warnings about junk mail deluge the amount of spam circulating online could be about to undergo a massive increase  say experts.  anti-spam group spamhaus is warning about a novel virus which hides the origins of junk mail. the program makes spam look like it is being sent by legitimate mail servers making it hard to spot and filter out. spamhaus said that if the problem went unchecked real e-mail messages could get drowned by the sheer amount of junk being sent.  before now many spammers have recruited home pcs to act as anonymous e-mail relays in an attempt to hide the origins of their junk mail. the pcs are recruited using viruses and worms that compromise machines via known vulnerabilities or by tricking people into opening an attachment infected with the malicious program. once compromised the machines start to pump out junk mail on behalf of spammers. spamhaus helps to block junk messages from these machines by collecting and circulating blacklists of net addresses known to harbour infected machines. but the novel worm spotted recently by spamhaus routes junk via the mail servers of the net service firm that infected machines used to get online in the first place. in this way the junk mail gets a net address that looks legitimate. as blocking all mail from net firms just to catch the spam is impractical  spamhaus is worried that the technique will give junk mailers the ability to spam with little fear of being spotted and stopped. steve linford  director of spamhaus  predicted that if a lot of spammers exploit this technique it could trigger the failure of the net s e-mail sending infrastructure. david stanley  uk managing director of filtering firm ciphertrust  said the new technique was the next logical step for spammers.  they are adding to their armoury   he said. the amount of spam in circulation was still growing  said mr stanley  but he did not think that the appearance of this trick would mean e-mail meltdown. but kevin hogan  senior manager at symantec security response  said such warnings were premature.  if something like this mean the end of e-mail then e-mail would have stopped two-three years ago   said mr hogan. while the technique of routing mail via mail servers of net service firms might cause problems for those that use blacklists and block lists it did not mean that other techniques for stopping spam lost their efficacy too. mr hogan said 90% of the junk mail filtered by symantec subsidiary brightmail was spotted using techniques that did not rely on looking at net addresses. for instance  said mr hogan  filtering out e-mail messages that contain a web link can stop about 75% of spam.


fit-again betsen in france squad france have brought flanker serge betsen back into their squad to face england at twickenham on sunday.  but the player  who missed the victory over scotland through injury  must attend a disciplinary hearing on wednesday after being cited by wasps.  serge has a good case so we are confident he will play   said france coach bernard laporte. the inexperienced nicolas mas  jimmy marlu and jean-philippe grandclaude are also included in a 22-man squad. the trio have been called up after pieter de villiers  ludovic valbon and aurelien rougerie all picked up injuries in france s 16-9 win on saturday.  laporte said he was confident that betsen would be cleared by the panel investigating his alleged trip that broke wasps centre stuart abbott s leg.  if he was to be suspended  we would call up imanol harinordoquy or thomas lievremont   said laporte  who has dropped patrick tabacco.  we missed serge badly against scotland. he has now recovered from his thigh injury and played on saturday with biarritz.  france s regular back-row combination of betsen  harinordoquy and olivier magne were all missing from france s side at the weekend because of injury. laporte is expected to announce france s starting line-up on wednesday.  forwards: nicolas mas  sylvain marconnet  olivier milloud  william servat  sebastien bruno  fabien pelous  jerome thion  gregory lamboley  serge betsen  julien bonnaire  sebastien chabal  yannick nyanga. backs: dimitri yachvili  pierre mignoni  frederic michalak  yann delaigue  damien traille  brian liebenberg  jean-philippe grandclaude  christophe dominici  jimmy marlu  pepito elhorga.


oil prices fall back from highs oil prices retreated from four-month highs in early trading on tuesday after producers  cartel opec said it was now unlikely to cut production.  following the comments by acting opec secretary general adnan shihab-eldin  us light crude fell 32 cents to $51.43 a barrel. he said that high oil prices meant opec was unlikely to stick to its plan to cut output in the second quarter. in london  brent crude fell 32 cents to $49.74 a barrel.  opec members are next meeting to discuss production levels on 16 march. on monday  oil prices rose for a sixth straight session  reaching a four-month high as cold weather in the us threatened stocks of heating oil. us demand for heating oil was predicted to be about 14% above normal this week  while stocks were currently about 7.5% below the levels of a year ago. cold weather across europe has also put upward pressure on crude prices.


conservative backing for id cards the tories are to back controversial government plans to introduce id cards.  the shadow cabinet revealed its support ahead of next week s commons vote on a bill to introduce compulsory id. the decision follows a  tough meeting  where some senior tories argued vociferously against the move  party sources told the bbc. the bill  which ministers claim will tackle crime  terrorism and illegal immigration  is expected to be opposed by the liberal democrats.  they have said the scheme is  deeply flawed  and a waste of money. sources within the conservative party told the bbc michael howard has always been in favour of id cards  and tried to introduce them when he was home secretary. the party has been  agnostic  on the issue until now but had now decided to come off the fence  the tory source said. despite giving their backing to id cards  the conservatives insisted they would hold ministers to account over the precise purpose of the scheme.  they said they would also press labour over whether objectives could be met and whether the home office would deliver them. and they pledged to assess the cost effectiveness of id cards and whether people s privacy would be properly protected.  it is important to remember that this bill will take a decade to come into full effect   a spokesman said.  it will do nothing to solve the immediate problems of rising crime and uncontrolled immigration.   lib dem home affairs spokesman mark oaten said:  this has all the signs of michael howard overruling colleagues  concerns over id cards.  the tories should have the courage to try and change public opinion not follow it.  the new chairman of the bar council  guy mansfield qc warned there was a real risk that people on the  margins of society  would be driven into the hands of extremists.  what is going to happen to young asian men when there has been a bomb gone off somewhere  they are going to be stopped. if they haven t [id cards] they are going to be detained.


jones happy with henson heroics wales fly-half stephen jones admitted he was happy to hand gavin henson responsibility for taking the match-winning kick against england.  jones had missed three earlier shots at goal when wales  9-8 down  were awarded a long-range penalty with four minutes left in cardiff.  i knew the percentages of gavin reaching it were far higher than me   jones said.  when he said he wanted it  there were no problems.  jones had seen a long-range effort fall a whisker under the crossbar on the hour  before charlie hodgson put england in front with 10 minutes left.  i looked at where it was and i knew i was going to struggle to make it   jones added.  i said to gareth (thomas  the wales captain)  this is touch and go.  it was out of my range and obviously gavin is phenomenal when it comes to distance. he was confident and fancied it.  there were no questions that he d miss it the way he was playing. he had a superb game.  jones was happy to hail henson s heroic contribution to wales  first win over england in cardiff since 1993.  physically he s a specimen: he s a balanced player  he glides when he runs and obviously he s got a great kicking game as well   jones said.   his defence was superb  he made some great hits and he had a great game.  i m glad he s welsh.  victory over england for the first time since 1999 will no doubt fuel expectations of what wales might achieve in this year s six nations. but they now face three away fixtures in italy  france and scotland before completing their campaign against ireland in cardiff.  people all over the world want to see wales back at the top table of world rugby   said a proud coach mike ruddock.  but we are not there yet. the next step is finding the consistency to get further wins.  we have to travel this week and we can t afford to get too giddy about this result.  we have got to be professional and keep focused on facing italy.   none more so than henson  who can now expect to have the same sort of spotlight thrust upon him as the likes of jonny wilkinson and brian o driscoll. the confident 23-year-old is undaunted by the prospect of dealing with such weighty expectations however.  i m the sort of player who likes pressure on me   he said.  it makes me more concentrated and i think i perform better under more pressure.  i set a high standard against england and i ve got to back it up next week.  two years ago when we played italy i wasn t involved and we lost  so we ve got to put that right next week.


iran budget seeks state sell-offs iran s president  mohammad khatami  has unveiled a budget designed to expand public spending by 30% but loosen the islamic republic s dependence on oil.  the budget for the fiscal year starting on 21 march calls for the sell-off of 20% of the state s corporate holdings. mr khatami s second term as president ends on 1 august  making this his last budget. but opposition from members of parliament who have attacked previous privatisations could block his plans. elections in may 2004 ousted many of mr khatami s supporters in parliament in favour of more hard-line religious conservatives. late last year  they backed a law which would give parliament a veto over foreign investment. the ruling was a response to the involvement in telecoms and airport projects by turkish companies  which hardliners accused of doing business with israel. it came not long after the expediency council - iran s ultimate decision-maker - blessed mr khatami s policy of selling stakes in sectors protected by the constitution such as energy  transport  telecoms and banking. continued obstruction of foreign investment could get in the way not only of privatisation plans  but also of mr khatami s hope of modestly reducing the government s reliance on oil revenues.  in an address to the majlis  mr khatami predicted economic growth of 7.1% in 2005-6  up from 6.7% in the current year. he said he wanted to increase the 2005-6 budget to 1 546 trillion rials ($175.6bn; £93.6bn) from the previous year s 1 070 trillion. within that figure  taxation would rise to $14.3bn  a rise of over 40% from what is expected from the current year. in contrast  oil revenues were expected to fall to $14.1bn from $16bn in the year to march 2005.  current government expenditure should come from tax revenues   mr khatami said.  oil revenues should be used for productive investment.  mr khatami has already been blocked by parliament from reducing the subsidies on many products including bread and petrol  reducing his room to manoeuvre.


