European powers get back on track Order was restored in Europe, but South American leaders Brazil and Argentina couldn't find the net yesterday as both were held to 0-0 draws in World Cup qualifying.

Bernard Hopkins Leaves Calling Card  Stops De La Hoya in Ninth Just four months shy of his 40th birthday, Hopkinswho appeared to be starting to wear De La Hoya down as the fight neared the championship roundsclosed the show with a lethal body shot in the 9th.


Steel crisis leaves Nissan output  #39;at risk #39; The steel crisis at Nissan Motor might force the carmaker to reduce production by a further 15,000 vehicles next March on top of the 25,000 that have been


Qualcomm chips in Siemens 3G phones New deal between the two companies is another sign of the wireless industry's focus on the W-CDMA standard.

Water of Life and Other Scientific Highlights of 2004 Science judged that the runner-up to the discovery of water on Mars was the finding of another species of dwarf human which lived on the remote Indonesian island of Flores as little as 13,000 years ago.


Mobile phone 'ear tumours risk' Scientists have found using a mobile phone for at least 10 years increased the risk of ear tumours.


Newbery Wins Platform Diving Gold for Australia Chantelle Newbery became the first Australian to win the Olympic women #39;s platform diving title with a clearcut victory in the final on Sunday.

Signs point to Anelka exit NICOLAS Anelka #39;s future with Manchester City is in serious doubt after chairman John Wardle admitted for the first time the club would consider bids for him.


FireFox as a Security Risk Compared to IE? A not-so anonymous Anonymous Coward asks:  quot;The administrator at my work gave me the following reason for not using Mozilla. What do you think?


Chechnya marks 'special' birthday The authorities in war-torn Chechnya announce cash gifts for boys born on the slain leader's birthday.

US Electoral College withstands critics ... so far (AFP) AFP - Lambasted as antiquated and anti-democratic, the Electoral College that decides the US presidency has survived for centuries as an unmovable albeit creaky pillar of the American political system.


Giving Voice to A Billion Things (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - When Robert Poor looks at the world, he sees 50 billion embedded microcontrollers, the workhorse chips inside cars, traffic lights and air conditioners, doing their jobs in splendid isolation. Then he imagines what will happen when they all can talk to one another.


CIGNA Corp. 3Q Profit Up on Gain From Sale CIGNA Corp. said net income rose sharply in the third quarter, reflecting increased earnings in its health care segment and a gain from the sale of a retirement benefits business.

FCC approves Cingular/AWS merger WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today conditionally approved the \$41 billion merger of Cingular Wireless LLC and AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc.


Turkey gets conditional OK for EU talks In a historic move that could extend Europe #39;s borders to the edge of the volatile Middle East, the European Union recommended Wednesday setting mostly Muslim Turkey


Juninho tries on Larsson #39;s No 7 shirt For a small man, he looks as though he will wear it lightly. No sooner had Juninho completed his protracted move from Middlsbrough to Celtic - he has signed a two-year contract, subject to

Venus Williams Upset in Kremlin Cup Play (AP) AP - A weakened Lindsay Davenport lost to defending champion Anastasia Myskina 6-4, 7-6 (1) Saturday in the Kremlin Cup semifinals but will still regain the No. 1 ranking next week.


Columbus' Tomb Opened on Anniversary (AP) AP - Roman Catholic officials opened a tomb said to contain the remains of Christopher Columbus as part of an annual ceremony Tuesday, a day after the Dominican government denied a Spanish request to conduct DNA tests to determine which country has the navigator's true remains.


Adobe announces Photoshop Elements 3.0 for Macintosh Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced Adobe Photoshop Elements 3.0 for Macintosh, a major upgrade to its digital imaging software for photo hobbyists that makes it easier than ever to enhance images and transform photos.

Hub schools make grade with \$12.5M science grant A record \$12.5 million grant to be announced today will revolutionize science teaching throughout Boston Public Schools, officials said.


Seau worried injujry could end season NEW YORK - Frustration was compounded by injury for the Dolphins as Junior Seau, Jason Taylor, Jay Fiedler, Randy McMichael and Marty Booker were among the players who had X-rays or were seen by doctors following the 41-14 loss to the Jets Monday night.


