitt played down his defeat and insisted he is focused solely on the australian open  which starts on 17 january.  when you ve been number one in the world for a couple of years and won a couple of slams  you look at the big picture and what motivates you   said hewitt.  that s the grand slams and melbourne s as big for me as any of the four. even if i don t win sydney next week it s no big deal.


ban on forced retirement under 65 employers will no longer be able to force workers to retire before 65  unless they can justify it.  the government has announced that firms will be barred from 2006 from imposing arbitrary retirement ages. under new european age discrimination rules  a default retirement age of 65 will be introduced. workers will be permitted to request staying on beyond this compulsory retirement age  although employers will have the right to refuse. trade and industry secretary patricia hewitt said people would not be forced to work longer than they wanted  saying the default age was not a statutory  compulsory retirement age. she said employers would be free to continue employing people for as long as they were competent.  under age discrimination proposals from the department of trade and industry last year workers were to be allowed to work on till 70 if they wished.  business leaders had opposed the plan as they said it would be too costly and cumbersome. the british chambers of commerce welcomed the latest proposal.  this move today is the best of both worlds   it said.  employers have the ability to define the end point of the employer-employee relationship and employees have flexibility with a right to request to work past the age of 65.  but age concern said imposing a retirement age of 65 was  cowardly  and a  complete u-turn .  this makes a mockery of the government s so-called commitment to outlawing ageism  leaving the incoming age discrimination law to unravel   said gordon lishman  director general of age concern england .  it is now inevitable that older people will mount legal challenges to the decision using european law.  the decision will have no impact on the age at which workers can collect their state pension  the government has said.


gamer buys $26 500 virtual land a 22-year-old gamer has spent $26 500 (£13 700) on an island that exists only in a computer role-playing game (rpg).  the australian gamer  known only by his gaming moniker deathifier  bought the island in an online auction. the land exists within the game project entropia  an rpg which allows thousands of players to interact with each other. entropia allows gamers to buy and sell virtual items using real cash  while fans of other titles often use auction site ebay to sell their virtual wares. earlier this year economists calculated that these massively multi-player online role-playing games (mmorpgs) have a gross economic impact equivalent to the gdp of the african nation of namibia.   this is a historic moment in gaming history  and this sale only goes to prove that massive multi-player online gaming has reached a new plateau   said marco behrmann  director of community relations at mindark  the game s developer.  the virtual island includes a gigantic abandoned castle and beautiful beaches which are described as ripe for developing beachfront property. deathifier will make money from his investment as he is able to tax other gamers who come to his virtual land to hunt or mine for gold. he has also begun to sell plots to people who wish to build virtual homes.  this type of investment will definitely become a trend in online gaming   said deathifier. the entopia economy lets gamers exchange real currency into ped (project entropia dollars) and back again into real money. ten peds are the equivalent to one us dollar and typical items sold include iron ingots ($5) and shogun armour ($1.70) gamers can theoretically earn money by accumulating peds through the acquisition of goods  buildings  and land in the entropia universe. mmorpgs have become enormously popular in the last 10 years with hundreds of thousands of gamers living out alternate lives in fantasy worlds. almost 200 000 people are registered players on project entropia.


tory leader quits legal position david mcletchie has resigned from his post as a partner in a legal firm following criticism over his dual role.  the scottish conservative leader had insisted that his legal work with tods murray did not influence the causes he supports. but on friday he said:  i have tendered my resignation as a partner with immediate effect.  mr mcletchie had received advice from holyrood officials about what details he needed to declare. labour said he had  cleverly  not asked about paid advocacy. a tory spokesman  totally refuted  any wrongdoing.  mr mcletchie received advice from the clerk to the standards committee after concern over him signing a parliamentary motion questioning expansion plans for edinburgh airport. the msp had been a partner for tods murray which has a client opposing the development. mr mcletchie did not have a complaint made against him  but when concerns were raised he sought guidance from the standards committee to clarify his position. he was advised to exercise judgement to avoid the perception of a conflict and said he had done nothing wrong.  explaining his reason for quitting the post  mr mcletchie said:  i have been greatly concerned by the recent publicity surrounding my association with tods murray.  however  i have no wish to see a similar situation arise again.  to avoid any misconceptions in the future and be mindful of the good name of tods murray and the confidentiality to which its clients are entitled  i have brought forward the date of my retirement from the firm which would otherwise have happened later this year.  i am proud to have been a part of tods murray for the last 29 years and wish it well in the future.   labour msp christine may had said mr mcletchie was  very clever  to ask the clerk to consider his conduct in respect of section 5 of the code.  he was almost bound to get the answer he wanted from this enquiry since he stands accused of breaching section 6  the section on paid advocacy   she said. section 5 of the members interest order legally obliges msps to declare registrable interests before taking part in related parliamentary proceedings  where the interest would prejudice or give the appearance of prejudicing their ability to participate in a disinterested manner . however  msps  code of conduct  recognises a wider definition  of parliamentary proceedings  including a non-statutory requirement to make a declaration in relation to written notices  such as motions.  but a letter from holyrood s chamber office chief ken hughes also made clear that mr mcletchie did not need to list any of the clients for whom he worked as a solicitor. commenting on mr mcletchie s decision to stand down  a scottish labour party spokesman said:  this should mean mr mcletchie doesn t breach the paid advocacy rules in future.  however it doesn t change the fact that there should be a full investigation into whether he has done this in the past.   scottish national party holyrood leader nicola sturgeon accused mr mcletchie of failing to properly serve his constituents. ms sturgeon said:  i think this whole episode has been very damaging for mr mcletchie and i m sure he will be reflecting on it.  she added that she thought that the tories were an irrelevant party so she would not  lose any sleep over it . peter misselbrook  executive partner of tods murray said mr mcletchie had been considering retirement later in the year. he added:  david has decided that this announcement should be made now and we fully understand and appreciate his reasons for doing so.


us crude prices surge above $53 us crude prices have soared to fresh four-month highs above $53 in the us as refinery problems propelled petrol prices to an all-time high.  us light sweet crude futures jumped to $53.09 a barrel in new york before closing at $53.03. the gains tracked a surge in us gasoline futures to a record high of $1.4850 a gallon. the jump followed a fire at western refining company s refinery in texas  which shut down petrol production. a spokesman for the group was unable to say when the production unit would be back up and running.  this market simply wants to go up   citigroup global markets analyst kyle cooper told reuters news agency. ed silliere  analyst at energy merchant  added:  gasoline is up because of the refinery issues in texas  which means there will be a scramble for product in the (us) gulf coast.   elsewhere  a refinery in houston was closed due to mechanical problems  while on tuesday production at bp s texas city refinery was taken down for a short time. in the approach to spring  the market becomes much more sensitive to problems with petrol production as dealers anticipate rising demand for fuel ahead of the holiday season. the rise in prices came despite a us government report that showed domestic supplies of fuel oil and fuel were rising. meanwhile  oil production cartel opec s recent announcement that it was now unlikely to cut production levels has also failed to calm fears on the market. oil prices are roughly 45% higher than a year ago and have risen sharply in recent weeks due to a combination of colder weather  the declining value of the dollar and fears that opec could rein in production to head off a seasonal drop in demand. instability in iraq and underlying fears about terrorism have also played a part in the rally.


veteran comic cyril fletcher dies veteran comedian and broadcaster cyril fletcher has died aged 91 at his home in guernsey.  fletcher will be remembered for his  odd odes  and amusing misprints on tv show that s life in the 1970s and 80s  as well as a long variety career. he was also a regular on does the team think   a comic version of radio information show the brains trust. that s life host esther rantzen said he was  so lovely  and a  delight  to work with.  the thing about cyril was that he was  to use a slightly old-fashioned phrase  an english gentleman   she said.  he was courteous  and understated  and he adored gardens  particularly creating them for his beautiful wife.   he was funny and witty to work with. he was a real friend and i shall miss him.  one of the last comedians of old-time variety era  fletcher made his first tv appearance in 1937. a year after bbc television began  he was seen reciting humorous poems  appearing in a revue  tele-ho  and playing the emperor of morocco in the first televised pantomime  dick whittington. he went on to become a regular voice on radio  have a string of tv shows in the 1950s and appear in several films  including 1947 s nicholas nickleby. he married actress betty astell in 1941 and in the 1950s and 60s  they produced pantos and summer shows  discovering new stars including harry secombe. in the mid-1990s  fletcher said he had made a  fabulous living  since the age of 22 and had never had a day out of work.  he was most recently seen presenting a gardening programme for channel tv. fletcher was described as a  consummate professional  by his friend and fellow broadcaster michael pointon.  it really was a pleasure to work with him - he had met everyone and done everything   mr pointon said.  he was a whimsical  droll fellow  but also a very artistic man. as a friend  he was very kind  and generous.  fletcher s daughter jill said her father would be sorely missed.  he was greatly loved by the public   she said.


