johnson too strong for gb runners britain s kathy butler and hayley yelling were no match for benita johnson in the 51st cross international zornotza in amorebieta  spain.  butler and yelling finished fourth and fifth as australian world champion johnson romped to a five-second victory in the 6km race ahead of edith masai. masai s fellow kenyan alice timbilil finished third. johnson said:  i ran comfortably for the first 3km and then i tried to leave the others but it wasn t an easy task.  butler clocked a time of 22 minutes 45 seconds - 22secs behind the winner but four ahead of yelling  who last month succeeded paula radcliffe as european champion. johnson  will be one of the star attractions at the great edinburghinternational cross country on 15 january.


brizzel to run aaa s in sheffield ballymena sprinter paul brizzel will be among eight of ireland s european indoor hopefuls competing in this weekend s aaa s championships.  us-based alistair cragg and mark carroll are the only irish athletes selected so far for the europeans who will not run in sheffield. brizzel will defend his 200m title in the british trials. in-form james mcilroy will hope to confirm his place in the british team for madrid by winning the 800m title. mcilroy has been in tremendous form on the european circuit in recent weeks. he is one of the fastest 800m runners in the world this winter and already seems assured of a place in madrid. corkman mark carroll confirmed in midweek that he would join cragg in the european championships. carroll is ranked number three in the world 3000m ranking at the moment with cragg occupying top spot. meanwhile  nine-times champion dermot donnelly will not be coming out of retirement to compete in the northern ireland cross country championships in coleraine on saturday. an injury crisis in the annadale striders squad led to donnelly being entered by coach john mclaughlin but the athlete told bbc sport on friday evening that he would not be running. willowfield s paul rowan will go in as individual favourite but annadale could have a tough job holding on to their team title as andrew dunwoody and noel pollock are unlikely to run.


hollywood to sue net film pirates the us movie industry has launched legal action to sue people who facilitate illegal film downloading.  the motion picture association of america wants to stop people using the program bittorrent to swap movies. the industry is targeting people who run websites which provide information and internet links to movies which have been copied or filmed in cinemas. more than 100 server operators have been targeted in the actions launched in the us and uk  the mpaa added. the suits were filed against users of the file-sharing programs bittorrent  edonkey and directconnect in the united states  united kingdom  france  finland and the netherlands  the mpaa said.  bittorrent users can download movies by following a link to files which are found on websites called trackers. unlike most peer-to-peer programs bittorrent works by sharing a file  which could be anything from a legitimate digital photo to a copied movie  among multiple users at the same time. the movie industry hopes that suing the people who run the trackers will cut bittorrent users off from illegal movies at source. last month major film studios started legal action against 200 individuals who were swapping films online. the growth in broadband has made it quicker for people to download movies and the industry fears that if it does not take action now  it could suffer the same downturn as the music industry.


junk e-mails on relentless rise spam traffic is up by 40%  putting the total amount of e-mail that is junk up to an astonishing 90%.  the figures  from e-mail management firm email systems  will alarm firms attempting to cope with the amount of spam in their in-boxes. while virus traffic has slowed down  denial of service attacks are on the increase according to the firm. virus mail accounts for just over 15% of all e-mail traffic analysis by the firm has found.  it is no longer just multi-nationals that are in danger of so-called denial of service attacks  in which websites are bombarded by requests for information and rendered inaccessible. email systems refers to a small uk-based engineering firm  which received a staggering 12 million e-mails in january. the type of spam currently being sent has subtlety altered in the last few months  according to email systems analysis. half of spam received since christmas has been health-related with gambling and porn also on the increase. scam mails  offering ways to make a quick buck  have declined by 40%.  january is clearly a month when consumers are less motivated to purchase financial products or put money into dubious financial opportunities   said neil hammerton  managing director of email systems.  spammers seem to have adapted their output to reflect this  focussing instead on medically motivated and pornographic offers  presumably intentionally intended to coincide with what is traditionally considered to be the bleakest month in the calendar   he said.


kewell waits as injury drags on liverpool winger harry kewell is struggling to recover from his achilles tendinitis problem and may not recover until march  claims his agent.  kewell  26  had hoped to play against fulham last weekend and to be ready for the champions league tie against bayer leverkusen on 22 february. but bernie mandic said:  he s had scans which don t show anything substantial.  but despite his best efforts at the moment he simply can t shake off the discomfort and get back on the park.   mandic continued in the sydney morning herald:  harry s struggling a bit but the club are doing everything they can to get him right.  harry was desperate to be fit for the fulham game as part of his plan to play himself in for the leverkusen match.  kewell has not played since december 19 and misses out on international duty this week  with australia facing south africa in durban on wednesday.


telewest to challenge sky plus cable firm telewest is to offer a personal video recorder (pvr) in a set -top box to challenge sky plus.  sky plus is the market leader in the field of digital video recorders in the uk  with 474 000 subscribers. pvrs record tv programmes to a hard drive  letting viewers pause  and rewind live television and effectively  time shift  the viewing experience. a number of pvrs incorporating freeview digital terrestrial tv are also on the market but their success is limited. telewest s pvr will offer a 160gb hard drive  which has storage for up to 80 hours of programmes. the box has three tuners  which means viewers can record two channels simultaneously while watching a third channel.  sky plus boxes come in two versions - a 20gb version for £99 and a 160gb version for £399. sky also charges a £10 subscription fee to the service  unless viewers have a subscription to one of its premium packages. telewest has yet to reveal pricing for the new box or if it will be charging a subscription fee for the service.  eric tveter  president and chief operating officer at telewest broadband  said:  we will make our pvr set-top box available later this year  putting a stop to missed soaps  interrupted films and arguments over which programmes to record.  pvrs and recordable dvd players are set to replace video recorders as the standard method of recording and saving favourite tv programmes. last year  high street retailer dixons said it was going to stop selling vhs machines in favour of pvrs and recordable dvd machines. sky has said it aims to have 25% of its subscribers using sky plus by 2010 - it is predicting 10 million total subscribers by that date. it currently has 7.4 million subscribers  while telewest provides digital cable to 1.7 million customers.


satellite mapping aids darfur relief aid workers trying to house  feed and clothe millions of homeless refugees in the sudanese region of darfur are getting a helping hand from advanced mapping technology.  a european consortium of companies and university groups known as respond is working to provide accurate and up to date maps. the aim is to overcome some of the huge logistical challenges in getting supplies to where they are needed. respond is using satellite imagery to produce accurate maps that can be used in the field rapidly.  respond has produced very detailed maps for example for the road networks  for the rivers and for the villages  to more large-scale maps useful for very general planning purposes   said einar bjorgo from unosat  the un satellite mapping organisation that is part of the respond consortium.  the group uses satellites from nasa  the european space agency and the disaster monitoring constellation. the satellite data is transmitted to ground stations. from there  the information makes its way to respond organisations that specialise in interpreting such data.  you have to convert the data into images  then the interpreter has to convert all this into crisis  damage  or situation maps   said stefan voigt  who works in the remote sensing department of one of those organisations  the german aerospace centre.  this kind of detailed analysis usually takes a couple of months but respond gets it done in about 12 hours.  our users are usually not so much familiar with reading satellite imagery  reading satellite maps  so it s our task to transfer the data into information that non-technical people can read and understand easily and very  very efficiently   said mr voigt. respond supplies maps to aid groups via the web  and on compact disc. but the best map is one you can hold in your hands  especially in remote areas where internet connections and laptops are scarce.  a map is a working document   explains herbert hansen of respond s belgian partner keyobs.  you need to use it  you need to write on it  correct  give feedback and so on  so you need paper to write on.  we print maps  we laminate the maps  we encapsulate the maps if needed so you can take a shower with the map  it s completely protected.   humanitarian groups in darfur have been making good use of respond s maps. they have come in especially handy during sudan s rainy season  when normally dry riverbeds  or wadis  became flooded.  these wadis had a very small amount of flooding  generally  in terms of depth  but greatly impeded the transport capabilities and capacities of the humanitarian groups on the ground   says stephen candillon of respond imaging partner sertit. respond s rapid imaging has allowed aid groups to find ways around the wadis  allowing then to mark on their maps which roads were washed out at which times. aid groups say that combination of satellite technology and on-the-ground observation helped keep relief flowing to those who needed it.  clark boyd is technology correspondent for the world  a bbc world service and wgbh-boston co-production


gm in crunch talks on fiat future fiat will meet car giant general motors (gm) on tuesday in an attempt to reach agreement over the future of the italian firm s loss-making auto group.  fiat claims that gm is legally obliged to buy the 90% of the car unit it does not already own; gm says the contract  signed in 2000  is no longer valid. press reports have speculated that fiat may be willing to accept a cash payment in return for dropping its claim. both companies want to cut costs as the car industry adjusts to waning demand.  the meeting between fiat boss sergio marchionne and gm s rick wagoner is due to take place at 1330 gmt in zurich  according to the reuters news agency.  mr marchionne is confident of his firm s legal position  saying in an interview with the financial times that gm s argument  has no legs . the agreement in question dates back to gm s decision to buy 20% of fiat s auto division in 2000. at the time  it gave the italian firm the right  via a  put option   to sell the remaining stake to gm. in recent weeks  fiat has reiterated its claims that this  put  is still valid and legally binding. however  gm argues that a fiat share sale made last year  which cut gm s holding to 10%  together with asset sales made by fiat have terminated the agreement.  selling the fiat s car-making unit may not prove so simple  analysts say  especially as it is a company that is so closely linked to italy s industrial heritage. political and public pressure may well push the two firms to reach a compromise.  we are not expecting fiat to exercise its put of the auto business against an unwilling gm at this point   brokerage merrill lynch said in a note to investors  adding that any legal battle would be protracted and damaging to the business.  as far as we are aware  the agnelli family  which indirectly controls at least 30% of fiat  has not given a firm public indication that it wants to sell the auto business.  fiat may be willing to cancel the  put  in exchange for money.


