o driscoll/gregan lead aid stars ireland s brian o driscoll will lead the northern hemisphere team in the irb rugby aid match at twickenham.  o driscoll heads a star-studded cast for the contest to raise funds for the tsunami appeal. the south will be led by george gregan  one of four wallabies  alongside five springboks and four all blacks including captain tana umaga. south african flanker schalk burger has shaken off a leg injury to take his place in the starting line-up. he will join fellow springboks john smit  cobus visagie and victor matfield in the south pack  with jacque fourie among the centres. the north side have been hit by the withdrawals of scotland duo gordon bulloch and chris cusiter  plus france captain fabien pelous.  but leicester s england centre ollie smith has been added to the squad  giving him an opportunity to impress lions coach sir clive woodward  who takes charge of the north side.  i think it s fantastic for ollie   tigers coach john wells told bbc radio leicester.  he was probably going to have the weekend off this week and i hope clive gets the chance to see the qualities that leicester and england have been seeing all year.  woodward will also assess other potential lions candidates such as scotland pair simon taylor and chris paterson  wales scrum-half dwayne peel and ireland lock paul o connell.  i m looking forward to working with such outstanding players   woodward said.  both teams are fielding top-quality sides and i really hope that the rugby public and community get behind this game to raise as much money as possible for such a deserving cause.  despite the withdrawal of wales wing rhys williams  who is required for the blues  celtic league match with munster  three other members of their six nations squad - ceri sweeney  john yapp and jonathan thomas - will also play.  not only it is for a good cause but it gives these players the opportunity to play with and against some of the best players in the world   said wru general manager steve lewis. supporters can watch the teams train for free at twickenham on friday  4 march. woodward will put his north team through their paces at 1030 gmt  with the south side  coached by former wallabies coach rod macqueen  due at the stadium at 1330.  c paterson (scotland)  b cohen (england)  b o driscoll (ireland  capt)  d traille (france)  o smith (england)  c sweeney (wales)  d humphreys (ireland)  d peel (wales); a lo cicero (italy)  p de villiers (france)  j yapp (wales)  r ibanez (france)  p o connell (ireland)  m bortolami (italy)  j thomas (wales)  s taylor (scotland)  l dallaglio (england)  s parisse (italy)  others to be added.  c latham (australia); b lima (samoa)  j fourie (sa) t umaga (new zealand)  s bobo (fiji); a mehrtens (nz) g gregan (aus  capt); c hoeft (nz)  j smit (sa)  c visagie (sa)  s maling (nz)  v matfield (sa)  s burger (sa)  p waugh (aus)  t kefu (aus).  e taukafa (tonga)  e guinazu (argentina)  s sititi (samoa)  o palepoi (samoa)  m rauluni (fiji)  t delport (sa)  a n other.


wenger offers mutu hope arsenal boss arsene wenger would consider signing adrian mutu once the striker has served his drugs ban.  mutu was sacked by chelsea on friday after testing positive for cocaine - a move wenger has backed. but he said:  i don t even wonder if that could happen because i think he will be suspended for a long period.  but once he has served his suspension  he has the right again to start from zero. i would then meet the player and see what he tells me.  mutu faces a ban of between six months and two years when the football association decides on his punishment. chelsea decided to act before his case was heard and sacked the striker on grounds of gross misconduct after it was revealed that he had failed a drug test.  but mutu has hit out at the club s decision  saying:  chelsea have destroyed me.  he told the sunday mirror:  i don t know what i m going to do. i am shocked and surprised by their decision.  i didn t expect them to pay me while i was suspended but i never thought they would sack me either.  why didn t they wait to do this  now my career is in ruins.  i might as well walk away from football. what is there left for me    chelsea have been criticised for their stance  with the professional footballers  association accusing the club of failing in their duty of care to the player. and mutu agreed  adding:  it is unfair. if they were going to sack me they should have done it afterwards.  why did they go public  to make an example of me  it makes it very difficult for me now.


ocean s twelve raids box office ocean s twelve  the crime caper sequel starring george clooney  brad pitt and julia roberts  has gone straight to number one in the us box office chart.  it took $40.8m (£21m) in weekend ticket sales  according to studio estimates. the sequel follows the master criminals as they try to pull off three major heists across europe. it knocked last week s number one  national treasure  into third place. wesley snipes  blade: trinity was in second  taking $16.1m (£8.4m). rounding out the top five was animated fable the polar express  starring tom hanks  and festive comedy christmas with the kranks.  ocean s twelve box office triumph marks the fourth-biggest opening for a december release in the us  after the three films in the lord of the rings trilogy. the sequel narrowly beat its 2001 predecessor  ocean s eleven which took $38.1m (£19.8m) on its opening weekend and $184m (£95.8m) in total. a remake of the 1960s film  starring frank sinatra and the rat pack  ocean s eleven was directed by oscar-winning director steven soderbergh. soderbergh returns to direct the hit sequel which reunites clooney  pitt and roberts with matt damon  andy garcia and elliott gould. catherine zeta-jones joins the all-star cast.  it s just a fun  good holiday movie   said dan fellman  president of distribution at warner bros. however  us critics were less complimentary about the $110m (£57.2m) project  with the los angeles times labelling it a  dispiriting vanity project . a milder review in the new york times dubbed the sequel  unabashedly trivial .


parties build up poll war chests the labour party received more than £5m in donations in the final quarter of 2004  new figures show.  this is nearly half of the £11 724 929 received by 16 political parties listed by the electoral commission. the conservatives were in second place with donations totalling £4 610 849  while the liberal democrats received just over £1m. the majority of labour s donations came from affiliated trade unions. there were also large sums from individuals. lord drayson  whose company powderject won multi-million pound contracts to provide smallpox vaccine to the government after the 11 september terror attacks  gave £500 000 to the party just days before christmas.  this followed an earlier donation of the same amount earlier in 2004. he was made a lord by tony blair last year. other significant donations came from retired millionaire businessman and philanthropist sir christopher ondaatje who gave the party a sum of £500 000  and refrigerator magnate william haughey obe who gave £330 000. the totals for the fourth quarter were well up on the same period of 2003  as the parties built up their war chests for the general election campaign. the largest donation to the conservatives was a bequest from ruth beardmore of nearly £400 000. the joint founder of merchant bank hambro magan gave £325 417. there were also donations topping £250 000 for the conservatives from scottish business groups focus on scotland and the institute of international research  the world s largest independent conference company.  also among the gifts to the tories were 24 donations totalling £161 840 from bearwood corporate services. this company is controlled by the party s former treasurer lord ashcroft which has directed almost £300 000 to specific marginal constituencies over the past two years. the liberal democrats  largest donor was the joseph rowntree reform trust ltd  a company which promotes political reform and constitutional change  which gave a sum of £250 000. and fast food giants mcdonald s are listed as donating a sum of £10 575. this was a fee the firm paid for a room for an event held with the work and skills foundation during the party s conference. the uk independence party  which lost its main donor paul sykes amid the row over robert kilroy-silk s bid for the leadership last autumn  took in £63 081. just £8 170 of this was cash and the remainder came in gifts in kind  such as office space and printing. registered political parties are required to set out each quarter all donations over £5 000 to their headquarters and over £1 000 to local constituency parties they receive. it is an offence for a person to knowingly or recklessly make a false declaration about party donations.


blair sees greater bush consensus george w bush will display a more consensual approach to world politics as he begins his second term as us president  tony blair has said.  the prime minister said mr bush had learned military force was not the only way to fight terrorism. he understood that  the best prospect of peaceful co-existence lies in the spread of democracy and human rights   mr blair told the guardian newspaper. mr bush was sworn in at a ceremony in washington dc on thursday.  echoing the new us secretary of state condoleezza rice  the prime minister said there has been a clear evolution of us policy since the war in afghanistan in 2001. mr blair had personally seen the change over time in conversations with mr bush. the president understood that while military and security measures were important  there also needed to be a multilateral approach to solving the world s problems.  turning to critics  fears that the us was poised for further military action  mr blair refused to give succour to suggestions it was preparing for strikes against iran. the prime minister conceded that the us had  what appears to be a harder position  towards the state than europe. but the prime minister pointed out that until now the us had allowed britain  france and germany to take the lead in trying to halt the iranian nuclear programme. following claims that us forces had worked inside iran to identify potential targets  mr blair was asked if the sas had also been in the country.  we never answer questions about special forces  but do not take that as indicating an affirmative   said mr blair.  mr blair said he believed the president was keen to work with other countries while trying to spread democracy and human rights.  it is significant  in my view  that he is coming to europe as his first foreign visit   said mr blair. following his inauguration  mr bush is due in europe at the end of january.