Indonesia Prospective Leader on Hunt for Ministers Former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono discussed presidential plans and a cabinet with visitors to his home on Wednesday, even though he has yet to declare victory

Milosevic War Crimes Trial Resumes The trial of Slobodan Milosevic on war crimes charges has resumed in The Hague with the former Yugoslav president launching a spirited defense.


Microsoft Trims Next Windows Server Release Microsoft Corp. wants to deliver its Windows Server 2003 update, known as  quot;R2, quot; in 2005. To make sure it will be able do so, the company is prioritizing its feature list and moving some R2 features into later releases.


Pakistani Forces Attack Militant Hideouts; 10 Killed  WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Up to ten people were killed in  fierce fighting between Pakistani security forces and al  Qaeda-linked fighters Sunday, taking the death toll to over 70  in one of the deadliest actions against the militants.

Mystery over hostage #39;s fate BAGHDAD: A body found in Iraq cannot be confirmed as that of a young Japanese man taken hostage and the corpse has been sent to Qatar for identification, Japan #39;s Senior Vice Foreign Minister Shuzen Tanigawa said yesterday.


Harrah #39;s, Caesars to sell four casinos to satisfy regulators Harrah #39;s Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment Inc. have agreed to sell four hotel-casinos to an affiliate of Colony Capital LLC for about 1.2 billion dollars.


Bernard Hopkins Leaves Calling Card  Stops De La Hoya in Ninth Just four months shy of his 40th birthday, Hopkinswho appeared to be starting to wear De La Hoya down as the fight neared the championship roundsclosed the show with a lethal body shot in the 9th.

It's a fitting honor for school's finest He was an unparalleled star of his day, throwing touchdown passes, swatting home runs, and swishing baskets at Lynn Classical. Aristotle George Agganis, whose mother called him "Ari" and friends dubbed "Harry," was recruited in 1948 by football powerhouses including Notre Dame, but the Greek boy from Lynn chose to stay close to home at Boston University, where he instantly ...


Morning Sky This Weekend is Sparkling For the first time in almost two years, there are no bright planets in the evening sky. You might as well stay inside and eat dinner. The morning sky, on the other hand, is sparkling. Mercury. Venus. Saturn. A slender crescent Moon. The luminous stars of Orion. They're all on display in the days ahead: Sept. 10th through 12th.


La Russa, Francona have family ties For the here and now, it is the challenge of matching wits with Terry Francona that dominates Tony La Russa's thoughts in the World Series.


Space race sparks new interest The race to collect the Ansari X Prize has all the makings of a good television reality show. But the competition to win the \$10 million prize is also drumming up renewed interest in space flight at a time

UK scientists help astronomers capture  #39;galactic ballet #39; 300m <b>...</b> STUNNING images have captured what astronomers call  quot;the graceful interactions of a galactic ballet, played out on a stage some 300 million light years away quot;.


UN council mulls Sudan resolution, US to speak on genocide UNITED NATIONS : The UN Security Council was to discuss a new US draft resolution aimed at tightening the pressure on Sudan over the crisis in Darfur, including possible sanctions on its oil sector.


Music fans sound off RealNetworks Inc. urged digital-music lovers yesterday to stand up for their freedom of choice. They responded by exercising their freedom of speech -- much to the company #39;s chagrin.

NASA seeks methods to repair shuttles in flight The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA is hoping to develop techniques to allow a crew to repair damages to Space Shuttle in flight.


Turnpike managers collecting tolls during strike #39;s second day Turnpike officials had anticipated a walkout by about 2,000 toll collectors, maintenance workers and office employees, so they waived tolls all day Wednesday after the strike began at 4 am, costing the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission about \$2 million in


India-Pakistan spat ahead of Kashmir talks With India pulling out a large number of troops from Kashmir, the guns may have fallen silent but the verbal dual between India and Pakistan is nowhere near an end.

Tanks encircle shrine in US blitz on rebels UNITED States tanks today encircled the sacred Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf, after an intense bombardment of rebel positions overnight.


Foreign retailers #39; enclosure of land competition in China It is reported that another  quot;Champion Supermarket quot; of French retailer Carrefour will open soon in Guangming Village, Haidian District in Beijing.


Trescothick boosts England England and Sri Lanka were evenly poised when rain brought a premature end to their crucial Champions Trophy encounter at the Rose Bowl.