highbury tunnel players in clear the football association has said it will not be bringing charges over the tunnel incident prior to the arsenal and manchester united game.  arsenal s patrick vieira had earlier denied accusations that he threatened gary neville before the 4-2 defeat. vieira also clashed with opposing skipper roy keane and referee graham poll had to separate them.  the referee has confirmed that he is satisfied he dealt with the incident at the time   said an fa statement. it means united s win will pass off without further intervention from the governing body  whose new chief executive brian barwick was in the highbury stands.   i didn t threaten anybody. they are big enough players to handle themselves   said vieira.  i had a talk with roy keane and that s it. gary neville is a big lad  he can handle himself.  they just played better than us and deserved to win.  neville admitted there had been incidents before the game  but insisted it had not distracted his focus.  there were a couple of things that did happen before the game which disappoint you   he said.  especially from players of that calibre  but it s a tough game and we ve been around a long time.  neville admitted that he had not enjoyed the match  which was punctuated by fouls and the sending off of mikael silvestre for head-butting freddie ljungberg .  i thought it was a horrible game in the first half  and it was not much better in the second   he said.  there is no way that should have happened in a football match.   after the match  keane accused vieira of starting the row.  patrick vieira is 6ft 4in and having a go at gary neville. so i said   have a go at me    he said.  if he wants to intimidate our players and thinks that gary neville is an easy target  i m not having it.  manchester united manager sir alex ferguson added:  vieira was well wound up for it.  i ve heard different stories. patrick vieira has apparently threatened some of our players and things like that.


london hope over chepkemei london marathon organisers are hoping that banned athlete susan chepkemei will still take part in this year s race on 17 april.  chepkemei was suspended from all competition until the end of the year by athletics kenya after failing to report to a national training camp.  we are watching it closely   said london race director david bedford.  there is a long way to go before the race and we are hoping the situation will be satisfactorily resolved.  the camp in embu was to prepare for the iaaf world cross country championships later this month. chepkemei however took part and finished third in last sunday s world best 10k race in puerto rico. the 29-year-old has finished second to paula radcliffe in the 2002 and 2003 london races as well as in november s new york city marathon.


bt program to beat dialler scams bt is introducing two initiatives to help beat rogue dialler scams  which can cost dial-up net users thousands.  from may  dial-up net users will be able to download free software to stop computers using numbers not on a user s  pre-approved list . inadvertently downloaded by surfers  rogue diallers are programs which hijack modems and dial up a premium rate number when users log on. thousands of uk dial-up users are believed to have been hit by the scam. some people have faced phone bills of up to £2 000. bt s modem protection program will check numbers that are dialled by a computer and will block them if they have not been pre-approved  such as national and net service provider numbers. icstis  the uk s premium rate services watchdog  said it had been looking for companies to take the lead in initiatives.  the initiatives are very welcome   a spokesperson from icstis told the bbc news website.  we are very pleased to see they are putting into place new measures to protect consumers.   the second initiative bt announced is an early warning system which will alert bt customers if there is unusual activity on their phone bills. if a bill rises substantially above its usual daily average  or if a call is made to a suspect number  a text or voice alert will be sent to the user s landline phone. as part of the clamp-down on rogue diallers  companies must now satisfy stringent conditions  including clear terms and conditions  information about how to delete diallers and responsibility for customer refunds. any firm running a dialler without permission can now be closed down by icstis. the watchdog brought in the action last october following a decision to license all companies which wanted to operate legitimate premium rate dialler services.  there are legitimate companies who offer services such as adult content  sports results and music downloads by charging a premium rate rather than by credit card bt said it had ploughed an enormous amount of effort into protecting people from the problem. it has already barred more than 1 000 premium rate numbers and has tried to raise public awareness about the scams.  we now want to ensure there are even stronger safeguards for our customers  who we would urge to make use of these new options to protect themselves   said gavin patterson  group managing director for consumer the arm of bt. both schemes have been undergoing trials in ireland  and will be made available to 20 million bt customers from may.


asia shares defy post-quake gloom indonesian  indian and hong kong stock markets reached record highs.  investors seemed to feel that some of the worst-affected areas were so under-developed that the tragedy would have little impact on asia s listed firms.  obviously with a lot of loss of life  a lot of time is needed to clean up the mess  bury the people and find the missing   said abn amro s eddie wong.  [but] it s not necessarily a really big thing in the economic sense.   india s bombay stock exchange inched slightly above its previous record close on wednesday. expectations of strong corporate earnings in 2005 drove the indonesian stock exchange in jakarta to a record high on wednesday. in hong kong  the hang seng index may be benefiting in part from the potential for its listed property companies to gain from rebuilding contracts in the tsunami-affected regions of south east asia. in sri lanka  some economists have said that as much as 1% of annual growth may be lost. sri lanka s stock market has fallen about 5% since the weekend  but it is still 40% higher than at the start of 2004.  thailand may lose 30bn baht (£398m; $768m) in earnings from tourism over the next three months  according to tourism minister sontaya kunplome.  in the affected provinces  he expects the loss of tourism revenue to be offset by government reconstruction spending. thailand intends to spend a similar sum - around 30bn baht - on the rebuilding work.  it will take until the fourth quarter of next year before tourist visitors in phuket and five other provinces return to their normal level   said naris chaiyasoot  director general at the ministry s fiscal policy office. in the maldives the cost of reconstruction could wipe out economic growth  according to a government spokesman.  our nation is in peril here   said ahmed shaheed  the chief government spokesman. he estimated the economic cost of the disaster at hundreds of millions of dollars. the maldives has gross domestic product of $660m.  it won t be surprising if the cost exceeds our gdp   he said.  in the last few years  we made great progress in our standard of living - the united nations recognised this. now we see this can disappear in a few days  a few minutes.  shaheed noted that investment in a single tourist resort - the economic mainstay - could run to $40m. between 10 and 12 of the 80-odd resorts have been severely damaged  and a similar number have suffered significant damage.  however  many experts  including the world bank  have pointed out that it is still difficult to assess the magnitude of the disaster and its likely economic impact. in part  this is because of its scale  and because delivering aid and recovering the dead remain priorities.  calculators will have to wait   said an imf official in a briefing on wednesday.  the financial and world community will be turning toward reconstruction efforts and at that point people will begin to have a sense of the financial impact.


world leaders gather to face uncertainty more than 2 000 business and political leaders from around the globe are arriving in the swiss mountain resort davos for the annual world economic forum (wef). for five days  they will discuss issues ranging from china s economic power to iraq s future after this sunday s elections. uk prime minister tony blair and south african president thabo mbeki are among the more than 20 government leaders and heads of state leaders attending the meeting. unlike previous years  protests against the wef are expected to be muted. anti-globalisation campaigners have called off a demonstration planned for the weekend.  the brazilian city of porto alegre will host the rival world social forum  timed to run in parallel with the wef s ritzier event in davos.  the organisers of the brazilian gathering  which brings together thousands of campaigners against globalisation  for fair trade  and many other causes  have promised to set an alternative agenda to that of the swiss summit. however  many of the issues discussed in porto alegre are davos talking points as well.  global warming  features particularly high. wef participants are being asked to offset the carbon emissions they cause by travelling to the event. davos itself is in deep frost. the snow is piled high across the mountain village  and at night the wind chill takes temperatures down to minus 20c and less.  ultimately  the forum will be dominated by business issues - from outsourcing to corporate leadership - with bosses of more than a fifth of the world s 500 largest companies scheduled to attend.  but much of the media focus will be on the political leaders coming to davos  not least because the agenda of this year s forum seems to lack an overarching theme.  taking responsibility for tough choices  is this year s official talking point  hinting at a welter of knotty problems. one thing seems sure  though: transatlantic disagreements over how to deal with iran  iraq and china are set to dominate discussions. pointedly  only one senior official from president bush s new administration is scheduled to attend. the us government may still make a conciliatory gesture  just as happened a year ago when vice president dick cheney made a surprise appearance in davos.  ukraine s new president  viktor yushchenko  is to speak  just days after his inauguration  an event that crowned the civil protests against the rigged first election that had tried to keep him from power.  the european union s top leaders  among them german chancellor gerhard schroeder and european commission president manuel barosso  will be here too. mr blair will formally open the proceedings  although his speech will be pre-empted by french president jacques chirac  who announced his attendance at the last minute and secured a slot for a  special message  two hours before mr blair speaks. the organisers also hope that the new palestinian leader  mahmoud abbas  will use the opportunity for talks with at least one of the three israeli deputy prime ministers coming to the event  a list that includes shimon peres. davos fans still hark back to 1994  when talks between yassir arafat and mr peres came close to a peace deal. mr blair s appearance will be keenly watched too  as political observers in the uk claim it is a calculated snub against political rival chancellor gordon brown  who was supposed to lead the uk government delegation.  microsoft founder bill gates  the world s richest man and a regular at davos  will focus on campaigning for good causes  though business interests will not be wholly absent either. having already donated billions of dollars to the fight against aids and malaria  mr gates will call on world leaders to support a global vaccination campaign to protect children in developing countries from easily preventable diseases. on tuesday  mr gates pledged $750m (£400m) of his own money to support the cause. mr gates  company  software giant microsoft  also hopes to use davos to shore up its defences against open source software like linux  which threaten microsoft s near monopoly on computer desktops. mr gates is said to be trying to arrange a meeting with brazil s president lula da silva. the brazilian government has plans to switch all government computers from microsoft to linux. at davos  global problem solving and networking are never far apart.


