imf agrees fresh turkey funding turkey has agreed a draft proposal with the international monetary fund to borrow $10bn (£5.19bn)  extending its ongoing financial support until 2007.  turkey s current $18.6bn loan agreement with the imf expires in february and the new deal would see it receive added support between 2005 and 2007. in return for the funding  turkey would be expected to keep inflation under control and introduce market reforms. turkey s economy has steadily recovered from a severe crisis in 2001.  economic growth has average 6-7% in the past three years  ahead of imf forecasts  while inflation fell below 10% this year for the first time in 30 years. however  turkey has a huge debt burden - already owing $23bn to the imf - while its current account deficit has swelled to $10.7bn this year.  the turkish economics minister  ali babacan  said the two sides had reached general agreement on a new three year funding program. rodrigo de rato  the imf s managing director  said the loan agreement would help to improve turkish economic prospects by cutting its debt and stimulating growth.  i believe the new programme  if implemented successfully  will help turkey create the conditions for sustained growth and employment creation  reduce inflation toward european level and enhance the economy s resilience   he said. the agreement must still be ratified by imf directors at a meeting expected to take place next month.  the agreement would also enable turkey to defer payments on previous loans worth $3.7m until 2006.  as part of the draft agreement  turkey has signed a  letter of intent  stating its determination to push through far-reaching reforms to its tax and benefits system and its banking sector. such reforms are considered vital for turkey if it is to fulfil its ambition of joining the european union. the eu will decide on 17 december whether to begin entry talks with turkey. the us  the largest of the imf s 184 members  is a strong supporter of continued financial support for turkey.


soul sensation ready for awards south west teenage singing sensation  joss stone  has been nominated in three categories in wednesday s brit awards.  the 17-year-old from a small east devon village near cullumpton  received nominations for best solo female  best urban act and best breakthrough artist. her second album mind  body & soul reached number one in the uk charts last october and went straight into the us charts at number 11. ms stone is due to perform at the 25th award ceremony at london s earls court. the teenager also has grammy nominations in the us  normally dominated by home-grown acts. born jocelyn stoker  the devon diva started her career in a bbc talent programme  and was then discovered at a new york audition by a us record executive  steve greenberg. the 17-year-old singer is hoping to tour in japan  australia and the us in 2005.


us company admits benin bribery a us defence and telecommunications company has agreed to pay $28.5m after admitting bribery in the west african state of benin.  the titan corporation was accused of funnelling more than $2m into the 2001 re-election campaign of president mathieu kerekou. at the time  titan was trying to get a higher price for a telecommunications project in benin. there is no suggestion that mr kerekou was himself aware of any wrongdoing. titan  a california-based company  pleaded guilty to falsifying its accounts and violating us anti-bribery laws. it agreed to pay $13m in criminal penalties  as well as $15.5m to settle a civil lawsuit brought by the us financial watchdog  the securities and exchange commission (sec).  the sec had accused titan of illegally paying $2.1m to an unnamed agent in benin claiming ties with president kerekou. some of the money was used to pay for t-shirts with campaign slogans on them ahead of the 2001 election. shortly after the poll  which mr kerekou won  benin officials agreed to quadruple titan s management fee. prosecuting attorney carol lam said:  all us companies should take note that attempting to bribe foreign officials is criminal conduct and will be appropriately prosecuted.  the company says it no longer tolerates such practices. under the us foreign corrupt practices act  it is a crime for american firms to bribe foreign officials.


cash gives way to flexible friend spending on credit and debit cards has overtaken cash spending in the uk for the first time.  the moment that plastic finally toppled cash happened at 10.38am on wednesday  according to the association for payment clearing services (apacs) apacs chose school teacher helen carroll  from portsmouth  to make the historic transaction. the switch over took place as she paid for her groceries in the supermarket chain tesco s cromwell road branch.  mrs carroll was born in the same year that plastic cards first appeared in the uk.  i pay for most things with my debit card  with occasional purchases on one of my credit cards   said mrs carroll  who teaches at peel common infants school in gosport.  spending patterns for the year and estimates for december led apacs to conclude that 10.38am was the time that plastic would finally rule the roost. shoppers in the uk are expected to put £269bn on plastic cards during the whole of 2004  compared with £268bn paid with cash  apacs said. when the first plastic cards appeared in the uk in june 1966  issued by barclaycard  but only a handful of retailers accepted them and very few customers held them.  but in less than 40 years  plastic has become our most popular way to pay  due to the added security and flexibility it offers   said apacs spokeswoman jemma smith.  the key driver has been the introduction of debit cards  which now account for two-thirds of plastic card transactions and are used by millions of us every day.


five million germans out of work germany s unemployment figure rose above the psychologically important level of five million last month.  on wednesday  the german federal labour agency said the jobless total had reached 5.037 million in january  which takes the jobless rate to 12.1%.  yes  we have effectively more than five million people unemployed   a government minister said earlier on zdf public television. unemployment has not been this high in germany since the 1930s.  changes to the way the statistics are compiled partly explain the jump of 572 900 in the numbers. but the figures are embarrassing for the government.  with the figures apparently the worst we ve seen in the post-war period  these numbers are very charged politically   said christian jasperneite  an economist with mm warburg.  they could well put an end to the recent renaissance we ve seen by the spd [the ruling social democrats] in the polls  and with state elections due in schleswig-holstein and north rhine-westphalia  they may have an adverse effect on the government s chances there.   the opposition also made political capital from the figures. it said there are a further 1.5 million-2 million people on subsidised employment schemes who are  in fact  looking for real jobs. it added that government reforms  including unpopular benefit cuts  do not go far enough. under the government s controversial  hartz iv  reforms  which came into effect at the beginning of the year  both those on unemployment benefits and welfare support and those who are long-term unemployed are officially classified as looking for work. the bad winter weather also took its toll  as key sectors such as the construction sector laid off workers. adjusted for the seasonal factors  the german jobless total rose by 227 000 in january from december.


gates opens biggest gadget fair bill gates has opened the consumer electronics show (ces) in las vegas  saying that gadgets are working together more to help people manage multimedia content around the home and on the move.  mr gates made no announcement about the next generation xbox games console  which many gadget lovers had been hoping for. about 120 000 people are expected to attend the trade show which stretches over more than 1.5 million square feet and runs from 6 to 9 january. the latest trends in digital imaging  storage technologies  thinner flat screen and high-definition tvs  wireless and portable technologies  gaming  and broadband technologies will all be on show over the three days.  mr gates said that a lot of work had been done in the last year to sort out usability and compatibility issues between devices to make it easier to share content.   we predicted at the beginning of the decade that the digital approach would be taken for granted - but there was a lot of work to do.  what is fun is to come to the show and see what has been done. it is going even faster than we expected and we are excited about it.  he highlighted technology trends over the last year that had driven the need to make technology and transferring content across difference devices  seamless .  gaming is becoming more of a social thing and all of the social genres will use this rich communications.  and if we look at what has been going on with e-mail  instant messaging  blogging  entertainment - if we can make this seamless  we can create something quite phenomenal.   mr gates said the pc  like microsoft s media centre  had a central role to play in how people would be making the most out of audio  video and images but it would not be the only device.  it is the way all these devices work together which will make the difference   he said. he also cited the success of the microsoft xbox video game halo 2  released in november  which pushed xbox console sales past playstation in the last two months of 2004 for the first time in 2004. the game  which makes use of the xbox live online games service  has sold 6.23 million copies since its release.  people are online and playing together and that really points to the future   he said. several partnerships with device and hardware manufacturers were highlighted during mr gates  speech  but there were few major groundbreaking new technology announcements. although most of these affected largely us consumers  the technologies highlighted the kind of trends to come. these included what mr gates called an  ecosystem of technologies   like sbc s iptv  a high-definition tv and digital video recorder that worked via broadband to give high-quality and fast tv. there were also other deals announced which meant that people could watch and control content over portable devices and mobile phones.  ces features several more key speeches from major technology players  such as intel and hewlett packard  as well as parallel conference sessions on gaming  storage  broadband and the future of digital music. about 50 000 new products will be unleashed at the tech-fest  which is the largest yet. consumer electronics and gadgets had a phenomenal year in 2004  according to figures released by ces organisers the cea on tuesday. the gadget explosion signalled the strongest growth yet in the us in 2004. that trend is predicted to continue with wholesale shipments of consumer technologies expected to grow by 11% again in 2005.