consumers  snub portable video  consumers want music rather than movies while on the move  says a report.  produced by jupiter research the analysis of the portable media player market found only 13% of europeans want to watch video while out and about. by contrast  almost a third are interested in listening to music on a portable player such as an ipod. the firm said gadget makers should avoid hybrid devices and instead make sure music reproduction was as good as possible.  the report concluded that the driving force behind the growth of europe s portable player market was likely to be music  rather than films or any combination of the two. barely 5% of those questioned said they wanted a player that could play back both music and movies. only 7% wanted a player that could handle games and video.   dedicated music players are the only established digital media players in europe today despite their high prices   said ian fogg  jupiter analyst. mr fogg said although video players and smartphones were trying to cash in on this success they faced a tough job because of the compromises that had to be made when creating a dual-purpose device.  europeans care most about music playback   he said. the report showed that 27% of consumers asked are interested in portable music players. the research revealed that french  39%  and british  31%  consumers were most interested in music players. mr fogg said portable video players were likely to remain a niche product that would not be able to compete with devices dedicated to music playback.  a separate report by jupiter forecasts that the european digital music market will grow to 836m euros (£581m) by 2009. at the end of 2003  the market was worth 10.6m euros (£7.36m). digital music players will be behind this market growth said jupiter . apple s ipod was launched in october 2001  but the portable music player market has been growing steadily since the launch of the creative nomad jukebox in mid-2000. now consumers face an almost overwhelming choice of high-capacity portable music players that let them store every track on every cd that they own.


blair s hope for blunkett return the events leading to david blunkett s resignation must not  swept under the carpet   the tories have warned.  on wednesday tony blair said he hoped the former home secretary would serve again in government in the future. mr blunkett quit in december after a probe linked him to the visa application of his ex-lover s nanny. mr blair said he left  without a stain on his character  but tory dominic grieve branded the way mr blunkett s office operated as  scandalous . mr blair told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  i know david very well and i believe him to be a man of real integrity and real ability and i was very sad for him as to what happened.   he said mr blunkett still had an immense amount to offer the country but he was not making any  guarantees or definitive statements  about future jobs. but shadow attorney general mr grieve said:  while i don t rule out the possibility that mr blunkett may return as a minister  i don t think it s something that can simply be brushed under the carpet.  senior labour backbencher martin o neill  who chairs the commons trade committee  said he believed the prime minister would want one of his  praetorian guard  - a reference to the elite body guard of roman emperors - back alongside him. but colleague ian gibson  who chairs the science and technology committee  said there was a  question mark  as to whether mr blunkett could serve at cabinet level again.


court rejects $280bn tobacco case a us government claim accusing the country s biggest tobacco companies of covering up the effects of smoking has been thrown out by an appeal court.  the demand for $280bn (£155bn) - filed by the clinton administration in 1999 - was rejected in a 2-1 decision. the court in washington found that the case could not be brought under federal anti-racketeering laws. among the accused were altria group  rj reynolds tobacco  lorillard tobacco  liggett group and brown and williamson. in its case  the government claimed tobacco firms manipulated nicotine levels to increase addiction  targeted teenagers with multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns  lied about the dangers of smoking and ignored research to the contrary.  prosecutors wanted the cigarette firms to surrender $280bn in profits accumulated over the past 50 years and impose tougher rules on marketing their products. but the court of appeals for the district of columbia ruled that the us government could not sue the firms under legislation drawn up to counteract mafia infiltration of business. the tobacco companies deny that they illegally conspired to promote smoking and defraud the public. they also say they have already met many of the government s demands in a landmark $206bn settlement reached with 46 states in 1998. shares of tobacco companies closed higher after the ruling  with altria rising 5% and reynolds showing gains of 4.5%.


smith keen on home series return scotland manager walter smith has given his backing to the reinstatement of the home international series.  such a plan is to be proposed by the new chief executive of the northern irish fa  howard wells  at the next meeting of the four home countries. the english fa has expressed doubt as to whether the fixtures could be accommodated at the end of each season. but smith said:  bringing it back would add meaning to friendly games and that s something that s needed.  the home international series was done away with in 1984  with the traditional scotland-england fixture continuing until 1989. that game is one smith would be delighted to see reinstated.  the scotland v england match was a highlight of the end of the season   he added.  i was in italy for their friendly with russia last week and they made seven substitutions while only around 20 000 fans turned up to watch.  england were criticised for the 0-0 draw against holland - the way scotland were slammed in the past for poor results in friendlies.  you have to put a performance on in friendly games. if you don t  they can be de-motivating.  it can be a dangerous road to go down  if players don t apply themselves in the manner they should.  so i would support the return of the home internationals - the only problem would be fitting them in to the fixture schedule.


parmalat sues 45 banks over crash parmalat has sued 45 banks as it tries to reclaim money paid to banks before the scandal-hit italian dairy company went bust last year.  the firm collapsed with debts of about 14bn euros ($19bn; £10bn) and new boss enrico bondi has already taken legal action against a number of lenders. he claims the banks were aware of the problems but continued to work with the company so they could earn commissions. parmalat has not identified which banks it has gone after this time. under italian law  administrators can seek to get back money paid to financial institutions prior to insolvency  if there is a suspicion that the institutions knew that the company was in financial trouble. the firm also said it is preparing further law suits.  according to the reuters news agency  35 of the companies sued on thursday are italian while the remaining 10 are international. the unidentified parmalat source also told reuters that the company was planning to take action against a total of 80 financial institutions. among those already targeted are bank of america  ubs  credit suisse first boston  deutsche bank and citigroup. it has also gone after auditors grant thornton. they have all denied any wrongdoing. parmalat was declared insolvent in december 2003 after it emerged that 4bn euros thought to be held in an offshore account did not in fact exist. in the investigation that followed it became apparent that the company  among other things  had been billing clients twice in order to boost sales and bolster the balance sheet. that enabled parmalat to borrow heavily and expand overseas  allowing it to become a darling of the italian stock exchange.


queen recruit singer for new tour the remaining members of rock band queen are to go on tour next year with former free and bad company singer paul rodgers taking freddie mercury s place.  guitarist brian may has said he expects to be on the road with rodgers and drummer roger taylor from april. may said:  suddenly the queen phoenix is rising again from the ashes and will take precedence over... our lives.  queen have played with many different singers since mercury s death in 1991 but have reportedly not toured. may performed with rodgers at a concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the fender stratocaster guitar in london in september.   we were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on in [free hit] all right now  that suddenly it seems blindingly obvious that there was  something happening here    may wrote on his website. they teamed up again for a concert to mark their induction into the uk music hall of fame  and were joined by taylor.  the show went so incredibly well from our point of view  and we got so many rave reactions from out there  we decided almost then and there that we would look at a tour together   may wrote.  queen went to number one in 2000 with a version of we will rock you sung by boy band 5ive and they have also played with robbie williams  will young and bob geldof. queen bassist john deacon has currently retired from the stage. rodgers was singer with early 1970s rockers free  who had a global hit with all right now  before forming bad company  a successful  supergroup  with members of king crimson and mott the hoople. he has also been in the firm with led zeppelin s jimmy page and the law with the small faces and the who drummer kenny jones.


iaaf will contest greek decision the international association of athletics federations will appeal against the acquittal of greek athletes kostas kenteris and katerina thanou.  the high-profile duo were cleared of doping offences by the greek athletics federation (segas) last month. now the iaaf will lodge an appeal with the court of arbitration for sport (cas) and has suspended both athletes. an iaaf statement said:  the doping review board concluded that the decision is erroneous.  the statement continued:  both athletes  cases will be refered to arbitration before the cas. the decision in both cases will be final and binding.   segas said the iaaf appeal was  expected  and  understandable.   now we are going to await the final result  which we cannot prejudge   said segas chairman vassilis sevastis. kenteris  who won olympic 200m gold at the 2000 olympics  and thanou were suspended by the iaaf last december after failing to take routine drugs tests before the athens games. however  the independent tribunal overturned those bans  clearing the sprinters of avoiding tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens and failing to notify anti-doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics.  kenteris  lawyer gregory ioannidis described the iaaf s decision as  not unexpected  but told bbc sport he did not expect the organisation to take action so quickly.  the iaaf s timing is extremely surprising and it creates concerns and questions   said ioannidis.  the iaaf has not yet received the complete file of proceedings which include statements  testimonies  the closing speeches of defence counsel... and nine audio tapes.   we have the evidence and it is time the world discovered the truth.  kenteris and thanou dramatically withdrew from last summer s olympics after missing a drugs test at the olympic village on 12 august. the pair then spent four days in a hospital  claiming they had been injured in a motorcycle crash. it was the international olympic committee who demanded the iaaf investigate the affair. thanou and kenteris still face a criminal trial later this year for allegedly avoiding the test and then faking a motorcycle accident


india seeks to boost construction india has cleared a proposal allowing up to 100% foreign direct investment in its construction sector.  kamal nath  commerce and industry minister  announced the decision in delhi on thursday following a cabinet meeting. analysts say improving india s infrastructure will boost foreign investment in other sectors too. the indian government s decision has spread good cheer in the construction sector  according to some indian firms.  a spokesman for dlf builders  dr vancheshwar  told the bbc this will mean  better offerings  for consumers as well as builders. he said the firm will benefit from world class  strategic partnerships  design expertise and technology  while consumers will have better choice.   the government proposal states that foreign investment of up to 100% will be allowed on the  automatic route  in the construction sector  on projects including housing  hotels  resorts  hospitals and educational establishments. the automatic route means that construction companies need only get one set of official approvals and do not need to gain clearance from the foreign investment promotion board  which can be bureaucratic. the government hopes its new policy will create employment for construction workers  and benefit steel and brick-making industries.  mr nath also announced plans to allow foreign investors to develop a smaller area of any land they acquired.  foreign investors can enter any construction development area  be it to build resorts  townships or commercial premises but they will have to construct at least 50 000 square meters (538 000 square feet) within a specific timeframe   said mr nath  without specifying the timeframe. previously foreign investors had to develop a much larger area  discouraging some from entering the indian market. this measure is designed to discourage foreign investors from buying and selling land speculatively  without developing it. anshuman magazine  managing director  of cb richard ellis - an international real estate company - told the bbc this was  a big positive step.   however  chittabrata majumdar  general secretary of the centre of indian trade unions (citu)  said allowing fdi in the country is compromising india s own  self reliance . he said   no country can develop on the basis of foreign investment alone.  mr majumdar also said an assessment should be made as to whether foreign investment is indeed beneficial to the country - in terms of employment and money generated - or just another way of international companies filling their deep pockets.