cole faces lengthy injury lay-off aston villa s carlton cole could be out for six weeks with a knee injury.  the striker  who is on a season-long loan from chelsea  picked up the knock in an england under-21 match against holland earlier this month.  carlton will be out of action for four to six weeks after a bad challenge   said villa boss david o leary.  i won t be able to tell you whether he will need an operation until maybe next week. whether he has an operation has got to be left to chelsea.  cole  who also struggled with an ankle problem earlier in the season  was unable to rest because o leary had a shortage of strikers. the return to fitness of darius vassell after four months out with a broken ankle and the emergence of luke moore has alleviated some of the villa s manager s problems in that department.


news corp eyes video games market news corp  the media company controlled by australian billionaire rupert murdoch  is eyeing a move into the video games market.  according to the financial times  chief operating officer peter chernin said that news corp is  kicking the tires of pretty much all video games companies . santa monica-based activison is said to be one firm on its takeover list. video games are  big business   the paper quoted mr chernin as saying. we  would like to get into it .  the success of products such as sony s playstation  microsoft s x-box and nintendo s game cube have boosted demand for video games.  the days of arcade classics such as space invaders  pac-man and donkey kong are long gone. today  games often have budgets big enough for feature films and look to give gamers as real an experience as possible. and with their price tags reflecting the heavy investment by development companies  video games are proving almost as profitable as they are fun. mr chernin  however  told the ft that news corp was finding it difficult to identify a suitable target.  we are struggling with the gap between companies like electronic arts  which comes with a high price tag  and the next tier of companies   he explained during a conference in phoenix  arizona.  these may be too focused on one or two product lines.


2d metal slug offers retro fun like some drill sergeant from the past  metal slug 3 is a wake-up call to today s gamers molly-coddled with slick visuals and fancy trimmings.  with its hand-animated sprites and 2d side-scrolling  this was even considered retro when released in arcades four years ago. but a more frantic shooter you will not find at the end of your joypad this year. and yes  that includes halo 2. simply choose your grunt and wade through five 2d side-scrolling levels of the most hectic video game blasting you will ever encounter. it is also the toughest game you are likely to play  as hordes of enemies and few lives pile the pressure on.  players must battle soldiers  snowmen  zombies  giant crabs and aliens  not to mention the huge  screen-filling bosses that guard each of the five levels.  the shoot-anything-that-moves gameplay is peppered with moments of old-school genius. fans of robotic gastropods should note the title refers  instead  to the vast array of vehicles on offer in a game stuffed with bizarre hardware. tanks  jets and submarines can be commandeered  as well as cannon-toting camels  elephants and ostriches - more weaponry on offer than in an acre of iraq. doling out justice is a joy thanks to ultra responsive controls  and while this is a tough nut to crack  it is addictive enough to have you gagging for that one last go. and at a mere £20  metal slug 3 is as cheap as sliced  fried spuds  as the man says. of course  most of you will ignore this  lacking as it does the visual fireworks of modern blasters. but at a time when blockbuster titles offer only a fresh lick of paint in favour of real innovation  metal slug 3 is a fresh gasp of air from an era when the xbox was not even a twinkle in bill gates  eye.


argentina  venezuela in oil deal argentina and venezuela have extended a food-for-oil deal  which helped the former to overcome a severe energy crisis last year.  argentine president nestor kirchner and venezuelan president hugo chavez signed the deal in buenos aires on tuesday. last april  argentina signed a $240m agreement to import venezuelan fuel in exchange for agricultural goods and this deal has now been extended. venezuela will now import cattle  medicines and medical equipment. last year  argentina s severe energy crisis forced president kirchner to suspend gas exports to chile. argentina fears that rising demand could spark another crisis and wants to prevent it by signing this deal. the two countries also formalised a co-operation deal between venezuelan energy firm pdvsa and argentina s enarsa. under this deal  the argentine market will be opened to venezuelan investment. president chavez added that brazil s petrobras could join soon the co-operation deal. president chavez is an ardent promoter of the concept of a south american oil company  which could include the state-owned companies of venezuela  argentina  brazil and bolivia. the two presidents also agreed to create  television sur   a latin american network of state-owned television channels.


peer-to-peer nets  here to stay  peer-to-peer (p2p) networks are here to stay  and are on the verge of being exploited by commercial media firms  says a panel of industry experts.  once several high-profile legal cases against file-sharers are resolved this year  firms will be very keen to try and make money from p2p technology. the expert panel probed the future of p2p at the consumer electronics show in las vegas earlier in january. the first convictions for p2p piracy were handed out in the us in january. william trowbridge and michael chicoine pleaded guilty to charges that they infringed copyright by illegally sharing music  movies and software. since the first successful file-sharing network napster was forced to close down  the entertainment industry has been nervous and critical of p2p technology  blaming it for falling sales and piracy. but that is going to change very soon  according to the panel.  the music and film industries have started some big legal cases against owners of legitimate p2p networks - which are not illegal in themselves - and of individuals accused of distributing pirated content over networks. but they have slowly realised that p2p is a good way to distribute content  said travis kalanick  founder and chairman of p2p network red swoosh  and soon they are all going to want a slice of it. they are just waiting to come up with  business models  that work for them  which includes digital rights management and copy-protection standards.  but  until the legal actions are resolved  experimentation with p2p cannot not happen  said michael weiss  president of streamcast networks. remembering the furore around vcrs when they first came out  mr weiss said:  old media always tries to stop new media.  when they can t stop it  they try to control it. then they figure out how to make money and they always make a lot of money.  once the courts decided that the vcr in itself was not an illegal technology  the film studios turned it into an extremely lucrative business. in august 2004  the san francisco-based us court of appeals ruled in favour of grokster and streamcast  two file-sharing networks. the court said they were essentially in the same position that sony was in the 1980s vcr battle  and said that the networks themselves could not be deemed as illegal.  p2p networks usually do not rely on dedicated servers for the transfer of files. instead it uses direct connections between computers - or clients. there are now many different types of p2p systems than work in different ways. p2p nets can be used to share any kind of file  like photos  free software  licensed music and any other digital content. the bbc has already decided to embrace the technology. it aims to offer most of its own programmes for download this year and it will use p2p technology to distribute them. the files would be locked seven days after a programme aired making rights management easier to control. but the technology is still demonised and misunderstood by many. the global entertainment industry says more than 2.6 billion copyrighted music files are downloaded every month  and about half a million films are downloaded a day. legal music download services  like apple itunes  napster  have rushed into the music marketplace to try and lure file-sharers away from free content. sales of legally-downloaded songs grew tenfold in 2004  with 200 million tracks bought online in the us and europe in 12 months  the ifpi reported this week. but such download services are very different from p2p networks  not least because of the financial aspect.  there are several money-spinning models that could turn p2p into a golden egg for commercial entertainment companies. paid-for-pass-along  in which firms receive money each time a file is shared  along with various drm solutions and advertiser-based options are all being considered.  we see there are going to be different models for commoditising p2p   said marc morgenstern  vice president of anti-piracy firm overpeer.   consumers are hungry for it and we will discover new models together   agreed mr morgenstern. but many net users will continue to ignore the entertainment industry s potential controlling grip on content and p2p technology by continuing to use it for their own creations. unsigned bands  for example  use p2p networks to distribute their music effectively  which also draws the attention of record companies looking for new artists to sign.  increasingly  what you are seeing on p2p is consumer-created content   said derek broes  from microsoft.  they will probably play an increasing role in helping p2p spread   he said. looking into p2p s future  file sharing is just the beginning for p2p networks  as far as mr broes is concerned.  once some of these issues are resolved  you are going to see aggressive movement to protect content  but also in ways that are unimaginable now   he said.  file-sharing is the tip of the iceberg.