more women turn to net security older people and women are increasingly taking charge of protecting home computers against malicious net attacks  according to a two-year study.  the number of women buying programs to protect pcs from virus  spam and spyware attacks rose by 11.2% each year between 2002 and 2004. the study  for net security firm preventon  shows that security messages are reaching a diversity of surfers. it is thought that 40% of those buying home net security programs are retired. for the last three years  that has gone up by an average of 13.2%. but more retired women (53%) were buying security software than retired men. the research reflects the changing stereotype and demographics of web users  as well as growing awareness of the greater risks that high-speed broadband net connections can pose to surfers.  the study predicts that 40% of all home pc net security buyers will be women in 2005. they could even overtake men as the main buyers by 2007  if current rates persist  according to the research.  i think older people have become more vigilant about protecting their pcs as we tend to be more cautious and want an insurance policy in case something does go wrong   said one over-60 woman who took part in the research.   you started off with young male stereotype computer users for last 10 years   paul goosens  head of preventon told the bbc news website.  now we are seeing real people - both sexes and very often it is women who have more access at home.  but net service providers still need to take more responsibility in making sure people are educated about net threats before they go online  particuarly if they are new to broadband  he said.  programs also need to be tailored so that they can be installed by dial-up users with a slower connection too  said mr goosens. security software should be easy to use  with simple interfaces and instructions written in non-technical language  he added. the nature of the security threats are also becoming more than just about e-mail viruses. high-profile complaints about rogue diallers  and spyware or other programs that surreptitiously install themselves on computers  have also raised awareness about the need to have a combination of anti-virus  firewall and spyware-removal programs too. without protection  these kinds of programs can be picked up just through surfing the web normally.  more than 30 000 pcs a day globally are being recruited into networks that spread spam and viruses  a study from security from symantec showed last year. viruses written to make headlines by infecting millions are also getting rarer  according to net security experts. programs are being unleashed to directly profit criminal gangs  many based in eastern europe  over those which are designed to show off technical skills or cause nuisance. the research shows that more people are taking these criminal net threats more seriously because  said mr goosens  they are reported in the press much more.  you are seeing older users being educated by the media and are seeing them picking up on this threat. they are asking the right questions   he explained.  it is more likely the younger users who naively assume that because they are using a reputable service provider  that they are safe to connect to the net.  an unprotected computer on a broadband connection can be breached and infected with viruses or spyware within minutes. by the end of the year it is thought that more than 30% of uk homes will have broadband net access. in july last year  the number of uk households accessing the net via broadband surpassed those using dial-up for the first time  according to the office of national statistics.


time to get tough on friendlies  for an international manager  a friendly provides an important opportunity to work with your players.  the only problem is that the game itself can often be a farce. some people have been saying it would be better to get the players together for the week  and do away with the 90 minutes at the end.  i would say it s 50-50 whether you should have these games or not  and if you look at it that way you would probably say you re better not doing so. it would certainly keep club managers happy  as it would reduce the risk of players returning to domestic duty injured. but international bosses will tell you that scrapping friendlies is counterproductive because the only way for a team to get better is by playing. the more you play together  the easier it is when it comes to the crunch in games like world cup quarter-finals against brazil. often in friendlies  though  a manager will play his strongest side for the first 45 minutes and then send out an entirely different one in the second half. and it s very difficult for any player to come on as substitute in a side with a few changes  let alone a whole team s worth. the debate will rage on  and i m not sure there is a satisfactory solution. one manager who has got it right this week is walter smith. the new scotland manager has decided to have a training camp instead of a friendly for his first international week since replacing berti vogts. it is the sort of move you would expect from walter  who is a canny manager.  the players have had such a hard time recently that he is better off getting them together in a relaxed atmosphere and trying to generate some team spirit before the next world cup qualifiers. if he had sent them out on wednesday and they had been badly beaten  it would have done them no good whatsoever. john toshack has his first game in charge of wales  and it will be important for him to get a decent result against hungary. he will have his own ideas on individuals and how to play and will probably look more at the performance  but the public wants results. it s extremely difficult to get the balance for friendlies. if you win  people forget them  but if you lose it becomes a stat that can be used against you. england s game against holland is a good example. it looks like a good opportunity to try out players like middlesbrough winger stewart downing or crystal palace striker andy johnson. but you have got to remember sven-goran eriksson s side were given a lesson by spain in the last game they played.  the injury problems in defence should at least give the likes of wes brown and jamie carragher a chance to impress. for the club managers  it will simply be a case of waiting at home with fingers crossed.


weak data buffets french economy a batch of downbeat government data has cast doubt over the french economy s future prospects.  official figures showed on friday that unemployment was unchanged at 9.9% last month  while consumer confidence fell unexpectedly in october. at the same time  finance minister nicolas sarkozy warned that high oil prices posed a threat to french growth.  [oil prices] will weigh on consumer spending in the short term  and potentially on confidence   he said. world oil prices have risen by more than 60% since the start of the year as production struggles to keep pace with soaring demand.  analysts said french companies  keen to protect their profit margins at a time of rising energy costs  were reluctant to take on extra staff.  [the unemployment figures] show the main problem of the french economy: we have growth but without an improvement in employment   said marc touati  an economist at natexis banques populaires.  politicians must have the will and guts to solve structural unemployment with thorough reforms  otherwise in five or ten years  it will be too late.  obligatory employer contributions to worker welfare programmes mean that it costs more to hire staff in france than in many other european economies. many economists have urged the government to stimulate employment by reducing non-wage payroll costs  and by scrapping restrictions on working hours. the french statistics agency  insee  expects the economy to grow by about 2.4% this year  buoyed by strong consumer spending and business investment. that is above the projected eurozone average of just above 2%.


hundreds vie for best film oscar a total of 267 films are eligible for the best film oscar but only five will be chosen to go forward as nominees.  the academy of motion picture  arts and sciences has sent out the first ballot papers with the full list of films vying for recognition. among those expected to receive nominations are the aviator  million dollar baby and sideways. academy members will now vote for their favourites before the final nominees are announced on 25 january.  to be eligible for nomination a film must have been shown in a commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of 31 december. director martin scorsese s the aviator  starring leonardo dicaprio went on general release on christmas day in the us  ensuring it just made the deadline. studios have already begun lobbying voters  taking out full page adverts in trade publications such as variety urging them to remember particular films when it comes to choosing what to back. other movies tipped for possible success include closer  starring jude law and julia roberts  finding neverland  with johnny depp as author jm barry and kinsey starring liam neeson as the famed sex scientist alfred kinsey. meanwhile  design engineer takuo miyagishima will be awarded an oscar at the scientific and technical awards dinner on 12 february 2005. miyagishima is the 18th recipient of the sawyer award  which is  presented to an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry.  the main oscar ceremony will be held in los angeles on 27 february.


sfa awaits report over mikoliunas the scottish football association is awaiting referee hugh dallas s report before acting against hearts winger saulius mikoliunas.  mikoliunas  20  barged linesman andy davis  who had advised dallas to award rangers an injury-time penalty in hearts s 2-1 defeat at tynecastle.  he was sent off for violent conduct in the 90th minute but we don t know if he did something else after the whistle.  we don t know how many red cards he was shown   said an sfa statement. hearts could also face action after three fans were arrested for throwing coins on the pitch. rangers  striker dad prso was also sent off during the same incident when he received a second yellow card for wrestling the ball away from craig gordon and leaving the hearts keeper on the ground. the sfa said:  once the referee s report comes in then we ll immediately look at things.   we don t normally get the reports until a couple of days after the game but we re well aware of what happened here.  prso was sent off for two cautions  and that will just be a one-match suspension.  the sfa is certain to come down hard on mikoliunas after southampton s david prutton was banned for 10-games on wednesday by the english fa for shoving referee alan wiley. hearts  boss john robertson said:  mikoliunas has thrown his chest against the assistant referee s chest and got a red card for it.  the officials have got to take into account the fact he s a young lad.  but people have got to take into account why he was incensed. why were 10 000 hearts fans incensed   why did nobody from the rangers  bench claim for a penalty kick   rangers  boss alex mcleish accepted referee dallas had no option but to send prso off. mcleish said:  i m glad to see the spirit of the players fighting to the very end - literally with dado trying to get the ball back from craig gordon.  but it was over-zealousness and i don t think hugh had any option.