Ortiz Saves Red Sox David Ortiz hammers a two-run, 12th inning home run to give the Boston Red Sox new life and a 6-4 win over the Yankees early Monday morning. New York leads the series 3-1.


Some Retailers Offering Online Rebates (AP) AP - The rebate check is no longer a reward reserved for penny-pinchers with an abundance of paperwork skills and patience. Paperless, online rebates are finally gaining momentum in retail, an industry that has long offered customers electronic options for virtually every other type of transaction, from simple purchases to coupons.


Obama: Not Quite Ready for History Books (AP) AP - On the eve of taking office, the most watched new arrival in the nation's capital says it's way too early to talk about his place in history.

Development: Donor Neglect Deadly - Oxfam The world #39;s poorer nations are paying a heavy price in human lives for the failure of the rich to provide the resources they promised to fight global hunger and poverty, humanitarian agency Oxfam said in a report released Sunday.


Bulldogs Clip Jackets Quarterback David Greene throws a 28-yard touchdown pass for No. 8 Georgia in its 19-13 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday.


BoSox, Astros Play for Crucial Game 4 Wins (AP) AP - The Boston Red Sox entered this AL championship series hoping to finally overcome their bitter rivals from New York following a heartbreaking seven-game defeat last October. Instead, they've been reduced to trying to prevent the Yankees from completing a humiliating sweep in their own ballpark.

Fish Beats Hernych at St. Petersburg Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish beat Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-4 Monday to reach the second round of the St. Petersburg Open.


The Last Noel If destructible DVDs are going to have a fair shot, distributors are going to have to test the concept by releasing a film that is reasonably in demand.


Iraq's Top Cleric Arrives in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's top Shiite cleric made a dramatic return to Najaf at the head of a massive convoy Thursday hoping to end three weeks of fighting in the holy city, but hours earlier a mortar barrage slammed into a mosque filled with Iraqis preparing to join his march, killing 27 people.    Along with the mortar attack, another group of thousands of marchers heading into Najaf from its sister-city Kufa came under fire from an Iraqi National Guard base...

Report: China Releases Tiananmen Protester (AP) AP - A factory worker who helped to organize a strike during China's 1989 pro-democracy protests has been released after nearly 15 years in prison, a U.S.-based prison rights group said Saturday.


Greenspan: Economy Regaining Traction (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. economy has escaped a\recent soft patch and seems to be picking up steam, Federal\Reserve chief Alan Greenspan said on Wednesday in remarks\economists saw as cementing a September rate rise.


UPDATE 2-Adriano crushes Messina, Milan in Parma comeback Late goals from Brazilian Kaka and midfielder Andrea Pirlo gave AC Milan a 2-1 win at lowly Parma in Serie A on Saturday. Brazilian Adriano hit a devastating first half

Nuggets snag win this time The Nuggets and the Timberwolves, who exchanged words and cheap shots in a playoff series in April, met again Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.


Steel crisis leaves Nissan output  #39;at risk #39; The steel crisis at Nissan Motor might force the carmaker to reduce production by a further 15,000 vehicles next March on top of the 25,000 that have been


Stocks Fall as Intel Update Awaited  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Tuesday as a sharp drop  in U.S. consumer confidence in August stirred fresh doubt about  the economy and analysts lowered revenue forecasts for  technology bellwether Intel Corp. INTC.O

FCC approves Cingular/AWS merger WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today conditionally approved the \$41 billion merger of Cingular Wireless LLC and AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc.


Chechnya marks 'special' birthday The authorities in war-torn Chechnya announce cash gifts for boys born on the slain leader's birthday.


US Electoral College withstands critics ... so far (AFP) AFP - Lambasted as antiquated and anti-democratic, the Electoral College that decides the US presidency has survived for centuries as an unmovable albeit creaky pillar of the American political system.

China, Pakistan call for closer army-to-army ties China and Pakistan officials voiced their common aspiration of furthering ties between the two armies during a meeting here Wednesday.


AT T, Vonage Cut Prices on Internet Calling (Reuters) Reuters - AT T Corp.  and Internet telephone\provider Vonage said on Thursday they were cutting prices for\their residential Internet calling services by  #36;5 per month,\the strongest signs yet of a price war in the nascent market.