format wars could  confuse users  technology firms sony  philips  matsushita and samsung are developing a common way to stop people pirating digital music and video.  the firms want to make a system that ensures files play on the hardware they make but also thwarts illegal copying. the move could mean more confusion for consumers already faced by many different  and conflicting  content control systems  experts warned. they say there are no guarantees the system will even prevent piracy.  currently many online stores wrap up downloadable files in an own-brand control system that means they can only be played on a small number of media players. systems that limit what people can do with the files they download are known as digital rights management systems. by setting up the alliance to work on a common control system  the firms said they hope to end this current fragmentation of file formats. in a joint statement the firms said they wanted to let consumers enjoy  appropriately licensed video and music on any device  independent of how they originally obtained that content . the firms hope that it will also make it harder for consumers to make illegal copies of the music  movies and other digital content they have bought. called the marlin joint development association  the alliance will define basic specifications that every device made by the electronics firms will conform to. marlin will be built on technology from rights management firm intertrust as well as an earlier drm system developed by a group known as the coral consortium.  the move is widely seen as a way for the four firms to decide their own destiny on content control systems instead of having to sign up for those being pushed by apple and microsoft. confusingly for consumers  the technology that comes out of the alliance will sit alongside the content control systems of rival firms such as microsoft and apple.  in many ways the different drm systems are akin to the different physical formats  such as betamax and vhs  that consumers have seen in the past   said ian fogg  personal technology and broadband analyst at jupiter research.  the difference is that it is very fragmented   he said.  it s not a two-horse race  it s a five  six  seven or even eight-horse race  mr fogg said consumers had to be very careful when buying digital content to ensure that it would play on the devices they own. he said currently there were even incompatibilities within drm families. although initiatives such as microsoft s  plays for sure  program could help remove some of the uncertainty  he said  life was likely to be confusing for consumers for some time to come.  shelley taylor  analyst and author of a report about online music services  said the locks and limits on digital files were done to maximise the cash that firms can make from consumers. apple s itunes service was a perfect example of this  she said.  although itunes has been hugely successful  apple could not justify its existence if it did not help sell all those ipods   she said.  she said rampant competition between online music services  of which there are now 230 according to recent figures  could drive more openness and freer file formats.  it always works out that consumer needs win out in the long run   she said   and the services that win in the long run are the ones that listen to consumers earliest.  ms taylor said the limits legal download services place on files could help explain the continuing popularity of file-sharing systems that let people get hold of pirated pop.  people want portability   she said   and with peer-to-peer they have 100% portability.  cory doctorow  european co-ordinator for the electronic frontier foundation which campaigns for consumers on many cyber-rights issues  expressed doubts that the marlin system would achieve its aims.  not one of these systems has ever prevented piracy or illegal copying   he said. he said many firms readily admit that their drm systems are little protection against skilled attackers such as the organised crime gangs that are responsible for most piracy. instead  said mr doctorow  drm systems were intended to control the group that electronics firms have most hold over - consumers.  the studios and labels perceive an opportunity to sell you your media again and again - the ipod version  the auto version  the american and uk version  the ringtone version  and so on.


african double in edinburgh world 5000m champion eliud kipchoge won the 9.2km race at the view from great edinburgh cross country.  the kenyan  who was second when newcastle hosted the race last year  was in front from the outset. ethiopian duo gebre gebremariam and dejene berhanu made last-gasp efforts to overtake him  but kipchoge responded and a burst of speed clinched victory. gavin thompson was the first briton in 12th place while nick mccormick held of his british rivals to win the 4km race. the morpeth harrier led from the end of the first lap and ended mike skinner and andrew baddeley s hopes with a surge in the lasp lap.  my training has gone so well i wasn t really worried about the opposition asi knew i was in great shape   said mccormick  who now hopes to earn a 1 500m place in the british team for the world championships in helsinki. in the women s race  ethiopia s tirunesh dibaba won a battle with world cross country champion benita johnson to retain her title. australian johnson  who shocked her african rivals in brussels last march  looked to be on course for another win in the 6.2km race. but world 5000m champion dibaba make a telling strike for the finishing line in the final 20 metres. britons kathy butler and hayley yelling were out of contention early on.


new consoles promise big problems making games for future consoles will require more graphic artists and more money  an industry conference has been told.  sony  microsoft and nintendo will debut their new consoles at the annual e3 games expo in los angeles in may. these so-called  next generation  machines will be faster than current consoles  and capable of displaying much higher-quality visuals. for gamers  this should make for better  more immersive games. in a pre-recorded video slot during microsoft s keynote address at the game developers conference  held last week in san francisco  famed director james cameron revealed he is making a game in tandem with his next film - believed to be battle angel alita. the game s visual quality would be  like a lucid dream   said mr cameron. but numerous speakers warned that creating such graphics will require more artists  and so next generation console games will be much more expensive to develop. the first new console  microsoft s xbox 2  is not expected to reach the shops until the end of 2005. games typically take at least 18 months to create  however  so developers are grappling with the hardware today.  according to robert walsh  head of brisbane-based game developer krome studios  next generation games will cost between $10-25m to make  with teams averaging 80 staff in size taking two years to complete a title. such sums mean it will be difficult for anyone to start a new game studio  said mr walsh.  if you re a start-up  i doubt that a publisher is going to walk in and give you a cheque for $10m  however good you are   he said. mr walsh suggested that new studios should make games for mobile phones and handheld consoles like the sony psp and the nintendo ds  since they are cheaper and easier to create than console games.  one developer bucking the trend towards big art teams is will wright  the creator of the best-selling the sims games. the founder of california s maxis studio surprised the conference with a world exclusive preview of his next game  spore. spore will allow players to experiment with the evolution of digital creatures. starting with an amoeba-sized organism  the player will guide the physical development of their creature by selecting how its limbs  jaws and other body parts evolve.  eventually the creature will become capable of establishing cities  trading and fighting  and even building space ships. advanced players will visit the home planets of creatures created by other spore players. these worlds will be automatically swapped across the internet. mr wright said that enabling players to devise and share their creatures would make them care more about the game.  i don t want to put the player in the role of luke skywalker or frodo baggins - i want them to be george lucas or dr seuss   explained mr wright. few games have hinted at the scope of spore  but mr wright explained that he has nevertheless kept his development team small by hiring expert programmers. instead of employing lots of artists to create 3d models of the digital creatures  spore generates and displays the creatures according to rules devised by the programmers.  the thing i am coming away with [from the conference] is that next generation content is going to be really expensive  and creating it will drive the smaller players out of the market   said mr wright.  i d like to offer an alternative to that.   new development tools will be another important aid in making next generation games  and dozens of companies demonstrated their latest products at the conference.  oxford-based natural motion launched endorphin v2.0  which enables artists to direct a 3d  virtual actor . the actor is realistically modelled according to the laws of physics. endorphin simulates how the actor falls down stairs  for instance  or crumples up after a gunshot. artists can blend together these visual sequences  and include the results in their games. the process is much quicker than having an artist animate each movement by hand  and so lessens the need for larger art teams. another british company aiming to reduce the workload of artists is manchester start-up genemation. its latest tool  gencrowd  enables artists to create unique  photo-realistic human faces for games involving lots of people. gencrowd works by blending together elements of an in-built supply of stock faces of differing ages and ethnicities. the software can create up to 2 000 new heads an hour.  one area not yet dominated by graphical blockbusters is mobile phone games. even the latest phones are not as powerful as the consoles of a decade ago  so smaller teams of half a dozen people can still create complete games for the devices.  the game developers conference included a special two-day summit dedicated to creating mobile games. a niche attraction for a few dozen conference attendees when it began five years ago  gdc s mobile summit this year drew several hundred delegates. mobile games are a fast-growing sector because newer phones have better graphics and sound  and are thus more suitable for playing games. furthermore  the adoption of mobile phones continues to spread across the world. it s predicted that by 2006 two billion people will own a mobile phone. the growing importance of mobile gaming was reflected by a keynote given by john batter  general manager at ea mobile. ea mobile is a division of electronic arts  the biggest games publisher. until recently electronic arts had been dismissive of games for phones.  the last time you checked  ea wasn t in this business   mr batter admitted. but he said ea now planned on dominating the market by releasing mobile versions of its most popular franchises. ea plans to release up to 20 mobile games over the next 12 months. the first will be a version of its need for speed racing game  created by ea mobile s 30-person development team. mr batter predicted that by 2006  mobile phones would be capable of running games of comparable quality to those on sony s upcoming psp handheld console.  owain bennallack is the editor of develop magazine.