surprise win for anti-bush film michael moore s anti-bush documentary fahrenheit 9/11 has won best film at the us people s choice awards  voted for by the us public.  mel gibson s the passion of the christ won best drama  despite both films being snubbed so far at us film awards in the run-up to february s oscars. julia roberts won her 10th consecutive crown as favourite female movie star. johnny depp was favourite male movie star and renee zellweger was favourite leading lady at sunday s awards in la.  film sequel shrek 2 took three prizes - voted top animated movie  top film comedy and top sequel. in television categories  desperate housewives was named top new drama and joey  starring former friends actor matt leblanc  was best new comedy. long-running shows will and grace and csi: crime scene investigation were named best tv comedy and tv drama respectively.  nominees for the people s choice awards were picked by a 6 000-strong entertainment weekly magazine panel  and winners were subsequently chosen by 21 million online voters. fahrenheit 9/11 director michael moore dedicated his trophy to soldiers in iraq. his film was highly critical of president george w bush and the us-led invasion of iraq  and moore was an outspoken bush critic in the 2004 presidential campaign inwhich democratic challenger john kerry lost.   this country is still all of ours  not right or left or democrat or republican   moore told the audience at the ceremony in pasadena  california. moore said it was  an historic occasion  that the 31-year-old awards ceremony would name a documentary its best film. unlike many other film-makers  passion of the christ director mel gibson has vowed not to campaign for an oscar for his movie.  to me  really  this is the ultimate goal because one doesn t make work for the elite   gibson said backstage at the event.  to me  the people have spoken.


pop band busted to  take a break  chart-topping pop band busted have confirmed that they plan to  take a break   following rumours that they were on the verge of splitting.  a statement from the band s record company universal said frontman charlie simpson planned to spend some time working with his other band  fightstar. however they said that busted would  reconvene in due course . the band have had eight top three hits  including four number ones  since they first hit the charts in 2002. their singles include what i go to school for  year 3000  crashed the wedding  you said no  and who s david   the band  which also includes members matt jay and james bourne  made the top ten with their self-titled debut album  as well as the follow-up  a present for everyone  in 2003. they won best pop act and best breakthrough act at the 2004 brit awards and were nominated for best british group. most recently they topped the charts with the theme from the live-action film version of thunderbirds  which was voted record of the year on the itv1 show. the band have capitalised on a craze for artists playing catchy pop music with rock overtones. the trio are seen as an alternative to more manufactured artists who are not considered credible musicians because they do not write their own songs or play their own instruments. however  recent rumours have suggested that simpson has been wanting to quit the band to focus on fightstar. he now plans to take fightstar on tour.


blair and brown criticised by mps labour mps have angrily criticised tony blair and gordon brown amid renewed reports of a rift between the two men.  a meeting of the parliamentary labour party saw a succession of normally loyal members warn that feuding could jeopardise labour s election hopes. the pm insisted nothing would derail labour s campaign  despite a new book saying he has upset his chancellor by backing out of a pledge to stand aside. mr brown will again be in the public eye at the party s new poster launch. in what the party had hoped would be perceived as a show of unity  he is due to line up alongside alan milburn - the man controversially appointed as the party s election supremo - and deputy leader john prescott for the event in london on tuesday. relations between mr brown and mr milburn are widely reported to be cool ever since mr blair brought the latter back into the cabinet to run labour s election campaign  a role successfully carried out by mr brown in both 1997 and 2001.  mr blair told the parliamentary labour party on monday:  i know from everyone here  in cabinet and government  nothing is going to get in the way of a unified labour party with a unified position and winning the third term people desperately need.   the prime minister and his chancellor arrived within seconds of each other for the meeting of the plp and were seemingly in good spirits as it started. new speculation about the state of their relationship was sparked by claims in brown s britain  by sunday telegraph journalist robert peston  which suggested mr blair went back on a pledge to make way for mr brown. labour s paul flynn said mr blair and mr brown had a  scorching  from mps adding:  it was a parliamentary labour party meeting like no other.   backbencher stephen pound said some mps had threatend to expose those fuelling the reports if mr blair and mr brown did not  stop this nonsense  this poisonous briefing . lord campbell-savours  a former mp  challenged mr brown to deny reports that he had told the prime minister he did not believe anything he said. mr prescott said mps were entitled to complain about discipline after reading recent press reports.   they told us very clearly  it was the troops telling the leaders: get in line   he told bbc radio 4 s today on tuesday. mr prescott said there were occasional disagreements in any government. but he argued mr blair and mr brown could work successfully together and had produced a strong economy and better public services.  the new book claims mr prescott hosted a dinner in november 2003 where the prime minister told mr brown he would stand down before the next election because he had lost trust over the iraq war. he had then changed his mind in june 2004  following intervention from cabinet allies and suspicion that the chancellor was manoeuvring against him  writes mr peston. mr prescott said there was a dinner but the discussions were confidential.  of course as a waiter for 10 years i have a professional ability here   he joked. mr blair has insisted he has done no deals over the premiership while mr brown says he will not let  gossip  distract him from helping a unified election campaign. the conservatives say the two men are behaving like squabbling schoolboys and the liberal democrats claim personal ambition is obstructing good government.


kennedy looks to election gains they may not know quite how to describe their position in british politics - the real opposition  the valid opposition  the effective opposition or the authentic opposition.  but the liberal democrats are entering the expected 2005 election campaign determined to prove it is they  not the tories  who are now the real threat to labour. as tory leader michael howard kicked off his election campaign  the lib dem leader charles kennedy dismissed the conservatives as a  fading  force. and he insisted there was  no limit  to his party s ambitions in the coming poll. and he can produce some pretty impressive recent election results to back up his optimism for an election which he believes might just see his party doing big things. sensible third party leaders are usually cautious about making any predictions about how they will do come the big test.  and mr kennedy was not falling into that trap when he fired up his campaign from the party s westminster hq. he would make no predictions other than that he expected the lib dems to increase both their votes and their commons seats at the election.  the gap between labour and the tories was now so narrow - as proved  he claimed  by the defection to labour of robert jackson - that only his party offered a genuine alternative. on the war on iraq  identity cards  student fees and the council tax  there was nothing to chose between the two big parties whereas the liberal democrats offered costed  sensible alternatives. he was also happy to break the two party consensus on taxation by promising to increase income tax on those earning more than £100 000 a year to pay for the scrapping of student fees  the introduction of free personal care for the elderly and replacing the council tax with a local income tax. he was also happy to offer a pledge that he would be doing no deals to  prop up  either of the other big parties after the election.  there was a time when such optimistic sounds coming from the third party could be dismissed as self-delusion. that is no longer the case with the liberal democrats. the other parties will still insist that the lib dems are no hopers whose greatest effect on the poll will be to boost the hopes of their opponents by denying them otherwise winnable seats.  labour  in particular  fears that disillusioned supporters may switch to the lib dems allowing the tories to win some seats. but mr kennedy is clearly hoping for a more significant outcome than that. he will not talk about the big breakthrough  although there are those who believe this could well be the election that sees his party crossing some sort of symbolic threshold. they would argue that  by the time of the election after next  the liberal democrats may genuinely have replaced the tories as the party challenging labour for power. the lib dems will hope to have made advances because of their consistent stand against the war on iraq. but mr kennedy believes his new manifesto will also offer sensible  costed and achievable policies on things like the council tax  crime and asylum that will underpin his claim that his party really is the only opposition worth the name.


us composer recreates bach score a us musicologist has recreated a lost musical score by german composer johann sebastian bach.  the 1728 composition  called wedding cantata bwv 216  was found among the papers of japanese pianist chieko hara  who died in japan in 2001 aged 86. the work  written for the wedding of a daughter of a german customs official  was missing for 80 years. joshua rifkin - a composer and leading interpreter of bach - has recreated the missing instrumental parts.  he said he originally wanted to let the lost cantata lie in rest.  maybe a fragment should stay a fragment   said rifkin.  then i thought of palaeontologists  from one bone they figure the entire dinosaur. this is my dinosaur.  the eight rediscovered pages consist of vocal pieces in german for soprano and alto  with the seven movements lasting for a total of between 20 and 25 minutes. the instrumental parts were entirely lost except for two recycled movements  a duet and an aria which had been used elsewhere in bach s work. rifkin likened the challenge to a  musical rubik s cube .  i could not reconstruct what bach wrote but i could give the people of today an idea of what his music was like   he said.  it sounds like bach s music  but the listener should not know which part is bach s and which part is mine.


schools to take part in mock poll record numbers of schools across the uk are to take part in a mock general election backed by the government.  some 600 schools have already signed up for the y vote mock elections 2005 run by the hansard society and aimed at boosting interest in politics. pupils in the schools taking part will learn the skills of speech writers  canvassers and political candidates. schools minister stephen twigg said engaging young people s interest was  essential  to the future of democracy.  he added: said  young people who are engaged and motivated by the political process are essential to the future health of our democracy.  the mock elections initiative provides an opportunity for pupils to develop their own understanding of how the democratic process works and why it matters.  by experiencing the election process first hand - from running a campaign to the declaration of the final result - we hope that young people will develop the enthusiasm to take part in the future.  the hansard society  the electoral commission and the department for education and skills are running the programme. pupils will stand as party candidates  speech writers and canvassers. michael raftery  project manager at the hansard society  said:  the y vote mock elections for schools mirror the excitement and buzz of a real election  raising awareness of citizenship  and the benefits of active democracy.  the mock votes will take place around 5 may  widely expected to be the date of the general election. information packs  including ballot papers and manifesto guides  with elections happening in early may were sent out to the 3 000 schools invited to take part.