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


michael film signals  retirement  singer george michael has said that a new film about his life is the start of a retirement from public view.  the pop star said it would be a much more  behind the scenes affair   and called his own genre of music  dead .  i thought i should explain myself before i disappear   said michael  who was at the berlin film festival to launch the documentary. the film  a different story  chronicles michael s life and career from the 1980s and his personal struggles. the 41-year-old chart-topper told reporters in the german capital that he wanted to  move his career into a different form   but added that he does not know what it is going to be yet.   i m still going to be making music   he said  but added that he was  not going to be around . he hinted at discontent with the current state of music industry  and said:  i don t really think that there is anyone in the modern pop business who i feel i want to spar with.  michael said that the film  directed by southan morris  would put his two decades of fame into context.  it s almost as much for me as for my fans  in terms of trying to make sense of the last 22 years and bring it to a close in a proper way   he said. the documentary chronicles the highs and lows of his life in the public gaze  from his meteoric rise as one half of pop duo wham! to his arrest for lewd conduct in a los angeles toilet in 1998. the film also deals with the loss of michael s partner anselmo feleppa from an aids-related condition in 1993. a different story  which is being shown at the berlin film festival  has been screened by bbc one.


fox attacks blair s tory  lies  tony blair lied when he took the uk to war so has no qualms about lying in the election campaign  say the tories.  tory co-chairman liam fox was speaking after mr blair told labour members the tories offered a  hard right agenda . dr fox 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.  he would not discuss reports the party repaid £500 000 to lord ashcroft after he predicted an election defeat.  the prime minister ratcheted up labour s pre-election campaigning at the weekend with a helicopter tour of the country and his speech at the party s spring conference. he insisted he did not know the poll date  but it is widely expected to be 5 may.  in what was seen as a highly personal speech in gateshead on sunday  mr blair said:  i have the same passion and hunger as when i first walked through the door of 10 downing street.  he described his relationship with the public as starting euphoric  then struggling to live up to the expectations  and reaching the point of raised voices and  throwing crockery . he warned his supporters against complacency  saying:  it s a fight for the future of our country  it s a fight that for britain and the people of britain we have to win.   mr blair said that whether the public chose michael howard or mr kennedy  it would result in  a tory government not a labour government and a country that goes back and does not move forward . dr fox accused mr blair and other cabinet ministers of telling lies about their opponents  policies and then attacking the lies.  what we learned at the weekend is what labour tactics are going to be and it s going to be fear and smear   he told bbc news. the tory co-chairman attacked labour s six new pledges as  vacuous  and said mr blair was very worried voters would take revenge for his failure to deliver. dr fox refused to discuss weekend newspaper reports that the party had repaid £500 000 to former tory treasurer lord ashcroft after he said the party could not win the election.  we repay loans when they are due but do not comment to individual financial matters   he said  insisting he enjoyed a  warm and constructive  relationship to lord ashcroft.  meanwhile lib dem leader charles kennedy is expected to attack mr blair s words as he begins a nationwide tour on monday. mr kennedy is accelerating lib dem election preparations this week as he visits manchester  liverpool  leicester  somerset  basingstoke  shrewsbury  dorset and torbay. he said:  this is three-party politics. in the northern cities  the contest is between labour and the liberal democrats.  in southern and rural seats - especially in the south west - the principal contenders are the liberal democrats and the conservatives  who are out of the running in scotland and wales.  the lib dems accuse mr blair of making a  touchy-feely  speech to labour delegates which will not help him regain public trust.


yukos sues four firms for $20bn russian oil firm yukos has sued four companies for their role in last year s forced state auction of its key oil production unit yuganskneftegas.  yukos is claiming more than $20bn (£11bn) in damages after yugansk was sold in december to settle back taxes. the four companies named in the law suit are gas giant gazprom  its unit gazpromneft  investment company baikal  and state oil firm rosneft. yukos submitted the suit in houston  where it filed for bankruptcy. as well as suing for damages  yukos has asked the us court to send its tax dispute with the russian government to an international arbitrator. it also has submitted a reorganisation plan as part of its chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.  the clash between yukos and the kremlin came to a head last year when yukos was hit with a bill of more than $27bn in back taxes and unpaid fines. to settle the bill  russia forced yukos to sell off yuganskneftegas.  yukos called the sale illegal and has turned to courts in the us in an effort to regain control of the oil production business. it also has vowed to use all legal means at its disposal to go after any firm that tries to buy or take control of its assets. earlier this month it sued the russian government for $28.3bn. analysts have questioned whether a us court has any jurisdiction over russian companies  while moscow officials have dismissed yukos  legal wrangling as meaningless. in houston  bankruptcy judge letitia clark will start a two-day hearing on 16 february to hear arguments on whether a us court is the proper forum for the case.  the threat of legal action from yukos and its bankruptcy filing in houston did have an effect on last year s auction  however. concerned that it would be caught up in a court battle  gazprom and gazpromneft withdrew from the auction  and yuganskneftegas was sold to little-known investment firm baikal finance group. a few days later  baikal gave control of the company to state-run oil group rosneft for $9.3bn. rosneft  meanwhile  has agreed to merge with gazprom  bringing a large chunk of russia s very profitable oil business back under state control. yukos claims that the rights of its shareholders have been ignored and that is has been punished for the political ambitions of its founder mikhail khodorkovsky. mr khodorkovsky  once russia s richest man  is in prison  having been charged with fraud and tax evasion and repeatedly denied bail.


khodorkovsky quits yukos shares jailed tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky has transferred his controlling stake in oil giant yukos to a business partner.  mr khodorkovsky handed over his entire 59.5% stake in holding company group menatep - which controls yukos - to leonid nevzlin. a close ally of the ex-yukos boss  mr nevzlin is currently based in israel. mr khodorkovsky handed over his stake after the forced sale of yukos  core oil production unit  yuganskneftegaz to pay a giant tax bill.  yuganskneftegaz was sold off at auction in december last year  eventually falling into the hands of state oil firm rosneft in a deal worth $9.4bn (£5bn).  since the sale of yuganskneftegaz  i have been delivered of (all) responsibility for the business that remains and the group s money as a whole   mr khodorkovsky said.  it is all over. as before  i see my future in public activity to build a civil society in russia.  mr nevzlin is yukos  largest shareholder but is living in self-imposed exile in israel. yuganskneftegaz pumps around 1 million barrels of oil a day. it was sold by the russian authorities to recover government tax claims against yukos totalling over $27bn. previously considered to be russia s richest man  with an estimated fortune of $15bn  mr khodorkovsky is currently on trial for fraud and tax evasion following his arrest in october 2003. however  the charges are widely seen as politically motivated and part of a drive by russian president vladimir putin to rein in the country s super-rich business leaders  the so-called oligarchs. it is also believed that mr khodorkovsky was particularly targeted because he had started to bankroll political opponents of mr putin.


parker misses england clash tom shanklin will start in the centre for wales against england in cardiff on saturday after sonny parker failed to recover from a trapped neck nerve.  shanklin was first-choice wing in the autumn tests  but prefers centre and will face england debutant mathew tait. dragons three-quarter hal luscombe takes shanklin s wing berth. up front  mefin davies plays at hooker  open-side martyn williams is fit to start and lock rob sidoli replaces veteran gareth llewellyn. davies wins the vote ahead of robin mcbryde  who sits on the bench having recently returned to action for the scarlets following a neck injury.  sidoli is back for the first time since last season s six nations  the blues second row back to form after a niggling groin problem. williams  sidoli s team-mate at cardiff  is set to win his 50th cap  replacing the injured colin charvis after making a quicker-than-expected recovery from a neck disc problem.  initially when i had the diagnosis it was a case of trying to get fit for the italy game next week  but fortunately my recovery has been a lot quicker than we all hoped   williams told bbc sport wales.  i haven t started a game since 1 january and would have preferred to have a couple of games in the lead-up to this  but the good thing with the injury is that i have kept up my fitness levels.  i feel quite fresh and i just can t wait to play again.  williams says he expects a torrid time from an england loose-forward trio of lewis moody  joe worsley and andy hazell.  they are three top-class players  especially worsley and moody. they have been there and done it   williams added.  they were back-ups behind richard hill  neil back and lawrence dallaglio  but now they have come forward and proved what good players they are - there are no weaknesses there.  luscombe gets the nod on the wing ahead of dragons team-mate kevin morgan  who wins a place on the bench alongside uncapped blues prop john yapp.  g thomas (toulouse (capt); h luscombe (dragons)  t shanklin (blues)  g henson (ospreys)  s williams (ospreys); s jones (clermont auvergne)  d peel (scarlets); g jenkins (blues)  m davies (gloucester)  a jones (ospreys)  b cockbain (ospreys)  r sidoli (blues)  d jones (scarlets)  m williams (blues)  m owen (dragons).  r mcbryde (scarlets)  j yapp (blues)  j thomas (ospreys)  r jones (ospreys)  g cooper (dragons)  c sweeney (dragons)  k morgan (dragons).