Current stories in Viewpoints, Outlook: Cragg Hines welcomes the departure of NASA #39;s chief but worries about the list of potential successors, especially Gen. Missileman.

Cisco to set up R D lab in Shanghai BEIJING -- Cisco Systems Inc. plans to open a research and development (R D) center in Shanghai that will focus on developing VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology, the company's chief executive officer (CEO) said Thursday.


Nowitzki Breaks Out Dirk Nowitzki sets a Mavericks franchise record with 53 points to lead host Dallas to a 113-106 overtime victory against Houston.


Briefly: Hello, halitosis roundup Plus: House takes on piracy, 'video voyeurism'...Verizon sets up Iobi Home...Sun makes financial pitch...PeopleSoft-Oracle trial delayed.

Intelligent Telescopes Survey the Violent Skies PPARC -- British astronomers are celebrating a world first that could revolutionise the future of astronomy. They have just begun a project to operate a global network of the world's biggest robotic telescopes, dubbed 'RoboNet-1.0' which will be controlled by intelligent software to provide rapid observations of sudden changes in astronomical objects, such as violent Gamma Ray Bursts, or 24-hour surveillance of interesting phenomena...


Cyclones Blow Chance Iowa State makes a slew of late-game errors and falls to Missouri, 17-14, in overtime. The loss sends Colorado to the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma.


Microsoft Trims Next Windows Server Release Microsoft Corp. wants to deliver its Windows Server 2003 update, known as  quot;R2, quot; in 2005. To make sure it will be able do so, the company is prioritizing its feature list and moving some R2 features into later releases.

Some Retailers Offering Online Rebates (AP) AP - The rebate check is no longer a reward reserved for penny-pinchers with an abundance of paperwork skills and patience. Paperless, online rebates are finally gaining momentum in retail, an industry that has long offered customers electronic options for virtually every other type of transaction, from simple purchases to coupons.


King frees convicted activist in Bahrain MANAMA, Bahrain -- Bahrain's king ordered the immediate release of a human rights activist who was convicted of inciting hatred of the government and sentenced to one year in prison yesterday in a case linked to criticism of the prime minister.


College Basketball: Illinois Defeats Wake Forest  CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Sports Network) - Roger Powell Jr. scored  19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead fifth-ranked  Illinois to a lopsided 91-73 win over No. 1 Wake Forest in the  ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Assembly Hall.

Randy Moss' Status Unknown for Sunday  MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Sports Network) - Minnesota Vikings  star receiver Randy Moss suffered a hamstring injury during  Sunday's win over New Orleans and his status for this weekend's  game versus Tennessee is unknown.


DreamWorks #39; share price soars in debut trading NEW YORK, October 28 (newratings.com) - DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc (ticker: DWA), the creator of famous animation films including Shrek and Shark Tale, witnessed a robust rally in its share price this morning, during its debut trading at the Wall


Mobile phone 'ear tumours risk' Scientists have found using a mobile phone for at least 10 years increased the risk of ear tumours.

Kuwaiti Paper: Laden Lives in a Safe Place in NE of Kabul It is claimed that Al-Qaeda terrorist network leader Osama Bin Laden lives in a northeastern part of the Afghani capital Kabul in a safe place under the protection of a tribe.


Harrah #39;s, Caesars to sell four casinos to satisfy regulators Harrah #39;s Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment Inc. have agreed to sell four hotel-casinos to an affiliate of Colony Capital LLC for about 1.2 billion dollars.


Macy #39;s supplants venerable names The Lazarus nameplate, a fixture on the retail landscape for 153 years, is coming off department store signs, joining Shillito #39;s as a defunct brand.

Schrager eyes London hotels sale Ian Schrager, known for his luxury boutique hotels, has hung for sale signs over two of his London hotels, the St Martins Lane and the Sanderson.


Pakistani Forces Attack Militant Hideouts; 10 Killed  WANA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Up to ten people were killed in  fierce fighting between Pakistani security forces and al  Qaeda-linked fighters Sunday, taking the death toll to over 70  in one of the deadliest actions against the militants.


Second-Ranked Oklahoma Routs Oregon 31-7 (AP) AP - Freshman Adrian Peterson ran for 183 yards and scored two touchdowns in his third straight 100-yard rushing performance to lead No. 2 Oklahoma to a 31-7 victory over Oregon on Saturday.