saudi ncci s shares soar shares in saudi arabia s national company for cooperative insurance (ncci) soared on their first day of trading in riyadh.  they were trading 84% above the offer price on monday  changing hands at 372 riyals ($99; £53) after topping 400 early in the day. demand for the insurer s debut shares was strong - 12 times what was on sale. the listing was part of the country s plans to open up its insurance market and boost demand in the sector. deregulation is expected to boost demand for accident and damage cover.  previously  only ncci has been legally allowed to offer insurance products within saudi arabia. however  the authorities have turned a blind eye to the many other firms selling insurance. saudi arabia now wants a fully functioning insurance industry and is introducing legislation that will clamp down on unauthorised companies. policy-makers also want to make having insurance more of a requirement  but first have to take steps to boost public confidence in the system  analysts said. as a result  ncci is being developed as the industry s flagship firm - publicly-listed  with audited accounts. saudi arabia sold 7 million ncci shares  or about 70% of the company s total capital last month. more than 800 000 applicants got 9 shares each for 205 riyals apiece.


lloyd s of london head chides fsa the head of lloyd s of london  the insurance market  has criticised britain s financial watchdog  the financial services authority (fsa).  in a speech on monday  mr prettejohn urged the fsa to force brokers to disclose the size of their commissions.  the fsa should change  and change now  said mr prettejohn  who wants it to move from  disclosure on request  to mandatory disclosure. the call came in a speech on improving the london insurance market.   the fsa should not bide their time and  wait and see . they should seize the moment   mr prettejohn  lloyd s chief executive said. the fsa took over regulation of the general insurance sector in january  but it sidestepped calls to require brokers to disclose the commissions they earn from insurers to their clients. last week  the city watchdog gave brokers and insurers guidance on managing conflicts of interest. brokers must give information on their commissions if  and only if  their customers request it  the fsa said.  in the us  lack of transparency about brokers  commissions has led to problems. the world s biggest insurance broker marsh & mclennan said last week it would pay $850m to settle charges  raised by new york attorney general eliot spitzer in october  that it sought to rig bids in conjunction with insurers. the probe centred around so-called contingent commissions  whereby brokers were rewarded according to how much business they brought to an insurer  an arrangement that did not always benefit brokers  customers. all of the insurance business written in the lloyd s market is placed via brokers.


dementieva prevails in hong kong elena dementieva swept aside defending champion venus williams 6-3 6-2 to win hong kong s champions challenge event.  the russian  ranked sixth in the world  broke williams three times in the first set  while losing her service once. williams saved three championship points before losing the match at the victoria park tennis court.  it s really a great start to the year no matter whether it s an exhibition or not. i was trying to play my best and i really did it   said dementieva.  this will give me all the confidence before the grand slams. i was trying so hard to win this tournament.  williams  24  was disappointed with her display.  she played some nice points  but it was mostly me committing unforced errors - four or five errors in each game   she said. before the match  organizers auctioned off rackets belonging to the players  raising £115 000 for victims of the tsunami disaster.


byrds producer melcher dies at 62 record producer terry melcher  who was behind hits by the byrds  ry cooder and the beach boys  has died aged 62.  the son of actress doris day  he helped write kokomo for the beach boys  which was used in the movie cocktail  earning a 1988 golden globe nomination. he also produced mr tambourine man for the byrds  as well as other his such as turn  turn turn. melcher died on friday night at his home in beverly hills  california  after a long battle with skin cancer. he joined columbia records as a producer in the mid-1960s  and also worked with gram parsons and the mamas and the papas.  earlier in his career  melcher had hits as part of duo called bruce & terry  with future beach boy bruce johnston  which evolved into the rip chords group. melcher also worked closely with his mother  producing the doris day show and helping to run her charitable activities. in 1969 his name became linked with the charles manson murders  which saw the deaths of actress sharon tate and four of her friends at a home which melcher once rented. rumours circulated that melcher - who knew manson - was the killer s real target  because he had turned him down for a record contract. but los angeles police discounted the rumours  pointing out melcher had moved to malibu  and manson knew of his new address.


mido makes third apology ahmed  mido  hossam has made another apology to the egyptian people in an attempt to rejoin the national team.  the 21-year-old told a news conference in cairo on sunday that he is sorry for the problems that have led to his exclusion from the pharaohs since july last year. mido said:  there isn t much i have to say today  all there is to say is that i came specially from england to egypt to rejoin the national team and to apologise for all my mistakes.  mido was axed by former coach marco tardelli after failing to answer a national call-up  claiming he had a groin injury. but he then played in a friendly for his club as roma within 24 hours of a world cup qualifying match at home to cameroon last september. mido added:  it s not my right to give orders and say when i want to play ... at the same time i will always make sure that i put the national s team s matches as my top priority.  i feel that the national players are playing with a new spirit as i saw them play against belgium (egypt won 4-0 on wednesday) and i simply want to add to their success.  i do confess that i was rude to the egyptian press at times but now i have gained more experience and know that i will never go anywhere without the press s support.  many of the international stars like david beckham and (zinedine) zidane had the press opposing them.  so i m now used to the fact that the press can be against me at times and i don t have to overreact when this happens. meanwhile  egypt fa spokesman methat shalaby welcomed the apology and said no one had exerted pressure on mido to apologise.  mido s apology today does not negatively affect mido in anyway  on the contrary it makes him a bigger star and a role model for all football players   shalaby said. shalaby earlier said that after an apology mido would be available for the national side if coach hassan shehata chose him. mido joined tottenham in an 18-month loan deal near the end of the january transfer window  scoring twice on his debut against portsmouth.


muslim group attacks tv drama 24 a british muslim group has criticised the new series of us drama 24  which is about to be aired on sky one  claiming it portrays islam unfairly.  the muslim council of britain has complained to broadcasting watchdog ofcom. it says the programme breaches editorial guidelines. the group s members met with sky executives on tuesday after viewing previews of the first five episodes. the drama  now in its fourth series  begins on sunday evening. the new series portrays a muslim family as a sleeper terrorist cell. the muslim council of britain said in a statement:  we are greatly concerned by the unremittingly hostile and unbalanced portrayal of muslims in this series of 24 based upon a preview of the first five episodes that we have seen.   there is not a single positive muslim character in the storyline to date. at a time when negative stereotypes of muslims are on the increase we feel that sky - as a major uk broadcaster - has a responsibility to challenge these insidious views  not help to reinforce them.  but sky denied the programme breached broadcasting guidelines. a spokesperson said:  during a useful meeting yesterday  sky listened to the concerns raised by representatives of the council. sky does not believe that the episodes that it has reviewed to date breach ofcom s programme code.  fox tv  which shows the series in the us  is broadcasting public service announcements showing muslims in a positive light after complaints about the series.


aviator wins top globes accolades the aviator has been named best film at the golden globe awards  with its star leonardo dicaprio named best actor.  hollywood veteran clint eastwood took the best director prize for million dollar baby while its star hilary swank was best actress. quirky comedy sideways was named best screenplay and best comedy. ray star jamie foxx was best actor in a musical/comedy while briton clive owen and natalie portman won prizes for best supporting roles in closer.  the aviator  in which dicaprio plays millionaire howard hughes  edged ahead of its rivals at the beverly hills ceremony by winning the best original score prize. this give it a total of three awards while million dollar baby  sideways and closer took two golden globes each. accepting his best dramatic actor prize  dicaprio described director martin scorsese as  one of the greatest contributors to the world of cinema of all time .  annette bening won best actress in a musical/comedy for being julia while spanish movie the sea inside was named best foreign language film. swank  who previously won the golden globe and oscar for boys don t cry  paid tribute to million dollar baby director and co-star clint eastwood.  you guided us so brilliantly  while you also  in my humble opinion  gave the performance of your career   she said. foxx was nominated for three awards but was beaten to the best supporting actor title by owen and the best actor in a tv movie prize by geoffrey rush in the life and death of peter sellers.  a bbc co-production  the life and death of peter sellers was also named best tv movie. mick jagger and dave stewart won the best original song award for old habits die hard from movie re-make alfie  while ian mcshane was named best actor in a tv drama for his lead role in deadwood.  other uk hopes kate winslet and imelda staunton went home empty-handed despite lead actress nominations for eternal sunshine of the spotless mind and vera drake respectively. winning a golden globe is said to improve a film or performer s chance of subsequently winning an academy award. unlike the oscars  the golden globes split awards by genre - one prize for dramas and the other for musicals and comedies. the globes also honour the best in television  with suburban series desperate housewives named best tv comedy show. actress teri hatcher beat fellow desperate housewives stars marcia cross and felicity huffman to the best comedy actress prize.  hatcher thanked the show s cast  crew and  a network who gave me a second chance at a career when i couldn t have been a bigger  has been  . cosmetic surgery series nip/tuck beat the sopranos and deadwood to the best television drama title. arrested development star jason bateman was named best tv actor in a musical or comedy series. the golden globes are awarded by the hollywood foreign press association  comprising film reporters based in los angeles and working for overseas outlets. robin williams  a five-time globe winner for such films as the fisher king and good morning  vietnam  received the cecil b demille award for career achievement. he dedicated his prize to superman actor christopher reeve  who died last year.