podcasts mark rise of diy radio an apple ipod or other digital music players can hold anything up to 10 000 songs  which is a lot of space to fill.  but more and more ipod owners are filling that space with audio content created by an unpredictable assortment of producers. it is called  podcasting  and its strongest proponent is former mtv host and vj (video jockey) adam curry. podcasting takes its name from the apple ipod  although you do not need an ipod to create one or to listen to a podcast. a podcast is basically an internet-based radio show which podcasters create  usually in the comfort of their own home. they need only a microphone  a pc  and some editing software. they then upload their shows to the internet and others can download and listen to them  all for free. using technology based on xml computer code and rss - really simple syndication - listeners can subscribe to podcasts collected automatically in a bit of software  which mr curry has pioneered. the latest mp3 files of shows can then be picked up by a music playing device automatically.  mr curry records  hosts  edits and produce a daily  40 minute podcast called the daily source code. he wants to make podcasting  the next big thing  and says it is an extension of his childhood love of radio gadgetry.  i was always into technologies and wires   he explains.  my parents gave me the radio shack 101 project kit  which allows you to build an am transmitter and subsequently an fm transmitter.  i had my mom drive me around the block  see how far it would reach on the car radio.   mr curry is american  but he grew up in the netherlands where he hosted illegal  pirate radio shows in the dutch capital. he tried university in the us  and ended up back in holland where he hosted a music video show. he spent the next seven years in new york where he worked at mtv hosting the top 20 video countdown  but spent most of his hours tinkering with this new thing called the internet.  at a certain point in 1995  i was driving in on a friday afternoon  beautiful blue sky  one of those beautiful days thinking  this is so stupid.  you know  i m going do the top 20 countdown  take the cheque  go home  and sit on the internet until three in the morning.  so  after i finished the show  i quit. i said  on air  it s been great  i ve been here for seven years at that point  there s something on the internet  i ve got to go find it  and i ll see you later.   but mr curry s technology and broadcast interests started to gel a couple of years ago when computer storage was growing exponentially and high-speed internet connections were becoming more widely available. the mp3 format also meant that people could create and upload audio more cheaply and efficiently than ever before.  most importantly  mr curry says  people across the globe were bored with the radio they were hearing.  listen to 99% of the radio that you hear today  it s radio voices  and it s fake  it s just fake.  he wanted to make it easier for people to find  real voices  on the internet. he wanted software that would automatically download new audio content directly onto players like  ipods. mr curry is not a computer programmer  so he asked others to create one for him. no one did  so he tried to write one himself. he finished it a few months ago and says it  totally sucked.  he put it up on the net as open source software and now dozens of coders and audio junkies are refining it; the result is a work in progress called  ipodder . doug kaye  a california-based podcaster  praises the former mtv vj for what he has done.  adam created a simple script that solved what we call the last mile problem. ipodder takes audio from the web and brings it all the way down to the mp3 player   he explains.  people can wake up in the morning  pick up their ipods as they go to work or before they go exercise  and discover that there s all this new content automatically put onto their players.  it is created an explosion in podcasting content and podcasters are springing up in australia  finland  brazil  even malaysia. one couple broadcasts theirs  the dawn and drew show  from wisconsin in the us  sometimes even from the comfort of their own bed. topics range from the comfort of their bed  to the latest films or music and have thousands of listeners.  already  websites are springing up that point listeners in the right direction of good podcasts.  chris mcintyre runs podcast alley and says that there are good sites out there but that not everyone has the technological know-how to simply listen.  if i were to tell my mom  or my mother-in-law to copy an xml or rss file to their podcast aggregator  they would think i was speaking a foreign language   mr mcintyre says. along with technical challenges  there may be legal challenges to podcasters who air their favourite  albeit copyrighted  music. some in podcasting also worry that too much attention may turn what they see as the  anti-radio  into something that is more like conventional broadcasting. already there is interest in podcasting from the corporate world. heineken is doing its own podcast now  and so is playboy. for his part  adam curry s pressing ahead with his own vision of what podcasting should be. he loves doing the daily source code because it is about introducing good music and cool ideas to new audiences. he has even been called the ed sullivan or johnny carson of podcasting which  he says   is a badge i ll wear with great honour.  to be the johnny carson  or ed sullivan of anything is wonderful. and you know what  you don t need a hell of a lot of talent.  you just have to be nice  have your ears open  and let people shine. and that s good for me.   clark boyd is technology correspondent for the world  a bbc world service and wgbh-boston co-production.


britannia members  £42m windfall more than 800 000 britannia building society members are to receive a profit share worth on average £52 each.  members of the uk s second largest building society will share £42m  with 100 000 receiving a windfall of more than £100. depending on how much they borrow or invest  members earn  reward  points which entitle them to a share of the society s profits. the payouts are bigger than last year  because of stricter eligibility rules. last year  britannia members shared £42m  but the average payment was only £38.  to qualify for this year s payment  customers must have been members for at least two years on 31 december 2004. britannia has also stopped making payments to members if they are worth less than £5.  to qualify for the profit share  members must have either a mortgage  or an investment account other than a deposit account. customers can also qualify if they have permanent interest bearing shares (pibs). the profit share scheme was introduced in 1997 and has paid out more than £370m. britannia will unveil its results on wednesday.


fa probes crowd trouble the fa is to take action after trouble marred wednesday s carling cup tie between chelsea and west ham.  police in riot gear were confronted by a section of the west ham support after the match which the blues won 1-0. mateja kezman  the scorer of chelsea s goal  needed treatment on a head injury during the match after being hit by a missile  believed to be a coin. a spokeswoman for chelsea said the club would await the referee s report before deciding on its course of action. kezman was forced off the field to receive treatment on a cut above his eye but was able to continue.  chelsea assistant boss steve clarke said:  i would rather talk about the football but we think it was something thrown from the crowd. he did not require stitches.  west ham boss alan pardew said:  it s a shame because i thought there was good english banter in the crowd.  there s big rivalry between the two clubs and it is a shame if that s happened. from where i was standing i didn t see any trouble.  former hammers star joe cole also had a plastic bottle thrown at him  while frank lampard was pelted with coins as he was preparing to take a penalty. lampard s spot-kick was saved to the delight of the hammers  fans  who have still not forgiven him for leaving upton park. the fa will seek reports from the clubs and the police  and will review video evidence and the referee s report. police in riot gear battled with west ham fans in the matthew harding stand and at least one supporter required treatment. fans are also thought to have clashed outside the ground after the game. scotland yard said there had been 11 arrests for alleged public order  drugs and offensive weapon offences.  the fa is already looking into the trouble at tuesday s heated carling cup tie between millwall and liverpool.


brainwave  cap controls computer a team of us researchers has shown that controlling devices with the brain is a step closer.  four people  two of them partly paralysed wheelchair users  successfully moved a computer cursor while wearing a cap with 64 electrodes. previous research has shown that monkeys can control a computer with electrodes implanted into their brain. the new york team reported their findings in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences.  the results show that people can learn to use scalp-recorded electroencephalogram rhythms to control rapid and accurate movement of a cursor in two directions   said jonathan wolpaw and dennis mcfarlane. the research team  from new york state department of health and state university of new york in albany  said the research was another step towards people controlling wheelchairs or other electronic devices by thought.  the four people faced a large video screen wearing a special cap which  meant no surgery or implantation was needed.  brain activity produces electrical signals that can be read by electrodes. complex algorithms then translate those signals into instructions to direct the computer. such brain activity does not require the use of any nerves of muscles  so people with stroke or spinal cord injuries could use the cap effectively.  the impressive non-invasive multidimensional control achieved in the present study suggests that a non-invasive brain control interface could support clinically useful operation of a robotic arm  a motorised wheelchair or a neuroprosthesis   said the researchers. the four volunteers also showed that they could get better at controlling the cursor the more times they tried. although the two partially-paralysed people performed better overall  the researchers said this could be because their brains were more used to adapting or that they were simply more motivated. it is not the first time researchers have had this sort of success in brain-control experiments. some teams have used eye motion and other recording techniques. earlier this year  a team at the mit media labs europe demonstrated a wireless cap which read brain waves to control a computer character.


half of uk s mobiles  go online  multimedia mobile phones are finally showing signs of taking off  with more britons using them to go online.  figures from industry monitor  the mobile data association (mda)  show the number of phones with gprs and mms technology has doubled since last year. gprs lets people browse the web  access news services  mobile music and other applications like mobile chat. by the end of 2005  the mda predicts that 75% of all mobiles in the uk will be able to access the net via gprs. the mda say the figures for the three months up to 30 september are a  rapid increase  on the figure for the same time the previous year. about 53 million people own a mobile in the uk  so the figures mean that half of those phones use gprs. gprs is often described as 2.5g technology - 2.5 generation - sitting between 2g and 3g technology  which is like a fast  high-quality broadband internet for phones.  with more services being offered by mobile operators  people are finding more reasons to go online via their mobile. downloadable ringtones are still proving highly popular  but so is mobile chat. bandaid was the fastest ever-selling ringtone this year  according to the mda  and chat was given some publicity when prime minister tony blair answered questions through mobile text chat. multimedia messaging services also looked brighter with 32% of all mobiles in the uk able to send or receive picture messages. this is a 14% rise from last september s figures. but a recent report from continental research reflects the continuing battle mobile companies have to actually persuade people to go online and to use mms. it said that 36% of uk camera phone users had never sent a multimedia message  or mms. that was 7% more than in 2003. mobile companies are keen for people to use multimedia functions their phones  like sending mms and going online  as this generates more money for them. but critics say that mms is confusing and some mobiles are too difficult to use. there have also been some issues over interoperability  and being able to send mms form a mobile using one network to a different one.


henson stakes early lions claim the six nations may be a glittering prize in itself but every player from the four home unions will also have one eye on a possible trip to new zealand with the lions this summer.  the player who staked the biggest claim for a place in the starting xv over the weekend was gavin henson. he s very confident. you just had to listen to his interview afterwards - he beamed with confidence - but although there s an element of arrogance it s good arrogance. he certainly showed some nice touches. he once showed a clean pair of heels to mathew tait when he got outside him  his defence was very good and he made some great kicks out of hand. and that s without even mentioning his majestic match-winning penalty. but i think we need to wait and see what happens because he needs to be put to the test. he needs to come up against brian o driscoll or a big french midfield. wales fly-half stephen jones was another player who impressed me. he gave good direction  he was very confident and he was a nice general for his side. he showed he can control a game. with jonny wilkinson not playing at the moment due to inury the number 10 shirt could be up for grabs and jones  or maybe even henson  could make the lions team at fly-half.  jones stuck his hand up and he certainly looks a better bet than charlie hodgson after saturday s game. some of the wales forwards surprised me because i thought they would be out-muscled in the tight five. england prop julian white is a capable player but when it comes down to selection gethin jenkins is now going to have the upper hand because he came out on top. however  i still think white and phil vickery will be in the frame. some english players did their cause no harm. i thought joe worsley had a solid game and jason robinson and josh lewsey both did nothing wrong. but it looked too soon for young mathew tait and i think it will be a while before we see him again. despite being written off beforehand several scots caught my eye against france.  tom smith has been there and done it before  but the likes of chris cusiter  jason white and ally hogg all made their mark. hogg made a couple of good runs while white had a pretty robust game - his defence is right up there. cusiter looked very lively and he could be a very good option for lions coach sir clive woodward. the star of ireland s win over italy in rome looks like a certainty to make the starting xv against new zealand. brian o driscoll is a class act. he ran some good lines against italy  made the breaks and fed his outside backs  although italy defended man on man which made it easy for him. gordon d arcy was unlucky to go off injured early on but i think you could get a henson  d arcy  o driscoll combination in the lions midfield. paul o connell just needs to add a hard edge to his game and malcolm o kelly keeps on going and seems to be putting his hand up  while shane byrne seems to be a lively character. but they will be a bit worried after the italian pack drove them off their own ball on sunday  although i used to play in italy and i know how difficult it can be. one player who didn t impress me was wales scrum-half dwayne peel. he choked late on in the second half when wales were trailing. they had good possession and he kicked the ball away - i wouldn t want him as my lions scrum-half after that.