streets have  album of the year  the streets  aka british rapper and songwriter  mike skinner have topped a poll to find the year s best album.  a grand don t come for free beat keane s hope and fears in second place with franz ferdinand s self-titled album third  in the q magazine poll. skinner uses blunt beats under streetwise lyrics about such things as falling in love and drink and drugs. q magazine said:  a grand don t come for free captured the country s mood in a way no one could have predicted.  a grand don t come for free is the second album from the streets. it followed original pirate material. q magazine also had praise for the runners-up in the poll. keane s hopes and fears  was described as a  revelatory debut  which showed  they had songwriting flair to spare . it also said franz ferdinand s album sounded  natural  unforced (and) under-produced . rock band u2 s latest album how to dismantle an atomic bomb came fourth while razorlight s up all night was in fifth place. others notables on the list included dizzee rascal in at number 12 and the zutons at 20. estelle came in at 39  joss stone was 40th and jamelia took the 44th place.


irish duo could block man utd bid irishmen jp mcmanus and john magnier  who own a 29% stake in manchester united  will reportedly reject any formal £800m offer for the club.  the sunday times and the sunday telegraph say they will oppose any formal £800m takeover bid from us tycoon malcom glazer. mr glazer got permission to look at the club s accounts last week. irish billionaires mr mcmanus and mr magnier are said to believe that an £800m bid undervalues club prospects.  mr magnier and mr mcmanus  who hold their stake through their cubic expression investment vehicle have the power to block a bid. mr glazer s financial backers  including jp morgan  the us investment bank have said they won t back a bid unless it receives backing from the owners of at least 75% of the club s shares. however  there has been much speculation that the irish duo simply do not think the price offered - 300p a share - is high enough. mr glazer has been stalking the premier league football club since 2003.  mr magnier and mr mcmanus issued a statement late on friday saying that they remained  long-term investors  in man utd. the sunday telegraph says the board of manchester united also considered a management buyout at just over 300p but did not go ahead with it.


turkey deal  to help world peace  a deal bringing turkey a step closer to eu membership is of  fundamental importance  to the peace and security of the world  tony blair has said.  the deal  struck at the european council last week  also proved claims of a clash between muslims and christians were  wrong   mr blair said. it represented the achievement of an  historic british objective   he added. tory leader michael howard said the deal laid to rest any suggestion the eu was  anti-islamic .  turkey s involvement with the eu would provide an  invaluable bridge  between europe and the rest of the world  mr howard added. but the tory leader argued that the eu constitution was not designed to take in a country as large as turkey. mr blair has been a leading advocate of turkish membership despite controversy surrounding the idea. he insisted that the turkish leadership had made great advances in improving its human rights records. the deal to open formal talks with ankara came despite an eu demand for turkey to recognise cyprus.  it was agreed the issue can be tackled at a later date but turkish premier recep erdogan had to accept negotiations did not guarantee his country full eu membership. the internationally recognised southern part of cyprus is an eu member  but turkey  which occupies northern cyprus  had previously insisted it would not bow to demands to recognise the country  calling the issue a  red line . it could take up to 15 years before turkey is able to join  and entry cannot be guaranteed. if it joins  turkey may have to accept restrictions to limit migration by its citizens. the eu has also announced that it will start accession talks with croatia in april 2005. however  talks will begin only if the country co-operates fully with the un war crimes tribunal for the former yugoslavia.


nuclear body seeks new tech the computer systems used to monitor the world s nuclear power installations are so outdated that they are hampering the work of inspectors.  a spokesman for the international atomic energy agency (iaea) said its current technology could allow key information to be overlooked as it was more than 20 years old. such systems are the only method of tracking nuclear material worldwide. the agency has appealed for more funds to update its hardware and software.  a major overhaul of the system is needed to allow inspectors immediate  secure online access to information   said project manager livio costantini.  iaea inspectors make around 3 000 visits a year to more than 900 nuclear facilities worldwide. they are there to verify official reports of activities in the plants  to carry out environmental checks  and also to look for any signs that nuclear material is being smuggled in or out of the facility.  the computer system inspectors currently use for comparing data from earlier visits  for instance  was built in the 1970s and largely paper based. an iaea spokesman said this was extremely inefficient and makes searching for anomalies like searching for a needle in a haystack. the organisation is aiming to start a system upgrade in november  aiming to provide inspectors in the field with secure online access to previous inspection data  design blueprints of nuclear facilities  even satellite images of the plant. where possible  it hopes to link the system with national records of the import and export of nuclear materials. further analysis of these could help spot potential smuggling activities or illicit technology transfers between countries  according to a spokesman.  computer specialist at the iaea  peter smith  would like to be able to incorporate state of the art visualisation techniques  more familiar to video games players  into the inspector s toolkit.  the commercials you now see have people are moving around in a virtual world   he said.  if we could have that on our laptops  we could be walking through the plant seeing  on the laptop  how the plant should look.  and if there s a door in the wall that is not on our laptop  then we have a problem.  the iaea estimates the total cost of the four-year project to upgrade its technology will be $40m. so far it has only received $11m from the us and the uk.  failure to replace the hardware and software  and to integrate fully all the information system components will carry large risks   said an agency statement.


tv station refuses adoption show a tv station in the us has refused to show a controversial new series where adopted children try and pick their birth father - and win a cash prize.  the wraz-tv fox affiliate in north carolina was the only one of 182 stations to refuse monday s show. who s your daddy promises $100 000 (£52 000) to the contestant if she correctly identifies her father. it was met with protests by the national council for adoption  which said it  exploits  sensitive emotions.  it exploits the sensitive emotions of adoption   said thomas atwood  president of the national council for adoption.  it trivialises them. adoption is a very personal  meaningful experience and it should not be commercialised like this.  on the pre-taped programme  the contestant is presented with eight men who may or may not be her natural father.  if she picks the correct man from the line-up  the contestant wins the jackpot prize of us$100 000 (£52 590). however  if she picks the wrong man  then the impostor takes the money. fox producers defended the show  saying it was a  positive experience . they have made six specials  though only one episode has so far been broadcast.   the special was thoroughly vetted by our standards and practices department to ensure that it was appropriate for broadcast   said a fox spokesman.  however  any network affiliate that feels the programming may be inappropriate for their individual market has the right to pre-empt the schedule.  wraz-tv instead chose to air an independently-produced film  i have roots and branches... personal reflections on adoption  a documentary about families with adopted children.  we just don t think adoption is a game show   said tommy schenck  wraz-tv s general manager  though he said his decision had not been influenced by public protests.


pc photo printers challenge pros home printed pictures can be cheaper and higher quality than those from high street developers  tests shows.  a survey carried out by pc pro magazine looked at which of 100 home photo printers offered a better deal than handing your snaps to a photo lab. the tests found that images from top pc printers kept their colour longer than professionally produced photographs. but using the wrong printer cartridge could means snaps fade in months  warned the magazine.  the group test of 100 home photo printers for pcs discovered how much it costs to create images using the devices compared to online developers as well as high street names such as jessops  boots and snappy snaps. the comprehensive test also revealed how quickly different printers produced images  the quality of the finished image and how resistant finished pictures were to smudging or water damage. it found that although some ink for printers now costs more than £2 per millilitre it can still be cheaper to produce prints from photographs at home than it is to send them off to a high street store.  if you really like your photos  then it s definitely worth printing at home instead of going to the high street  but only if you choose the right printer   said nick ross  top tester at pc pro.  mr ross said that a new generation of printers produced images with brighter colours and that were less likely to fade than many high street developers or even some professional wedding photographers. some high street photo shops can be the cheapest when it came to developing prints that were 6x4in  said mr ross  but the test revealed that images 7x5in and 8x10in in size were cheaper to produce at home. according to pc pro  producing a print 8x10in on an epson r800 printer using top quality paper costs £1.87. at jessops the same image would cost £2.50 and at snappy snaps £9.99. a 10x7in snap at boots would cost £4.99.  considering how inconvenient it can be to go to the high street and how silver-halide prints can fade in the sun  we re adamant that it s now better  cheaper and more convenient to print at home   he said. ann simpson  marketing manager at snappy snaps believes the convenience of high street printing will continue to attract customers.  some people will want to do their own thing on their computer but the feedback to us is that customers often have to print two or three pictures at home in order to get a good one   she said.  many people are not skilled at getting the colour  contrast and cropping right and they don t want the hassle   she added. the magazine test found that which ink consumers use determined how long their prints lasted before they started fading. it recommended avoiding so-called third-party inks not produced by printer makers because they tended to produce prints that fade the quickest.