parry puts gerrard  above money  listen to the full interview on sport on five and the bbc sport website from 1900 gmt.  but parry  speaking exclusively to bbc sport  also admits gerrard  who has been constantly linked with chelsea  will have the final say on his future. he told bbc five live:  steven is above money. he is the future of liverpool.  it doesn t matter if it s £30m  £40m or £50m  we will not accept offers. but we are also realistic enough to know we can t keep steven against his will.  on the subject of liverpool s finances  parry also revealed the club is ready to explore the possibility of a sponsorship deal for its proposed new stadium.  and responding to criticism from bbc sport pundit and former liverpool stalwart alan hansen  he insisted talks on new investment are ongoing  but added the door has not closed on shareholder and lifelong fan steve morgan. parry joined liverpool as chief executive in july 1998 from a similar role at the premier league. there have been several highs and lows during his time in charge at anfield - and he had a busy summer  overseeing the arrival of new manager rafael benitez and managing to hold on to steven gerrard.  on the subject of liverpool s captain and prize asset  parry revealed real madrid  did  ask for an option on the england midfield man during negotiations for striker fernando morientes. he said:  they were looking for ways of saying they got more out of the deal for fernando morientes  but the response to real madrid was the same - steven is not for sale.  but when asked if gerrard would be a liverpool player on the first day of next season  parry said:  i sincerely hope he will be. steven knows my views. he knows rafa s views.  we have re-affirmed recently to steven that we are trying to build a team around him. we crave success as much as he does. we know he s ambitious and nobody can argue with that.   i think steven would dearly love to win things with liverpool more than he d like to do anything else.  we all want to see progress by next season. he s not alone in that. there are a lot of other players who feel the same  so we all have a common aim.  it is expected chelsea will test liverpool with a £30m-plus bid in the summer - but parry claims he will be in no mood to listen.  there have been a lot of open secrets about steven  most of which have been complete myths. it is suggested we had a deal tied up last summer. we didn t had an offer last summer   parry explained.  we had told chelsea that as far as we were concerned he was not for sale and we didn t want to sell him. in reality it didn t go beyond that.  maybe there will be an offer in the summer. maybe there won t.   our position is we want steven to stay  but we are also realistic enough and have enough respect for steven - and he has enough respect for us - to know that it is his decision that will be crucial.  you are not going to keep a player like steven against his will. that just doesn t work  but any idea we are going to accept offers for steven and then tell him  by the way we ve decided to sell you  is not on the agenda. you can forget that.  parry is currently in the process of finalising funding for liverpool s new stadium in stanley park  which is set to open in 2007. and he confessed arsenal s £100m deal with emirates to sponsor their new ground - complete with naming rights - has given the anfield club serious food for thought. he said:  i have to say historically it is something i have been against  and i have been on record as saying that  but i think the size of the arsenal deal is a real eye-opener.   i would say in the past deals have been done frankly far too cheaply and it just hasn t even been worth contemplating.  but the arsenal deal is the sort of deal that causes you to draw breath and say  wow - that s interesting.   my personal point of view is that i would find it a hell of a lot more palatable than a shared stadium.  some liverpool fans would find such a move highly controversial  but parry countered:  i recognise it would be an emotive issue for many supporters  but you look at the amount of money available and it could go into the team.  if it was the right partner how strong an issue is it  time will tell.  i think the stadium will always be anfield  not least because of where it is  but do we need to investigate the possibilities of sponsorship  i think it would be remiss not to.  that s not to say we have made a decision that we will go down that road  but i think it is clearly something we have to explore.   on the subject of possible new investment  parry revealed liverpool are still in negotiations with a mystery investor  with rumours of interest from the middle east. that prompted the withdrawal of tycoon steve morgan  who got frustrated by failed bids and what he claimed was indecision by the board. he also accused liverpool of using him as  a stalking horse  to attract other bids  but parry explained:  steve has never been used as a stalking horse. there s no need  and that is not the way we do business.  we had discussions with steve over the course of 2004. i think we came close to concluding a deal in the summer but it didn t happen.  quite genuinely  the new interest did appear relatively late in the day just prior to the agm in december  and as i have said it was of such potential magnitude  and that potential is so exciting  we felt we had to evaluate it. we are still evaluating it.  steve s interest was taken very much on its own merits. his enthusiasm for the club is there for all to see and who knows what the next few months will hold   the door isn t closed on anything. we had a perfectly sensible dialogue with steve last year.  we have a common interest in making liverpool successful. that s a dream we all share  so as far as i m concerned the door is not closed.   i would take £50m if we had no investment  but if we did  keep him. as for the stadium  if it gets us cash what difference does it make really   £50m for gerrard  i don t care who you are  the directors would take the money and it is the way it should be. we cannot let that sum of money go  despite gerrard s quality.  through a cleverly worded statement  the club has effectively forced gerrard to publicly make the decision for himself  which i think is the right thing to do.  critical time for liverpool with regards to gerrard. ideally we would want to secure his future to the club for the long term. i am hoping he doesn t walk out of the club like michael owen did for very little cash.  £50m realistically would allow rafa to completely rebuild the squad  however  if we can afford to do this and keep gerrard we will be better for it. i would however be happy with gerrard s transfer for any fee over £35m.  parry s statements are clever in that any future gerrard transfer cannot be construed as a lack of ambition by the club to not try and keep their best players. upping the ante is another smart move by parry.  i would keep gerrard. no amount of money could replace his obvious love of the club and determination to succeed.  the key is if gerrard comes out and says that he is happy. clearly  if he isn t  then we would be foolish not to sell. the worrying thing is who would you buy (or who would come) pending possible non-champions league football.


adventure tale tops awards young book fans have voted fergus crane  a story about a boy who is taken on an adventure by a flying horse  the winner of two smarties book prizes.  paul stewart and chris riddell s book came top in the category for six- to eight-year-olds and won the award chosen by after-school club members. sally grindley s spilled water  about a chinese girl sold as a servant  was top in vote of readers aged nine to 11. biscuit bear by mini grey took the top award in the under-five category. winners were voted for by about 6 000 children from a shortlist picked by an adult panel.  the prize  which is celebrating its 20th year  is billed as  the uk s biggest children s book award . fergus crane includes text by stewart and illustrations by riddell  who also created the edge chronicles together. as well as the six to eights prize  it won the 4children special award voted for by after-school club members. julia eccleshare  chair of the adult judging panel  said children s literature had  never looked stronger  in the prize s 20 years.  this award counts because the final choice of winners is made by children  who are the toughest critics of all   she said.  this year s young judges chose the winners from an exceptionally strong and varied shortlist which showcases the very best in children s books today.  previous winners have included jk rowling  jacqueline wilson and dick king-smith.


last chance  warning for voters people in england  scotland and wales must have registered by 1700 gmt to be able to vote in the general election if it is held  as expected  on 5 may.  those who filled in forms last autumn should already be on the register - but those who have moved house or were on holiday may have been left off. there will also be elections for local councils and mayors in parts of england on 5 may. the deadline for voters to register in northern ireland expired on thursday.  completed registration forms can be handed into local authorities throughout the day on friday  and some will accept them by fax. as well as for english county councils  polls for unitary authorities at bristol  isle of wight and stockton-on-tees and mayors at doncaster  hartlepool  north tyneside and stoke-on-trent are also scheduled for 5 may. last week preston city council reported that more than 14 000 of its voters were not registered. its electoral roll fell by 17.5% in a year - the biggest dip in the uk. an electoral commission spokeswoman said:  political decisions are made on your behalf every day but only by using your right to vote at an election can you really have a say on the issues you care about.  if you want your voice to be heard on 5 may you will need to have registered by friday 11 march.  council tax payers are not eligible to vote without registration  officials have stressed.


software watching while you work software that can not only monitor every keystroke and action performed at a pc but also be used as legally binding evidence of wrong-doing has been unveiled.  worries about cyber-crime and sabotage have prompted many employers to consider monitoring employees. the developers behind the system claim it is a break-through in the way data is monitored and stored. but privacy advocates are concerned by the invasive nature of such software.  the system is a joint venture between security firm 3ami and storage specialists bridgehead software. they have joined forces to create a system which can monitor computer activity  store it and retrieve disputed files within minutes. more and more firms are finding themselves in deep water as a result of data misuse. sabotage and data theft are most commonly committed from within an organisation according to the national hi-tech crime unit (nhtcu) a survey conducted on its behalf by nop found evidence that more than 80% of medium and large companies have been victims of some form of cyber-crime. bridgehead software has come up with techniques to prove  to a legal standard  that any stored file on a pc has not been tampered with. ironically the impetus for developing the system came as a result of the freedom of information act  which requires companies to store all data for a certain amount of time.  the storage system has been incorporated into an application developed by security firm 3ami which allows every action on a computer to be logged. potentially it could help employers to follow the trail of stolen files and pinpoint whether they had been emailed to a third party  copied  printed  deleted or saved to cd  floppy disk  memory stick or flash card. other activities the system can monitor include the downloading of pornography  the use of racist or bullying language or the copying of applications for personal use. increasingly organisations that handle sensitive data  such as governments  are using biometric log-ins such as fingerprinting to provide conclusive proof of who was using a particular machine at any given time. privacy advocates are concerned that monitoring at work is not only damaging to employee s privacy but also to the relationship between employers and their staff.  that is not the case   said tim ellsmore  managing director of 3ami.  it is not about replacing dialogue but there are issues that you can talk through but you still need proof   he said.  people need to recognise that you are using a pc as a representative of a company and that employers have a legal requirement to store data   he added.


rochus shocks coria in auckland top seed guillermo coria went out of the heineken open in auckland on thursday with a surprise loss to olivier rochus of belgium.  coria lost the semi-final 6-4 6-4 to rochus  who goes on to face czech jan hernych  a 6-4 7-5 winner over jose acasuso of argentina. fifth seed fernando gonzalez eased past american robby ginepri 6-3 6-4. the chilean will meet sixth seed juan ignacio chela next after the argentine beat potito starace 6-1 7-6 (7-5). rochus made the semi-finals at the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide last week and is naturally delighted with his form.  it s been two unbelievable weeks for me   he said.  today i knew i had nothing to lose. if i beat him great  if i lost  i would be losing to a top-10 player.  coria conceded that rochus  played just too good   and added:  when you give your best out there you can t be too sad.