Lack of Courtesy From ADs Miffs Osborne (AP) AP - Tom Osborne has been out of college football for seven years, and now he can't even get a phone call returned.


FCC further deregulates Net calls States are now barred from imposing telecommunications regulations on Net phone providers.


Development: Donor Neglect Deadly - Oxfam The world #39;s poorer nations are paying a heavy price in human lives for the failure of the rich to provide the resources they promised to fight global hunger and poverty, humanitarian agency Oxfam said in a report released Sunday.


Camara to get nod up front Celtic striker Henri Camara is set to play alongside John Hartson in the Hoops attack in tonights Champions League clash with Spanish giants Barcelona at Celtic Park.


Steel crisis leaves Nissan output  #39;at risk #39; The steel crisis at Nissan Motor might force the carmaker to reduce production by a further 15,000 vehicles next March on top of the 25,000 that have been

United says it will ask workers for more cost cuts CHICAGO _ Calling its financial condition  quot;sobering, quot; United Airlines said Friday that it will seek substantially more cost cuts than previously announced to help the carrier emerge from bankruptcy.


Cashing in at Deutsche Bank Vijay Singh's gift bag was without question stuffed more than anyone else's when he left TPC Boston in Norton following Monday's final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.


Disk storage outlook dimmer A ray of second-quarter sunshine is overshadowed by clouds on the horizon, according to Gartner.

Water of Life and Other Scientific Highlights of 2004 Science judged that the runner-up to the discovery of water on Mars was the finding of another species of dwarf human which lived on the remote Indonesian island of Flores as little as 13,000 years ago.


Mugabe Higher Than Tsvangirai In Zimbabwe (CPOD) Aug. 26, 2004 - Adults in Zimbabwe are divided over the performance of Robert Mugabe, according to the Afrobarometer conducted by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, Ghanas Centre for


ATA parent hires restructuring officer ATA #39;s parent corporation has appointed a chief restructuring officer amid heightened speculation that the nation #39;s 10th-largest airline might be nearing bankruptcy.

US Congress Sends Bush Corporate Tax Bill The US Senate easily gave final congressional approval on Monday to a huge corporate tax bill that aims to end a trade fight with the European Union by repealing US export


The Giants of Anime are Coming The three titans of Japanese animation are all about to unleash monster new films. Watch your back, Shrek. By Charles C. Mann from Wired magazine.


Fire of London Anyone seeking the secret of Chelsea #39;s success this season need have witnessed only one moment in training yesterday, a second #39;s play that exemplified the spirit, individual

Levi shoots 64 to lead Champions Tour event HUNT VALLEY, Md. - Wayne Levi tied a tournament record with an 8-under 64 and held a one-shot lead over Rodger Davis after the first round of the Constellation Energy Classic on Friday.


Report: US Airways Seeks Union Pay Cut  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bankrupt airline US Airways will ask a  bankruptcy court judge to impose emergency pay cuts of 23  percent on its major unions, the New York Times reported late  on Thursday.


Birdstone Proves Worth Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone established himself as the nation's leader among 3-year-olds Saturday with a victory in the Travers Stakes.

Patriots, Eagles Do the Expected _ Win (AP) AP - There might still be a spotless season on the NFL horizon this year.


Nortel Restatements Delayed to November  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. NT.TO, one of  the world's largest makers of telecoms equipment, said on  Wednesday it would miss by about two weeks its end of October  deadline to release long-awaited restated financial results.


Hurricane Jeanne Targets Fla. East Coast FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Floridians scrambled to board their homes and stock up on groceries and gas - again - as Hurricane Jeanne churned westward Friday and threatened to become the fourth hurricane to pound the state in the last six weeks...

U.S. Launches Fierce Air Attack on Rebels in Najaf (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. planes unleashed a fierce\attack on rebel targets in Najaf early on Thursday, a Reuters\witness said.


Now boarding! NY, London, space? Virgin Atlantic honcho Richard Branson yesterday announced plans to boldly go where no airline company has gone before - outer space.


The Last Noel If destructible DVDs are going to have a fair shot, distributors are going to have to test the concept by releasing a film that is reasonably in demand.