uk tv channel rapped for csi ad tv channel five has been criticised for sending  offensive  and  threatening  advertising material to viewers for a new show about murder scene scientists.  five mailed thousands of fake dossiers including photos of murder victims and an e-mail suggesting the recipient was being stalked by a serial killer. following complaints  the advertising standards authority contacted five to cease promotion of crime show csi:ny. five admitted it had sent out 55 000 promotion packs but had now stopped. the promotion material was sent in brown envelope of the type used by investigators in the series  a spin-off from the highly successful csi: crime scene investigation series  which also runs on five. the pack also features pictures of forensic evidence from a crime scene and a wanted poster  which did have a csi:ny logo printed in large at the bottom.  five said it had received 100 complaints but that it had been surprised at the reaction because it was  obvious this material is promoting a drama . a five spokesman said:  in light of the efforts we have made to make the nature of the contents so transparent we are surprised a very small minority of recipients have mistaken it as anything else.  everyone who was sent this promotion has expressed an interest in receiving details about this particular genre of programming on various websites.  we have also received emails and calls from recipients praising the originality and imagination of the campaign.


cardinal criticises iraq war cost billions of pounds spent on conflict in iraq and in the middle east should have been used to reduce poverty  cardinal cormac murphy-o connor has said.  the head of the catholic church in england and wales made the comments on bbc radio 4 and will re-iterate his stance in his christmas midnight mass. the cardinal used a christmas message to denounce the war in iraq as a  terrible  waste of money. he and the archbishop of canterbury have both spoken out about the war.  speaking on bbc radio 4 s thought for the day slot  he criticised the fact that  billions  have been spent on war  instead of being used to bring people  out of dire poverty and malnourishment and disease . the cardinal said 2005 should be the year for campaigning to  make history poverty . he added:  if the governments of the rich countries were as ready to devote to peace the resources they are willing to commit to war  that would be to see with new eyes and speak with a new voice and perhaps then others would listen to us with new ears.  the cardinal will touch on this theme again on friday night when he will tell the congregation of 2 000 at westminster cathedral that peace is  worth  always  striving for .   how is it that peace has not arrived    the cardinal will ask.  how is it that there is war in iraq  violence in the holy land  and the horror of pain and death amongst the poor and deprived who suffer from injustice and thus do not find peace    how can one wish a happy christmas for our fellow christians in iraq or in the holy land or those who suffer in africa unless you and i  in whatever way is open to us  say and do what makes for peace   both the cardinal and archbishop of canterbury dr rowan williams appealed for the weapons inspectors to be given more time in iraq before the war started. dr williams has since criticised the government over its case for war  saying the failure to find weapons of mass destruction had damaged faith in the political system.  on friday  the cardinal will ask the congregation to search for peace.  it is possible  it is real  it is worth  always  striving for  because of the promise of our saviour   he will say.  i also wish you peace in your homes because peace in your home is the beginning of peace in the homes of the community.   a spokesman said downing street had no comment to make. but prime minister tony blair has said he will put africa at the top of the agenda when britain chairs the g8 summit next year.


show over for mtv s the osbournes rock star ozzy osbourne has said his family will not make any more episodes of reality tv show the osbournes.   at the end of it i didn t like having cameras around the house all the time   the black sabbath singer told reporters at the mtv europe awards in rome. his wife sharon  who also appears in the popular mtv show based on the osbournes  family life  agreed.  now everybody s doing reality shows. he s done it  he s been there  he s got to do something else   she said.  ozzy osbourne said he had had enough of the work involved in making the series.  when you watch a 25-minute episode  i ve been filming all day   he said. sharon osbourne is currently appearing as a judge and mentor in itv1 talent show the x-factor alongside simon cowell and louis walsh.  earlier this year she topped a poll of the most important people in rock  for her part in guiding the career of husband ozzy and her family. she was the driving force behind the osbournes  which ran for three series  earning the family a reported $85m (£46m). the renewed popularity for ozzy has seen sales of his merchandise hit the $50m (£27.2m) mark  a record for a heavy metal artist. sales of t-shirts  accessories and action figures have rocketed since the osbournes hit screens. at its peak  the osbournes had a regular audience of eight million  with america s tv guide magazine describing the series as  a cross between the simpsons and this is spinal tap . osbourne himself was at a loss to explain its popularity:  i suppose americans get a kick out of watching a crazy brit family like us make complete fools of ourselves every week.


us firm  bids for lacroix label  a us firm has said it is in final negotiations with luxury goods group lvmh to buy the loss-making christian lacroix haute-couture house.  paris-based lvmh has been selling non-core businesses and focusing on its most profitable labels including moet & chandon champagne and louis vuitton. privately-held falic group bought two cosmetics brands  hard candy and urban decay  from lvmh in early 2003. the florida company also own a chain of 90 duty free stores in the us. lvmh refused to comment on the reports. but one of the three brothers behind the falic group said the firm had also held talks with the designer christian lacroix  and wished to retain him.  we are buying his name   simon falic told the reuters news agency.  we have plans to increase the exposure of the brand and increase the volume of business.


firms pump billions into pensions employers have spent billions of pounds propping up their final salary pensions over the past year  research suggests.  a survey of 280 schemes by incomes data services  (ids) said employer contributions had increased from £5.5bn to £8.2bn a year  a rise of 49.7%. companies facing the biggest deficits had raised their pension contributions by 100% or more  ids said. many firms are struggling to keep this type of scheme open  because of rising costs and increased liabilities. a final salary scheme  also known as a defined benefit scheme  promises to pay a pension related to the salary the scheme member is earning when they retire.  the rising cost of maintaining such schemes has led many employers to replace final salary schemes with money purchase  or defined contribution  schemes. these are less risky for employers. under money purchase schemes  employees pay into a pension fund which is used to buy an annuity - a policy which pays out an income until death - on retirement.  ids said there were some schemes in good health.  but  in many cases  firms had been forced to top up funds to tackle  yawning deficits . the level of contributions paid by employers has increased gradually since the late 1990s. in 1998/99  for example  contributions rose by 4.7% and in 2002/03 by 8.6%. in contrast  between 1996 and 1998  some employers cut their contribution levels. helen sudell  editor of the ids pensions service  said the rise in contributions was  staggering  and the highest ever recorded by ids.  we have warned before that the widespread closure of final salary schemes to new entrants is just the beginning of a much bigger movement away from paternalistic provision   said ms sudell.  with figures like this there can be little doubt that many employers will have to reduce future benefits at some point for those staff still in these schemes.


putting a face to  big brother  literally putting a face on technology could be one of the keys to improving our interaction with hi-tech gadgets.  imagine a surveillance system that also presents a virtual embodiment of a person on a screen who can react to your behaviour  and perhaps even alert you to new e-mails. basic versions of these so-called avatars already exist. together with speech and voice recognition systems  they could replace the keyboard and mouse in the near future. some of these ideas have been showcased at the london s science museum  as part of its future face exhibition.  one such avatar is jeremiah. it is a virtual man  which you can download for free and install in your computer.  his creator  richard bowden  lecturer at the centre for vision  speech and signal processing at the university of surrey  refers to jeremiah as  him   rather than it.  jeremiah is a virtual face that attempts to emulate humans in the way it responds to activity. he is very childlike  he likes visual stimulus   he told the bbc news website.  when he sees children running and laughing and waving at him  he smiles at them. if you ignore him  he gets angry. if you leave  he gets sad. and you can also even surprise him.  jeremiah is not actually intelligent. it works on vision  reacting in a preset way to the information provided by a surveillance tracker system. it is not able to talk or to hear you  at least not yet. the surrey team is already working on jeremiah s next version  that will replace the human face with an underwater and more interactive creature: finn the fish.  i am interested in the interaction  providing the ability of a system to watch what s going on and make decisions based on that   explained dr bowden.  the research comes at a time when people are having to cope with an increasing number of hi-tech gadgets.  experts say a much more natural way to interact with these devices  such as a virtual human  could make it much easier to make the most of all those new gizmos.  if you get up at three o clock in the morning  and you go downstairs  there are probably two things you are going to do: either going to the bathroom  or maybe you are going to make a cup of tea   said dr bowden.  now if the system can watch your behaviour over time  it can learn this  so it would predict what you are going to do  turn on the lights for you  or  before you even get to the kettle  it could have switched it on.  you might even be able to tell your home surveillance system that you will be going away on holiday  and ask if it could make sure that the house is secure once you have left. this might sound like a scary vision of an orwellian future. but it might all depend on the face that is watching you.  when we put the surveillance cameras in our centre  a lot of people were very unhappy about the fact that there was a system watching them   said dr bowden.  but when jeremiah s camera went in  nobody minded  because although it s still watching them  they could see what it was watching.