shares hit by ms drug suspension shares in elan and biogen idec plunged on monday as the firms suspended sales of new multiple sclerosis drug tysabri after a patient s death in the us.  on the new york stock exchange  shares in ireland-based elan lost 70% while us partner biogen idec shed 43%. the firms took action after the death from a central nervous system disease and a suspected case of the condition. the cases cited involved the use of both tysabri and avonex  biogen idec s existing multiple sclerosis drug. the companies said they have no reports of the rare condition - progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (pml) - in patients taking either tysabri or avonex alone. tysabri was approved for use in the us last november and was widely tipped to become the world s leading multiple sclerosis treatment.   the companies will work with clinical investigators to evaluate tysabri-treated patients and will consult with leading experts to better understand the possible risk of pml   the two firms said in a statement.  the outcome of these evaluations will be used to determine possible re-initiation of dosing in clinical trials and future commercial availability.   analysts had believed the product would provide a new growth opportunity for biogen idec  which had faced increased competition from rivals to avonex. elan  once the biggest firm on the irish stock exchange  was also expected to receive a boost  from the new product. an inquiry into elan s accounts in 2002 brought the group close to bankruptcy but the firm has been rebuilding itself since  with its share price increasing by almost four-fold last year.  most of the value in the company was in tysabri   said ian hunter at goodbody stockbrokers in dublin.  now there s a question mark over it.  elan finished down $18.90 at $8  while biogen fell $28.63 to $38.65.  - shares in uk pharmaceutical firm phytopharm closed down 19.84% at 151.5 pence on the london stock exchange on monday  after it said a partner was set to pull out of a deal on an experimental alzheimer s disease treatment. phytopharm said japan s yamanouchi pharmaceutical was likely to end a licensing agreement  prompting analysts to raise questions over the level of its future cash reserves.


man auctions ad space on forehead a 20-year-old us man is selling advertising space on his forehead to the highest bidder on website ebay.  andrew fisher  from omaha  nebraska  said he would have a non-permanent logo or brand name tattooed on his head for 30 days.  the way i see it i m selling something i already own; after 30 days i get it back   he told the bbc today programme. mr fisher has received 39 bids so far  with the largest bid currently at more than $322 (£171).  the winner will be able to send me a tattoo or have me go to a tattoo parlour and get a temporary ink tattoo on my forehead and this will be something they choose  a company name or domain name  perhaps their logo   he told the radio 4 programme.  on the online auction  mr fisher describes himself as an  average american joe  give or take . his sales pitch adds:  take advantage of this radical advertising campaign and become a part of history.  mr fisher said that while he would accept any brand name or logo   i wouldn t go around with a swastika or anything racial . he added:  i wouldn t go around with 666  the mark of the beast.  other than that i wouldn t promote anything socially unacceptable such as adult websites or stores.  he said he would use the money to pay college - he is planning to study graphic design. the entrepreneur said his mother was initially surprised by his decision but following all the media attention she felt he was  thinking outside the box .


dozens held over id fraud site twenty-eight people  including a briton  have been arrested after a global operation against a website allegedly involved in identity fraud.  those arrested are accused of operating shadowcrew.com  which investigators claim was a global clearing house for criminals involved in credit card fraud. a 19-year-old man from camberley  surrey  was arrested by the national hi-tech crime unit but has been bailed. operation firewall  led by the us secret service  involved seven nations. the british teenager was arrested on wednesday but details only emerged on friday. he has now been bailed to return to a surrey police station in december. all 28 people detained globally are suspected of being involved in an internet-based network which stole people s identities and used computers and websites to defraud credit card companies. the authorities in the us  who have indicted 19 people in newark  new jersey  estimate the fraud caused losses of more than $4m. assistant us attorney scott christie said several people had been arrested in argentina  bulgaria  canada  estonia  poland and sweden. mr christie said one of the ringleaders was believed to be a russian  anatoly tyukanov.  investigators from 30 law enforcement agencies worldwide spent 15 months looking into the activities of three websites - shadowcrew  carderplanet and darkprofits. the us secret service was first tipped off in july 2003. an nhtcu spokeswoman said the american investigators went undercover on the shadowcrew website and discovered some of the site s 4 000 members were using it for organised crime purposes.  she said criminals were using the websites to traffic counterfeit credit cards and false identification information and documents such as credit cards  driver s licences  passports and birth certificates. the websites shared tips on how to commit fraud and provided a forum by which people could buy the information and tools they needed to commit such crime  she said. the shadowcrew site  which has now been taken over by the us secret service  listed several discussion groups  in english and russian  including one on hacking  spam and online anonymity tools. the head of the nhtcu  acting detective chief superintendent  mick deats  said:  this investigation has resulted in the significant disruption of organised criminals using the internet for profit.   we believe that the suspects have trafficked at least 1.7 million stolen credit card numbers  leading to losses by financial institutions running into the millions.  chief supt deats went on to warn:  the internet offers huge legitimate benefits for modern society; however with it brings powerful opportunities for those seeking to abuse those benefits for criminal gain.  your identity is one of the most precious commodities. criminals who try to steal the personal and financial information of ordinary citizens as well as the confidential and proprietary information of companies engaged in e-commerce  will be targeted by law enforcement.


stock market eyes japan recovery japanese shares have ended the year at their highest level since 13 july amidst hopes of an economic recovery during 2005.  the nikkei index of leading shares gained 7.6% during the year to close at 11 488.76 points. in 2005 it  will rise toward 13 000   predicted morgan stanley equity strategist naoki kamiyama. the optimism in the financial markets contrast sharply with pessimism in the japanese business community. earlier this month  the quarterly tankan survey of japanese manufacturers found that business confidence had weakened for the first time since march 2003.  slower economic growth  rising oil prices  a stronger yen and weaker exports were blamed for the fall in confidence. despite this  traders expect strength in the global economy to benefit japan  which has been close to sliding into recession in recent months. structural reform within japan and an anticipated end to the banking sector s bad debt problems should also help  they say.


cannabis hopes for drug firm a prescription cannabis drug made by uk biotech firm gw pharmaceuticals is set to be approved in canada.  the drug is used to treat the central nervous system and alleviate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (ms). a few weeks ago  shares in gw pharma lost a third of their value after uk regulators said they wanted more evidence about the drug s benefits. but now canadian authorities have said the sativex drug will be considered for approval.  approximately 50 000 people in canada have been diagnosed with ms and 85 000 people are suffering from the condition in the uk. many patients already smoke cannabis to relieve their symptoms.  now  gw pharma s sativex mouth spray could be legally available to ms sufferers in canada within the next few months. this will be the first time a cannabis-based drug has been approved anywhere in the world  representing a landmark for gw pharma and for patients with ms. final approval in canada should now be little more than a formality  analysts said  and the company expects full approval for sativex early in 2005.  we are delighted to receive this qualifying notice from health canada and look forward to receiving regulatory approval for sativex in canada in the early part of 2005   said gw pharma executive chairman dr geoffrey guy.  the uk government granted gw pharma a licence to grow the cannabis plant for medical research purposes. satifex consists of a cannabis extract containing tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol  a cocktail that has also proved effective in treating patients with arthritis. thousands of plants are grown at a secret location somewhere in the english countryside. despite hopes of regulatory approval last year  a series of delays has put back sativex s launch in the uk. the latest news sent shares in gw pharma up 8.5p  or 8.1%  to 113.5p.


india s deccan gets more planes air deccan has signed a deal to acquire 36 planes from avions de transport regional (atr).  the value of the deal has not been revealed  because of a confidentiality clause in the agreement. but air deccan s managing director gorur gopinath has said the price agreed was less than the catalogue price of $17.6m (£9.49m) per plane. recently  india s first low-cost airline ordered 30 airbus a320 planes for $1.8bn.  under the agreement  air deccan will buy 15 new atr 72-500 and lease another 15. atr will also provide six second hand airplanes. in a statement  atr has said deliveries of the aircraft will begin in 2005 and will continue over a five-year period.  mr gopinath said the planes will connect regional indian cities.  after an evaluation of both atr and bombardier aircraft  we have chosen the atr aircraft as we find it most suitable for our operations and for the indian market for short haul routes.  filippo bagnato  atr s chief executive  has said that his firm will also work with air deccan to create a training centre in bangalore.  the potential of the indian budget market has attracted attention from businesses at home and abroad. air deccan has said it will base its business model on european firms such as ireland s ryanair. beer magnate vijay mallya recently set up kingfisher airlines  while uk entrepreneur richard branson has said he is keen to start a local operation. india s government has given its backing to cheaper and more accessible air travel.