Schrager eyes London hotels sale Ian Schrager, known for his luxury boutique hotels, has hung for sale signs over two of his London hotels, the St Martins Lane and the Sanderson.


Ponting Hails  #39;Gladiator #39; Symonds Andrew Symonds second one-day international hundred was the lynchpin of Australias 10-run NatWest International win over Pakistan - and the source of great personal satisfaction


South Africa Arrests One in WMDs, Nuclear Probe  JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - South African  authorities have arrested one person in an investigation into  contraventions of laws on weapons of mass destruction and  nuclear energy, the government said Thursday.

Hurricane Jeanne Targets Fla. East Coast FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Floridians scrambled to board their homes and stock up on groceries and gas - again - as Hurricane Jeanne churned westward Friday and threatened to become the fourth hurricane to pound the state in the last six weeks...


Hollinger sells Jerusalem papers Hollinger International yesterday announced a \$13.2m (7.2m) deal to sell the Jerusalem Post, leaving the one-time media powerhouse and former owner of the Daily Telegraph with just a handful of assets in North America.


Germany, France back permanent seat for Japan on Security Council NEW YORK - Both Germany and France in their speeches before the 59th General Assembly session on Thursday supported Japan #39;s ongoing effort to secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

French ex-minister in art trial The trial begins of former French foreign minister Roland Dumas, accused of corruption over art sales.


Adelphia to allow Time Warner/Comcast dual bid-WSJ Bankrupt cable operator Adelphia Communications Corp (ADELQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research) will allow cable companies Time Warner Inc.


Money From Salvadoran Immigrants Aids Farming Cooperative Back Home SAN PEDRO MASAHUAT, El Salvador -- Marta Sonia Ayala hunched over a metal table in a room that resembles a large restaurant kitchen, scooping heaps of a light brown powder into plastic bags. Later, she placed the bags of frijolito -- beans ground into flour -- in a heat-sealing machine, placed colored labels on them and shipped them to 22 stores throughout the country where they would sell for \$1.35 a pound.

ATA parent hires restructuring officer ATA #39;s parent corporation has appointed a chief restructuring officer amid heightened speculation that the nation #39;s 10th-largest airline might be nearing bankruptcy.


AMD fleshes out flash plans The chipmaker plans to release the Ornand family of flash memory chips in 2005, which could lead to expansion into wider markets.


The Baron was right AUSTRALIAN rower Sally Robbins and British marathon runner Paula Radcliffe can take comfort from the philosophy of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics.

Boller Silences Critics Much maligned quarterback Kyle Boller should have a pleasent week after playing one of the best games of his career in Sunday's 20-17 overtime win over the Jets.


Judge rejects injunction by organizers over use of Olympic symbols The local issue of Playboy remained on newsstands Friday, after a judge rejected a request for a temporary injunction filed by Athens Games #39; organizers over the magazine #39;s use of Olympic symbols in a photo spread.

Disbelieving Hauritz bowled over by Bombay turn Off spinner Nathan Hauritz could hardly believe his eyes at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Nor could he believe his luck.  quot;I #39;ve never seen a wicket on which the


#39;Suspect Package #39; Man Dies in Polling Day Blast A man who tried to bring a suspicious package into a polling station in Chechnya today was killed in an explosion as he ran away, election officials said.


Foreign retailers #39; enclosure of land competition in China It is reported that another  quot;Champion Supermarket quot; of French retailer Carrefour will open soon in Guangming Village, Haidian District in Beijing.

Fannie Mae Financial Reports Questioned Home mortgage lender Fannie Mae on Wednesday said the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight uncovered accounting inaccuracies that raise doubts about the company #39;s previous financial reports.


Anti-French mood roils Ivory Coast Mobs of government supporters looted French businesses and attacked French nationals Sunday.


Mexico Has Repeat Champion Unam Pumas became the first team to win back-to-back titles in Mexico when they defeated Monterrey on Saturday in the second leg of the title series.

Bernard Hopkins Leaves Calling Card  Stops De La Hoya in Ninth Just four months shy of his 40th birthday, Hopkinswho appeared to be starting to wear De La Hoya down as the fight neared the championship roundsclosed the show with a lethal body shot in the 9th.