boris opposes mayor apology ken livingstone should  stick to his guns  and not apologise for his  nazi  comment to a jewish reporter  tory mp boris johnson has insisted.  mr johnson also claimed tony blair s intervention in the row was  an attempt to reassure jewish voters . london mayor mr livingstone says he is  standing by  his remarks which likened an evening standard journalist to a  concentration camp guard . but the prime minister says it is time for mr livingstone to say sorry.  labour s mr livingstone has said his comments may have been offensive but were not racist  and said earlier this week he would not apologise even if mr blair asked. later the prime minister said:  a lot of us in politics get angry with journalists from time to time  but in the circumstances  and to the journalist because he was a jewish journalist  yes  he should apologise.   however  mr johnson  who was forced to apologise last year for an article in the magazine he edits about liverpudlians grieving over the death of british hostage ken bigley  said mr blair  should butt out of  the row.  i don t see why the prime minister has to get involved in this   the spectator editor told bbc radio 4 s today programme.  it s a dispute between ken livingstone and a reporter on the evening standard.  mr johnson  mp for henley-on-thames  oxfordshire  said he suspected labour was now trying to reassure jewish voters  because of this curious way in which labour seems to be trying to curry favour with disillusioned muslim voters who may be disillusioned about the war .   ken doesn t think he s got anything to say sorry for and if that s really his feeling  then i think that he should stick to his guns   he said. mr johnson apologised last october for perpetuating an  outdated stereotype  of liverpool in the leader article on the death of mr bigley. the article in the magazine suggested grieving liverpudlians were wallowing in their victim status. it also attributed blame to drunken liverpool football fans for the 1989 hillsborough disaster in which 96 died. mr johnson told today:  it s perfectly true that i got into the grovelling game myself and when i apologised there were some things that i felt i ought to say sorry for ... there were also other things i didn t think i should apologise for   he said.  but here s old ken - he s been crass  he s been insensitive and thuggish and brutal in his language - but i don t think actually if you read what he said  although it was extraordinary and rude  i don t think he was actually anti-semitic.


jones files conte lawsuit marion jones has filed a lawsuit for defamation against balco boss victor conte following his allegations that he gave her performance-enhancing drugs.  the sydney olympic gold medallist says conte damaged her reputation and she is seeking $25m (£13m) in the suit. conte  whose company is at the centre of a doping investigation  made the claims in a us television programme. he and three others were indicted in february by a federal grand jury for a variety of alleged offences. in an email to the associated press on wednesday  conte said:  i stand by everything i said . jones won three gold medals and two bronzes in sydney in 2000. her lawsuit  filed in the us district court in san francisco  said the sprinter had passed a lie detector test and that she  has never taken banned performance-enhancing drugs . conte s statements  the suit added  were  false and malicious . after the abc television program earlier this month  jones  lawyer richard nicholls said:  marion has steadfastly maintained her position throughout: she has never  ever used performance-enhancing drugs.  victor conte is a man facing a 42-count federal indictment  while marion jones is one of america s most decorated female athletes. mr conte s statements have been wildly contradictory.  mr conte chose to make unsubstantiated allegations on television  while marion jones demanded to take and then passed a lie detector examination.   mr conte is simply not credible. we challenge him to submit to the same lie detector procedure that marion jones passed.  the sport s ruling body  the iaaf  is taking a cautious approach to conte s allegations but contacted the us anti-doping agency. communications director nick davies said the iaaf would seek to contact conte  for further information . but davies stressed it would be up to the american authorities to decide whether they will take action against jones in light of conte s television interview and the world governing body would monitor the situation closely.  if it is felt there is case to answer  it would be for its national governing body (usa track and field) to take the appropriate disciplinary action   he added.  the us anti-doping agency has proved itself to be very diligent in its anti-doping war.  and i am sure  like ourselves  they will be watching the television programme with great interest.  jones  who is under investigation for steroid use by the us anti-doping agency  has continually denied ever taking illegal substances since being investigated in the balco scandal  although she praised a zinc supplement conte marketed. jones  who did not win any medals in athens in august  has never failed a drugs test. meanwhile  conte  who has been charged along with three other men of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering  is due to face trial in march.


microsoft takes on desktop search microsoft has entered the desktop search fray  releasing a test version of its tool to find documents  e-mails and other files on a pc hard drive.  the beta program only works on pcs running windows xp or windows 2000. the desktop search market is becoming increasingly crowded with firms touting programs that help people find files. search giant google launched its desktop search tool in october  while yahoo is planning to release similar software in january.   our ambition for search is to provide the ultimate information tool that can find anything you re looking for   said yusuf mehdi  corporate vice president at microsoft s msn internet division. microsoft s program can be used as a toolbar on the windows desktop  the internet explorer browser and within the outlook e-mail program. the software giant is coming late to the desktop search arena  competing with a large number of rivals. google has already released a desktop tool. yahoo is planning to get into the game in january and aol is expected to offer desktop searching early next year. small firms such as blinkx  copernic  enfish x1 technologies and x-friend offer tools that catalogue the huge amounts of information that people increasingly store on their desktop or home computer. apple will release a similar search system for its computers called spotlight that is due to be released with the tiger operating system.


brown and blair face new rift claims for the umpteenth time  tony blair and gordon brown are said to have declared all out war on each other.  this time the alleged rift is over who should take the credit for the government s global aid and debt initiatives  particularly in the wake of the tsunami disaster - an issue many hoped and believed was above such things. it dominated the prime minister s monthly news conference  which saw mr blair start in full irritation mode as he was forced to bat away question after question about his relationship with his neighbour. as he told journalists:  i am not interested in what goes in and out of newspapers. there is a complete unity of purpose.  and he again heaped praise on mr brown saying he was doing a great job  and would continue doing it - although he would not commit to any job for mr brown after the election.  so why did he arrange his press conference at the last moment so it coincided with mr brown s long-arranged keynote speech on aid and debt  he was asked  by now mr blair had moved from irritation mode to his barely disguised fury setting. he snapped back that the hacks knew very well what the operational reasons were for the timing of his press conference. well  not really  as it happens.  and he repeated what a great man gordon was and how united they were  before again sneering that he took absolutely no notice of what went in and out of the newspapers  preferring to get on with the job of doing the best for the country and the world. although in the next breath he declared:  i get increasingly alarmed by what i read in the newspapers  before catching himself on and quickly adding:  in so far as i read them of course.  he probably had good reason to be alarmed because the newspapers had been full of stories about the claimed open warfare between the two men.  as far as the timing of the prime minister s press conference is concerned  there are two options. the first is that it was a calculated attempt to upstage the chancellor and seize back the initiative on the big issue of the moment. if that is the case it suggests that even the fear of seriously negative newspaper headlines is not enough to stop the squabbling. the second option is that it was an unavoidable coincidence  which would suggest the government has lost its once-famed ability to strictly co-ordinate announcements - through the infamous downing street grid - to avert just such allegations.  either way  the effect was the same - to overshadow the big announcements of government policy on a hugely pertinent issue. and there had been previous suggestions that the new year had started with a fresh outbreak of the warfare between the two men. firstly  the prime minister insisted on wednesday that he had been intimately involved in the development of the proposals to get g8 countries to freeze debt repayments from the tsunami-hit countries. it was claimed he had been embarrassed by the fact that gordon brown appeared to have taken the initiative over the government s response to the disaster while mr blair was still on holiday in egypt.  then  as if to pour fuel on the flames  both men separately spoke about working on tsunami or wider aid and development policy with their cabinet colleagues foreign secretary jack straw  aid minister hilary benn and deputy prime minister john prescott - without mentioning the other. all this came amid fresh claims that mr brown was still seething that he had been excluded from a prominent role in general election planning and had  as a result  started to set out his own platform. the fact that he used an article in the guardian newspaper to set out what he believed  should  be in the manifesto  has embarked on a mini tour of britain to set out his aid plans and will next week visit africa on the same mission - often seen as the prime minister s  turf  - has only added to the impression of rival camps operating entirely independently of each other. the prime minister denied all that as well  repeating his insistence that it was inconceivable the economy and the chancellor would not be at the centre of the election campaign. but the big fear with many on the labour benches now is that  unless a lid can be put on the speculation over the rivalry  it may even threaten to undermine the election campaign itself.