mallon wades into ne vote battle middlesbrough mayor ray mallon has been drafted in to boost the yes campaign as the north east assembly referendum enters its final week.  the former police chief  dubbed robocop for his zero tolerance style  clashed on thursday with sunderland no campaigner neil herron. mr mallon said an assembly would give local people more of a say over key issues such as transport and crime. but mr herron said north east people did not want or need an assembly.  the pair met on the platform at sunderland station as mr mallon toured the region highlighting claimed improvements to transport if the area gets an assembly. but mr herron - who gained fame as one of sunderland s  metric martyrs  and is running his own no campaign alongside the official north east says no campaign - said he was not convinced by mr mallon s arguments.  the reality is that it is not going to deliver   he said.  labour has had two-and-a-half years to convince people of this. if you can t sell a deal in that time  it is a bad deal.  on wednesday  mr mallon provoked fury by branding the official no campaign  two-bit tories  in a confrontation outside its durham headquarters.  the campaign is being run by two-bit conservatives who are not interested in what happens in the north east; they are interested in hitting the labour party over the head   he said. mr mallon is a late recruit to the yes campaign after rejecting overtures from no campaigners including  he claims  tory leader michael howard.  most local observers believe the contest is too close to call  although little recent polling has been carried out. yes campaign chairman john tomaney said he hoped for a late flurry of votes to boost turnout - something he says will boost their cause. he added:  the government exerts a lot of political power in the north east. the accountability should be in the north east as well.  he also defended the decision to attack the official no campaign s alleged political allegiances.  we felt we had to show what people were behind the no campaign - london tory spin doctors.  graham robb  spokesman for north east says no  said the yes campaign s decision to get personal dragged the campaign  into the gutter  and showed they were  rattled . and he hit back at mr mallon s claim that an assembly would improve transport links in the region.  it can push paper around but it can not get people moving   he said. some 487 939 people had returned their ballot papers by wednesday - a turnout of 25.7%. the deadline for voting is next thursday  4 november.


anti-spam laws bite spammer hard the net s self-declared spam king is seeking bankruptcy protection.  scott richter  the man behind optinrealbig.com and billions of junk mail messages  said lawsuits had forced the company into chapter 11. optinrealbig was fighting several legal battles  most notably against microsoft  which is pushing for millions of dollars in damages. the company said filing for chapter 11 would help it try to resolve its legal problems but still keep trading.  listed as the third biggest spammer in the world by junk mail watchdog spamhaus  optinrealbig was sued in december 2003 for sending mail messages that violated anti-spam laws. the lawsuit was brought by microsoft and new york attorney general eliot spitzer who alleged that mr richter and his accomplices sent billions of spam messages through 514 compromised net addresses in 35 countries. according to microsoft the messages were sent via net addresses owned by the kuwait ministries of communication and finance  several korean schools  the seoul municipal boramae hospital  and the virginia community college system. mr richter settled the attorney general case in july 2004 but the legal fight with microsoft is continuing. microsoft is seeking millions in dollars in damages from optinrealbig under anti-spam laws that impose penalties for every violation. in a statement announcing the desire to seek bankruptcy protection the company said it:  could not continue to contend with legal maneuvers (sic) by a number of companies across the country  including microsoft  and still run a viable business.  in its chapter 11 filing optinrealbig claimed it had assets of less than $10m (£5.29m) but debts of more than $50m which included the $46m that microsoft is seeking via its lawsuit.  the litigation has been a relentless distraction with which to contend   said steven richter  legal counsel for optinrealbig.  but  make no mistake  we do expect to prevail.  for its part optinrealbig describes itself as a premier internet marketing company and said the move to seek chapter 11 was necessary to let it keep trading while sorting out its legal battles.


super size me wins writers  award super size me director morgan spurlock has won the writers guild of america s award for documentary feature writing.  the oscar-nominated film followed spurlock as he ate only mcdonald s fast food for an entire month. spurlock was given the award at a special ceremony at the roosevelt hotel in hollywood on tuesday. organisers said the rising popularity of documentary films led them to honour a writer for a documentary screenplay for the first time.  producer brian grazer presented the award to spurlock and the film s backers  roadside attractions  samuel goldwyn films and showtime independent films. spurlock set out to discover the effect of living on nothing but mcdonald s for a month  upgrading to supersize portions when offered. the film followed his 25lb weight gain and the health effects on his body  including his liver and cholesterol levels. mcdonald s announced it was to scrap its  supersized  meals last year  but denied the move was as a result of the negative publicity created by spurlock s film. spurlock was given his award on the same day the european court of human rights ruled that two uk activists should have been given legal aid in their long fight against a mcdonald s libel action. helen steel and david morris  from north london  dubbed the  mclibel two   were found guilty in a 1990s trial of libelling the company in a leaflet they had been handing out at the end of the case the high court in london ruled mcdonald s had been libelled and awarded the company £60 000 in damages  later reduced to £40 000 on appeal. but he found the leaflet was true in some aspects.


lib dems predict  best ever poll  the lib dems are set for their best results in both the general election and the local council polls  one of their frontbenchers has predicted.  local government spokesman ed davey was speaking as the party launched its campaign for the local elections being held in 37 english council areas. the flagship pledge is to replace council tax with a local income tax. the tories say the lib dems would make people pay more tax and labour says the party s sums do not add up. looking to the coming elections  which are all expected to be held on 5 may  mr davey said:  we are going to be winning more votes and winning more seats.  i think we are going to have the best general election results and local election results we have ever had under [party leader] charles kennedy.  i couldn t think of a stronger endorsement of a leader.


tories unveil quango blitz plans plans to abolish 162 quangos have been unveiled by the conservatives as part of their effort to show how government red tape can be cut.  six government units would also be scrapped under proposals which the tories say would save more than £4.3bn. among the targets are strategic health authorities and the new fair access regulator for universities. tory frontbencher john redwood said britain needed a slimmer government and lower taxes to be competitive.  the plans would abolish regional assemblies and other regional bodies  such as boards tackling industrial development and housing. their powers would be returned to elected local councils or national government. the tories say the strategic health authorities are not needed as it is better that local people  rather than officials  run hospitals and surgeries.  announcing the plans  mr redwood said:  mr blair has forgotten the interests of taxpayers  and has broken the pledges he made.  far from improving public services  spending taxpayers  money on quangos has led only to more bureaucrats  more regulation and higher taxes.  his party leader  michael howard  argued a change in direction was needed to get a grip on spending.  labour are creating two britains: the britain of the forgotten majority and bureaucratic britain   he said.  in the real world  people are working harder just to stand still. they ve seen their pensions knocked for six.  they re being squeezed by extra taxes. the forgotten majority are paying the price of bureaucratic britain.  the government has announced plans to cut 100 000 civil servants as part of its efficiency drive. the liberal democrats have said they would cut the number of whitehall departments to make sure money reaches frontline services.


fear will help france - laporte france coach bernard laporte believes his team will be scared going into their game with england on sunday  but claims it will work in their favour.  the french turned in a stuttering performance as they limped to a 16-9 win against scotland in the opening match of the six nations on saturday.  we will go to twickenham with a little fear and it ll give us a boost   said the french coach. he added:  we are never good enough when we are favourites.  meanwhile  perpignan centre jean-philippe granclaude is delighted to have received his first call-up to the france squad.  it s incredible   the youngster said.  i was not expecting it at all.  playing with the france team has always been a dream and now it has come true and i am about to face england at twickenham in the six nations.  laporte will announce his starting line-up on wednesday at the french team s training centre in marcoussis  near paris.


running around the olympics it was back to official duties last week in my role as an ambassador to london s 2012 olympic bid. but i still managed to do all my marathon training.  all the sporting people on the capital s bid team think i m mad to be taking part in the london marathon. the bid chairman  lord coe  admitted he would never dream of running a marathon  even though he was an olympic middle-distance runner.  kelly holmes  former hurdler alan pascoe and former sprinter frankie fredericks - who is now an ioc member - all wanted to know why anyone would want to run that far. you d have thought all these athletes  who have been running for most of their lives  wouldn t think it would be that bad. but the only person who was positive about my intentions was tanni grey thompson  who has won the london marathon wheelchair race six times. even though it was a very busy week entertaining the international olympic committee s (ioc) evaluation commission  i actually found my running schedule easier to follow. when i m at home  i get distracted by all sorts of things but for the five days i was in london  i was in a pressurised situation  but i found it easy to relax by running.  on wednesday  the presentations to the ioc team did not finish until the early evening  so i just managed to squeeze in a 45-minute run. we had an early start on thursday because we had to visit all the olympic sites around london  that was pretty shattering  but when we got back to the hotel  i got back on the treadmill. on friday evening i went along to the special dinner at buckingham palace which was a nice occasion. i never feel guilty about eating  especially when i m exercising. and because it was a rest day i didn t have to feel bad about missing my training either. anyway  i managed to do another quick run on saturday ahead of the final ioc presentations  before heading home for my daughter s birthday.  when i was in london i did all of my runs on the treadmill  which isn t the same as exercising outdoors. one of the ioc s technical staff from australia ran alongside me one day. we talked about the sydney olympics and that made the time go past more quickly. i do find it quite comfortable running in the gym because there is more cushioning. but when you re gearing up to running on the road you need your body to get used to that jarring feeling when your feet hit the pavement. it was good to get out on the road for my long run on sunday. after the week i d had i was a bit concerned i wouldn t be able to complete it. but i coped with it very well and  even though it was bitterly cold  i put in 15-and-a-half miles - only another 11 to go then.  - this year steve will donate all the proceeds from his london marathon efforts to victims of the tsunami.steve will be writing a regular column on the ups and downs of his marathon training for the bbc sport website.he will be raising money through the steve redgrave trust which supports the association of children s hospices  the children with leukaemia charity  and the trust s own project which aims to provide inner-city schools with rowing equipment.