day-lewis set for berlin honour actor daniel day-lewis is to be presented with an award for his career in film at the berlin film festival.  the 47-year-old  whose credits include his oscar-winning performance in my left foot  will be presented with the berlinale camera award on 15 february. the honour  awarded since 1986  honours figures in cinema that the festival feels  particularly indebted to . man to man  a historical epic starring kristin scott thomas  opens the german festival on 10 february. a candid documentary about the life and career of singer george michael  a different story will also be screened at the 10-day event.    day-lewis has competed four times at the berlin film festival  with films in the name of the father (1994)  the crucible (1997)  the boxer (1998) and martin scorsese s gangs of new york (2003). the festival praises him for his  sensational start  with roles in my beautiful launderette and costume classic a room with a view  and a  great number of celebrated roles  in subsequent productions. japan s oldest film studio will also be honoured along with day-lewis. shochiku film studios  which was founded 110 years ago  will become the first cinematic institution to receive the berlinale camera award. famous japanese directors including akira kurosawa have had films produced at the studio.


bombardier chief to leave company shares in train and plane-making giant bombardier have fallen to a 10-year low following the departure of its chief executive and two members of the board.  paul tellier  who was also bombardier s president  left the company amid an ongoing restructuring. laurent beaudoin  part of the family that controls the montreal-based firm  will take on the role of ceo under a newly created management structure. analysts said the resignations seem to have stemmed from a boardroom dispute. under mr tellier s tenure at the company  which began in january 2003  plans to cut the worldwide workforce of 75 000 by almost a third by 2006 were announced. the firm s snowmobile division and defence services unit were also sold and bombardier started the development of a new aircraft seating 110 to 135 passengers.  mr tellier had indicated he wanted to stay at the world s top train maker and third largest manufacturer of civil aircraft until the restructuring was complete. but bombardier has been faced with a declining share price and profits. earlier this month the firm said it earned $10m (£19.2m) in the third quarter  down from a profit of $133m a year ago.  i understand the board s concern that i would not be there for the long-term and the need to develop and execute strategies  and the need to reshape the management structure at this time   mr tellier said in a statement on monday. bombardier said restructuring plans drawn up by mr tellier s would continue to be implemented. shares in bombardier lost 65 canadian cents or 25% on the news to 1.90 canadian dollars before rallying to 2.20 canadian dollars.


profile: david blunkett before he resigned the position of home secretary on wednesday  david blunkett had been in charge of a substantial body of government portfolios including race  policing and immigration.  his responsibilities in running the home office included civil emergencies  security  terrorism and expenditure. named home secretary after the 2001 general election  mr blunkett had seen the focus on his office intensify. the attacks on the world trade center on 11 september 2001 heightened concern for security and immigration in particular. a labour loyalist from a working class background mr blunkett  57  had been unafraid of pushing for tough changes to labour policy.  recently the issue of identity cards had provoked controversy with questions raised over cost and invasions of civil liberties. mr blunkett was also at the centre of a humiliating scandal involving the former immigration minister beverly hughes. having received his full backing  ms hughes was forced to resign in april over abuses in the visa processing system  which she claimed to be unaware of. mr blunkett s own comments on immigration had prompted censure - he told refugees from afghanistan and kosovo to  get back home  to start rebuilding their countries. and he also urged people from ethnic minorities to develop a  sense of belonging  in britain  telling them to speak english at home. avoiding political correctness is second nature to the former home secretary  who spurns a metropolitan elite and  airy fairy libertarians  and earlier in the year coined the phrase  liberati   as an amalgam of  glitterati  and  liberal . yet in january of this year he courted further controversy over his seemingly liberal reclassification of cannabis  from a grade b to grade c status drug .  before the recent furore  mr blunkett had always appeared more interested in politics than his personal life. mr blunkett told the daily telegraph in 2001 that he continued to wear his wedding ring  in spite of being a divorcee  as  a useful way of ensuring that people don t casually think i am available . he added:  i am not available because i am just getting on with the job.  mr blunkett entered parliament for sheffield brightside in 1987  after first contesting the sheffield hallam seat in 1974. he is one of very few blind mps  and was the first to reach the front bench and the cabinet. his relaxed performances - with his guide dog by his side - at the despatch box  in the labour party s national executive  and on the conference platform made it easy to forget his disability. mr blunkett himself described not being able to see as simply  an inconvenience . using braille for speeches  and briefed by his officials on tape  he also has a sharp tongue at times  and a pragmatic approach to politics.  mr blunkett was schooled in sheffield where he led the city council for seven years before entering the commons. he chaired the labour party nationally  and was a unifying force in the 80s and 90s  shadowing health and education. in tony blair s first government mr blunkett was put in charge of education and employment  where he won big increases in funds for schools  while insisting on improved standards of literacy and numeracy. he was prepared to stand up to the teaching unions - which sometimes heckled his speeches - and his policy of charging university students for tuition fees was not popular. in the labour party he has been regarded as a loyal colleague  a conciliator who avoids factions  and a man whose humour and determination make him widely popular. there have been wry smiles as well. in 1999  his then guide dog lucy threw up in the chamber during the speech of his tory opponent. lucy was replaced by her half-sister  sadie  a black labrador-curly-coated retriever cross  in 2003 after nearly a decade by mr blunkett s side.


south african car demand surges car manufacturers with plants in south africa  including bmw  general motors  toyota and volkswagen  have seen a surge in demand during 2004.  new vehicle sales jumped 22% to 449 603 from a year earlier  the national association of automobile manufacturers of south africa (naamsa) said. strong economic growth and low interest rates have driven demand  and analysts expect the trend to continue. naamsa said it expects sales to top 500 000 in 2005. during 2004  south africa was one of the best performing markets internationally  for car sales  naamsa said. while domestic demand is set to continue to enjoy rapid growth  foreign sales could come under pressure  analysts said. the vehicle industry accounts for about 13% of south africa s total exports. however  the world auto market has its problems and analysts warn that overcapacity and the strength of the rand could hit exports.


last star wars  not for children  the sixth and final star wars movie may not be suitable for young children  film-maker george lucas has said.  he told us tv show 60 minutes that revenge of the sith would be the darkest and most violent of the series.  i don t think i would take a five or six-year-old to this   he told the cbs programme  to be aired on sunday. lucas predicted the film would get a us rating advising parents some scenes may be unsuitable for under-13s. it opens in the uk and us on 19 may. he said he expected the film would be classified pg-13 - roughly equivalent to a british 12a rating.  the five previous star wars films have all carried less restrictive pg - parental guidance - ratings in the us. in the uk  they have all been passed u - suitable for all - with the exception of attack of the clones  which got a pg rating in 2002. revenge of the sith - the third prequel to the original 1977 star wars film - chronicles the transformation of the heroic anakin skywalker into the evil darth vader as he travels to a hell-like planet composed of erupting volcanoes and molten lava.  we re going to watch him make a pact with the devil   lucas said.  the film is much more dark  more emotional. it s much more of a tragedy.


martinez sees off vinci challenge veteran spaniard conchita martinez came from a set down to beat italian roberta vinci at the qatar open in doha.  the 1994 wimbledon champion won 5-7 6-0 6-2 to earn a second round meeting with french open champion anastasia myskina. fifth seed patty schnyder also had a battle as she needed three sets to beat china s na li 7-5 3-6 7-5. slovakian daniela hantuchova beat bulgarian magdaleena maleeva 4-6 6-4 6-3 to set up a second round clash with russian elena bovina. the veteran martinez found herself in trouble early on against vinci with the italian clinching the set thanks to breaks in the third and 11th games. but vinci s game fell to pieces after that and martinez swept her aside with some crisp cross-court returns and deft volleys. in the day s other matches  japan s ai sugiyama defeated australian samantha stosur 6-2 6-3 while australian nicole pratt beat tunisian selima sfar 7-5 6-2 and will next face compatriot alicia molik.


johnny cash manager holiff dies the former manager of johnny cash  saul israel holiff  has died at the age of 79  his family said.  mr holiff  who was also a concert promoter  managed cash s career between 1960 and 1973  quitting when he thought the singer s career had peaked.  i was guilty for underestimating him repeatedly   he once said. the canadian music manager  who also managed tommy hunter and the statler brothers  had been in declining health  according to his family. an entrepreneur from an early age  mr holiff served as a rear air gunner in the royal canadian air force during world war ii  afterwards setting up a drive-in restaurant. he briefly dabbled in acting  before setting up offices in nashville and los angeles for his concert and artist promotion business. in 1970  rpm weekly magazine presented holiff with a special award as the canadian music industry s man of the year. mr holiff retired when he was in his late 40s  returning to education as a mature student at the university of victoria  where he graduated with a degree in history. he passed away on 17 march. according to his wishes  there will be no funeral service.


tautou  to star in da vinci film  french actress audrey tautou  star of hit film amelie  will play the female lead in the film adaptation of the da vinci code  it has been reported.  the movie version of dan brown s best-selling novel is being directed by ron howard and also stars tom hanks. tautou will play hanks  code-cracking partner  according to various newspapers. she is currently starring in a very long engagement  directed by jean-pierre jeunet. jeunet was also responsible for directing tautou in amelie in 2001  which launched the actress into the mainstream.  she also starred as the lead role in critically-acclaimed film dirty pretty things in 2002. oscar-winning director ron howard chose tautou for the part  preferring a french actress to a big name hollywood star. uk actress kate beckinsale had been widely tipped as a possibility for the role alongside vanessa paradis and juliette binoche. the thriller upon which the movie is based has sold more than 17 million copies and is centred on a global conspiracy surrounding the holy grail mythology. the louvre museum  scene of the gruesome murder at the beginning of the novel  recently gave permission for filming to take place there  showbusiness newspaper variety reported. the $100m movie will be produced by columbia/sony pictures and is due for release on may 19  2006 in the united states and france.