robotic pods take on car design a new breed of wearable robotic vehicles that envelop drivers are being developed by japanese car giant toyota.  the company s vision for the single passenger in the 21st century involves the driver cruising by in a four-wheeled leaf-like device or strolling along encased in an egg-shaped cocoon that walks upright on two feet. both these prototypes will be demonstrated  along with other concept vehicles and helper robots  at the toyota stand at the expo 2005 in aichi  japan  in march 2005. the models are being positioned as so-called personal mobility devices  which have few limits. the open leaf-like  i-unit  vehicle is the latest version of the concept which the company introduced last year. built using environmentally friendly plant-based materials  the single passenger unit is equipped with intelligent transport system technologies that allow for safe autopilot driving in specially equipped lanes. the model allows the user to make tight on-the-spot turns  move upright amongst other people at low speeds and can be easily switched into a reclining position at higher speeds. body colours can be customized to suit individual preferences and a personal recognition system offers both information and music.  also on display at the show will be the egg-shaped  i-foot . this is a two-legged mountable robot like device that can be controlled with a joystick.  standing at a height of well over seven feet (2.1 metres)  the unit can walk along at a speed of about 1.35km/h (0.83mph) and navigate staircases into the bargain. mounting and dismounting is accomplished with the aid of the bird-like legs that bend over backwards.  they are clearly what we call concept vehicles  innovative ideas which have yet to be transformed into potential products and which are a few years away from actual production   said dr david gillingwater from the transport studies group at loughborough university.  they clearly have eye-catching appeal  which is in part the name of the game here  and are linked to the imac and ipod-type niche which apple have been responsible for developing and leading in recent years - new  different  hi-tech  image conscious products.  as always with these concept vehicles  it is difficult to see  who  they would appeal to and what their role would be in the  personal transport  marketplace.   the personal transport arena is taking on a new dimension though with futuristic devices that augment human capabilities. toyota s prototypes represent the latest incarnation of wearable exoskeletons in a vehicular form that is specially focused on transport. powered robotic exoskeletons have been the focus of much us military research over the years and japan seems to have jumped onto the bandwagon with a wave of products being developed for specific applications. with an emerging range of devices targeted towards the ageing world population  care giving and the military  wearable exoskeletons seem to represent a new line of future technologies that meet an individual s particular mobility needs. while toyota s prototypes are geared towards mass transport  the company says that the vehicles will allow the elderly and the disabled to achieve independent mobility.  experts  though  are a bit sceptical of their acceptance in this area.   those with arguably the greatest needs for this sort of assistance  now and certainly in the future  are the elderly and infirm people   dr gillingwater told the bbc news website.  you have to ask whether these sorts of vehicles will appeal to these groups.  design considerations also exist. dr erel avineri  of the centre for transport and society at the university of the west of england in bristol said:  the design of the introduced mobility devices is not completely adjusted to the specific needs of the elderly and the disabled.  for example  one problem that many older passengers experience is limited ability to rotate the neck and upper body  making it difficult to look to the side and back when backing up.  it looks like the visual design of the device interior does not consider this need. this and other human-factors related issues in the design of such devices are not the only issues that should be considered   said dr avineri.  in general  introducing a new technology requires the passenger to change behaviour patterns that have served the older passenger for decades. elderly users might not necessarily accept such innovation.  this may be another barrier to the commercial success of such a vehicle.  such single-person vehicles may find a relatively small market niche and may be more suited towards specialised applications rather than revolutionising the face of mass transport.  the concept of personal mobility behind these sorts of innovations is great but they beg a huge number of questions   said dr gillingwater.  what s their range  how user-friendly will they really be  what infrastructure will be required to allow these vehicles to be used.  overall i think these vehicles pose a number of important questions than provide answers or solutions.


davenport hits out at wimbledon world number one lindsay davenport has criticised wimbledon over the issue of equal prize money for women.  reacting to a disputed comment by all england club chairman tim phillips  the american said:  i think it is highly insulting if prize money is taken away.  somebody  i think it was mr phillips  said they won t have money for flowers at wimbledon. that s insulting.  an all england club spokesperson denied phillips made the remark  insisting:  he definitely didn t say it.  the statement added:  it was said by someone else and was a humorous aside at the end of a radio interview when the conversation had moved to talking about the wimbledon grounds.   davenport was speaking following the announcement that this week s dubai duty free event will join the us and australian opens in offering equal prize money for women.  you hear about women playing only three sets while men play five   said daveport.  and the best women are never going to beat the best men.  but it s a different game you go to watch with the women - it doesn t make it better or worse.  hopefully we will be able to change people s minds.   serena williams  who is also in dubai  added:  i m obviously for equal prize money.  women s tennis is exciting. men s tennis is exciting as well  but the women have it right now.  if you are bringing in the spectators you should be able to reap what everyone else is able to reap.


serena becomes world number two serena williams has moved up five places to second in the world rankings after her australian open win.  williams won her first grand slam title since 2003 with victory over lindsay davenport  the world number one. men s champion marat safin remains fourth in the atp rankings while beaten finalist lleyton hewitt replaces andy roddick as world number two. roger federer retains top spot  but safin has overtaken hewitt to become the new leader of the champions race. alicia molik  who lost a three-set thriller against davenport in the quarter-finals  is in the women s top 10 for the first time in her career. her rise means australia have a player in the top 10 of the men s and women s rankings for the first time in 21 years. and britain s elena baltacha  who qualified and then reached the third round  has risen to 120 in the world - a leap of 65 places and her highest ranking yet.


gamers snap up new sony psp gamers have bought almost all of the first batch of sony s new playstation portable (psp) games console  which went on sale in japan on sunday.  thousands of people queued for hours to get hold of one of the 200 000 psps which were shipped to retailers. the handheld console can play games  music and movies and goes on sale in europe and north america next year. despite the demand sony said it would not increase the 500 000-strong stock of psps it plans to ship by year s end.  sony says it intends to ship three million of the consoles by march 2005. the company is hoping to challenge the dominance of nintendo in the handheld market. nintendo released its new ds console earlier this year and has already raised shipment targets for the device by 40%. the psp is selling in japan for 19 800 yen ($188; £98) while nintendo s ds console sells in the us and japan for $150 (£78). nintendo s goal is to ship 5 million of its new nintendo ds handheld consoles by march 2005.


napster offers rented music to go music downloading  for those that have rejected the free peer to peer services  can be a costly business.  the cost of paying even as little as 70p per track can add up  particularly for those people who own one of the new generation of players that can store thousands of songs. paying per track for music is becoming as outmoded as paying per minute for internet access and alternative monthly or yearly subscription models are springing up as a more convenient  and ultimately cheaper way of owning music.   music fans are moving away from buying the traditional bundled package of a dozen or more songs that we used to call an album to newer ways that fit their lifestyle; either single tracks or subscriptions services   said paul myers  chief executive of wippit  a uk-based music download service. while itunes is doing good business with its sales of individual tracks to ipod owners  others are questioning whether the concept of owning music is even valid in the digital age. napster is due to launch a new rental subscription service - dubbed napster to go in the uk in the next few months. the service can be used on players that support microsoft windows latest digital rights management technology known as janus. this includes players made by samsung  rio and creative.  currently on offer in beta-version in the us  the service costs $15 per month for unlimited downloads. the technology ensures that music downloaded to the player only remains playable while the user subscribes to the service. users need to update their license on a monthly basis or the tunes will no longer play.  this has outraged some digital music lovers  especially as napster already offers a cheaper service for downloading music to the pc. napster claims the higher price is a result of record labels charging more for the to-go service and says it also offers  greater value  for customers. mr myers is not convinced a rental model will work for consumers.  we ve been offering our unlimited music subscription service for more than three years now and our customers know what they want. format interoperability  excellent value and the reassurance that music purchased from wippit is theirs to keep and enjoy on whatever device they choose   he said.  who wants to download a track that won t play next month if you decide to unsubscribe to the service or change portable player for an ipod or the latest mobile phone   wippit offers a download subscription service for £4.99 per month or £50 per year. it has a catalogue of around 60 000 songs.


campbell lifts lid on united feud arsenal s sol campbell has called the rivalry between manchester united and the gunners  bitter and personal .  past encounters have stirred up plenty of ill-feeling between the sides and they meet again at highbury on tuesday.  it is just more bitter and personal against united   the defender told the guardian newspaper.  there s an edge.  after all that has happened  if we beat them it will be one of our sweetest ever wins  especially because of how we lost to them up there.  last october  arsenal lost 2-0 at old trafford  which ended a record 49-match unbeaten league run and sparked a mini-crisis  with the gunners winning only three of their next 10 games.   it had a psychological impact on us  but again because of the way we were defeated   added the 30-year-old  referring to a controversial penalty award for united s first goal.  that was far more upsetting  losing like that  because they just seem to get away with it. you try and balance out over the course of a season but i ve had so many rough decisions against them you begin to wonder.  with tensions spilling over afterwards - united boss sir alex ferguson was allegedly pelted with pizza in the players  tunnel - there is little surprise that so much is riding on the return encounter on.  everyone at arsenal has been waiting for this game   said campbell.  we are up for this one.   speaking on his long-term plans  campbell signalled his intent to move abroad before he turns 35.  i m 30 now and in five years  time i won t be in this country - that s definite.  italy looks good to me because it would suit my kind of football. spain is an option but the idea of tasting a new culture and learning another language excites me the most. i m starting a little with french  of course.