donor attacks blair-brown  feud  the reported feud between tony blair and gordon brown has prompted a labour donor to say he will almost certainly refuse to give more funds.  duncan bannatyne also attacked the government over iraq and its  poor  response to the asian tsunami crisis. his broadside came as ex-foreign secretary robin cook said he hoped mr brown would be premier at some point. mr bannatyne has previously given labour £50 000. he made his fortune from care homes and health clubs.  the 52-year-old on tuesday said was he was reviewing his donations because of cabinet disunity and international issues. his spokesman said it was highly unlikely he would give labour more money  although he would remain a supporter and not fund the conservatives.  robert peston s new book has prompted more speculation about the blair-brown rift with its claims that the prime minister broke a promise made in 2003 to stand down. mr bannatyne said:  disunity in the cabinet has a corrosive effect on the country.  gordon brown is a great chancellor who has delivered a stable economy  but business wants that to continue and not be blown off course by petty squabbles based on personal ambition.  the businessman  whose latest venture is a casino in newcastle  also voiced concern about the ongoing violence in iraq.  and he branded the uk government s response to the tsunami as  piecemeal and poor .  the people there need practical help not just pledges of money   he said.  the us has forces helping on the ground - we can do more.  british navy ships have helped the relief effort and the prime minister has said the government could ultimately give hundreds of millions of pounds in aid. mr bannatyne is due to host a new television programme and is also appearing on bbc2 business start-up programme dragon s den. but his spokesman insisted his attack on labour was not a publicity stunt.  in a separate development  robin cook gave his support to mr brown s prime ministerial ambitions but told a lunch for political journalists winning the election had to be labour s election. but he insisted the recent squabbles between mr blair and mr brown were not  perceived as a problem by the voters   adding there was no impression of governmental incompetence. mr cook argued that more prominence was given to these matters because there was  not an alternative source of opposition to the government . he warned the  abstentions party  was the real challenge to labour - and they would not be motivated by mr blair s promise to produce an  unremittingly new labour  election manifesto. his comments come after dave prentis  the leader of britain s biggest union unison  told the daily record newspaper he wants a date to be set for mr blair to be replaced as labour leader.


daimlerchrysler s 2004 sales rise us-german carmaker daimlerchrysler has sold 2.1% more cars in 2004 than in the previous year  as solid chrysler sales offset a weak showing for mercedes.  sales totalled 3.9 million units worldwide during 2004  the company said at the detroit motor show. a switch to new models hit luxury marque mercedes-benz  with sales down 3.1% at 1.06 million. chrysler avoided the fate of us rivals ford and general motors  both of whom lost ground to japanese firms. its sales rose 3.5% to 2.7 million units.  similarly on the up was the smart brand of compact cars  with the division s sales jumping by 21.1% during 2004 to 136 000. the future of the brand - which is controlled by the mercedes group within daimlerchrysler - remains in question  however. smart has consistently lost money since it started trading in 1998  and new model launches are now  on hold   said mercedes chief executive eckhard cordes. in europe  the smart will now go on sale through regular mercedes dealerships as well as its own dealer network  mr cordes said.


hendrix guitar fetches £100 000 a much-loved guitar belonging to jimi hendrix has been sold for £100 000 at an auction in london.  the 1965 fender stratocaster was one of a number of guitars included in the sale dedicated to the rock legend. the vast archive of instruments  signed records and posters were collected by a dedicated fan who had become friendly with the star. the auction was billed as the biggest collection of hendrix memorabilia to go under the hammer. the majority of the items were collected by fan bob terry who began collecting at the age of 17. he later sold it on to another collector.  hendrix  widely considered one of the best guitarists of his era  died of a drug overdose in 1970 at the age of 27. the 1965 fender stratocaster was used by the musician on tour and in his studio. a poem written by hendrix two weeks after his infamous appearance at the monterey festival where he set light to his guitar went for £10 000. the jimi hendrix experience s first single hey joe  signed by all the band  was sold for £2 000. the sale  hosted by auctioneers cooper owen  was held at the hard rock cafe in london.


opposition grows to house arrests the conservatives have expressed  serious misgivings  about government plans for keeping uk and foreign terror suspects under house arrest.  michael howard said he would not back the home secretary s plans for  control orders  which include home detention.  i do not believe that anyone should be deprived of their liberty on the say so of a politician   he said. the lib dems also oppose the proposals  but ministers insist they are proportionate to the terror threat.  the government proposed the idea and a range of other new powers after the laws lords said current detentions without trial broke human rights laws. new metropolitan police commissioner sir ian blair has backed the control orders  saying:  i m sorry. it is a dilemma  but there is only one choice.  but mr howard said:  we have serious misgivings about both their effectiveness in protecting life and their consequences for the british way of life.   he argued that people accused of terrorist offences should be brought to trial and be held in prison - not at home - while they await trial. mr howard said he feared  internment without trial creates martyrs  and could be  a very effective recruiting sergeant  for terrorists . his party plans to move an amendment to the serious organised crime and police bill next week that would give a judge responsibility for assessing evidence and ensuring a balanced case is presented to the court. he called on the prime minister to  enter into constructive discussions  with his party to find a  better way forward . controversy over the issue continues after a foreign terror suspect held in the uk without trial or charge since december 2001 was freed from jail.  home secretary charles clarke said there was not enough evidence to keep the egyptian man  known only as c  certified as a terrorist suspect. on monday  the legal team for two algerian suspects being held without trial told a court the men did not want bail if it meant being put under house arrest. most of the terror suspects are detained at belmarsh prison in london. the liberal democrats say they also oppose house arrests and questioned the human rights implications of the measure. home affairs spokesman mark oaten told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  it s a matter of principle for us that we can t have a situation where the home secretary is able to impose house detention now on uk nationals as well as foreign nationals.   the lib dems believe the home secretary should allow phone tapping evidence in prosecutions.  we think there could be a role for some form of control order - tagging  surveillance  limitation on use of mobile phones - but not with the home secretary s say so. that must be done with a proper judicial process  a judge involved in making those decisions   said mr oaten. mr clarke has rejected that idea saying intercept evidence is only a small part of the case against terror suspects and could put the lives of intelligence sources at risk. he said prosecutions were the government s first preference and promised the powers would only be used in  serious  cases  with independent scrutiny from judges.


gervais writing simpsons episode the office s ricky gervais is writing an episode of hit us cartoon the simpsons  following an invitation from its creator matt groening.  gervais has already begun writing the script but is keeping its subject matter a closely guarded secret. he will also write a part for himself in the episode.  i ve got the rough idea but this is the most intimidating project of my career. the simpsons is the greatest tv show of all time   he said. groening recently heaped praise on the office  saying:  everybody on the simpsons is a fan of the office - it s one of the best shows on tv in the last decade.  gervais has already said he would not guest star in the show as his office character david  having left him behind for good in the christmas specials. the office became a surprise us success when it was screened on cable channel bbc america. the first series won two golden globes in 2004 for best comedy and best tv actor for gervais.  in winning it beat the likes of sex and the city and will and grace. an american version was produced  but so far only a pilot has been broadcast - to much criticism that it failed to live up to the original. at the british comedy awards on wednesday  gervais was handed a special achievement award for writing. but the office missed out in the best comedy show category to little britain. matt groening was also at the awards to collect the award for best international comedy for the simpsons.


eu software patent law faces axe the european parliament has thrown out a bill that would have allowed software to be patented.  politicians unanimously rejected the bill and now it must go through another round of consultation if it is to have a chance of becoming law. during consultation the software patents bill could be substantially re-drafted or even scrapped. the bill was backed by some hi-tech firms  saying they needed protections it offered to make research worthwhile.  hugo lueders  european director for public policy at comptia  an umbrella organization for technology companies  said only when intellectual property was adequately protected would european inventors prosper. he said the benefits of the bill had been obscured by special interest groups which muddied debate over the rights and wrongs of software patents. other proponents of the bill said it was a good compromise that avoided the excesses of the american system which allows the patenting of business practices as well as software. but opponents of the bill said that it could stifle innovation  be abused by firms keen to protect existing monopolies and could hamper the growth of the open source movement. the proposed law had a troubled passage through the european parliament. its progress was delayed twice when polish meps rejected plans to adopt it. also earlier this month the influential european legal affairs committee (juri) said the law should be re-drafted after it failed to win the support of meps. to become law both the european parliament and a qualified majority of eu states have to approve of the draft wording of the bill. the latest rejection means that now the bill on computer inventions must go back to the eu for re-consideration.