gta sequel is criminally good the grand theft auto series of games have set themselves the very highest of standards in recent years  but the newest addition is more than able to live up to an increasingly grand tradition.  the 18 certificate gta: san andreas for the playstation 2 could have got away with merely revisiting a best-selling formula with a more-of-the-same approach. instead  it builds and expands almost immeasurably upon the last two games and stomps  carefree  over all the driv3r and true crime-shaped opposition. even in the year that will see sequels to halo and half-life  it is hard to envisage anything topping this barnstorming instant classic.  the basic gameplay remains familiar. you control a character  on this occasion a youth named cj  who sets out on a series of self-contained missions within a massive 3d environment. cj can commandeer any vehicle he stumbles across from a push-bike to a city bus to a plane. all come in handy as he seeks to establish his presence in a tough urban environment and avenge the dreadful deeds waged upon his family. to make things worse  he is framed for murder the moment he arrives in town  and blackmailed by crooked cops played by samuel l jackson and chris penn. the setting for all this rampant criminality is the fictional us state of san andreas  comprising three major cities: los santos  which is a thinly-disguised los angeles  san fierro  aka san francisco and las venturas  a carbon copy of las vegas. san andreas sucks you in with its sprawling range  cast of characters and incredibly sharp writing.  its ability to capture the ambience of the real-world versions of these cities is something to behold  assisted no end by the monumental graphical advances since vice city. the streets  and vast swathes of countryside  are by turns gloriously menacing  grungy and preppy. flaunting awesome levels of graphical detail  the game s overall look  particularly during the many unusual weather conditions and dramatic sunsets  is stupendous. the outstanding bread-and-butter gameplay mechanics provide a solid grounding for the elaborate plot to hang on. cars handle more convincingly than ever  a superb motion blur kicks in when you hit high speeds  and there s more traffic to navigate than before. park your vehicle across the lanes of a freeway  and within seconds there will be a huge pile-up. pedestrians are also out in force  and are a loquacious bunch. cj can interact with them using a simple system on the control pad. they will pass comments on his appearance and credibility  aspects that the player now has control over. clothes  tattoos and haircuts can all be purchased  and funding these habits can be achieved by criminal means or by indulging in mini-games like betting on horses and challenging bar patrons to games of pool. the character will put on or lose weight according to how long he spends on foot or in the gym. he will have to pause regularly in restaurants to keep energy levels up  but will swell up as a result of over-eating. and at last  this is a gta hero who can swim.  at a time when games are once again under fire for their supposed potential to corrupt the young  san andreas  violence  or specifically the freedom it gives the player to commit violence  are sure to inflame the pro-censorship brigade. developers rockstar have not shied away from brutality  and in some respects ramp it up from past outings.  when hijacking a car  for example  cj will gratuitously shove the driver s head into the steering wheel rather than just fleeing with the vehicle. indeed  the tone is darker than the jokey vice city. the grim subject matter here hardly lends itself to gags in quite the same way as the cheesy 80s setting of the last game. this title  incidentally  is set in 1992  but that is really neither here nor there apart from the influence it has on the radio playlists. the wit is still present  just more restrained than in previous outings. a further reason for this is that the incredible range of in-vehicle radio stations available means you will spend less time happening upon the hilarious talk radio options  where gta games  trademark humour is anchored. the quality of voice acting and motion capture is simply off-the-chart. the game s rather odious gangland lowlifes swagger and mouth off in a way that rings very true indeed. it is a testament to san andreas  magnificence that it has a number of prominent flaws  but plus-points are so numerous that the niggles don t detract. the on-screen map  for instance  is needlessly fiddly  an unwelcome change from past editions. there is also a very jarring slowdown at action-packed moments. and the game suffers from the age-old problem that can be relied upon to blight all games of this genre  setting you back a vast distance when you fail right at the very end of a long mission. but the gameplay experience in its entirety is overwhelmingly positive. you simply will not be bothered by these minor failings. san andreas is among the few unmissable games of 2004.


isinbayeva claims new world best pole vaulter yelena isinbayeva broke her own indoor world record by clearing 4.89 metres in lievin on saturday.  it was the russian s 12th world record of her career and came just a few days after she cleared 4.88m at the norwich union grand prix in birmingham. the olympic champion went on to attempt 5.05m at the meeting on france but failed to clear that height. in the men s 60m  former olympic 100m champion maurice greene could only finish second to leonard scott. it was greene s second consecutive defeat at the hands of his fellow american  who also won in birmingham last week.  i ran my race perfectly   said scott  who won in 6.46secs  his best time indoors.  i am happy even if i know that maurice is a long way from being at his peak at the start of the season.


mcclaren hails boro s uefa spirit middlesbrough boss steve mcclaren has praised the way his side have got to grips with european football after the 2-0 uefa cup win against lazio.  boro  who are playing in europe for the first time in their 128-year history  are top of group e with maximum points.  i think we have taken to europe really well   said mcclaren.  we got about lazio  didn t let them settle or play. and in possession  we controlled it and looked threatening every time we went forward.  before the match  mcclaren had said that a win over the italian giants would put boro firmly on the european footballing map. and after they did just that he said:  it was a perfect european night. for the team to give the fans a performance like that was the icing on the cake.  there have been many good performances but this was something special.   you can see that the experience we have in the squad is showing. to win in europe you need to defend well  and we have done that because we have conceded only one goal in four games.  we can also score goals  and again that is something you can see from the performances we have had  so we have good balance. mcclaren s only criticism of his side was that their dominance should have been resulted in more goals.  it should have been more convincing   said mcclaren.  but i had watched lazio in recent weeks and i saw them score a late equaliser against inter milan on saturday so i knew we needed a second goal.   no matter what anybody says  lazio are favourites to win this competition.  middlesbrough forward boudewijn zenden said he did not expect such a comfortable match after he scored both goals.  we didn t expect it to be that one-sided   said zenden.  we did quite well in the first half  we pressured them and they didn t cope with that.  i think we played quite well and it was a very good game  especially in the first half.  the holland international said boro are confident of progressing in the competition after winning their first two group games.  we ve got a very good feeling  there is a good spirit  all the lads work hard for each other and it s a squad of friendly players  which i think you can see on the pitch   he added.


citizenship event for 18s touted citizenship ceremonies could be introduced for people celebrating their 18th birthday  charles clarke has said.  the idea will be tried as part of an overhaul of the way government approaches  inclusive citizenship  particularly for ethnic minorities. a pilot scheme based on ceremonies in australia will start in october. mr clarke said it would be a way of recognising young people reaching their voting age when they also gain greater independence from parents. britain s young black and asian people are to be encouraged to learn about the nation s heritage as part of the government s new race strategy which will also target specific issues within different ethnic minority groups. officials say the home secretary wants young people to feel they belong and to understand their  other cultural identities  alongside being british. the launch follows a row about the role of faith schools in britain. on monday school inspection chief david bell  accused some islamic schools of failing to teach pupils about their obligations to british society.  the muslim council of britain said ofsted boss mr bell s comments were  highly irresponsible . the home office started work on its community cohesion and race equality strategy last year and the outcome  launched on wednesday  is called  improving opportunity  strengthening society . it is aimed at tackling racism  exclusion  segregation and the rise in political and religious extremism.  it represents a move away from the one-size-fits-all approach to focus on specifics within cultural groups   said a home office spokesman.  it is not right to say that if you are from a black or ethnic minority group you must be disadvantaged.  the spokesman highlighted specific issues that affect particular communities - for example people of south asian origin tend to suffer from a high incidence of heart disease.   it is about drilling down and focusing on these sorts of problems   the spokesman added. launching the initiative mr clarke said enormous progress had been made on race issues in recent years. he added:  but while many members of black and minority ethnic communities are thriving  some may still find it harder to succeed in employment or gain access to healthcare  education or housing.  this strategy sets out the government s commitment to doing more to identify and respond to the specific needs of minorities in our society.  some 8% of the uk population described themselves as coming from a non-white ethnic minority in the 2001 census.  the downing street strategy unit in 2003 said people from indian and chinese backgrounds were doing well on average  often outperforming white people in education and earnings. but those of pakistani  bangladeshi and black caribbean origin were significantly more likely to be unemployed and earn less than whites  it said. the home office wants more initiatives which try to promote a sense of belonging by encouraging young people to take part in voluntary work. the programmes are designed to support the citizenship lessons already taking place in schools.