global blogger action day called the global web blog community is being called into action to lend support to two imprisoned iranian bloggers.  the month-old committee to protect bloggers  is asking those with blogs to dedicate their sites on 22 february to the  free mojtaba and arash day . arash sigarchi and mojtaba saminejad are both in prison in iran. blogs are free sites through which people publish thoughts and opinions. iranian authorities have been clamping down on prominent sites for some time.  i hope this day will focus people   curt hopkins  director of the committee  told the bbc news website.  the group has a list of actions which it says bloggers can take  including writing to local iranian embassies. the committee has deemed tuesday  free mojtaba and arash day  as part of its first campaign. it is calling on the blogsphere - the name for the worldwide community of bloggers - to do what it can to help raise awareness of the plight of mojtaba and arash as well as other  cyber-dissidents .  if you have a blog  the least you could do is put nothing on that blog except  free mojtaba and arash day    said mr hopkins.  that would mean you could see that phrase 7.1 million times. that alone will shine some light on the situation.  if you don t have one  find one dedicated to that - it takes about 30 seconds.  technorati  a blog search engine  tracks about six million blogs and says that more than 12 000 are added daily. a blog is created every 5.8 seconds  according to a us research think-tank.  the committee to protect bloggers was started by us blogger curt hopkins and counts fired flight attendant blogger ellen simonetti as a deputy director. she has since started the international bloggers  bill of rights  a global petition to protect bloggers at work. although not the only website committed to human rights issues by any means  it aims to be the hub or organisation  information and support for bloggers in particular and their rights to freedom of speech.  the committee  although only a month old  aims to be the focal point for blogger action on similar issues in the future  and will operate as a non-for-profit organisation.  blogging is in this weird no man s land. people think of it as being one thing or another depending on their point of view   said mr hopkins.  some think of themselves as pundits  kind of like journalists  and some like me have a private blog which is just a publishing platform.  but they do not have a constituency and are out there in the cold.   it is not just human rights issues in countries which have a track record of restricting what is published in the media that is of concern to bloggers. the question of bloggers and what rights they have to say what they want on their sites is a thorny one and has received much press attention recently. high profile cases in which employees have been sacked for what they have said on their personal  and often anonymous blogs  have highlighted the muddy situation that the blogsphere is currently in.   this is a big messy argument   explained mr hopkins. he added:  it is just such a new way of doing business  there will be clamp downs.  but the way these issues get tested is through the courts which  said mr hopkins   is part of the whole messy conversation.   if you haven t already got bloggers in your company  you will have them tomorrow - and if you don t have a blogger policy now you had better start looking at having one. mr hopkins said that the blogsphere - which is doubling every five months - was powerful because it takes so little time and expertise to create a blog.  everyone does this - mums  radicals  conservatives   he said. many companies offer easy-to-use services to create a blog and publish it in minutes to a global community.  that is the essential difference. what i call  templating software  gives every single person on earth the chance to have one.  you don t even have to have your own computer.


mauresmo opens with victory in la amelie mauresmo and maria sharapova won their opening matches at the tour championships in los angeles.  france s mauresmo routed vera zvonareva 6-1 6-0  while wimbledon champion sharapova was a 6-1 6-4 winner over fellow russian svetlana kuznetsova. american serena williams also won  edging russian elena dementieva 7-6 7-5 for her second victory of the event. the event is split into two groups of four with the top two from each advancing to the semi-finals.  mauresmo s win was her ninth in a row as she tries to overtake lindsay davenport for the number one spot. mauresmo spent five weeks at number one after the us open before injury ushered davenport back in front.  since then  i feel very confident on court and my game is there. i want to get the ranking back  but it s very different than before i was number one.  it was an obsession  but now i take it in a relaxed way.  mauresmo completed her first match in the season-ending championship in 54 minutes as russia s zvonareva struggled to return her serve and failed to achieve a single break point.   she got mad a little bit and i played some great tennis   said mauresmo  who was runner-up to kim clijsters in last year s final. zvonareva has lost both her games so far  having crashed 6-2 6-4 kuznetsova in the staples centre on wednesday.  sometimes not everything works   she said.  it was lots of pressure. maybe that is why i couldn t do 100%. but i was fighting.  sharapova  who lost 6-2 6-2 to kuznetsova in beijing in september  said:  in beijing  she was coming off such a big winning streak [14 matches] and she was unstoppable.  this time  it was important to start off well and put some pressure on her.  the tournament debutant added:  i love it here. the atmosphere is great.  to be here where the lakers play  you just feel that excitement. i love basketball.  williams admitted she is still some way off her best form but remained positive after two wins in two days.  it s hard to go out there and get it right but i m fighting and i m hoping   said williams.  what makes me happy is the effort. i had a really good effort today.  i m trying to add new dimensions to my game.


boeing secures giant japan order boeing is to supply japan airlines with up to 50 of its forthcoming 7e7 planes in a deal that could be worth as much as $6bn (£3.1bn) for the us giant.  japan airlines has made a firm order for 30 of the aircraft  at $120m each  with the option to buy 20 more. asia s biggest airline joins japanese rival all nippon as one of the first carriers to order the mid-size 7e7  which boeing says is super-economical. airbus this week announced the first pre-sale of its 7e7 rival - the a350. boeing s great european competitor is to sell 10 of its forthcoming a350 to spanish carrier air europe  which has the option to buy two more in a deal that could be worth more than $1.8bn. both the 7e7 and the a350 are being designed to be as fuel-efficient as possible in the 200- to 300-seat sector  and each will be available in both short and long range versions.  japan airlines said it had looked at both aircraft before choosing the 7e7  also known as the dreamliner.  we chose the 7e7 after carefully considering both it and airbus  aircraft   said a japan airlines spokesman.  the 7e7 fits better for what we needed and it could be delivered when we hoped to get it.  boeing continues to enjoy a dominance over airbus in japan  and japanese companies are taking key roles in building the 7e7. the first 7e7s will be delivered to japan airlines in april 2008. boeing has set itself a target of getting 200 firm commitments for the 7e7 by the end of this year  and has orders for 56 so far. airbus hopes to have 50 orders in place for the a350 by mid-2005.


strachan turns down pompey former southampton manager gordon strachan has rejected the chance to become portsmouth s new boss.  the scot was pompey chairman milan mandaric s first choice to replace harry redknapp  who left fratton park for rivals saints earlier in december.  i think it s a fantastic job for anybody apart from somebody who has just been the southampton manager   strachan told the bbc. club director terry brady held initial talks with strachan on saturday. the former scotland international added that joining southampton s local rivals would not be a wise move.  it s got everything going for it but i ve got too many memories of the other side and i don t want to sour those memories   he said.  everything s right - it s 10 minutes away  there are good players there  a good set-up  a good atmosphere at the ground.  there s lots to do but it s not right for somebody who has just been the southampton manager.  since redknapp s departure  executive director velimir zajec and coach joe jordan have overseen first-team affairs.  the duo had gone five matches unbeaten until sunday s 1-0 defeat at home to champions arsenal  but the club are still in a respectable 12th place in the premiership table. strachan left st mary s in february  after earlier announcing his intention to take a break from the game at the end of the 2003-04 season. his previous managerial experience came at coventry  whom he led for five years from 1996 to 2001.


wenger shock at newcastle dip arsenal manager arsene wenger has admitted he is at a loss to explain why newcastle are languishing in the bottom half of the table.  the gunners travel to st james  park on wednesday  with newcastle 14th in the premiership after a troubled season. and wenger said:  at the beginning of the season you would expect them to be fighting for the top four.  i don t know how they got to be where they are. it looks to me from the outside that they have many injuries.   arsenal go into the game on the back of a 2-0 victory over fulham on sunday. and wenger added:  the best way to prepare for a game is to win the previous one. we will go to newcastle in good shape.  fatigue won t play too big a part in the next few weeks as we have players coming back so i can rotate a bit more.  we do not play a season with 11 players and i believe that all of our squad deserve a chance in the team.  striker thierry henry  along with robert pires  scored against fulham. and henry afterwards described the display as  beautiful to watch . he said:  what matters is winning and the three points  of course. that is the only thing that really matters. but it is more enjoyable when you play like we did against fulham.  we are playing as a team and that is important because there were some games when we maybe were not there as a team and suffered for that. those were games we lost.