net fingerprints combat attacks eighty large net service firms have switched on software to spot and stop net attacks automatically.  the system creates digital fingerprints of ongoing incidents that are sent to every network affected. firms involved in the smart sensing system believe it will help trace attacks back to their source. data gathered will be passed to police to help build up intelligence about who is behind worm outbreaks and denial of service attacks.  firms signing up for the sensing system include mci  bt  deutsche telekom  energis  ntt  bell canada and many others. the creation of the fingerprinting system has been brokered by us firm arbor networks and signatures of attacks will be passed to anyone suffering under the weight of an attack. increasingly computer criminals are using swarms of remotely controlled computers to carry out denial of service attacks on websites  launch worms and relay spam around the net.  we have seen attacks involving five and ten gigabytes of traffic   said rob pollard  sales director for arbor networks which is behind the fingerprinting system.  attacks of that size cause collateral damage as they cross the internet before they get to their destination   he said. once an attack is spotted and its signature defined the information will be passed back down the chain of networks affected to help every unwitting player tackle the problem.  mr pollard said arbor was not charging for the service and it would pass on fingerprint data to every network affected.  what we want to do is help net service firms communicate with each other and then push the attacks further and further back around the world to their source   said mr pollard. arbor network s technology works by building up a detailed history of traffic on a network. it spots which computers or groups of users regularly talk to each other and what types of traffic passes between machines or workgroups. any anomaly to this usual pattern is spotted and flagged to network administrators who can take action if the traffic is due to a net-based attack of some kind. this type of close analysis has become very useful as net attacks are increasingly launched using several hundred or thousand different machines. anyone looking at the traffic on a machine by machine basis would be unlikely to spot that they were all part of a concerted attack.  attacks are getting more diffuse and more sophisticated   said malcolm seagrave  security expert at energis.  in the last 12 months it started getting noticeable that criminals were taking to it and we ve seen massive growth.  he said that although informal systems exist to pass on information about attacks  often commercial confidentiality got in the way of sharing enough information to properly combat attacks.


o sullivan could run in worlds sonia o sullivan has indicated that she would like to participate in next month s world cross country championships in st etienne.  athletics ireland have hinted that the 35-year-old cobh runner may be included in the official line-up for the event in france on 19-20 march. provincial teams were selected after last saturday s nationals in santry and will be officially announced this week. o sullivan is at present preparing for the london marathon on 17 april. the participation of o sullivan  currentily training at her base in australia  would boost the ireland team who won the bronze three years agio. the first three at santry last saturday  jolene byrne  maria mccambridge and fionnualla britton  are automatic selections and will most likely form part of the long-course team. o sullivan will also take part in the bupa great ireland run on 9 april in dublin.


asia quake increases poverty risk nearly two million people across asia could be thrown into poverty because of the indian ocean tsunami  the asian development bank (adb) has said.  in its first overview of the disaster  the adb said the impact on economic growth would be slight because major cities and factories escaped damage. but the blow to many low-income people could be  enormous . the paris club of rich creditor nations on wednesday offered to freeze debts owed by tsunami-hit countries.  the move was aimed at helping south asian governments find budgets to rebuild devastated coastal areas  though so far only sri lanka  indonesia and the seychelles have indicated that they will take it up.  other countries believe their economies are strong enough to cope or wish to avoid being viewed as credit risks.  poverty is potentially the most important impact of this natural disaster   said adb chief economist ifzal ali. donor nations have promised to give $717m (£379m) in disaster relief over the next six months  according to the united nations.  mr ali added his voice to those warning that aid pledges must be promptly delivered  saying the number of people at risk of poverty hinged on  concerns over sanitation and health conditions  and other basic needs  being  properly and quickly addressed .  there are 1.9 billion people in asia living on less than $2 a day. the adb fears that 1 million indonesians could join them  while in india just over half a million people - 645 000 - are at risk of falling into poverty. a quarter of a million sri lankans and 23 500 people in the maldives are also facing poverty. in the maldives  where 43% of the population already lives on less than $2 a day  this could rise to half. sri lanka and the maldives are the two countries the adb fears are most at risk of suffering lasting economic damage from the tsunami. sri lanka s government has estimated reconstruction costs at nearly $3bn. a government task force held meetings to discuss an emergency rebuilding plan with the adb  world bank and japanese aid agencies on wednesday  and promised to publish the plan within 10 days.  indonesia  malaysia  thailand and india have enjoyed strong economic growth in recent years  which should cushion them against reconstruction costs. although indonesia s northern province of aceh suffered the worst death toll  the region s oil and natural gas production facilities  have survived intact   the report said. however  it remains too soon to asses the damage to poor people s livelihoods in aceh because it would depend on how much farm land had been flooded by seawater.  this is a profoundly tragic event for the region and for the millions who are suffering. but the economies of the affected countries except sri lanka and the maldives should emerge with minimal damage   the adb report said. some businesses may even gain from the reconstruction efforts  thereby creating jobs. at a meeting in thailand  abd president thadao chino said he was confident of the country s  own capabilities to restore normalcy to the affected areas and meet the rehabilitation requirements . thailand has said it does not wish to opt for a debt repayment freeze  while india has also rejected international aid  saying it can cope on its own resources. debt repayment holidays carry the risk of credit ratings downgrades  making it more expensive to borrow money in future. indonesia  however  is pressing for greater help with its debts than the current freeze would bring. it is one of the world s most indebted countries.


blog  picked as word of the year the term  blog  has been chosen as the top word of 2004 by a us dictionary publisher.  merriam-webster said  blog  headed the list of most looked-up terms on its site during the last twelve months. during 2004 blogs  or web logs  have become hugely popular and some have started to influence mainstream media. other words on the merriam-webster list were associated with major news events such as the us presidential election or natural disasters that hit the us.  merriam-webster defines a blog as:  a web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections  comments and often hyperlinks . its list of most looked-up words is drawn up every year and it discounts terms such as swear words  that everyone likes to look up  or those that always cause problems  such as  affect  and  effect .  merriam-webster said  blog  was the word that people have asked to be defined or explained most often over the last 12 months. the word will now appear in the 2005 version of merriam-webster s printed dictionary. however  the word is already included in some printed versions of the oxford english dictionary. a spokesman for the oxford university press said that the word was now being put into other dictionaries for children and learners  reflecting its mainstream use.  i think it was the word of last year rather than this year   he said.  now we re getting words that derive from it such as  blogosphere  and so on   he said.  but   he added   it s a pretty recent thing and in the way that this happens these days it s got established very quickly.   blogs come in many different forms. many act as news sites for particular groups or subjects  some are written from a particular political slant and others are simply lists of interesting sites. other terms in the top 10 were related to natural disasters that have struck the us  such as  hurricane  or were to do with the us election. words such as  incumbent    electoral  and  partisan  reflected the scale of interest in the vote. blogs also proved very useful to both sides in the us election battle because many pundits who maintain their own journals were able to air opinions that would never appear in more mainstream media. speculation that president bush was getting help during debates via a listening device was first aired on web logs. online journals also raised doubts about documents used by us television news organisation cbs in a story about president bush s war record. the immediacy of many blogs also helped some wield influence over topics that made it in to national press.  this is despite the fact that the number of people reading even the most influential blogs is tiny. statistics by web influence ranking firm hitwise reveal that the most popular political blog racks up only 0.0051% of all net visits per day. one of the reasons that blogs and regularly updated online journals have become popular is because the software used to put them together make it very easy for people to air their views online. according to blog analysis firm technorati the number of blogs in existence  the blogosphere  has doubled every five and a half months for the last 18 months. technorati now estimates that the number of blogs in existence has exceeded 4.8 million. some speculate that less than a quarter of this number are regularly maintained. according to us research firm pew internet & american life a blog is created every 5.8 seconds. another trend this year has been the increasing numbers of weblogs that detail the daily lives of many ordinary workers in jobs that few people know much about. in many repressive regimes and developing nations  blogs have been embraced by millions of people keen to give their plight a voice.