Judge Tells VeriSign U CAN #39;T When it comes to ICANN, let #39;s just say  quot;You Can #39;t. quot; Or rather, you can #39;t dispute its authority. In the latest phase of a long-simmering dispute between VeriSign (Nasdaq: VRSN


Survey Notes Rise in US Broadband Users The number of Americans who get on the Internet via high-speed lines has now equaled the number using dial-up connections.

New Trojan program squashes adware Downloader.Lunii, a new Trojan horse program that attacks and removes troublesome advertising software, also modifies the configuration of Windows machines and attempts to download files from a remote location, according to Symantec Corp.


130,000 in Moscow protest terrorism after deadly siege Tens of thousands of people rallied Tuesday outside the Kremlin in a show of solidarity against terrorism. The demonstration came nearly a week after more than 350 people, many


Interbrew Wins Shareholder OK for AmBev Belgium #39;s Interbrew won approval from shareholders on Friday to buy Brazil #39;s AmBev in a deal valued at about 8 billion euros (\$9.

EDS offers early retirement to 9,200 workers PLANO, Texas Electronic Data Systems today announced it will offer early retirement incentives to about 92-hundred workers. That #39;s just over 17 percent of the domestic work force of Plano-based EDS.


Wolfsburg remains top Martin Petrov put the home side ahead early, but Kaiserslautern #39;s Carsten Jancker made it 1-1 with just eight minutes remaining.


Moving toward peace in the Middle East With news of politics, war and baseball dominating the headlines, it is easy to overlook events in faraway lands. But people interested in long-term peace in the Middle East should be encouraged by the historic

Report: China Releases Tiananmen Protester (AP) AP - A factory worker who helped to organize a strike during China's 1989 pro-democracy protests has been released after nearly 15 years in prison, a U.S.-based prison rights group said Saturday.


Microsoft desktop-search announcement due Microsoft #39;s MSN division is expected to announce a test version of its long-awaited desktop-search software this morning in a conference call with reporters.


Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations 33 Palestinians, 23 of whom are civilians, including 7 children and a mentally disabled man, were killed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).

Sharon steps up efforts to form national unity govt JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stepped up efforts on Friday to overcome resistance in the ranks of his right-wing Likud party to an enlarged government coalition with the centre-left Labour, ahead of a decisive party meeting.


China to fire Haan Arie Haan will be sacked as China national coach following the nation #39;s early exit from the 2006 Asian World Cup qualifiers according to Chinese officials.


Tendulkar, Pathan put India on verge of win Defiant knocks by Manjural Rana and Nasif Iqbal helped Bangladesh survive another day of Test cricket in the first match of the series against India at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday.

Notables The previous NL game in an AL ballpark was in 1946, when the Boston Braves played several games at Fenway Park because a paint job on the seats at Braves Field had not dried, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.


Flu Vaccine Is Found Tainted in Factory SAN FRANCISCO - The nation's supply of vaccine for the impending flu season took a big hit Thursday when Chiron Corp. announced it had found tainted doses in its factory...


McBride inspires US to victory Brian McBride and debutant Eddie Johnson gave the United States a 2-0 victory over El Salvador in their World Cup qualifier on Saturday.

DECOURCY: Rededicated Huggins back at Cincy CINCINNATI - His workday began Friday at 12:01 am ET. Bob Huggins made a couple of recruiting calls, one to a point guard who interests the Cincinnati Bearcats, another to a power forward.


Bhopal victims still awaiting justice Twenty years later, Union Carbide is still shortchanging the victims of the world #39;s worst industrial disaster. On Dec. 3, 1984, a toxic gas leak from Union Carbide #39;s pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, killed at least 7,000 people.


Hiding Genome Data Won't Protect Us, Experts Say (Reuters) Reuters - Making the genetic codes of\dangerous pathogens a secret will not save anyone from\bioterrorism and may make the population vulnerable to attacks\from Mother Nature, scientists said on Thursday.

Some Retailers Offering Online Rebates (AP) AP - The rebate check is no longer a reward reserved for penny-pinchers with an abundance of paperwork skills and patience. Paperless, online rebates are finally gaining momentum in retail, an industry that has long offered customers electronic options for virtually every other type of transaction, from simple purchases to coupons.