castaignede fires laporte warning former france fly-half thomas castaignede has warned the pressure is mounting on coach bernard laporte following their defeat by wales.  france suffered a shock loss against the welsh at the weekend after looking on course for an easy win. castaignede told bbc sport:  the pressure is big on laporte after a huge loss to new zealand  a slim win over scotland and a miracle against england.  but the french have to get behind him and the team at lansdowne road.  following victories over south africa and australia in november  france were deemed by many to be the world s leading side. but they were then trounced 45-6 by new zealand and only just beat scotland after the scots had a try disallowed in their six nations opener. it then took some woeful spot kicking from charlie hodgson and olly barkley to help them to victory against england at twickenham. <  castaignede said:  you can t say any of those results have eased the pressure on laporte.  had england s kickers not been so bad  the position in the six nations would be very different now.  laporte has been criticised for france s negative tactics in their wins over scotland and england. but his side played a more free-flowing style against wales  making a mockery of the opposition s defence in the first half before suffering a shock turnaround in fortunes after the interval.  all the chat in france has been about how france will play against ireland   said castaignede ahead of the 12 march tie.  everyone wants to see the sort of play we saw against wales. but everyone also wants a win.  castaignede  a veteran of 43 international caps  admitted the french would go in as underdogs against ireland.   going to ireland is never easy but the way they re playing right now  it s harder than ever   said castaignede.  they re very experienced and don t often lose at home. they ve got some great forwards and some electric runners on the break.  despite praising the irish he claimed the welsh had the upper hand in the six nations run-in.  ireland have such a good pack but wales are something else on the break   he added.  at the weekend they were simply awesome. as a frenchman it was disappointing to see  but you had to admire it.  their commitment to every cause can make them win this championship.  the 30-year-old also tipped yann delaigue to start ahead of frederic michalak at number 10 after an impressive display in paris last weekend.  delaigue played really well and admittedly michalak played well too   said castaignede.  i m just glad i m not the one who has to make the decision.


us blogger fired by her airline a us airline attendant suspended over  inappropriate images  on her blog - web diary - says she has been fired.  ellen simonetti  known as queen of the sky  wrote an anonymous semi-fictional account of her life in the sky. she was suspended by delta in september. in a statement  she said she was initiating legal action against the airline for  wrongful termination . a delta spokesperson confirmed on wednesday that ms simonetti was no longer an employee. delta has repeatedly declined to elaborate on what it calls  internal employee matters . a spokesperson reiterated this position on wednesday  confirming only that ms simonetti was no longer with the company. the spokesperson also confirmed that there were  very clear rules  attached to the unauthorised use of delta branding  including uniforms. ms simonetti announced on her blog she had been fired on 1 november.  she said in an official statement:  as a result of my suspension and subsequent termination without cause by delta airlines i am moving forward with filing a discrimination complaint with the federal government eeoc [us equal employment opportunity commission].  she added she had also hired a texas-based law firm to initiate legal action for  wrongful termination  defamation of character and lost future wages.  ms simonetti told the bbc news website she had received no warning or further explanation when she was suspended on 25 september. queen of the sky has received a lot of support and advice from the global blogging community since news of her suspension was brought to light on the bbc news website and others.  her story has highlighted concerns amongst the growing blogging community about conflicts of interest  employment law and free speech on personal websites. the blog  which she started in january as a way of getting over her mother s death  contains a mix of fictional and non-fictional accounts. queen of the sky developed over the months as a character in her own right  according to ms simonetti. in the postings  she made up fictional names for cities and other companies she mentioned to protect anonymity. but some postings contained images of herself in uniform. of the 10 or so images only one showed ms simonetti s flight  wings . she removed them as soon as she was informed of her suspension.  i never meant it as something to harm my company and don t understand how they think it did harm them   ms simonetti said. a legal expert in the us speculated that delta might be concerned that the fictional content on the blog may be linked back to the airline after the images were posted.  delta has been hit recently by pressures of rising fuel costs and fierce competition. it has said it needs to cut between 6 000 and 7 000 jobs and reduce costs by $5bn (£2.7bn) a year. analysts had warned recently that the airline might have to seek chapter 11 bankruptcy prevention. last week  it struck a $1bn cost-cutting deal with its pilots which could save it from bankruptcy. the deal would see pilots accept a 32% pay cut in return for the right to buy 30 million delta shares  unions said. and on monday  it negotiated a deal to defer about $135m in debt which was due next year  until 2007. the airline also said it had agreed the terms of a $600m loan from american express.


salary scandal in cameroon cameroon says widespread corruption in its finance ministry has cost it 1bn cfa francs ($2m; £1m) a month.  about 500 officials are accused of either awarding themselves extra money or claiming salaries for  non-existent  workers. prime minister ephraim inoni  who vowed to tackle corruption when he came to office last year  said those found guilty would face tough punishments. the scam is believed to have begun in 1994.  the prime minister s office said the alleged fraud was uncovered during an investigation into the payroll at the ministry. in certain cases  staff are said to have lied about their rank and delayed their retirement in order to boost their earnings. the prime minister s office said auditors had found  irregularities in the career structure of certain civil servants . it added that the staff in question  appear to have received unearned salaries  boosting the payroll .  fidelis nanga  a journalist based in the cameroon capital yaounde  said the government was considering taking criminal action against those found guilty and forcing them to repay any money owed.  the prime minister has given instructions for exemplary penalties to be meted out against the accused and their accomplices if found guilty   he told the bbc s network africa programme.  mr inoni launched an anti-corruption drive in december after foreign investors criticised a lack of transparency in the country s public finances. in one initiative designed to improve efficiency  civil servants who arrived late for work were locked out of their offices. the government now intends to carry out an audit of payrolls at all other government ministries. in a report compiled by anti-corruption body transparency international in 2003  graft was said to be  pervasive  in cameroon.


$1m payoff for former shell boss shell is to pay $1m (£522 000) to the ex-finance chief who stepped down from her post in april 2004 after the firm over-stated its reserves.  judy boynton finally left the firm on 31 december  having spent the intervening time as a special advisor to chief executive jeroen van der veer. in january 2004  shell told shocked investors that its reserves were 20% smaller than previously thought. shell said the pay-off was in line with ms boynton s contract. she was leaving  by mutual agreement to pursue other career opportunities   the firm said in a statement. the severance package means she keeps long-term share options  but fails to collect on a 2003 incentive plan since the firm has failed to meet the targets included in it.  the revelation that shell had inflated its reserves led to the resignation of its chairman  sir phil watts  and production chief walter van der vijver.  an investigation commissioned by shell found that ms boynton had to share responsibility for the company s behaviour. despite receiving an email from mr van de vijver which said the firm had  fooled  the market about its reserves  the investigation said  she did nothing to inquire further. in all  shell restated its reserves four times during 2003. in september  it paid £82.7m in fines to regulators on both sides of the atlantic for violating market rules in its reporting of its reserves.


mixed reaction to man utd offer shares in manchester united were up over 5% by noon on monday following a new offer from malcolm glazer.  the board of man utd is expected to meet early this week to discuss the latest proposal from the us tycoon that values the club at £800m ($1.5bn). manchester united revealed on sunday that it had received a detailed proposal from mr glazer. a senior source at the club told the bbc:  this time it s different . the board is obliged to consider this deal. but the man utd supporters club urged the club to reject the new deal. manchester united past and present footballers eric cantona and ole gunnar solskjaer  and club manager sir alex ferguson  have lent their backing to the supporters  group  shareholders united. they have all spoken out against the bid.  a spokesman for the supporters club said:  i can t see any difference (compared to mr glazer s previous proposals) other than £200m less debt.  he isn t bringing any money into the club; he ll use our money to buy it.   mr glazer s latest move is being led by mr glazer s two sons  avi and joel  according to the financial times. a proposal was received by david gill  united s chief executive  at the end of last week  pitched at about 300p a share. david cummings  head of uk equities for standard life investments  said he believed a  well funded  300p a share bid would be enough for mr glazer to take control of the club.  i do not think there is anything that manchester united fans can do about it   he told the bbc.  they can complain about it but it is curtains for them. they may not want him but they are going to get him.  the us tycoon  who has been wooing the club for the last 12 months  has approached the united board with  detailed proposals   it has confirmed.  mr glazer  who owns the tampa bay buccaneers team  hopes this will lead to a formal bid being accepted. he is believed to have increased the amount of equity in the new proposal  though it is not clear by how much. for his proposal to succeed  he needs the support of united s largest shareholders  the irish horseracing tycoons jp mcmanus and john magnier. they own 29% of united through their cubic expression investment vehicle. mr glazer and his family hold a stake of 28.1%. but it is not yet known whether mr mcmanus and mr magnier would support a glazer bid. nm rothschild  the investment bank  is advising mr glazer  according to the financial times. his previous adviser  jpmorgan  quit last year when mr glazer went ahead and voted against the appointment of three united directors to the board  against its advice. but the ft said it thought jp morgan may still have had some role in financing mr glazer s latest financial proposal.