henman to face saulnier test british number one tim henman will face france s cyril saulnier in the first round of next week s australian open.  greg rusedski  the british number two  is in the same quarter of the draw and could face andy roddick in the second round if he beats swede jonas bjorkman. local favourite lleyton hewitt will meet france s arnaud clement  while defending champion and world number one roger federer faces fabrice santoro. women s top seed lindsay davenport drew spanish veteran conchita martinez.  henman came from two sets down to defeat saulnier in the first round of the french open last year  so he knows he faces a tough test in melbourne. the seventh seed  who has never gone beyond the quarter-finals in the year s first major and is lined up to meet roddick in the last eight  is looking forward to the match.  he s tough player on any surface  he s got a lot of ability   he said.  we had a really tight one in paris that went my way so i m going to need to play well from the outset because he s a dangerous competitor.  switzerland s federer  seeded one  is the hot favourite having won three of the four grand slam titles in 2004. he has beaten santoro in five of their seven previous encounters  but is taking nothing for granted.  it s a tricky match   federer said.  i played him at the us open and won quite comfortably then. but you never know  if the rhythm is a bit off  he can keep you guessing and make it difficult.  the most important thing  though  is to get used to playing five-set matches and winning them.  the 23-year-old could meet four-time champion andre agassi in the quarter-finals before meeting russian marat safin  the player he beat in last year s final.  eighth-seeded american agassi is set to play a qualifier in round one if he can shake off a hip injury which ruled him out of the kooyong classic. second seed andy roddick will open his campaign against irakli labadze of georgia. the american could meet rusedski in the second round  seventh seed henman in the quarter-finals and hewitt in the last four. hewitt is hoping to become the first australian man to win the event since mark edmondson in 1976. the 23-year-old has never been beyond round four in eight attempts at melbourne park but has at least secured the opposite half of the draw to federer  who beat him in the australian open  wimbledon and us open last year. safin  seeded four  opens his campaign against a qualifier with 16th seed tommy haas  the player he beat in the semi-finals in 2002  a possible fourth-round opponent.  in the women s draw  davenport could encounter eighth-seeded venus williams in the quarter-finals and third-ranked anastasia myskina  the french open champion  in the semi-finals. bronchitis ruled davenport  the 2000 australian open champion  out of her sydney quarter-final on thursday. venus williams  who lost to younger sister serena in the melbourne final two years ago  opens against eleni daniilidou of greece. serena williams  who won her fourth consecutive grand slam at the 2003 australian open  was drawn in the bottom quarter with second seed amelie mauresmo  a runner-up in 1999. serena will open against another frenchwoman camille pin  while mauresmo plays australia s samantha stosur. wimbledon champion maria sharapova  seeded fourth  drew a qualifier in the first round but could meet fellow russian svetlana kuznetsova  the us open winner  in the last eight  1 roger federer (switzerland)  2 andy roddick (us)  3 lleyton hewitt (australia)  4 marat safin (russia)  5 carlos moya (spain)  6 guillermo coria (argentina)  7 tim henman (britain)  8 andre agassi (us)  9 david nalbandian (argentina)  10 gaston gaudio (argentina)  11 joachim johansson (sweden)  12 guillermo canas (argentina)  13 tommy robredo (spain)  14 sebastien grosjean (france)  15 mikhail youzhny (russia)  16 tommy haas (germany)  17 andrei pavel (romania)  18 nicolas massu (chile)  19 vincent spadea (us)  20 dominik hrbaty (slovakia)  21 nicolas kiefer (germany)  22 ivan ljubicic (croatia)  23 fernando gonzalez (chile)  24 feliciano lopez (spain)  25 juan ignacio chela (argentina)  26 nikolay davydenko (russia)  27 paradorn srichaphan (thailand)  28 mario ancic (croatia)  29 taylor dent (us)  30 thomas johansson (sweden)  31 juan carlos ferrero (spain)  32 jurgen melzer (austria)  1 lindsay davenport (us)  2 amelie mauresmo (france)  3 anastasia myskina (russia)  4 maria sharapova (russia)  5 svetlana kuznetsova (russia)  6 elena dementieva (russia)  7 serena williams (us)  8 venus williams (us)  9 vera zvonareva (russia)  10 alicia molik (australia)  11 nadia petrova (russia)  12 patty schnyder (switzerland)  13 karolina sprem (croatia)  14 francesca schiavone (italy)  15 silvia farina elia (italy)  16 ai sugiyama (japan)  17 fabiola zuluaga (colombia)  18 elena likhovtseva (russia)  19 nathalie dechy (france)  20 tatiana golovin (france)  21 amy frazier (us)  22 magdalena maleeva (bulgaria)  23 jelena jankovic (serbia and montenegro)  24 mary pierce (france)  25 lisa raymond (us)  26 daniela hantuchova (slovakia)  27 anna smashnova (israel)  28 shinobu asagoe (japan)  29 gisela dulko (argentina)  30 flavia pennetta (italy)  31 jelena kostanic (croatia)  32 iveta benesova (czech republic)


boateng to step down at election paul boateng  chief secretary to the treasury  is to step down as a labour mp at the forthcoming general election.  mr boateng  53  is to become the uk s high commissioner to south africa. he was the uk s first black cabinet minister when appointed to his post in 2002  promoted from the home office  where he had been prisons minister. mr boateng served on the greater london council before being elected to parliament in 1987  declaring  today brent south  tomorrow soweto . he will succeed the previous high commissioner  ann grant  shortly after the next election  which is widely expected to be held on 5 may. the appointment is dependent on labour s re-election.  prime minister tony blair said:  paul has been both a valued colleague and a trusted friend for many years.  he has made an immense contribution to public life in britain and i am delighted that he has agreed to continue that service to the people of britain by acting as their representative in south africa.  chancellor gordon brown said:  over the past eight years paul s contribution to the treasury and the government has been exceptional - and it has been my privilege to have worked closely with him closely at the treasury.  i congratulate paul on his new appointment.  he has displayed huge dedication to the cause of african development for many years and it is fitting that  in this year of challenge and opportunity for the african continent  paul has been given such a pivotal role in our fight against poverty and injustice.  i look forward to continuing to work with paul on this vital agenda.   mr boateng said:  i am honoured to be asked to take on this role  especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with south africa and the african continent.  there shall be many new challenges and opportunities ahead and i look forward to embracing them with great anticipation.  asked if he was appointed as the result of a  fair and open  competition  he replied:  i have been appointed as a result of a process that s been used before by labour and conservative governments to appoint people of all parties who have relevant experience.  mr boateng also laughed off suggestions that his re-election in brent south seat had been in danger saying it was  one of the safest labour seats in the country . shadow foreign secretary michael ancram said that  if in government  he would refuse to approve either mr boateng s appointment or that of ex-cabinet minister helen liddell as high commissioner to australia.  mr blair s appointment of paul boateng is the latest example of a worrying trend of failed tony s cronies being appointed to senior diplomatic posts   he said.


disappointed scott in solid start allan scott is confident of winning a medal at next week s european indoor championships after a solid debut on the international circuit.  the 22-year-old scot finished fourth in the 60m hurdles at the jose m cagigal memorial meeting in madrid.  it was definitely a learning curve and i certainly haven t ruled out challenging for a medal next week   said the east kilbride athlete. the race was won by felipe vivancos  who equalled the spanish record.  sweden s robert kronberg was second  with haiti s dudley dorival in third. scott was slightly disappointed with his run in the final. he won his heat in 7.64secs but ran 0.04secs slower in his first iaaf indoor grand prix circuit final.  i should have done better than that   he said.  i felt i could have won it. i got a poor start - but i still felt i should have ran faster.  vivancos slashed his personal best to equal the spanish record with a time of 7.60secs while kronberg and dorival clocked 7.62secs and 7.63secs respectively.


court halts mark morrison album premiership footballer and record company boss kevin campbell has gained a court injunction stopping r&b singer mark morrison from releasing an album.  the everton striker signed morrison to his fledging 2 wikid records label and claims he spent thousands of pounds producing his album innocent man. now he is attempting to prevent morrison releasing the album on monday through another label. but morrison vowed to ignore the order  saying  no judge is gonna stop me .  morrison  who is now as well known for his brushes with the law than his music career  rose to fame with the 1996 single return of the mack.  but the leicester singer has struggled to repeat its success following two spells in jail. one was for hiring a stand-in to complete his community service for possession of a stun gun and three-months following a nightclub fracas. he signed to mr campbell s label a year ago and has released one single  with the label saying the album was due for release on 24 january. but mr campbell said he learned that morrison planned to release the album through jet star  which is advertising it on its website. mr campbell said:  i m glad we were granted the injunction but i m completely gutted that we have had to go that far.  mark morrison was given everything he asked for by 2 wikid but it seems that he couldn t help but return to his old ways.   i ve worked hard to realise my ambition in football but had hoped that my future career would be in the music business.  i have always dreamt of starting a record label but now mark morrison has spoilt that dream for me. there is no loyalty in this business - just greed.   but morrison is determined the album will be released on monday. he said:  the injunction is ludicrous.  i signed a new deal with a new record company because i was not getting the support i needed from 2 wikid.  i was with that label for a year and in that time released just one record  which was not properly promoted. he added:  the whole world is waiting for this album and it will come out on december 27. no injunction or judge will stop it. the mack will return.  the case is set to be heard in the high court on 20 december.


chancellor rallies labour voters gordon brown has issued a rallying cry to supporters  warning the  stakes are too high  to stay at home or protest vote in the next general election.  the chancellor said the poll - expected to fall on 5 may - would give a  clear and fundamental  choice between labour investment and tory cuts. he told his party s spring conference the tories must not be allowed to win. the conservatives and lib dems insisted that voters faced higher taxes and means-testing under labour.  to a packed audience at gateshead s sage centre  mr brown accused shadow chancellor oliver letwin of plotting cuts that were the equivalent of sacking every teacher  gp and nurse in the country. laying into the conservative s record in government he said:  i give you this promise - with labour  britain will never return to the mistakes of erm and 10% inflation  15% interest rates  £3bn in lost reserves  250 000 repossessed  one million in negative equity and three million unemployed.  never again tory boom and bust.   this will be the central dividing line at the election  between a conservative party taking britain back and planning deep cuts of £35bn in our services  and a labour government taking britain forward  which on a platform of stability will reform and renew our hospitals  schools and public services and  i am proud to say  spend by 2008 £60bn more.  turning to the economy  the chancellor promised to continue economic stability and growth in a third term in power.  he also pledged to continue the fight against child and pensioner poverty. and he promised help to get young people on the property ladder.  my message to the thousands of young couples waiting to obtain their first home is that housing is rightly now at the centre of our coming manifesto   he said.  and the next labour government will match our low mortgage rates with a new first-time buyers  initiative.  in the speech  which prompted a standing ovation  he also promised to end teenage unemployment within the next five years.  he also highlighted plans for 100% debt relief for the world s poorest countries  a national minimum wage for 16 and 17-year-olds  the creation of a network of children s centres and flexibility in maternity leave. responding to the speech  shadow chief secretary to the treasury  george osborne  said:  this was more talk from gordon brown.  we ve heard it all before. instead of talking about the future he kept on talking about the past.  he completely failed to say which taxes he would put up to fill the black hole in his spending plans.  there will be a simple choice at the election - value for money and lower taxes with the conservatives  or more waste and higher taxes under tony blair and gordon brown.   liberal democrat shadow chancellor vince cable warned the picture was not as rosy as mr brown would like to portray it.  for all his trumpeting of labour s management of the economy  gordon brown s record is very mixed   he said.  gordon brown has created a system of massive centralisation and bureaucracy  a system which subjects millions of people to means testing  and a system of taxation which is extremely complex.  for all his positive words  gordon brown is faced with economic problems looming on the horizon  not least the unprecedented levels of personal debt facing the nation.  also in gateshead  the prime minister took questions sent in by e-mail  text message and telephone as part of labour s attempt to engage the public in their campaign. mr blair told the audience he believed the iraq war would have made britain a safer place if its emerging democracy succeeded and that he wanted to bring troops home as soon as possible  but not before the job was done. he also said he wanted to carry on as pm  because i still think that there are big changes our country needs .