microsoft seeking spyware trojan microsoft is investigating a trojan program that attempts to switch off the firm s anti-spyware software.  the spyware tool was only released by microsoft in the last few weeks and has been downloaded by six million people. stephen toulouse  a security manager at microsoft  said the malicious program was called bankash-a trojan and was being sent as an e-mail attachment. microsoft said it did not believe the program was widespread and recommended users to use an anti-virus program. the program attempts to disable or delete microsoft s anti-spyware tool and suppress warning messages given to users.  it may also try to steal online banking passwords or other personal information by tracking users  keystrokes.  microsoft said in a statement it is investigating what it called a criminal attack on its software. earlier this week  microsoft said it would buy anti-virus software maker sybari software to improve its security in its windows and e-mail software. microsoft has said it plans to offer its own paid-for anti-virus software but it has not yet set a date for its release. the anti-spyware program being targeted is currently only in beta form and aims to help users find and remove spyware - programs which monitor internet use  causes advert pop-ups and slow a pc s performance.


id theft surge hits us consumers almost a quarter of a million us consumers complained of being targeted for identity theft in 2004  official figures suggest.  the federal trade commission said two in five of the 635 173 reports it had from consumers concerned id fraud. id theft occurs when criminals use someone else s personal information to steal credit or commit other crimes. internet auctions were the second biggest source of fraud complaints  comprising 16% of the total. the total cost of fraud reported by consumers was $546m (£290m).  the report marks the fifth year in a row in which identity fraud has topped the table. the biggest slice of the 246 570 id fraud cases reported - almost 30% - concerned abuses of people s credit. misusing someone s identity to claim new credit cards or loans comprised 16.5% of the total  with almost 12% coming from false claims on existing credit. another 18% came from attempts to rip off people s bank accounts  while 13% of cases concerned attempts to defraud employers by abusing someone else s identity. outside the field of id theft  53% of the near-400 000 complaints were internet-related. among the 100 000 internet auction complaints  the failure of sellers to deliver or the supply of sub-standard goods were the most common woes reported. catalogue and home-shopping frauds were next in line  accounting for 8% of total complaints  while concerns about internet services and computers - including spyware found on people s pcs and undisclosed charges for websites - amounted to 6% of complaints.


hitzlsperger waiting on o leary aston villa s thomas hitzlsperger is waiting to learn the future of manager david o leary before committing himself to a new contract with the club.  o leary has been in talks over a new deal and he said:  i had a message from thomas  agent asking me what the news was on myself.  he wants to find out before he goes into discussions over thomas.  the reason thomas is not speaking to the club is because the agent wants to see the outcome of what happens to me.  hitzlsperger s current deal expires in the summer and he has been offered a new deal by the midlands club. the german international is understood to be keen to remain at villa  despite interest in his native country from hamburg. but he wants assurances that o leary will also be committing himself long-term because negotiations over a new three-and-a-half-year contract appear to have stalled.  o leary wants his backroom staff - assistant manager roy aitken and fitness coach steve mcgregor - to also be given satisfactory deals  which will tie them to villa until the summer of 2008.


tories reject rethink on axed mp sacked mp howard flight s local conservative association has insisted he will not be its candidate at the general election.  russell tanguay  agent for arundel and south downs tories  said mr flight was ineligible to be a candidate and the association was seeking a substitute. the news comes despite mr flight s allies saying they had enough support to hold a meeting to discuss his fate. mr flight landed in trouble over remarks on tory tax and spending plans. he quit as tory deputy chairman after apparently suggesting the tories planned extra spending cuts - but he wants to continue as an mp.  tory headquarters says he cannot stand as a conservative candidate because he is no longer an approved candidate. mr tanguay backed that view on tuesday  saying:  howard flight is ineligible to stand as a conservative party candidate.  the association is in the process of selecting a new candidate.   but the local tory chairman made similar comments on friday and dissent continues. two local councillors who back mr flight met mr tanguay and the local association s chairman in arundel on tuesday afternoon but did not comment as they left the meeting. mr flight says he will not stand down as a candidate unless his local party instructs him to do so at an extraordinary general meeting (egm). the mp  who is consulting his lawyers  told bbc news:  they selected me and they  if you like  dispose of me or keep me.  mr flight s supporters also say they have the 50 signatures needed to trigger the egm.  at a news conference  mr howard insisted he had played by the party s rules. the tory leader  who argues he is ensuring honesty  said:  we do not say one thing in private and another thing in public.   labour election campaign coordinator alan milburn said the tories were in  turmoil  because mr flight had exposed their hidden plans. the comments were not a  one-off   he said  claiming mr howard and other senior tories were obsessively committed to cutting public spending. liberal democrat chairman matthew taylor said:  whilst i disagree with howard flight s views  it seems extraordinary to sack somebody for telling the truth.   it has also emerged mr howard has suspended slough s constituency conservative association for refusing to deselect its candidate. adrian hilton was abandoned after suggesting the signing of the maastricht treaty  under john major s government  was an act of treason. the catholic herald also highlighted articles he wrote about the role of catholicism in the european union. mr hilton was chosen to fight the seat after the previous candidate  robert oulds  was sacked for being pictured with a range of guns and a hunting knife. slough conservative association has now been placed on  support status  and is being run from conservative campaign headquarters  says a senior party spokesman.  mr hilton on tuesday said he was considering taking legal action against his deposal. he said the local party had only learned of the final decision on the bbc news website on monday evening.  there are people at central office who are behaving like little dictators and seemingly people who are ordinary members are being treated with contempt   he said. the party says it did try to contact the local conservative chairman.


what s next for next-gen consoles  the next generation of video games consoles are in development but what will the new machines mean for games firms and consumers  we may not know when they will be released  what they will be called or even what they will be able to do but one thing is certain - they are coming. sony  microsoft and nintendo are all expected to release new machines in the next 18 months. the details of playstation 3  xbox 2 (codename xenon) and nintendo s so-called revolution are still to be finalised but developers are having to work on titles for the new machines regardless.   we know maybe what the ps3 will do  but we can only guess   said rory armes  studio general manager for video game giant electronic arts in europe.  it s a horrendous effort in the first year   he admitted. microsoft had delivered development kits to ea  said mr armes  but he said the company was still waiting on sony and nintendo to send kits. although the details may not be nailed down  mr armes said ea was beginning to get a sense of the capabilities of the new machines.  the rumours are that playstation 3 will have a little more under the hood [than xbox 2]   he said.   microsoft is obviously a software company first and foremost  while sony has more experience in hardware. i think sony will be able to push more into a box at cost.   what is certain is that the new machines will provide great leaps in processing and graphical power. it is also likely that they will contain convergence technologies to make the machines more of an entertainment hub. at the consumer electronics show in las vegas microsoft boss bill gates said xbox 2 would be part of his vision of the digital lifestyle. while short on detail  he painted a picture of a machine that would complement a pc and offer  great video gaming but video gaming for a broader set of people  more communications  more media  more connectivity . sony is thought to have a similar vision for ps3 while nintendo remain focused on a machine purely for games.  until it is clear precisely what the new machines can do  developers are working on a first round of titles to harness the new horsepower. gary dunn  development director at codemasters  said the company had a central technology group which was at the forefront of preparing for the next generation of consoles.  we are working on new libraries of effects. a lot of the major techniques are already out there and in use in pc gaming  such as pixel shaders and normal mapping.   mr dunn said he expected the introduction of real-world physics to be a major part of the new consoles.  we want to increase that level of immersion and realism in gaming to people can lose themselves in a game.  in the first year at least  developers said gamers should not expect games which harness the full potential of the machines. graphical spit and polish and better physics in line with the capabilities of current high-end graphics cards for pcs should be expected. simon gardner  president of climax s action studio  said:  it s definitely an exciting time. we want to give more freedom to the player. we want to give players an emotional connection to the characters they play.  the environments will be much more believable and dramatic  growing and changing as you play.  there will be a breadth of effects  more involving worlds to play in.   it s a bit like being an artist and being given a bigger canvas and a smaller brush. we re being given more tools.  for the average consumer  we can get things of a more filmic quality.  gerhard florin  head of ea in europe  said gamers should expect titles that blur the line between films and video games. many will be sceptical - gamers were given similar predictions during the last transition of console hardware - but this time it would seem to be more likely.  ps3 will provide graphics indistinguishable from movies   said mr florin. he said the distribution method for games would also change radically in the next round of consoles.  a gamer could buy a starter disc for 10 euros. when he goes home he goes online and he could buy ai and levels as you go.   it s much smarter if you can get levels as you go.  mr armes warned that developers still had to learn how to tell stories effectively in the medium.  in some ways we are trying to forget about the hardware  go in the opposite direction. we have been very bad at letting technology design our creativity.  what we have to do as a company is start ignoring the technology and learning our craft in telling stories.  mr gardner agreed:  we can thrown more polygons around and have better ai but if it doesn t make for a better game then that s not very useful.  developers will certainly have the tools with the new machines  but how they employ them is still to be decided.