wal-mart fights back at accusers two big us names have launched advertising campaigns to  set the record straight  about their products and corporate behaviour.  the world s biggest retailer wal-mart took out more than 100 full page adverts in national newspapers. the group is trying to see off criticism over it pay deals  benefits package and promotion strategy. meanwhile  drugs group eli lilly is planning a campaign against  false  claims about its product prozac. wal-mart kicked off the battle with adverts in newspapers like the wall street journal  using an open letter from company president lee scott saying it was time for the public to hear the  unfiltered truth .   there are lots of  urban legends  going around these days about wal-mart  but facts are facts. wal-mart is good for consumers  good for communities and good for the us economy   mr scott said in a separate statement.  its adverts - and a new website - outlined the group s plans to create more than 10 000 us jobs in 2005. wal-mart s average pay is almost twice the national minimum wage of $5.15 (£3.90) an hour  while employees are offered health and life insurance  company stock and a retirement plan  the adverts say. unions accuse wal-mart of paying staff less than its rivals do  with fewer benefits. in california  the company is fighting opposition to new stores amid allegations it forces local competitors out of business. lawmakers in the state are also examining allegations that the firm burdens the state with an unfair proportion of employee health care costs.  i think they are going to have a tough time suddenly overcoming the perceptions of some people   said larry bevington  chairman of save our community - a group fighting to prevent wal-mart opening a store in rosemead  california. wal-mart is also fighting two lawsuits - one accusing it of discriminating against women and another alleging it discriminates against black employees.  meanwhile eli lilly is launching a series of adverts in a dozen major newspapers  to present what is says are the true facts about its anti-depressant drug prozac.  the move is in response to a british medical journal article that claimed  missing  lilly documents linked prozac to suicide and violent behaviour. in the averts  entitled an open letter from chief executive sidney taurel  the company says the article continues to  needlessly spread fear among patients who take prozac .  it was simply wrong to suggest that information on prozac was missing  or that important research data on the benefits and possible side effects of the drug were not available to doctors and regulators   the letter added. eli lilly s chief medical officer alan breier said that the article was  false and misleading  as the documents it referred to were actually created by officials at the us food and drug administration (fda) and presented to an fda meeting in 1991. later  fda medical advisors agreed the claims were based on faulty data and there was no increased risk of suicide.


eu referendum could cost £80m  it could cost £80m to run a uk referendum on the european constitution  ministers have revealed.  in a written parliamentary answer  constitutional affairs minister chris leslie said the poll was likely to cost the same as a general election. mr leslie said the cost could not be compared with the only previous british referendum  held 30 years ago. ministers say the constitution would make the european union work better but critics fear creating a  super state . labour mp john cryer  whose question revealed the price estimate  said the cost surprised him but was not a central factor as it was important people had their say. but he said it would have been better to have rejected the constitution so avoiding the need for a referendum. the 2001 election cost £80m. no date for the vote has been set but foreign secretary jack straw has suggested it is unlikely to be held until early 2006 - after the predicted date for the next election. most voters said the uk should stay in the common market in the 1975 referendum.


blogs take on the mainstream web logs or blogs are everywhere  with at least an estimated five million on the web and that number is set to grow.  these online diaries come in many shapes and styles  ranging from people willing to sharing their views  pictures and links  to companies interested in another way of reaching their customers. but this year the focus has been on blogs which cast a critical eye over news events  often writing about issues ignored by the big media or offering an eye-witness account of events. most blogs may have only a small readership  but communication experts say they have provided an avenue for people to have a say in the world of politics. the most well-known examples include iraqi salam pax s accounts of the us-led war  former iranian vice-president mohammad ali abtahi exclusive insight into the islamic republic s government  and the highs and lows of the recent us election campaign. there are already websites pulling together these first-hand reporting accounts heralded by blogs  like wikinews.com  launched last november.  the blogging movement has been building up for many years.  andrew nachison  director of the media center  a us-based think-tank that studies media  technology and society  highlights the us presidential race as a possible turning point for blogs.  you could look at that as a moment when audiences exercised a new form of power  to choose among many more sources of information than they have never had before   he says.  and blogs were a key part of that transformation.  among them were blogs carrying picture messages  saying  we are sorry  for george w bush s victory and the responses from his supporters. mr nachison argues blogs have become independent sources for images and ideas that circumvent traditional sources of news and information such as newspapers  tv and radio.  we have to acknowledge that in all of these cases  mainstream media actually plays a role in the discussion and the distribution of these ideas   he told the bbc news website.  but they followed the story  they didn t lead it.   some parts of the so-called traditional media have expressed concerns about this emerging competitor  raising questions about the journalistic value of blogs.  others  like the french newspaper le monde  have applied a different strategy  offering blogs as part of its content.  i don t think the mission and role of journalism is threatened. it is in transition  as society itself is in transition   says mr nachison. however  he agrees with other experts like the linguist and political analyst noam chomsky  that mainstream media has lost the traditional role of news gatekeeper.  the one-to-many road of traditional journalism  yes  it is threatened. and professional journalists need to acclimate themselves to an environment in which there are many more contributors to the discourse   says mr nachison.  the notion of a gatekeeper who filters and decides what s acceptable for public consumption and what isn t  that s gone forever.   with people now walking around with information devices in their pockets  like camera or video phones  we are going to see more instances of ordinary citizens breaking stories.   it seems unlikely that we will end up living in a planet where every human is a blogger.  but the current number of blogs is likely to keep on growing  in a web already overloaded with information. blog analysis firm technorati estimates the number of blogs in existence  the so-called blogosphere  has already exceeded five million  and is growing at exponential levels. tools such as google s blogger  movabletype and the recently launched beta version of msn spaces are making it easier to run a blog. us research think-tank pew internet & american life says a blog is created every 5.8 seconds  although less than 40% of the total are updated at least once every two months. but experts agree that the phenomenon  allowing individuals to publish  share ideas  exchange information  comment on current issues  post images or video on the web easily  is here to stay.  we are entering one era in which the technological infrastructure is creating a different context for how we tell our stories and how we communicate with each other   said mr nachison.  and there s going to be bad that comes with the good.


venezuela identifies  idle  farms venezuelan authorities have identified more than 500 farms  including 56 large estates  as idle as it continues with its controversial land reform policy.  under a 2001 land law  the government can tax or seize unused farm sites. a further 40 000 farms are yet to be inspected  the state s national land institute has told associated press. vice president jose vicente rangel has said farmers and ranchers with their titles in order and their lands productive have  nothing to fear.  critics of the land reform policy claim president hugo chavez is trying to enforce a communist-style economic programme that ignores property rights and will damage the country. land owners claim the national land institute has made mistakes in classifying lands as public or private.  but the government - venezuela s largest land owner - say they are proceeding cautiously to prevent conflicts. in a statement  mr rangel said the land reform is not against the constitution  which permits private property  while stressing the efforts are to  vindicate social and economically  years of inequality in the country.  one property in conflict with the government is the el charcote cattle ranch  run by agroflora  a subsidiary of the uk food group vestey. agriculture minister arnoldo marquez told reuters news agency the site s documents  do not guarantee that this is a private land . administrators of the ranch  however  have complained that pro-chavez squatters have taken over 80% of the property in the last four years  and the uk government has asked venezuelan authorities to resolve the conflict.  you should ask the company when they are going to put their papers in order and hand over the land that is not theirs   said mr marquez.


french honour for director parker british film director sir alan parker has been made an officer in the order of arts and letters  one of france s highest cultural honours.  sir alan received his decoration in paris on wednesday from french culture minister renaud donnedieu de vabres.  you have explored the possibilities of film with an immense talent   mr de vabres said as he presented the award. parker praised french films  saying:  hollywood  which created modern cinema  uses it only as a commodity.  he told the minister:  i am honoured to be thus distinguished by france  the flag carrier of cinema throughout the world.  sir alan s films include oscar-winning fame plus midnight express and the commitments.  a founding member of the director s guild of great britain  he is a former chairman of the uk film council and on the board of the british film institute.  through your work and your campaigns  you have shown us how the artist occupies an essential place in our contemporary society   mr de vabres said.  through your dreams which you show us  through the links that you weave  you question the world through the mirror of your work.  he also cited the director s 2003 film the life of david gale  in which kevin spacey played a man on death row  as proof of his  veritable artistic commitment against the death sentence .