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


kilroy names election seat target ex-chat show host robert kilroy-silk is to contest the derbyshire seat of erewash at the next general election.  labour s elizabeth blackman won the seat in 1997 and has a 6 932 majority. she says she will fight on her record  as a hard-working constituency mp . mr kilroy-silk announced his plans a day after launching his new party  veritas  the latin for truth. the east midlands mep  who quit the uk independence party  wants his new group to  change the face  of uk politics. his choice of election constituency quashes speculation that he would stand against defence secretary geoff hoon in ashfield  nottinghamshire. ukip won 31% of the vote in erewash in last june s european elections - with mr kilroy-silk among their candidates for the region. until 1997  erewash had been held by the tories since 1970. ms blackman said she was proud of the government s achievements in the area. she declined to give her view of mr kilroy-silk at this point.  on thursday  he told a london news conference that veritas would avoid the old parties   lies and spin . he said  our country  was being  stolen from us  by mass immigration and promised a  firm but fair  policy on immigration. veritas says it hopes to contest most seats at the forthcoming general election but plans to announce detailed policies on crime  tax  pensions  health and defence over the next few weeks.  ukip leader roger knapman says he is glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk. labour campaign spokesman fraser kemp said veritas was joining  an already crowded field on the right of british politics . mr kilroy-silk was joined in the new venture by one of ukip s two london assembly members  damien hockney  who is now veritas  deputy leader.  ukip s chairman petrina holdsworth has said the group will just be a parody of the party the men have left. mr kilroy-silk quit ukip last week after months of tension as he vied unsuccessfully for the leadership of that party. he said he was ashamed to be a member of a ukip whose leadership had  gone awol  after the great opportunity offered by its third place at last june s european elections. ukip s leader  roger knapman  has said he is glad to see the back of mr kilroy-silk.  he has remarkable ability to influence people but  sadly  after the [european] election it became clear that he was more interested in the robert kilroy-silk party than the uk independence party so it was nice knowing him  now  goodbye    he said. ukip officials also argue mr kilroy-silk has not been  straightforward  in attacking the party he once wanted to lead.


us ahold suppliers face charges us prosecutors have charged nine food suppliers with helping dutch retailer ahold inflate earnings by more than $800m (£428m).  the charges have been brought against individuals as well as companies  alleging they created false accounts. ahold hit the headlines in february 2003 after it emerged that there were accounting irregularities at its us subsidiary foodservice. three former ahold top executives last year agreed to settle fraud charges.  ahold has admitted that it fraudulently inflated promotional allowances at foodservice  improperly consolidated joint ventures and also committed other accounting errors and irregularities.  the nine now charged  who worked as suppliers to ahold  are accused of signing false documents relating to the amount of money they paid the retailer for promoting their products in its stores. food companies pay supermarkets and retailers for prime shelf space. the suppliers in question are said to have inflated the amount of money they paid  providing auditors with signed letters that allowed ahold to inflate its earnings. us attorney david kelley said he expects the nine vendors will plead guilty to the charges. he added that there may be more court actions in the future.  i don t want to leave you with the impression that these were the only ones involved   he said. among those facing charges are john nettle  a former employee of general mills; mark bailin of rymer international seafood; tim daly of michael foods and kenneth bowman  who worked as an independent contractor for total foods.  others include michael hannigan of sugar foods; peter marion of maritime seafood processors and first choice foods; gordon redgate of commodity manager and private label distribution; bruce robinson of basic american foods and michael rogers  formerly of tyson foods. pasquale d amuro of the fbi called the nine vendors the key ingredients in  the process of cooking the books  at ahold. at the time of the scandal  ahold was seen by many as europe s enron. ahold shares tumbled on the news and many market observers predicted that the fall out could damage investor confidence across europe. it was less severe than many had envisaged  however  and since then ahold has worked hard at rebuilding its reputation and investor confidence. ahold is the world s fourth-largest supermarket chain. its other us businesses include stop & shop  and giant food.


bush website blocked outside us surfers outside the us have been unable to visit the official re-election site of president george w bush.  the blocking of browsers sited outside the us began in the early hours of monday morning. since then people outside the us trying to browse the site get a message saying they are not authorised to view it. the blocking does not appear to be due to an attack by vandals or malicious hackers  but as a result of a policy decision by the bush camp.  the international exclusion zone around georgewbush.com was spotted by net monitoring firm netcraft which keeps an eye on traffic patterns across many different sites. netcraft said that since the early hours of 25 october attempts to view the site through its monitoring stations in london  amsterdam and sydney failed.  by contrast netcraft s four monitoring stations in the us managed to view the site with no problems. the site can still be seen using anonymous proxy services that are based in the us. some web users in canada also report that they can browse the site. the pattern of traffic to the website suggests that the blocking was not due to an attack by vandals or politically motivated hackers. geographic blocking works because the numerical addresses that the net uses to organise itself are handed out on a regional basis. on 21 october  the george w bush website began using the services of a company called akamai to ensure that the pages  videos and other content on its site reaches visitors. mike prettejohn  president of netcraft  speculated that the blocking decision might have been taken to cut costs  and traffic  in the run-up to the election on 2 november. he said the site may see no reason to distribute content to people who will not be voting next week. managing traffic could also be a good way to ensure that the site stays working in the closing days of the election campaign. however  simply blocking non-us visitors also means that americans overseas are barred too. akamai declined to comment  saying it could not talk about customer websites.


glaxo aims high after profit fall glaxosmithkline saw its profits fall 9% last year to £6.2bn ($11.5bn)  but europe s biggest drugmaker says a recovery during 2005 is on the way.  cheap copies of its drugs  particularly anti-depressants paxil and wellbutrin  and a weak dollar had hit profits  but global sales were up 1% in 2004. the firm is confident its new drug pipeline will deliver profits despite the failure of an obesity drug. chief executive jean-pierre garnier said it had been a  difficult year .  in early afternoon trade in london the company share price was down 1% at 1218 pence. mr garnier said the company had absorbed over £1.5bn of lost sales to generics but still managing to grow the business.  the continuing success of our key products means we can now look forward to a good performance in 2005   he said.  2005 will also be an important year in terms of research and development pipeline progress.  however  the firm discontinued development of an experimental treatment for obesity  known as  771  after disappointing clinical trial results. glaxo is relying on new treatments for conditions such as cancer  diabetes  depression  hiv/aids and allergies to lift the pace of sales growth after several disappointing years.


arthur hailey: king of the bestsellers novelist arthur hailey  who has died at the age of 84  was known for his bestselling page-turners exploring the inner workings of various industries  from the hotels to high finance.  born in luton  bedfordshire  on 5 april 1920  hailey was the only child of working class parents  they could not afford to keep him in school beyond the age of 14. he served as a pilot with the royal air force during world war ii  flying fighter planes to the middle east. it was an occupation that was later to feature in his authorial debut  the television screenplay flight into danger. hailey emigrated to canada in 1947  where he eventually became a citizen. he wanted to be a writer from an early age  but did not take it up professionally until his mid-thirties  when he was inspired to write his first screenplay while on a return flight to toronto.   i fell to daydreaming. i visualised the pilots at the controls and wondered what would happen if they both got sick. could i fly the airplane  i was a rusty wartime pilot who hadn t flown for nine years...   hailey later recalled. the canadian broadcasting corporation bought flight into danger for $600 (£318) and it was shown on tv in april 1956. it was later memorably spoofed in the 1980 comedy airplane!  starring leslie nielsen. hailey worked as a screenwriter for a couple of years  before turning to novels. he went on to produce 11 best-selling books  which were published into 38 languages in 40 countries. flight into danger was adapted to become hailey s first novel  runaway zero-eight in 1958. the final diagnosis and in high places followed  both achieving a popular following. but it was not until hotel  in 1965  that hollywood came calling. the hit novel took four years to write  and stayed on national best-seller lists for a full year. it was turned into a movie in 1967 and later adapted into a glossy soap in the 1980s  starring james brolin. airport (1968) arguably remains hailey s best-loved work and prompted the disaster movie genre. the thriller follows events in the sky  and on the ground at a snow-logged airport  when a terrorist boards an airplane with a bomb.  the book was adapted into a hit film in 1970  starring burt lancaster as the harassed aiport manager and dean martin as a womanising pilot  alongside jean seberg and jacqueline bisset. in a testament to the popularity of the fledgling disaster genre - three sequels followed. the writer was known for his painstaking research into the professions around which each novel was centred  drawing his characters  from real life  and taking up to three years to produce each book.  i have never been able to write quickly or easily. i am too self-critical for that. i am never satisfied   he once said. in 1969  he moved to nassau in the bahamas  with his wife sheila. wheels (1971)  the moneychangers (1975) and overload (1979) followed. despite a lukewarm response from critics  and few literary accolades  hailey was at the height of his fame in the seventies and continued to attract the attention of hollywood producers. strong medicine  hailey s blockbuster focusing on the pharmaceutical industry  was turned into a film in 1986  starring sam neill  douglas fairbanks jr and a panoply of former soap stars. the 1997 novel detective proved to be hailey s final book  when at the age of 77 he decided to retire. hailey s health began to deteriorate in recent years  twice undergoing heart surgery. he suffered a stroke just two months ago. he died in his sleep on wednesday  after dinner with his wife and two of his six children at his home in new providence island.  he had a wonderful life. his greatest ambition was to see his name on a book and he certainly achieved that   said his wife  sheila.


commodore finds new lease of life the once-famous commodore computer brand could be resurrected after being bought by a us-based digital music distributor.  new owner yeahronimo media ventures has not ruled out the possibility of a new breed of commodore computers. it also plans to develop a  worldwide entertainment concept  with the brand  although details are not yet known. the groundbreaking commodore 64 computer elicits fond memories for those who owned one back in the 1980s.  in the chronology of home computing  commodore was one of the pioneers.  the commodore 64  launched in 1982  was one of the first affordable home pcs. it was followed a few years later by the amiga. the commodore 64 sold more than any other single computer system  even to this day. the brand languished somewhat in the 1990s. commodore international filed for bankruptcy in 1994 and was sold to dutch firm tulip computers. in the late 1980s the firm was a great rival to atari  which produced its own range of home computers and is now a brand of video games  formerly known as infogrames.  tulip computers sold several products under the commodore name  including portable usb storage devices and digital music players. it had planned to relaunch the brand  following an upsurge of nostalgia for 1980s-era games. commodore 64 enthusiasts have written emulators for windows pc  apple mac and even pdas so that the original commodore games can be still run. the sale of commodore is expected to be complete in three weeks in a deal worth over £17m.