msps hear renewed climate warning climate change could be completely out of control within several decades  the scottish environment protection agency is warning a committee of msps.  experts are giving evidence on the subject to the scottish parliament s environment committee. officials believe nuclear energy and wind farms may be better options than trying to tackle global warming. solutions suggested by conservationists include reducing internal uk air travel and boosting electric trains. the evidence is part of the committee s inquiry into the impact of climate change in scotland. sepa is attempting to curb global warming gases  as pollution from transport emissions increases.  ecologists are warning msps that scotland may have to accept  significant intrusion  from wind farms. it is likely also that nuclear power will be needed for possibly several decades. sepa predict that the two methods will remain as energy sources until climate change is under control. experts studying the seas off scotland s west coast have already forecast more devastating weather of the type which caused havoc across the country last month.  they predicted that damaging storms will become more frequent. researchers from the university of the highlands and islands and southampton have been looking at wave heights in the atlantic over the last nine years. the project was conducted jointly by the environmental research institute in thurso  which is part of the university of the highlands and islands (uhi) millennium institute network  and the southampton oceanography centre. scientists carried out a series of studies  including the use of satellites to assess wave heights in the seas around the west coast and the hebrides.


piero gives rugby perspective bbc sport unveils its new analysis tool piero at the wales v england rugby union match on saturday. but what does it do and how does it work   picture the scene - wales are camped on the england line in the dying seconds of the six nations  opening match. a ball is flung out to winger shane williams who crosses to score the winning try for wales. but the england players are incensed - arguing that the pass was forward and the try should not stand. in the past  sports fans would be left debating the validity of the try for days and weeks to come. but bbc sport s new tool piero could end discussions in minutes.  piero  named after the italian painter and pioneer of perspective piero della francesco  creates a virtual stadium in which virtual players can be tracked from almost any angle. viewers will be able to see precisely how the ball was thrown and by whom  giving a greater depth to the growing wealth of analysis available during sports broadcasts. the technology has been created by bbc research and development for bbc broadcast and bbc outside broadcasts. bbc sport is the first client to start using the system.  in order to keep audiences growing and growing... we need to work closely with people who create technology and innovation to bring sport to life   said andrew thompson  the bbc s head of development  new media and sports news.  we want to appeal to core fans - to give them more analysis  more detail  more definitive answers about key passages of play.  piero works by taking telemetric data from fixed camera positions and sending that data inside the video signal to a pc which can then render the information into 3d graphics.  the more cameras using piero  the better the detail possible out the other end when the data is turned into 3d models.  it allows us to tell the story of a passage of play  tracking individual players across the field  looking at tactics   said andy townsend  from bbc broadcast.  an operator can manipulate the information and provide almost real-time replays of incidents  as well as more in-depth analysis. the  virtual camera  can focus on virtually any aspect of the pitch  giving viewers an insight into action that the camera normally cannot see. piero also provides a wealth of statistical detail - from the length of kicks  to the length of a run of an individual player and the height of a lift at any lineout. mr townsend said sports performance companies were already showing an interest in the technology. bbc broadcast hopes the technology can be sold to third parties interested in using it a number of different ways - from sport broadcasting to entertainment and game shows.


georgia plans hidden asset pardon georgia is offering a one-off  tax amnesty  to people who hid their earnings under the regime of former president eduard shevardnadze.  the country s new president  mikhail saakashvili  has said that anyone now willing to disclose their wealth will only have to pay 1% in income tax. the measure is designed to legitimise previously hidden economic activity and boost georgia s flagging economy. georgia s black market is estimated to be twice the size of its legal economy.  mr saakashvili  elected president in january after mr shevardnadze was toppled  has urged the georgian parliament to approve the amnesty as soon as possible. it is one of a series of proposals designed to tackle corruption  which was rampant during the shevardnadze era  and boost georgia s fragile public finances.  the new government is encouraging companies to pay taxes by scrapping existing corruption investigations and destroying all tax records from before 1 january  three days before president saakashvili was elected.  there are people who have money but are afraid to show it   the president told a government session.  documentation about where this money came from doesn t exist because under the former  entirely warped regime  earning capital honestly was not possible.   by declaring their assets and paying the one-off tax  people would be able to  legalise their property   mr saakashvili stressed.   no one will have the right to check this money s origin. this money must go back into the economy.  the amnesty will not extend to people who made money through drugs trafficking or international money laundering. criminal investigations in such cases -thought to involve about 5% of georgian businesses -are to continue. mr saakashvili has accused the shevardnadze regime  which was toppled by a popular uprising in november  of allowing bribery to flourish. georgia s economy is in a desperate condition. half the population are living below the poverty line with many surviving on income of less than $4  or three euros  a day. the unemployment rate is around 20% while the country has a $1.7bn public debt.


rusedski forced out in marseille greg rusedski was forced to withdraw from the open 13 in marseille on thursday with a rib injury.  the british number two had been scheduled to play qualifier sebastien de chaunac  who beat world number five guillermo coria 6-4 7-5 in round one. but rusedski was unable to take to the court because of a problem with the left-hand side of his rib-cage. american taylor dent caused a shock with a 7-6 6-2 victory over second seed david nalbandian. but third seed joachim johansson made it through after beating frenchman gilles simon 7-6 6-3 while in the first match of the day  sixth seed feliciano lopez defeated ivo karlovic. there were also wins for slovakia s karol beck and croatian duo ivan ljubicic and mario ancic.


stevens named in england line-up england have named bath prop matt stevens in the starting line-up for their six nations match against ireland at lansdowne road on sunday.  fellow bath prop duncan bell will start on the bench  as coach andy robinson makes just one change to the team that was beaten by france. it will be stevens  first start after two caps as a replacement against the all blacks last year. leicester duo ollie smith and andy goode have been drafted onto the bench. stevens takes over from phil vickery  who suffered a broken arm playing for gloucester last weekend.  i m confident matt will grasp this opportunity and make his mark against ireland   said robinson.   all three players have shown outstanding form of late  most recently in the england a win against france a and for their club   added robinson.  selection beckons when players demonstrate such consistent ability.  this game against ireland will be massive. we recognise it s a must-win game for us this season.  england confirmed that sale sharks prop andrew sheridan was not considered for selection because of an injury he picked up to the back of his ankle during last friday s match against leeds.  j robinson (sale sharks  capt); m cueto (sale sharks)  j noon (newcastle)  o barkley (bath)  j lewsey (wasps); c hodgson (sale sharks)  h ellis (leicester); g rowntree (leicester)  s thompson (northampton)  m stevens (bath)  d grewcock (bath)  b kay (leicester)  j worsley (wasps)  l moody (leicester)  m corry (leicester).  a titterrell (sale sharks)  d bell (bath)  s borthwick (bath)  a hazell (gloucester)  m dawson (wasps)  a goode (leicester)  o smith (leicester).


wales get williams fitness boost wales are hopeful that openside flanker martyn williams could be fit for saturday s rbs 6 nations championship opener against england in cardiff.  williams was expected to miss the match with a disc problem in his neck  but has been making a speedy recovery.  he will have tests in the next 48 hours and we are pretty optimistic he is getting there   wales  team physiotherapist mark davies said.  it has been frustrating but he is on the mend  he has made good progress.  last week williams  along with fellow flanker colin charvis - who is unlikely to play for at least a month while he recovers from a foot injury - was all but ruled out of the millennium stadium clash. with williams initially thought to be struggling  the signs pointed towards wales coach mike ruddock handing a first cap to former wales under-21 skipper richie pugh.  cardiff blues flanker williams  29  offers considerable experience and if he is declared fit then ruddock might be tempted to include him in the back row. charvis will be reviewed by the wales medical staff next monday  but davies admitted that there was only an  outside chance  of him being fit to face france in wales  third championship game on 26 february. wales  other injury concern is pugh s fellow neath-swansea ospreys player sonny parker  as the centre has a trapped nerve in his neck.  sonny s injury is still an issue   davies said.  it is still painful and irritable. we will run the rule of thumb over him in the next couple of days.  ruddock will name his starting line-up for the england game at 1830 gmt on tuesday evening  as wales target their first victory in cardiff over the world champions since 1993.