apple ipod family expands market apple has expanded its ipod family with the release of its next generation of the digital music players.  its latest challenges to the growing digital music gadget market include an ipod mini model which can hold 6gb compared to a previous 4gb. the company  which hopes to keep its dominant place in the digital music market  also said the gold coloured version of the mini would be dropped. a 30gb version has also been added to the ipod photo family. the latest models have a longer battery life and their prices have been cut by an average of £40. the original ipod took an early lead in the digital music player market thanks to its large storage capacity and simple design.  during 2004 about 25 million portable players were sold  10 million of which were apple ipods. but analysts agree that the success is also down to its integration with the itunes online store  which has given the company a 70% share of the legal download music market. mike mcguire  a research director at analyst gartner  told the bbc news website that apple had done a good job in  sealing off the market from competition  so far.  they have created a very seamless package which i think is the idea of the product - the design  function and the software are very impressive   he said. he added that the threat from others was always present  however.  creative  other microsoft-partnered devices  real  sony and so on  are ratcheting up the marketing message and advertising   he said. creative was very upbeat about how many of its creative zen players it had shipped by the end of last year  he said. its second-generation models  like the creative zen micro photo  is due out in the summer. it will have 5gb of memory on board.  digital music players are now the gadget of choice among young americans  according to recent research by the pew internet and american life project. one in 10 us adults - 22 million people - now owns a digital music player of some sort. sales of legally downloaded songs also rose more than tenfold in 2004  according to the record industry  with 200 million tracks bought online in the us and europe in 12 months. the ifpi industry body said that the popularity of portable music players was behind the growth. analysts say that the ease of use and growth of music services available on the net will continue to drive the trend towards portable music players.  people are also starting to use them in novel ways. some are combining automatic syncing functions many of them have with other net functions to automatically distribute diy radio shows  called podcasts. but 2005 will also see more competition from mobile phone operators who are keen to offer streaming services on much more powerful and sophisticated handsets. according to mr mcguire  research suggests that people like the idea of building up huge libraries of music  which they can do with high-capacity storage devices  like ipods and creative zens. mobiles do not yet have this capacity though  and there are issues about the ease of portability of mobile music. mr mcguire said apple was ensuring it kept a foot in the mobile music door with its recent deal with motorola to produce a version of itunes for motorola phones.


rapper films music video in jail a us rapper awaiting trial for murder has filmed part of a music video in jail  angering a sheriff who says he was tricked into letting tv crews in.  c-murder  a former member of rap group tru  was filmed in his orange prison suit for the video for his y all heard of me single in a new orleans jail. he is awaiting a second trial after an original conviction was thrown out.  i m not pleased   jefferson parish sheriff harry lee said.  he will not make another video in my jail.  footage for the video was filmed by two crews who had permission to interview c-murder - one from court tv and one from a local cable show.  but mr lee said he did not know the rapper had filmed the video and made an album behind bars  and said he was fooled into letting the cameras in. the rapper s lawyer ron rakosky said:  the bottom line is  we didn t do anything wrong.  mr rakosky said it was better than c-murder  real name corey miller   just sitting there  wasting away .  here s a guy in jail  making constructive use of his time instead of withering away   he said.  he s lost more than three years of his life  locked up for a crime he did not commit.   but local group victims and citizens against crime said he should not be working behind bars.  he is a suspect in a murder case. i don t think he should be allowed these privileges  especially earning money  until his name is totally cleared   the group s president beverly siemssen said. in 2003  c-murder was found guilty of killing a 16-year-old in a nightclub  but that decision was thrown out last april. he is now facing a second trial on a charge of second-degree murder. with two brothers in the group tru  he had two us top 10 albums in the late 1990s before going solo  when he scored another three top 10 albums.


camera phones are  must-haves  four times more mobiles with cameras in them will be sold in europe by the end of 2004 than last year  says a report from analysts gartner.  globally  the number sold will reach 159 million  an increase of 104%. the report predicts that nearly 70% of all mobile phones sold will have a built-in camera by 2008. improving imaging technology in mobiles is making them an increasingly  must-have  buy. in europe  cameras on mobiles can take 1.3 megapixel images. but in japan and asia pacific  where camera phone technology is much more advanced  mobiles have already been released which can take 3.2 megapixel images. japan still dominates mobile phone technology  and the uptake there is huge. by 2008  according to gartner  95% of all mobiles sold there will have cameras on them.  camera phones had some teething problems when they were first launched as people struggled with poor quality images and uses for them  as well as the complexity and expense of sending them via mms (multimedia messaging services). this has changed in the last 18 months. handset makers have concentrated on trying to make phones easier to use. realising that people like to use their camera phones in different ways  they have introduced more design features  like rotating screens and viewfinders  removable memory cards and easier controls to send picture messages.  mobile companies have introduced more ways for people to share photos with other people. these have included giving people easier ways to publish them on websites  or mobile blogs - moblogs. but the report suggests that until image quality increases more  people will not be interested in printing out pictures at kiosks. image sensor technology inside cameras phones is improving. the gartner report suggests that by mid-2005  it is likely that the image resolution of most camera phones will be more than two megapixels. consumer digital cameras images range from two to four megapixels in quality  and up to six megapixels on a high-end camera. but a lot of work is being done to make camera phones more like digital cameras. some handsets already feature limited zoom capability  and manufacturers are looking into technological improvements that will let people take more photos in poorly-lit conditions  like nightclubs. other developments include wide-angle modes  basic editing features  and better sensors and processors for recording film clips.  images from camera phones have even made it into the art world. an exhibition next month in aid of the charity mencap  will feature snaps taken from the camera phones of top artists.  the exhibition  fonetography  will feature images taken by photographers david bailey  rankin and nan goldin  and artists sir peter blake  tracey emin and jack vettriano. but some uses for them have worried many organisations. intel  samsung  the uk s foreign office and lawrence livermore national laboratories in the us  have decided to ban camera phones from their buildings for fear of sensitive information being snapped and leaked. many schools  fitness centres and local councils have also banned them over fears about privacy and misuse. italy s information commissioner has also voiced concern and has issued guidelines on where and how the phones can be used. but camera phone fears have not dampened the manufacturers  profits. according to recent figures  sony ericsson s profits tripled in the third-quarter because of new camera phones. over 60% of mobiles sold during the three months through to september featured integrated cameras  it said.


oscars steer clear of controversy the oscars nominations list has left out some of the most controversial films of the past year in favour of safer  less contentious cinema.  if best film nominees were drawn on the basis of column inches  two of the front-runners would have had to be michael moore s bush-baiting documentary fahrenheit 9/11 and mel gibson s the passion of the christ. both films polarised opinion but had critics talking  and the public turning up to see them - fahrenheit 9/11 breaking us box office records for a documentary  and the passion of the christ making more than us$370m (£196m) in the us alone. but this year s academy awards have shied away from the big name controversies  with the passion of the christ - a film accused of being anti-semitic - receiving nominations only in the  minor  categories of cinematography  makeup and musical score.  fahrenheit 9/11 has also been overlooked  despite winning the palme d or at the cannes international film festival in 2004.  moore s caustic documentary may have been affected by its distributors  decision to enter it in the best picture category  rather than best documentary  says tim dams  the news editor of trade magazine screen international. but he also believes the strong political viewpoint of moore s film does not sit well with the academy.  if you look at past oscar winners and nominees  the very conservative oscar voters tend to go for very conservative  epic-style pictures. fahrenheit 9/11 didn t really fit in to that category.  they tend to go for films like titanic  gladiator  and the lord of the rings  films with scale that often aren t too contentious   he said. while he said the oscar voting panel were not  snubbing  moore s film  he thought it was unlikely a documentary could ever seriously compete in a best film category.  i think it s more a misjudgement by the people putting it out rather than a deliberate snub   he said.  the problem with mel gibson s film  he believed  was that the voting panel may have been cautious in nominating a film with dialogue in aramaic  an ancient middle eastern language.   hollywood doesn t tend to like foreign-language films - no-one s ever tried doing a film in a dead language   he said. but aside from these two films  some potentially contentious pictures have won nominations. the german film the downfall  a biopic tracing the final days of nazi leader adolf hitler in his berlin bunker  has been recognised in the best foreign film category. the film has caused some controversy in showing hitler as a fallible but human man  rather than a semi-mythical  historical monster. but mr dams said:  it s not an inflammatory film. it has done very well in germany  and it s a film that portrays hitler as a human rather than some kind of devil or monster.  another  contentious  film  mr dams said  has gained a nomination in the best documentary section through the force of its charm.  independent film-maker morgan spurlock may have forced fast-food giant mcdonalds to withdraw its  super size  portions in the us after he went on a month-long diet eating nothing but mcdonalds meals - and filmed his progress.  the film has been a hit around the world. mr dams said:  it s a political film  but it s quite fun and punky and well-paced.  morgan spurlock is a really likeable guy. it s a very accessible film  and it doesn t beat you over the head with its views.  while in fahrenheit 9/11 there are moments of comedy  i think the way that super size me is put together - the fact it s a very likeable film - means it s won through on charm.  dam s pick at this year s oscars  the aviator  martin scorsese s biopic of aviation pioneer and hollywood player howard hughes. tinseltown  it seems  likes nothing more than a picture about one of its own.