iranian misses israel match iranian striker vahid hashemian will not travel to israel for bayern munich s champions league match against maccabi tel aviv on wednesday.  the german club said the player had pulled out because of a back injury. iran refuses to recognise israel s right to exist and does not allow its citizens to travel to the country. a bayern spokesman said on monday that the decision not to take hashemian to israel had been motivated only by his physical condition.  he s got back pain and he couldn t train   the spokesman said.  it would have made no sense for him to go.  iran gave judo world champion arash miresmaeili a $125 000 reward when he refused to fight an israeli at the athens olympics. the international judo federation considered taking action against miresmaeili but concluded he had been overweight for the fight and could not have taken part.


wipro beats forecasts once again wipro  india s third-biggest software firm  has reported a 60% rise in profit  topping market expectations.  net income in the last quarter was 4.3bn rupees ($98m; £52m)  against 2.7bn a year earlier. profit had been forecast to be 4.1bn rupees. wipro offers services such as call centres to foreign clients and has worked for more than half of the companies on the fortune 500 list. wipro said demand was strong  allowing it to increase the prices it charged.   on the face of it  the results don t look very exciting   said apurva shah  an analyst at ask-raymond james.  but the guidance is positive and pricing going up is good news.  third-quarter sales rose 34% to 20.9bn rupees. one problem identified by wipro was the high turnover of its staff. it said that 90% of employees at its business process outsourcing operations had had to be replaced.  we have to get that under control   said vice-chairman vivek paul. wipro is majority owned by india s richest man azim premji.


how the academy awards flourished the 77th annual academy awards are taking place on 27 february with the stars of the movie-making world once again holding their breath to discover who will be showered with the honours this year. but from humble beginnings  how did the modern day extravaganza become the behemoth it is today   how it all started the first academy awards were handed out in 1929 at a comparatively low-key dinner held at the hollywood roosevelt hotel - just over the road from their modern day home.  just 250 guests attended with ticket prices at $5.  the first film to win was wings  which starred clara bow in the only silent movie to win the big award. for the first 10 years or so  the winners list was handed to the newspapers so they could publish them at 11pm  but in 1940 the winners were published in the los angeles times at 8.45pm meaning guests entering the ceremony knew already knew the results. as a result the sealed envelope system was introduced  leading to the secrecy and suspense-filled night that happens today. when and where the tradition of holding the awards at a banquet continued until 1942 but with increasing interest came a growing guest list and it became impractical to host it as a dinner.  the ceremonies were then transferred to theatres with the famous grauman s chinese theatre the first to host the expanded event. other venues included the dorothy chandler pavilion and the shrine auditorium. they are now held at the kodak theatre  which opened in 2002 just across the road from its original home and holds 6 000 people. until 1954 they were held on a thursday  then swapped around from monday to wednesday before sunday night was settled on  although the month swapped from may to april to march and now its current month of february. the first televised ceremony was in 1953  with bob hope as the mc. who was oscar  there is no solid evidence as to how the trophy became to be known as oscar.  one popular story is that academy librarian margaret herrick said the statue looked like her uncle oscar. a journalist apparently overheard this conversation and used the phrase in an article.  the first time it is thought to have been used in print was when columnist sidney skolsky used it to describe katherine hepburn s first best actress win in 1934. the academy officially adopted the nickname in 1939. the trophy was designed by mgm art director cedric gibbons. since its inception 2 530 oscars have been handed out. in support of the war effort  the academy handed out plaster oscar statuettes during wwii. after the war  winners exchanged the plaster awards for the real thing. fifty-five statues were stolen in en route to the awards in 2000  52 were recovered nine days later. winners were unaffected as a new batch was rushed out. who sits in judgement  the academy was set up in 1927 as a non-profit organisation with 36 members from different film disciplines. douglas fairbanks sr was the first president and oversaw the first awards. there are now 5 700 members of the academy - with membership by invitation only to those who are seen to have achieved distinction in the movies and are therefore seen as fit to judge their peers. some of the criteria for admittance includes: film credits that reflect the high standards of the academy  receipt of an academy award nomination  achievement of unique distinction  earning of special merit  or making an outstanding contribution to film. the stars who left empty-handed while many of the biggest films and movie-makers have been honoured by the academy  there is still surprise at those that did not receive any nominations that later went on to become classics.  among the overlooked films were hobson s choice  dirty harry  the 39 steps  the searchers and king kong. actors that failed to win for their iconic roles included al jolson in the jazz singer (1927)  humphrey bogart in casablanca (1944)  gene kelly in singing in the rain (1952) and henry fonda in 12 angry men (1957). alfred hitchcock also failed to win an award despite five nominations. his enduring influence on the horror genre was finally recognised with an honorary gong in 1968. the show always goes on not even war has halted the glittering hollywood event. there were calls for it to be cancelled in 2003 during the war in iraq  but as it didn t stop during world war ii or the vietnam war.  documentary winner michael moore ensured nobody forgot about the iraq war though and used his acceptance speech to criticise the american invasion. the ceremony was muted with the glitz turned down and many female stars opting for demure dark dresses. the ceremony has been postponed on three occasions. los angeles floods in 1938 saw it put back a week. the death of martin luther king saw it postponed for two days in 1968 as a mark of respect and there was a 24-hour delay following the assassination attempt on president ronald reagan. controversies and other gaffes three people have refused oscars  including actor george c scott who said the whole thing was  demeaning . writer dudley nichols refused his academy award in 1935 for his screenplay for the insider because the writers  guild was striking at the time. marlon brando turned down his best actor oscar for the godfather in 1973 in protest as hollywood s apparent discrimination against native american people. he sent along a woman called sacheen littlefeather to collect his award. she was later revealed to be native american actress maria cruz.  the following year robert opal interrupted proceedings when he streaked  flashing a peace sign as well as everything else. the tv network managed to pan away and avoid too much nudity. opal was murdered in 1979. frank capra was the butt of one major gaffe in 1934 when the host opened out best picture envelope and declared  come on up and get it  frank  to which frank capra bounded up to the stage before realising that he had meant frank lloyd had won for cavalcade.  capra vowed he would never to go the awards again but went the following year to collect his award for it happened one night.


uk athletics agrees new kit deal uk athletics has agreed a new deal with adidas to supply great britain squads of all ages with their kit for the next four years.  the german-based firm kitted out team gb at the 2004 olympics and has deals with 20 other national olympic bodies. uk athletics chief david moorcroft said:  the athens experience can now be extended to more major championships.  in the year ahead these include the european indoor and world outdoor championships. we are delighted.  moorcroft added:  it is hugely beneficial to the sport that the adidas commitment will also provide for officials and other personnel at our world-class series of live televised events.  this week  uk athletics also agreed a four-year deal with energy drink company  red bull  who will be supplying the product to athletics at major domestic meetings and in high performance centres.


us manufacturing expands us industrial production increased in december  according to the latest survey from the institute for supply management (ism).  its index of national manufacturing activity rose to 58.6 last month from 57.8 in november. a reading above 50 indicates a level of growth. the result for december was slightly better than analysts  expectations and the 19th consecutive expansion. the ism said the growth was driven by a  significant  rise in the new orders.  this completes a strong year for manufacturing based on the ism data   said chairman of the ism s survey committee.  while there is continuing upward pressure on prices  the rate of increase is slowing and definitely trending in the right direction.   the ism s index of national manufacturing activity is compiled from monthly responses of purchasing executives at more than 400 industrial companies  ranging from textiles to chemicals to paper  and has now been above 50 since june 2003. analysts expected december s figure to come in at 58.1. the ism manufacturing index s main sister survey - the employment index - eased to 52.7 in december from 57.6 in november  while its  prices paid  index  measuring the cost to businesses of their inputs  also eased to 72.0 from 74.0. the ism s  new orders  index rose to 67.4 from 61.5.