budget to set scene for election gordon brown will seek to put the economy at the centre of labour s bid for a third term in power when he delivers his ninth budget at 1230 gmt. he is expected to stress the importance of continued economic stability  with low unemployment and interest rates. the chancellor is expected to freeze petrol duty and raise the stamp duty threshold from £60 000. but the conservatives and lib dems insist voters face higher taxes and more means-testing under labour.  treasury officials have said there will not be a pre-election giveaway  but mr brown is thought to have about £2bn to spare.  - increase in the stamp duty threshold from £60 000   - a freeze on petrol duty   - an extension of tax credit scheme for poorer families   - possible help for pensioners the stamp duty threshold rise is intended to help first time buyers - a likely theme of all three of the main parties  general election manifestos. ten years ago  buyers had a much greater chance of avoiding stamp duty  with close to half a million properties  in england and wales alone  selling for less than £60 000. since then  average uk property prices have more than doubled while the starting threshold for stamp duty has not increased. tax credits as a result  the number of properties incurring stamp duty has rocketed as has the government s tax take. the liberal democrats unveiled their own proposals to raise the stamp duty threshold to £150 000 in february.  the tories are also thought likely to propose increased thresholds  with shadow chancellor oliver letwin branding stamp duty a  classic labour stealth tax . the tories say whatever the chancellor gives away will be clawed back in higher taxes if labour is returned to power. shadow treasury chief secretary george osborne said:  everyone who looks at the british economy at the moment says there has been a sharp deterioration in the public finances  that there is a black hole   he said.  if labour is elected there will be a very substantial tax increase in the budget after the election  of the order of around £10bn.   but mr brown s former advisor ed balls  now a parliamentary hopeful  said an examination of tory plans for the economy showed there would be a £35bn difference in investment by the end of the next parliament between the two main parties. he added:  i don t accept there is any need for any changes to the plans we have set out to meet our spending commitments.   for the lib dems david laws said:  the chancellor will no doubt tell us today how wonderfully the economy is doing   he said.  but a lot of that is built on an increase in personal and consumer debt over the last few years - that makes the economy quite vulnerable potentially if interest rates ever do have to go up in a significant way.  snp leader alex salmond said his party would introduce a £2 000 grant for first time buyers  reduce corporation tax and introduce a citizens pension free from means testing. plaid cymru s economics spokesman adam price said he wanted help to get people on the housing ladder and an increase in the minimum wage to £5.60 an hour.


weir poised for sunderland move larne s teenage star robbie weir is poised to join sunderland after turning down a move to stoke city.  the 17-year-old irish league midfielder was also being chased by rangers and fulham  but mick mccarthy s side appear to have won the race. but larne boss jimmy mcgeough has yet to confirm that weir is on his way from inver park.  i heard on sunday that he has joined sunderland  but not from the lad himself   he said.   robbie has an agreement with larne that he can negotiate with interested clubs.    personally  i would rather see him making an impact at local level to build up his physique before moving into the full-time game.   he has been on trial with a number of clubs. but it would be great to see him making it at sunderland.


us data sparks inflation worries wholesale prices in the us rose at the fastest rate in more than six years in january  according to government data.  new figures show the labor department producer price index (ppi) rose by 0.3% - in line with forecasts. but core producer prices  which exclude food and energy costs  surged by 0.8%  the biggest rise since december 1998  increasing inflationary concerns. in contrast  the university of michigan barometer of us retail consumer confidence showed a slight dip. the university s index of consumer spending fell to 94.2 in early february from 95.5 in january  which could indicate a fall in retail spending by the us public. the mixed set of data on friday led to volatile early wall street trade  as the dow jones  standard and poor s 500  and nasdaq swung between positive and negative territory.  the economic figures come on the back of increased fears that the federal reserve chairman may be about to raise interest rates in order to stifle any inflationary pressures. the fed has been raising interest rates at a gradual pace since june 2004  in an attempt to make sure inflation does not get out of control.  mr greenspan told congress this week that the central bank was on guard against the possibility that a rebounding economy could trigger stronger inflation pressures.  the ppi would argue for greenspan to continue to raise rates at a measured pace   said joe quinlan  chief market stategist at bank of america capital management.  but this michigan survey tells you that the consumer might be downshifting a little bit in terms of their confidence and their spending; this could be an indication of that.   consumer spending accounts for 66% of us economic activity and is viewed as a gauge of the health of the economy  which is why the michigan data is closely observed. however on friday  it was overshadowed by the core ppi core figure  which surged 2.7% during the past 12 months  the biggest year-on-year gain in nine years.  the concern is that traders might interpret this big jump in the core ppi as an impetus for the fed to be more aggressive than a measured move in moving rates   said paul cherney  chief market analyst at standard & poor s. but ian shepherdson  chief us economist at high frequency economics  said the ppi report was  much less alarming  than at first glance. one-time increases in alcohol and tobacco prices  which  are no indication of broad ppi pressure   were responsible for the increase  he said. prices for autos and trucks also jumped in january  but shepherdson said  it is a good bet these increases won t stick .


radcliffe tackles marathon tasks paula radcliffe faces arguably the biggest test of her career in the new york city marathon on sunday.  back under the spotlight of public scrutiny she will attempt to erase the double disappointment of the athens olympics  where she failed to finish the marathon and then the 10 000m. bbc sport examines the challenges facing radcliffe ahead of the big race.   the ability to run a gruelling 26.2 miles relies largely upon an athlete s belief that they can do it. every runner will hit the wall at some stage and see written on it   are you strong enough to finish    the question could hit radcliffe hard after she was unable to complete her last two races in high-profile and emotional circumstances. sports psychologist hugh richards says the 30-year-old must draw on her past achievements to conquer a potential crisis of confidence.  there is an old adage   get straight back on the horse that threw you    richards told bbc sport.  paula has got all those great runs in her history as well as the two upsets in athens.  she must not lose faith in what has already been proven is a very effective strategy for distance running.  if she were to change her preparation and tactics that would be madness.  she wants to start rebuilding her confidence through performance accomplishment.    for much of the watching media and public there can only be two possible outcomes in new york - win or lose. if radcliffe crosses the line first she will have proved her critics wrong. but if she fails to triumph  she risks being labelled a has-been and her profile will suffer. and for any athlete that can have repercussions in terms of sponsorship  appearance fees as well as further self esteem issues.   athletes need to try and stay focused on their internal controls and ignore external questions   explains richards  who has worked with past olympians.  she must not get caught up in someone else s agenda.  radcliffe s best friend and fellow distance runner liz yelling revealed the 30-year-old is already aware she will be exposing herself to more public scrutiny in new york.  she just thought   well  they can t think any worse of me now    yelling told bbc sport.  she s just doing what she wants to do and not thinking about the consequences of it.    radcliffe described her decision to enter the new york marathon as  impulsive  but she is certain to have a tick-list of personal goals. her aims could be as simple as completing a race and making sure she is still enjoying running but richards says she must avoid more emotional targets  such as redemption.  you can t change history   warned richards.  only one person can win the marathon but lots of people can be successful.  paula has to figure out what sort of things will she feel satisfied achieving by the end of the race.    the course from staten island to central park is renowned as one of the toughest in the world. it is also not the kind of fast course that tends to suit radcliffe better  with the undulating finish through the park testing the legs  final reserves.  radcliffe has never raced there before and will enter the unknown just 77 days after the athens marathon.  it s suggested after a major marathon you take a full month off and start building up again   said yelling  herself a marathon runner.  but that is only for long-term health and fitness.  when you finish a marathon you are still very fit and can recover quickly. so physically it is possible for paula.  richards also points out conditions in new york will be more conducive to a strong physical display from radcliffe.  the heat stress was the primary factor that tripped her up in athens   he said.  and that just isn t going to be there in new york  that s been taken out of the equation.      radcliffe concedes she will probably learn a lot from her bad experiences in athens in time. and richards and yelling agree she could turn the trauma to her advantage  starting in new york.  how you respond to adversity is what marks you out as elite or not   argues richards.   one of the challenges of massive set backs is how you turn them into opportunities.  and yelling says:  i think this will probably make paula.   i think it will drive her on and she ll come out of it a better athlete.


elvis set to top uk singles chart rock  n  roll legend elvis is set to top the uk singles chart on sunday  27 years after his death.  the re-release of hit song jailhouse rock was out-selling x factor winner steve brockstein s cover of against all odds by 2 000 copies on tuesday. if the record does make the top spot  it will be elvis  19th uk number one. the last time he topped the charts was with the remix of the little-known song a little less conversation  which was number one in june 2002. if jailhouse rock does reach number one on sunday  it will be the 999th in the history of the uk pop charts. the song first topped the charts in 1958. chart analysts say elvis could score the 1000th number one as well. his record one night will be released the following week  followed the week after by a fool such as i  as part of his record company sonybmg s new elvis campaign. it has called it  the most ambitious singles release campaign in the history of the uk record industry .