music man to the oscars bill conti s job of musical director of the oscars show is not for the faint-hearted since conducting the orchestra is the ultimate plate-spinning assignment.  this year marks conti s 17th turn at the helm of the academy awards orchestra.  the excitement is a live performance as a musician   he says.  all of your colleagues  everyone in the film industry is in the theatre. all the important people.  i guess it s just a television show but we always think it s a bit more.  the orchestra strikes up more than 110 times during the average oscars show. as well as playing the presenters and winners on and off stage  it also performs during the commercial breaks to entertain the live audience in the house.   it s a very busy evening  it takes a certain amount of preparation of music  orchestrating  sketching rehearsing  before the show. but you don t know what the unexpected will be and as the musical director  it s exciting   explains conti. and much of the preparation goes into mastering scores that will never be performed.  we don t know who the winners will be. so when they say   the winner is   we have five different pieces of music in front of us  they say the name  we play the appropriate one immediately   adds conti.  the orchestra is often called upon to play when the winners ramble on too long during their acceptance speeches  despite being told to be brief by the show s producers.  the decision to drown out or  kill  the offending star with music is relayed from the director s box to the orchestra via conti s earpiece.  i don t feel good about it at all. it s not my call though   he says.  when the director says  music  the orchestra plays and he takes a long shot of the hall. we don t usually see the person speaking while his microphone is cut off.  the person that s been cut off  who s 10 feet from me  is glaring at me like it s death time.  on occasions  some stars have taken it upon themselves to send a warning shot across the bows of the musical director before they start to speak.  julia roberts  when she came on  she asked me to not get ready to play because she had so much to do   he says. conti received an oscar in 1983 for the original score of the right stuff. he also received two nominations in the original song category in 1976 for gonna fly now from rocky and in 1981 for the title song from for your eyes only.   it s a moment in the sun   he says.  when people get up there  some people  this is hard to believe  people that spend their lives in front of the camera or audiences entertaining  might get a little flustered.  but there s this moment in time when the biggest award that they could possibly get in their life has been handed to them and they re either not in control or they want to thank everyone that they ever met.   the image of the oscars telecast is one of slick presentation and smooth transitions between performances and the award categories. behind the scenes  the key players  such as conti  have a bewildering array of technical props to deal with.  there s a big script and video monitors you have to watch and there are also audio controls. i can control hearing in my ears  the left ear or the right ear - different things at different times.   i have to communicate with the director. i have a little microphone that s attached to my headset. to open up that microphone  i have a footswitch   he explains. conti s most nerve-wracking moment came during his first oscars show as musical director  in 1977  when a member of the orchestra alerted him that they could smell smoke. conti immediately told the show s director:  i start cursing and screaming  i tell him we re not going to die for this show - you must do something or i m going to climb out of this pit with 60 musicians and we re going to be home in 10 minutes.   oh no bill don t do anything   came the response.  imagine these elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen of the orchestra  60 or so of them in the pit and while we re playing  firemen with their helmets and their hatchets crawling among us trying to find the reason for the smoke.  the smell turned out to be new paint smouldering on the music stands.  no one died  it s not a big story  but it was scary at the time   laughs conti. when the ceremony is over  the music director attends the annual governor s ball with his family.  i have a drink and relive the show   he says.  i m not for too much carousing. i go home and unwind. it takes me about a day.


kilroy-silk attacked with slurry euro mp robert kilroy-silk has had a bucket of farm slurry thrown over him by a protester in manchester.  the uk independence party member was arriving for a bbc radio show when the attacker emerged from behind a bush. fellow guest ruth kelly mp was also hit by the slurry. mr kilroy-silk said the man  who later disappeared  claimed he was  doing it in the name of islam . in january  mr kilroy-silk quit his bbc one show for remarks he made about arabs  who he called  suicide bombers .  mr kilroy-silk had already been taken off air by bbc bosses for the comments  in which he also described arabs as  limb-amputators  women repressors . the remarks prompted outrage among muslim groups. the slurry attack took place on friday as mr kilroy-silk and ms kelly  a cabinet office minister and bolton west mp  arrived at manchester high school for girls for the recording of bbc radio 4 s any questions.  the police were called but the attacker had disappeared by the time officers arrived. they are treating the incident as assault. the programme s host  jonathan dimbleby  later told the audience the mep had been covered from  head to toe . mr kilroy-silk was still able appear to appear on the show after being loaned a change of clothes.  he told reporters he was  very angry  and planned to press charges if his attacker was caught. he said the man shouted:  you ve offended my religion  i m doing this in the name of islam.   as i started to turn round a guy tipped a bucket of farmyard muck over me and then threw the rest of it over me and the car   mr kilroy-silk said.  i was totally covered  it was all through my clothes  and it stank to high heaven. it went all inside the car and splattered ruth kelly.  a bbc spokesman said:  he took his seat as jonathan dimbleby was introducing the show. fortunately someone at the school had a change of clothes to let him have.  greater manchester police said people near mr kilroy-silk had also been hit by the waste. officers took statements at the scene  but no arrests have been made. police say the suspect ran off after towards wilmslow road after committing the offence but is believed to have been driving a red vauxhall corsa earlier. the suspect is described as white  aged 30 to 40  with a ginger beard. police want to hear from anyone who has any information.  mr kilroy-silk  an mep for the east midlands  resigned the uk independence party whip in the european parliament in october  after criticising ukip and stating his ambition to be leader. however  he remains a member of the party. he said on friday he hoped to be elected party leader before christmas.  i think that is sufficient time for us to put in process what is necessary... in time for us to fight and have a significant impact upon the general election.  but a ukip spokesman said that would be impossible under the party s constitution  which requires 70 days before any leadership ballot can take place.


google to scan famous libraries the libraries of five of the world s most important academic institutions are to be digitised by google.  scanned pages from books in the public domain will then be made available for search and reading online. the full libraries of michigan and stanford universities  as well as archives at harvard  oxford and the new york public library are included. online pages from scanned books will not have adverts but will have links to online store amazon  google said.   the goal of the project is to unlock the wealth of information that is offline and bring it online   said susan wojcicki  director of product management at google.  there will also be links to public libraries so that the books can be borrowed. google will not be paid for providing for the links. it will take six years to digitise the full collection at michigan  which contains seven million volumes. users will only have access to extracts and bibliographies of copyrighted works. the new york library is allowing google to include a small portion of books no longer covered by copyright.  harvard is limiting its participation to 40 000 books  while oxford wants google to scan books originally published in the 19th century and held in the bodleian library. a spokeswoman for oxford university said the digitised books would include novels  poetry  political tracts and art books.  important works that are out of print or only available in a few libraries around the world will be made available to everyone   she said. about one million books will be scanned by google  less than 15% of the total collection held in the bodleian.  we hope that oxford s contribution to this project will be of scholarly use  as well as general interest  to people around the world   said reg carr  director of oxford university library services.   it s a significant opportunity to bring our material to the rest of the world   said paul leclerc  president of the new york public library.  it could solve an old problem: if people can t get to us  how can we get to them    this is the day the world changes   said john wilkin  a university of michigan librarian working with google.  it will be disruptive because some people will worry that this is the beginning of the end of libraries.  but this is something we have to do to revitalise the profession and make it more meaningful.


hi-tech posters guide commuters interactive posters are helping londoners get around the city during the festive season.  when interrogated with a mobile phone  the posters pass on a number that people can call to get information about the safest route home. sited at busy underground stations  the posters are fitted with an infra-red port that can beam information directly to a handset. the posters are part of transport for london s safe travel at night campaign.  the campaign is intended to help londoners  especially women  avoid trouble on the way home. in particular it aims to cut the number of sexual assaults by drivers of unlicensed minicabs. nigel marson  head of group marketing at transport for london (tfl)  said the posters were useful because they work outside the mobile phone networks.  they can work in previously inaccessible areas such as underground stations which is obviously a huge advantage in a campaign of this sort   he said.  the posters will automatically beam information to any phone equipped with an ir port that is held close to the glowing red icon on the poster.  we started with infra-red because there are a huge number ir phones out there   said rachel harker  spokeswoman for hypertag which makes the technology fitted to the posters.  it s a well established technology.  hypertag is also now making a poster that uses short-range bluetooth radio technology to swap data. although the hypertags in the posters only pass on a phone number  ms harker said they can pass on almost any form of data including images  ring tones and video clips. she said that there are no figures for how many people are using the posters but a previous campaign run for a cosmetics firm racked up 12 500 interactions.  before we ran a campaign there was a big question mark of:  if we build it will they come    she said.  now we know that  yes  they will.  the tfl campaign using the posters will run until boxing day.


metlife buys up citigroup insurer us banking giant citigroup has sold its travelers life & annuity insurance arm to metlife for $11.5bn (£6.1bn).  the sale is a further move by citigroup away from its 1990s strategy of offering every financial service - insurance  broking and banking. profit growth in the insurance market has not matched expansion at citigroup s other businesses. for metlife  the us s leading insurance company  the purchase gives it access to a much larger distribution network.  robert benmosche  metlife s chairman and chief executive  said that it was a  great opportunity for the brand of metlife to be distributed through citigroup . under the agreement  metlife will be able to sell its products through citigroup over the next 10 years. the deal includes smith barney retail brokerages and citibank branches. the company will pay between $1bn and $3bn in metlife stock with the rest being made up of cash. travelers had sales of $5.2bn in 2004 and made a profit of $901m. it has total net assets of $96bn.  this deal employs some of metlife s excess capital in a potentially higher-return business and gives it more distribution   said stuart quint  an analyst at gartmore.


campbell to be lions consultant former government communications chief alastair campbell will act as a media consultant to sir clive woodward s 2005 lions on their tour to new zealand.  campbell  who left downing street earlier this year  will advise on media strategy before and during the tour.  i hope i can contribute to the planning and preparation  and to ensuring the media and public get the most out of the tour itself   he said.  i am also looking forward to going out for the later stages of the tour.  woodward s decision to call in prime minister tony blair s former spin doctor springs from the deterioration in media relations on the last lions tour of australia in 2001  when new zealander graham henry was the head coach. the furore surrounding the newspaper diaries of matt dawson and austin healey was compounded by other disillusioned players venting their frustration through the media.  the lions is a massive media event   said woodward  who will be the head coach.  there will be a huge level of interest from the travelling media  the fans that will go out in their thousands and the new zealand public.  we need to have the strategy and processes in place to deal with the pressures that will bring.  [alastair] will act as an advisor both in the build up to and on the tour itself. his role is to work closely with not only myself but (tour manager) bill beaumont  (media manager) louisa cheetham and (team manager) louise ramsay.  campbell is due to resume working for the government in the new year in the build-up to an anticipated may general election. the lions leave for new zealand on 24 may  with the first test match against the all blacks in christchurch on 25 june.