beatles suits sell for $110 000 four suits worn by the beatles on their please please me album cover have sold for $110 00 (£59 000) at a us auction.  but some of elvis presley s earliest recordings - including takes of all shook up - failed to sell at the bonhams and butterfields two-day sale. a private collection of six tape recordings of presley valued at between $30 000 (£16 000) and $50 000 (£27 000) did not meet their reserve price. a signed presley photograph managed to fetch $2 115 (£1 140).  auction spokesman erik simon said the presley tapes were withdrawn because  they did not meet the minimum price set by the owners .  he said the family of sound engineer thorne nogar did not want to divulge the price they had set or the offers they had received. the rca tapes date from september 1956 to september 1957. the  pre-masters  include a take of jailhouse rock  religious songs  material for his first christmas album  and banter between presley  members of his band and mr nogar.   we ve had them for a lot of years  and i think the people should enjoy them. and frankly  we could use the money   mr nogar s son stephen  57  said before the auction. mr nogar  who died in 1994 aged 72  always used to make two tapes of sessions as a back-up in case rca producers wanted to make late changes to songs.  he called them his  ass-saver  tapes   his son said. the quality is said to be noticeably crisper than that of a new vinyl record. because the family does not own the copyright to the music  the tapes could only be sold for  personal enjoyment  and cannot be copied for commercial gain. the auction made a total of $1.1m (£600 000).


game warnings  must be clearer  violent video games should carry larger warnings so parents can understand what their children are playing  the trade and industry secretary has said.  patricia hewitt is expected to call for the law banning the sale of 18-rated games to children to be enforced better at a games industry meeting on sunday. she is concerned too many children are playing games aimed at adults which include  high levels of violence . parents are expected to spend millions on video games as christmas presents.  violent games have been hit by controversy after the game manhunt was blamed by the parents of 14-year-old stefan pakeerah  who was stabbed to death in leicester in february. his mother  giselle  said her son s killer  warren leblanc  17 - who was jailed for life in september - had mimicked behaviour in the game. police investigating the stefan s murder dismissed its influence and manhunt was not part of its legal case. ahead of sunday s meeting in london  ms hewitt said she was proud of the uk s  vibrant games industry  but was concerned too many children were playing games which should only be sold to adults. roger bennett  head of gaming industry body elspa  said banning violent games would be wrong. he said:  we don t want to go down that route. we have seen that the government is supportive of the industry.  the government is holding a further meeting on friday with industry and retail representatives as well as the british board of film classification to discuss how labelling can be made clearer. ms hewitt said:  adults should be treated as adults and children as children. it is important that retailers respect the classifications and do not sell games with high levels of violence to minors.   equally parents need to know what they might be buying for their children.  video games are different to films or videos  and not all parents have grown up playing games in the way our children do.  we need to look carefully at how we improve content warnings and strengthen sales enforcement.  her call was backed by culture  media and sport secretary tessa jowell who said:  you wouldn t let your child watch the texas chainsaw massacre. you wouldn t let them go to a strip club.  so you shouldn t let them play an 18-rated game. it s the same principle - adults can make their own informed choices  but children can t always and need to be protected.  anyone convicted of selling an 18-rated game to a child can be jailed for six months and fined up to £5 000. rockstar games  the makers of manhunt  has said in the past it markets its games responsibly and only targets its adverts at adults.


strong dollar  call halts slide the us dollar s slide against the euro and yen has halted after us treasury secretary john snow said a strong dollar was  in america s interest .  but analysts said any gains are likely to be short-lived as problems with the us economy were still significant. they also pointed out that positive comments apart  president george w bush s administration had done little to stop the dollar s slide. a weak dollar helps boost exports and narrow the current account deficit. the dollar was trading at $1.2944 against the euro at 2100gmt  still close to the $1.3006 record level set on 10 november. against the japanese yen  it was trading at 105.28 yen  after hitting a seven-month low of 105.17 earlier in the day.  policy makers in europe have called the dollar s slide  brutal  and have blamed the strength of the euro for dampening economic growth. however  it is unclear whether ministers would issue a declaration aimed at curbing the euro s rise at a monthly meeting of eurozone ministers late on monday. higher growth in europe is regarded by us officials as a way the huge us current account deficit - that has been weighing on the dollar - could be reduced. mr snow who is currently in dublin at the start of a four-nation eu visit  has applauded ireland s introduction of lower taxes and deregulation which have helped boost growth.  the eurozone is growing below its potential. when a major part of the global economy is below potential there are negative consequences... for the citizens of those economies... and for their trading partners   he said. mr snow s comments may have helped shore up the dollar on monday  but he was careful to qualify his statement.   our basic policy  of course  is to let open  competitive markets set the values   he explained.  markets are driven by fundamentals and towards fundamentals.  us officials have also said that other economies need to grow  so the us is not the main global growth engine. economists say that the fundamentals  or key indicators  of the us economy are looking far from rosy. domestic consumer demand is cooling  and heavy spending by president bush has pushed the budget deficit to a record $427bn (£230bn). the current account deficit  meanwhile  hit a record $166bn in the second quarter of 2004. for many analysts  a weaker dollar is here to stay.  no end is in sight   said carsten fritsch  a strategist at commerzbank .  it is only a matter of time until the euro reaches $1.30.  some analysts maintain the us is secretly happy with a lower dollar which helps makes its exports cheaper in europe  thus boosting its economy.


chelsea hold arsenal a gripping game between arsenal and chelsea ended with the honours finishing even at highbury.  thierry henry produced a sublime strike to put arsenal ahead but john terry levelled with a powerful header. henry s quickly-taken free-kick put arsenal back in front but eidur gudjohnsen equalised with a header from william gallas  knockback. henry missed a golden chance when he blazed a shot high late on and arsenal also had a penalty appeal rejected. henry s opener had given arsenal the perfect start and set up an enthralling affair. the french striker headed a long cesc faregas ball back to jose antonio reyes from the edge of the chelsea area and immediately saw it headed back into his path from the spaniard. and  with his back to goal  henry finished with aplomb when he took one touch  turned and struck an angled strike past the despairing dive of keeper petr cech. henry epitomised a determination about the arsenal side but chelsea appeared unruffled and equalised after 16 minutes.  gunners keeper manuel almunia  who got the nod ahead of jens lehmann  did well to save a well-struck frank lampard shot. but he could not keep out terry s powered header from the resultant corner as arsenal s weakness at set-pieces was again exposed. almost immediately  henry went close and chelsea gathered the loose ball before going straight up the other end where gudjohnsen fluffed an effort. gudjohnsen did not make the same error minutes later when he struck a sweet shot only for almunia to be equal to the task and save. the homes side regained the lead in controversial fashion when robert pires won a dubious free-kick. and  given the option to take the 25-yard set-piece quickly  henry curled in a shot with cech still organising his wall.  this time arsenal did not allow chelsea to level so soon as they went into the break ahead. chelsea brought striker didier drogba on to partner gudjohnsen up front after the interval and the move reaped immediate reward. lampard swung in a cross which gallas knocked back across goal and a deft header from gudjohnsen levelled matters again. chelsea s main threat was coming from crosses and lampard missed a great opportunity as he headed wide when left unmarked at the far post. the second half failed to live up to the thrilling pace of the opening period but there were flashes of brilliance. one of them came from the enigmatic robben when he jinked his way through two arsenal defenders only to see his poked shot saved by almunia.  arsenal ended the match the stronger and worked a excellent chance for henry who put a left-foot shot high from eight yards. subtitute robin van persie could also have nicked a win for the highbury outfit but frustratingly sidefooted just wide. matthieu flamini had a late penal appeal waved away before the final whistle which maintained chelsea five-point premiership lead over arsenal.  almunia  lauren  toure  campbell  cole  pires  flamini  fabregas  reyes (clichy 82)  bergkamp (van persie 82)  henry. subs not used: senderos  hoyte  lehmann.  cole.  henry 2  29.  cech  paulo ferreira  ricardo carvalho (drogba 45)  terry  gallas  duff  tiago (bridge 45)  makelele  lampard  robben  gudjohnsen (parker 77). subs not used: kezman  cudicini.  robben  drogba  lampard.  terry 17  gudjohnsen 46.  38 153  g poll (hertfordshire).


lifestyle  governs mobile choice  faster  better or funkier hardware alone is not going to help phone firms sell more handsets  research suggests.  instead  phone firms keen to get more out of their customers should not just be pushing the technology for its own sake. consumers are far more interested in how handsets fit in with their lifestyle than they are in screen size  onboard memory or the chip inside  shows an in-depth study by telecommunications company ericsson.  historically in the industry there has been too much focus on using technology   said dr michael bjorn  senior advisor on mobile media at ericsson s consumer and enterprise lab.  we have to stop saying that these technologies will change their lives   he said.  we should try to speak to consumers in their own language and help them see how it fits in with what they are doing   he told the bbc news website.  for the study  ericsson interviewed 14 000 mobile phone owners on the ways they use their phone.  people s habits remain the same   said dr bjorn.  they just move the activity into the mobile phone as it s a much more convenient way to do it.   one good example of this was diary-writing among younger people  he said. while diaries have always been popular  a mobile phone -- especially one equipped with a camera -- helps them keep it in a different form. youngsters  use of text messages also reflects their desire to chat and keep in contact with friends and again just lets them do it in a slightly changed way. dr bjorn said that although consumers do what they always did but use a phone to do it  the sheer variety of what the new handset technologies make possible does gradually drive new habits and lifestyles. ericsson s research has shown that consumers divide into different  tribes  that use phones in different ways. dr bjorn said groups dubbed  pioneers  and  materialists  were most interested in trying new things and were behind the start of many trends in phone use.  for instance   he said   older people are using sms much more than they did five years ago.  this was because younger users  often the children of ageing mobile owners  encouraged older people to try it so they could keep in touch.  another factor governing the speed of change in mobile phone use was the simple speed with which new devices are bought by pioneers and materialists. only when about 25% of people have handsets with new innovations on them  such as cameras  can consumers stop worrying that if they send a picture message the person at the other end will be able to see it.  once this significant number of users is passed  use of new innovations tends to take off. dr bjorn said that early reports of camera phone usage in japan seemed to imply that the innovation was going to be a flop. however  he said  now 45% of the japanese people ericsson questioned use their camera phone at least once a month. in 2003 the figure was 29%. similarly  across europe the numbers of people taking snaps with cameras is starting to rise. in 2003 only 4% of the people in the uk took a phonecam snap at least once a month. now the figure is 14%. similar rises have been seen in many other european nations. dr bjorn said that people also used their camera phones in very different ways to film and even digital cameras.  usage patterns for digital cameras are almost exactly replacing usage patterns for analogue cameras   he said. digital cameras tend to be used on significant events such as weddings  holidays and birthdays. by contrast  he said  camera phones were being used much more to capture a moment and were being woven into everyday life.