new drink limit  would cut toll  more lives than previously thought could be saved by cutting drink-drive limits by a third  a report says.  university college london research claims cutting the limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg would save 65 lives a year. the findings are being published by the parliamentary advisory council for transport safety as mps are due to vote on the government s road safety bill. the bill includes changes to speeding fines but not to the drink-drive limit. the research  carried out by transport expert professor richard allsop  says cutting the limit would also lead to 230 fewer serious injuries on the uk s roads compared with 2003. he estimates that this would save the country £119m a year.  a previous estimate  contained in a 1998 department of transport document  suggested such a move could save 50 lives a year. the findings are based on the assumption that drivers who currently keep below the legal limit would continue to do so were it to be lowered and that those who tend to exceed the limit slightly would also lower their drinking. professor allsop said:  reducing the limit from 80mg to 50mg can be expected to save around 65 lives a year or around half of those who die in accidents where the driver s bac [blood alcohol content] is within 30mg of the current limit.  only about one in 50 of those driving during weekend evenings and nights will need to moderate their drinking to achieve this and fewer still at other times.   ministers do not support a lower limit  saying it is not clear it would have a major impact on drink drive casualties. they believe educating drivers is more important. the aa motoring trust said it was not sure what affect dropping the limit would have on drivers  attitudes to drink-driving. road safety head andrew howard said:  it remains to be seen whether the social disapproval of the drinking driver will stay at the current rate if the alcohol limit is cut.   parliamentarians need to consider this carefully. britons police themselves by consensus much more effectively than they do by weight of enforcement alone.  liberal democrat transport spokesman john thurso said drink-driving remained a  major killer   with figures showing a worrying rise in the number of accidents involving drivers who had been drinking. he said there had been a 29% drop in the number of drivers being breathalysed since 1997  which he said the government needed to address if it wanted to reduce the danger caused by drink-driving. the road safety bill  which gets its second reading on tuesday  would allow the results of roadside breath tests to be used in court - currently a blood test is needed. it also includes plans for a staggered speeding fines and points system  penalising drivers who exceed limits by a wide margin more than those who are caught going just over. these have been criticised by road safety campaigners  including labour backbencher gwyneth dunwoody  who says it will reduce the incentive for drivers to stay within the limits in residential areas  leading to more road casualties. in an article for the times newspaper  ms dunwoody  who chairs the transport select committee  says:  slight increases to low car speeds increase hugely the risks to pedestrians and cyclists.  it is quite simple: if you hit someone at 30mph  they have a 50 per cent chance of survival. if you are going at 40mph  nine times out of ten they will die.


wales win in rome wales secured their first away win in the rbs six nations for nearly four years with a six-try victory in rome.  tries from jonathan thomas  tom shanklin and martyn williams gave the visitors a 19-5 half-time advantage. luciano orquera did reply with one for italy but second-half efforts from brent cockbain  shane williams and robert sidoli sealed victory. fly-half stephen jones added four conversions as wales maintained their superb start to this year s tournament. starting full of confidence after their victory over england  the visitors scored the opening try after just four minutes. diminutive wing shane williams fielded a kick ahead and danced past the onrushing andrea masi and aaron persico into the italian half. his pass to tom shanklin appeared forward but when the centre was held up short  the ball was switched left and michael owen s long cut-out pass gave the lurking thomas an easy run-in.  stephen jones  who retained the kicking duties despite gavin henson s heroics against england  slotted an excellent conversion from wide out. wales twice threatened further scores but failed to find the crucial pass  and italy hit back out of the blue in the 11th minute.  henson  sporting gold boots rather than the silver variety that did for england  beat two players with ease out on the left touchline. but his attempted chip ahead was charged down by orquera  who snaffled the loose ball and hared away from halfway to score in the right corner. with the welsh line-out stuttering and italy twice turning the visitors  scrum  the home side s forward power brought them back into it. but a clever high kick from henson almost brought a try for hal luscombe when roland de marigny and ludovico nitoglia made a hash of claiming it as the ball bounced into touch.  wales regained control with a second try in the 21st minute  henson lobbing up a high kick to the left corner where shanklin jumped higher than nitoglia to dot down his 15th test try. jones was unable to convert and de marigny then hit the upright with a penalty attempt for italy. henson was also narrowly short with a long-range effort at goal  but wales ended the half with a vital third score to give themselves some breathing space.  henson sent luscombe streaking away and when he off-loaded to martyn williams  the flanker showed his nous to ground the ball against the padding of the post  jones adding the conversion. italy  who lost flanker mauro bergamasco with a head knock before half-time  built up a head of steam on the resumption. de marigny landed a penalty to make it 19-8 and a nitoglia break through the middle threatened a try only for the move to break down with a knock-on. but wales put the outcome beyond doubt with two superb tries in four minutes before the hour. their fourth after 53 minutes was sparked by another mazy run from shane williams  who beat several players with ease  and finished with a powerful angled run from lock cockbain. before italy could recover from that blow  a strong surge from gareth thomas and great off-loads from martyn williams and replacement kevin morgan saw shane williams scamper over.  with jones converting both for a 33-8 lead  wales had the luxury of sending on five more replacements for the final quarter. the icing on the cake came with a sixth try after more superb support work  shane williams and ceri sweeney combining to send sidoli over in the left corner. the only downside for wales was a hamstring injury suffered by luscombe. but after back-to-back wins at the start of the tournament for the first time in 11 years  they will travel to paris in a fortnight looking like genuine contenders.  r de marigny; mirco bergamasco  w pozzebon  a masi  l nitoglia; l orquera  a troncon; a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni  s dellape  m bortolami (capt)  a persico  mauro bergamasco  s parisse.  g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  d dal maso  p griffen  m barbini  kp robertson.  g thomas (capt); h luscombe  t shanklin  g henson  s williams; s jones  d peel; g jenkins  m davies  a jones; b cockbain  r sidoli; j thomas  m williams  m owen.  r mcbryde  j yapp  i gough  r sowden-taylor  g cooper  c sweeney  k morgan.  andrew cole (australia).


calder fears for scottish rugby former scotland international finlay calder fears civil war at the sru could seriously hamper his country s rbs six nations campaign.  four members of the executive board  including the chairman  david mackay  have resigned after a simmering row. and calder said:  this is terrible news for every level of scottish rugby.  david is a successful businessman and i thought that if anybody could transform the negative atmosphere and rising debt level  it was him.  mackay s executive board has been in a power struggle with the general committee  which contains members elected by scotland s club sides.  he has been driven out by people who seem happier waging civil war than addressing the central issue that professional rugby can t be run by amateurs   said calder.   in fact  i don t understand why we are still having this argument 10 years after professionalism arrived.  but i don t believe the rest of the sru will take this lying down.  i think the banks will be dismayed at this decision and  ultimately  it is them who pull the strings.  so i wouldn t be surprised if they reviewed their position. but  in the wider picture  what message does this send out   he thought the work of scotland s coaches  who have been attempting to arrest the decline of the national side  would be made much more difficult.  matt williams and willie anderson must be wondering   what have we walked into here    said calder.  and we can now expect weeks of arguments and acrimony just at a time when we should be looking forward to the six nations championship.  i am very  very disappointed  more than you can imagine. why do so many scots have this knack of turning on each other when the going gets tough


cult band kasabian surge forward indie dance band kasabian built up a cult following throughout 2004 to secure three brit award nominations.  the four-piece leicester band blends dark electronics with rock  earning kasabian places on the best british group  rock act and live act shortlists. they have also earned a reputation as outspoken and charismatic  in contrast to fellow brit nominees such as keane and snow patrol.  british music needs a kick up the arse and britain needs a new band to breathe life into the british people again   declared kasabian s singer tom meighan.   no-one s doing it at the minute. music feels like it s in the afterlife right now. we don t want people to give up on it.  the serpent s going to rise from the sea and scare all the pirates away!  meighan grew up in leicester with kasabian songwriter/guitarist sergio pizzorno and bassist chris edwards  a trio which began making music from the age of 17.  they enlisted guitarist and keyboard player christopher karloff after spotting him in a pub.  we saw his long sideburns and thought  hey  he looks the part  we ll ask him    said meighan. inspired by britpop and a mutual love of hardcore  an early 1990s genre that fused house music with hip hop beats and a dark sensibility  they added an electronic element to the traditional guitar sound.  we got a computer and we cut rock n roll up  because there s no point in going back to how it was   said meighan.  it s all about new ideas and creativity.   the band s original approach is reflected in its name  inspired by linda kasabian - the getaway driver of us serial killer charles manson. coincidentally it is also the armenian term for  butcher . kasabian moved into a remote farmhouse in rutland to record their debut album  benefiting from its isolation but also managing to sneak in a few parties while they were there. signed to the rca record label  kasabian tested the water with two singles  club foot and lsf  which reached numbers 19 and 10 in the uk singles chart respectively.  they built up their following on the summer festival circuit  opening both glastonbury and t in the park  and at a series of  guerilla gigs  at unusual venues including half time orange  a pub next to leicester city football club s headquarters. kasabian s self-titled album was released last september to widespread critical acclaim  its indie dance stance drawing comparisons to the stone roses  primal scream and the happy mondays.  regarding it as  both a fiery assertion of rock  n  roll ethics and proof that a siege mentality is alive and well in the badlands of rutland water   the nme s praise was typical of the album s reception. as 2004 progressed kasabian would score a further two hits - processed beats and cutt off - and embark upon a well-received uk tour.  we take our music seriously  definitely  but we want to have fun with it   said pizzorno.  this is not a job to us   added meighan.  this is the best life we could ever have. this is what it s all about and without it we d be lost souls. but music needs us as well.