safin relieved at aussie recovery marat safin admitted he thought he was suffering another australian open final nightmare when he lost the opening set to lleyton hewitt.  the russian  who lost the 2002 and 2004 finals  fought back brilliantly to win 1-6 6-3 6-4 6-4.  i was nervous and i couldn t play tennis   said safin.  he started really well. he wasn t as nervous as i was because i was thinking of the two finals that i played and wasn t successful.  he added:  you really have to deal with the pressure because normally it never happens but when you come to the final you are so tight because you want to win.  i tried to play some tennis but i couldn t. he has huge experience  he s won two grand slam titles  he s won 24 titles  he s a great player and he deals with pressure.   from 4-1 down in the third set  safin played some of his best tennis to reel off seven games and take control of the match.  in the third set  just all of a sudden  it all turn around completely in a way i couldn t expect   said safin.  because he made a couple of mistakes  i was a little bit lucky at some point  then the confidence came back and i was back in the game.  and the russian revealed that the victory  and his semi-final win over world number one roger federer  had given him a massive boost for the future.  you get huge confidence because roger is a great player   said safin.  once i beat him  and then lleyton  it s like you get so much confidence in yourself that you really can play great.  you can win big titles and you can beat huge players in the finals and semi-finals.


labour accused of broken pledge labour has already broken its pre-election promise on immigration before the ink has dried on its new pledge card  the tories have claimed.  home secretary charles clarke has been quoted as telling labour members he wants more migrants to come to the uk. tory co-chairman liam fox said the comments were at odds with tony blair s prediction of a net cut in immigration. but mr clarke accused him of trying to score  cheap political points  by muddling immigration with asylum.  london s evening standard quoted mr clarke telling labour activists at a question and answer session in gateshead that he wanted britain to offer refuge for those fleeing tyranny.  that s not only a moral duty and a legal duty  but something which is part of the essence of this country   he said.   we want more migration  more people come to study and to work.  we want more people coming to look for refuge.  mr blair s was asked last wednesday if the government s new immigration plans  including a point system for economic migrants  would reduce net migration. the prime minister told mps:  the abusers will be weeded out  and as a result of the end of chain migration [where families have an automatic right to settle]  the numbers will probably fall.   on monday  dr fox told reporters:  the prime minister has broken his word so many times in the past but now his promises do not even last a week.  the labour party election pledges  even when they are so incredibly vague  do not even last four days.   the tories want quotas for economic migrants and refugees and on tuesday will outline more details of their plans for health checks on migrants. mr clarke dismissed the latest tory attack.  this is simply a scurrilous attempt by the tories to score cheap political points   he said.  the tories are purposely mixing together two separate issues of immigration and asylum.   mr clarke said he had made clear the uk would welcome genuine economic migrants for key jobs on a strict points based system. and only asylum seekers genuinely fleeing death or persecution would be admitted.  under our plans we expect unfounded applications to continue to fall   he added. earlier  dr fox accused mr blair and other cabinet ministers of telling lies about tory policies and then attacking the lies. he told bbc radio:  if you are willing to lie about the reasons for going to war  i guess you are going to lie about anything at all.  the latest pre-election spats come after mr blair told labour members the tories offered a  hard right agenda  which would take britain backwards. lib dem leader charles kennedy accelerating lib dem election preparations this week as he visits manchester  liverpool  leicester  somerset  basingstoke  shrewsbury  dorset and torbay.


da vinci film to star tom hanks actor tom hanks and director ron howard are reuniting for the da vinci code  an adaptation of the international best-selling novel by dan brown.  distributor sony pictures said production will begin next year  with a planned release in may 2006. hanks will play robert langdon  who is trying to solve the murder of a member of an ancient society that has protected dark secrets for centuries. it will be hanks  third collaboration with howard. they previously worked together  along with howard s producing partner brian grazer  on splash and apollo 13.  hanks is one of hollywood s most bankable stars  with his presence in a movie almost guaranteeing box office success. brown s book has become a publishing phenomenon  consistently topping book charts in the uk and us. it has sold more than eight million copies worldwide in little over two years. it is a classic whodunit  which centres on a global conspiracy surrounding the holy grail mythology and places heavy emphasis on symbols and cryptography. its protagonist is a harvard professor likened to a contemporary indiana jones  who also appeared in brown s first book angels and demons. the tale mixes art history with mythology  semiotics with medieval history.


lib dems stress budget trust gap public trust in the handling of the economy can only be restored if gordon brown opens up his books for unbiased inspection  say the lib dems.  city experts say there is a £10bn  black hole  in the public finances  a claim denied by the chancellor. lib dem spokesman vince cable said the public did not know who to believe and the national audit office should judge. responding to the pre-budget report  mr cable also attacked labour s  unfair  and over-complicated taxes.  in his report  mr brown insisted he was on course to meet his  golden rule  of borrowing only to invest  rather than for day-to-day spending  over the course of the economic cycle. mr cable said people did not know whether to believe the chancellor or the consensus among experts which said the rule would be broken.  there is an issue of credibility and trust   he said.  we cannot have a continuation of a situation where the chancellor sets his own tests and then marks them.  what we need is the equivalent of a thorough ofsted inspection of the government s accounts.  he asked what the government had to hide.  mr cable also accused the chancellor of ducking tough choices. he argued:  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 confirmed he was setting aside another £520m for the conflicts in iraq and afghanistan. mr cable compared that new cost with the £500m needed for britain s role in the entire first gulf war - when 80% of the bill had been met through help from european and arab nations. he suggested keeping british troops in iraq could cost another £1bn with the government also planning to spend at least £3bn for identity cards. the current economic climate meant britain could not afford the  reckless  george bush-style tax cutting spree  planned by the tories  he said. instead  what was needed was simple and fair taxation rather than the  complete mess  produced by mr brown s endless tinkering.  mr cable said 40% of all pensioners were now paying marginal tax rates of 50%. and one-and-a-half million hard working families were paying 60% marginal tax rates. with that record  he asked why ministers attacked lib dem plans for a new 50% tax rate for the  very rich  - those earning more than £100 000 a year. mr brown earmarked £1bn to help keep down council tax rises next year. but the lib dem spokesman questioned whether that money was being found from cuts to education and health. he urged the government to scrap the  grossly unfair  tax completely. the lib dems want it replaced with a local income tax. in response  mr brown stressed the iraq money came from a reserve funds. it was because he had rejected previous lib dem proposals  such as scrapping the new deal  that britain s economy was successful  claimed mr brown.


chelsea denied by james heroics a brave defensive display  led by keeper david james  helped manchester city hold the leaders chelsea.  after a quiet opening  james denied damien duff  jiri jarosik and mateja kezman  while paul bosvelt cleared william gallas  header off the line. robbie fowler should have scored for the visitors but sent his header wide. chelsea had most of the possession in the second half but james kept out frank lampard s free-kick and superbly tipped the same player s volley wide. city went into the game with the proud record of being the only domestic team to beat chelsea this season. and there was little to alarm them in the first 30 minutes as chelsea - deprived of arjen robben and didier drogba through injury - struggled to pose much of a threat. indeed  it was the visitors who looked likelier to enliven a drab opening played at a lethargic pace. shaun wright-phillips - watched by england boss sven-goran eriksson - showed his customary trickery to burst into the right of the area and deliver a dangerous ball  which was blocked by john terry. but chelsea suddenly stepped up a gear and created a flurry of chances. first  duff got round ben thatcher and blasted in a shot that james parried to kezman  who turned the ball wide.  soon afterwards  jarosik found space in the area to powerfully head lampard s corner goalwards but james tipped the ball over. chelsea were now looking more like premiership leaders and james kept out kezman s fierce drive before bosvelt and james combined to clear gallas  header from duff s corner. city broke swiftly up the field and the last chance of a frenetic spell should have resulted in fowler celebrating his 150th premiership goal. wright-phillips raced down the left and crossed to fowler but city s lone man up front  left free by terry s slip  contrived to head wide when it seemed a breakthrough was certain. the second half started as quietly as the first  although james was forced to divert a cross from the lively duff away from eidur gudjohnsen s path. there was a nasty moment for petr cech  looking for a ninth straight clean sheet in the league  when a series of ricochets saw fowler chase a loose ball in the area and collide accidently with the czech republic stopper. another quiet spell followed  which duff interrupted with a surging run that was halted illegally on the edge of the penalty area by bosvelt. lampard stepped up to blast a shot through the wall and james somehow blocked it with his legs. another timely challenge  this time from richard dunne in time added on  prevented gudjohnsen from getting in a shot. there was still time for james to produce a sensational save to tip lampard s volley round the post.  cech  paulo ferreira  gallas  terry  bridge  jarosik (tiago 56)  lampard  makelele  duff  gudjohnsen  kezman (cole 63).  subs not used: johnson  smertin  cudicini.  makelele  gudjohnsen.  james  mills  distin  dunne  thatcher  shaun wright-phillips  bosvelt  barton  sibierski (mcmanaman 85)  musampa  fowler.  subs not used: macken  weaver  onuoha  jordan.  bosvelt.  42 093  h webb (s yorkshire).