patti smith to host arts festival rock star patti smith has been made artistic director of this year s meltdown festival  to be held at london s south bank centre in june.  the punk pioneer follows morrissey  david bowie and nick cave in directing 15 days of concerts and events. smith has yet to decide the line-up for meltdown  which begins on 11 june.  i want to touch on all aspects of our culture  perhaps with readings from genet  and i have an idea for jeremy irons to read proust   she said.  the 58-year-old us singer of because the night told the observer newspaper that the festival would be her response to these  material  exploitative and greedy times .  it is important we explore the new  but we should also salute the best art there is  aesthetically and spiritually   she said. last year s meltdown festival  directed by the ex-smiths star morrissey  included appearances by singer jane birkin  nancy sinatra and playwright alan bennett. he also persuaded punk band the new york dolls to reform for a reunion show.


us tv cuts nudity from bbc film a us tv network is editing bbc films  dirty war to avoid showing the front of a nude woman being scrubbed down after a fictional chemical attack.  it is not worth showing  non-essential  nude scenes when indecency complaints are  aggressively pursued  by us tv watchdogs  said pbs  jacoba atlas. dirty war - screened uncut on bbc one last september - depicts a dirty bomb attack on the city of london. it is also being screened uncut on us cable channel hbo on 24 january. pbs said it will use extra footage for its broadcast  showing the woman  from a more discreet angle  instead.  the us federal communications commission fined cbs $550 000 (£306 814) last autumn for singer janet jackson s  wardrobe malfunction   during which her breast was exposed during a dance routine with justin timberlake. many us networks and broadcasters are now more nervous about airing nudity  violence or bad language. ms atlas said pbs could put itself financially at risk if it showed the uncut version of dirty war  and it could also deter many of its 170 individual stations from airing  an important film .  you want to pick your battles   she said. she added that pbs  which is a private  non-profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation s 349 public television stations  is bolder about screening non-fiction or historical programming. pbs is seen in virtually all us homes with tv  and describes itself as a  trusted community resource  serving nearly 100 million people each week.


sundance to honour foreign films international films will be given the same prominence as us films at next year s sundance film festival  with movies dominated by the theme of war.  the independent film festival will feature two new international cinema competitions  during its 20-30 january season in utah. forty-two films will debut at sundance  including the liberace of baghdad by british director sean mcallister. the prestigious festival was founded by actor robert redford in 1981.   we have always had an international component  but from next year they will enter a jury competition   festival director geoffrey gilmore said.  we wanted to give world cinema more emphasis and have now put it on par with the american dramatic and documentary competitions.  twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focus on countries and people under siege.  the liberace of baghdad features an iraqi pianist hiding in a hotel as he waits for a visa  while finnish film the three rooms of melancholia looks at the war in chechnya. shake hands with the devil: the journey of romeo dallaire tells of a un mission to rwanda during the 1994 genocide  while french-israeli production wall looks at israel s controversial security wall separating it from the palestinian territories. the 16 films competing in the new world cinema dramatic category include works from germany  south korea  angola  china  denmark and australia.  several hollywood stars feature in the festival s american independent drama category  including keanu reeves and benjamin bratt. vince vaughn stars in quirky movie thumbsucker while 21 grams actress naomi watts plays a budding hollywood actress in ellie parker. the top grand jury prize at this year s festival went to low budget sci-fi thriller primer  written and directed by shane carruth. morgan spurlock earned the directing award for super size me  which became an international box office hit.


worldcom director ends evidence the former chief financial officer at us telecoms firm worldcom has finished giving evidence at the trial of his ex-boss bernie ebbers.  scott sullivan admitted to jurors he was willing to commit fraud to meet wall street earnings projections. mr ebbers is on trial for fraud and conspiracy in relation to worldcom s collapse in 2002. he pleads not guilty. mr sullivan has spent two days being cross-examined by lawyers for former worldcom chief executive mr ebbers.  attorney reid weingarten has attempted to portray mr sullivan as a liar and on thursday quizzed him about his decision to commit fraud to meet analysts  profit estimates.  at that point in time   mr sullivan said  referring to the first false entries in late 2000   i knew it was wrong and i knew it was against the law  but i thought we would get through it in the short term.  mr sullivan  42  has already pleaded guilty to fraud and will be sentenced following mr ebbers  trial  where he is appearing as a prosecution witness. mr ebbers  63  has always insisted that he was unaware of any hidden shortfalls in worldcom s finances. the former finance officer said mr ebbers knew about the improper accounting entries that were made between 2000 and 2002 to conceal soaring expenses and inflate revenue.  mr ebbers could face a sentence of 85 years if convicted of all the charges he is facing. worldcom s problems appear to have begun with the collapse of the dotcom boom which cut its business from internet companies. prosecutors allege that the company s top executives responded by orchestrating massive fraud over a two-year period. worldcom emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2004  and is now known as mci. on monday  mci agreed to a buyout by verizon communications in a deal valued at $6.75bn.


mild winter drives us oil down 6% us oil prices have fallen by 6%  driven down by forecasts of a mild winter in the densely populated northeast.  light crude oil futures fell $2.86 to $41.32 a barrel on the new york mercantile exchange (nymex)  and have now lost $4 in five days. nonetheless  us crude is still 30% more expensive than at the beginning of 2004  boosted by growing demand and bottlenecks at refineries. traders ignored the possible effects of asia s tidal waves on global supplies.  instead  the focus is now on us consumption  which is heavily influenced in the short term by the weather.  with the revised milder temperatures... i m more inclined to think we ll push lower and test the $40-40.25 range   said john brady of abn amro.  the market definitely feels to be on the defensive.  statistics released last week showed that stockpiles of oil products in the us had risen  an indication that severe supply disruptions may not arise this winter  barring any serious incident. oil prices have broken records in 2004  topping $50 a barrel at one point  driven up by a welter of worries about unrest in iraq and saudi arabia  rising demand and supply bottlenecks. london s international petroleum exchange remained closed for the christmas holiday.


berlin applauds hotel rwanda political thriller hotel rwanda was given a rousing reception by spectators at the berlin film festival on saturday.  the movie s star don cheadle also received a standing ovation when he stepped onto the stage after the show. the film is the true story of the hotel manager who saved 1 200 tutsis from death during the rwandan genocide. the film  showing out of competition in berlin  is nominated for three oscars  including best actor for cheadle. sophie okonedo  who plays cheadle s wife tatiana  is nominated for best supporting actress. the film is also in the running for best original screenplay. cheadle  was joined on stage at berlin by paul rusesabagina  the hotel manager he plays in the film  mr rusesabagina s wife and his extended family  who fled rwanda and now live in belgium. mr rusesabagina used his influence as a prominent hutu businessman to shelter potential victims of the rwandan genocide  contacting dignitaries including bill clinton  the king of belgium as well as the french foreign ministry. hotel rwanda is one of two films addressing the genocide at the 55th berlin film festival  which runs until 20 february. sometimes in april is a feature by raoul peck competing for the festival s coveted golden and silver bear awards. the film was made exclusively in rwanda whereas hotel rwanda was shot mostly in south africa  with some scenes made in kigali.


tsunami to cost sri lanka $1.3bn sri lanka faces a $1.3bn (£691m) bill in 2005 for reconstruction after the tsunami which killed more than 30 000 of its people  its central bank says.  this estimate is preliminary  bank governor sunil mendis told reporters  and could rise in 2006. the island state is asking for about $320m from the international monetary fund to help pay for relief  he said. the bank has 5bn rupees ($50m; £27m) set aside to lend at a lower interest rate to those who lost property. according to mr mendis  half the imf support could come from a freeze on debt repayments  which would free up resources immediately. the rest could come from a five-year emergency loan. sri lanka is hoping for a wider freeze from other creditors.  the paris club of 19 creditors meets on 12 january to discuss a debt moratorium for the nations hit by the tsunami  which ravaged south and east asia on 26 december.  some 150 000 people across the region are feared to be dead and millions have been left homeless and destitute. a full reckoning of the economic cost to sri lanka of the tsunami will not be clear for some time to come. but already it looks likely that growth in the first half of 2005 will slow  mr mendis told reporters  although he would not say by how much. one side-effect of the disaster has been that the value of the rupee has risen as foreign funds have flooded into the country. the currency has strengthened 4% since late december  coming close to 100 rupees to the us dollar for the first time in more than six months.