Foreign retailers #39; enclosure of land competition in China It is reported that another  quot;Champion Supermarket quot; of French retailer Carrefour will open soon in Guangming Village, Haidian District in Beijing.


PM Says Iraq Succeeding In Fight For Stability 23 September 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told a joint session of the US Congress today that his country is making progress in its effort to create a stable Iraq despite obstacles.

Wolfensohn May Step Down From World Bank (AP) AP - James Wolfensohn said Sunday he anticipates bowing out in 2005 as World Bank president and not serving a third five-year term, but would do whatever shareholders ask of him.


Latest scandal puts spotlight back on boards At first glance, it might seem as if software company Computer Associates International Inc. has cleaned up its act. Yes, its former CEO and another top executive were indicted last


US economy slows US economic growth was slower than first thought in the second quarter, hit by a widening trade deficit. For the quarter, the world #39;s biggest economy grew at an annual rate of 2.8 per cent, down

Hollinger sells Jerusalem papers Hollinger International yesterday announced a \$13.2m (7.2m) deal to sell the Jerusalem Post, leaving the one-time media powerhouse and former owner of the Daily Telegraph with just a handful of assets in North America.


Hurricane Jeanne Targets Fla. East Coast FORT PIERCE, Fla. - Floridians scrambled to board their homes and stock up on groceries and gas - again - as Hurricane Jeanne churned westward Friday and threatened to become the fourth hurricane to pound the state in the last six weeks...


Point taken AUBURN, Ala. -- The ball finally got to Courtney Taylor, the flag rescued John Vaughn, and No. 14 Auburn proved itself a Southeastern Conference contender.

Fire of London Anyone seeking the secret of Chelsea #39;s success this season need have witnessed only one moment in training yesterday, a second #39;s play that exemplified the spirit, individual


Death Stars: Sterilizing the Galactic Center (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Anyone looking for signs of extraterrestrial life need not look in the center of our galaxy.


Pennington's leadership not half bad for New York EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chad Pennington could feel the pressure of trying to make franchise history weighing down his teammates.

Victor Diaz and Gerald Williams homers push Mets past Expos 4-2 MONTREAL (CP) - Victor Diaz hit his first career home run and Gerald Williams added a two-run shot to power the New York Mets to a 4-2 win Thursday over the Montreal Expos.


Kazaa  #39;worried about piracy #39; Kazaa, the internet #39;s most popular file-swapping system, told a court in Sydney yesterday that it was worried about users exchanging unauthorised files and had held talks with record companies in the United States.


Investors Take a Holiday  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors may pack up and leave next  week as the Republican National Convention comes to New York  and many on Wall Street take a vacation, draining U.S. markets  of volume and leaving stocks flopping around with little  direction.

The Last Noel If destructible DVDs are going to have a fair shot, distributors are going to have to test the concept by releasing a film that is reasonably in demand.


Jackson Squares Off With Attorney SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Fans of Michael Jackson erupted in cheers Monday as the pop star emerged from a double-decker tour bus and went into court for a showdown with the prosecutor who has pursued him for years on child molestation charges...

Chechnya marks 'special' birthday The authorities in war-torn Chechnya announce cash gifts for boys born on the slain leader's birthday.


Streets of New York on deck for Kastor Even in the immediate afterglow of her bronze medal in the Olympic marathon in August, Deena (Drossin) Kastor was thinking of Sunday #39;s New York City Marathon.


Athletics: She #39;s the Bahamas #39; darling ATHENS - Tonique Williams-Darling has claimed the Bahamas #39; first individual athletics gold by blasting to the women #39;s 400m title.

NL Wrap: Bonds Homers Again as Giants Rout Expos  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Barry Bonds hit his third home  run in two days to help the San Francisco Giants earn a split  of their doubleheader with a 14-4 win over the Montreal Expos  on Wednesday.


United says it will ask workers for more cost cuts CHICAGO _ Calling its financial condition  quot;sobering, quot; United Airlines said Friday that it will seek substantially more cost cuts than previously announced to help the carrier emerge from bankruptcy.


French Open champ Myskina tumbles in Bali French Open champion Anastasia Myskina of Russia must face an early exit in the Wismilak International Tennis Tournament in Bali after losing to Maria Elena Camerin of

McBride inspires US to victory Brian McBride and debutant Eddie Johnson gave the United States a 2-0 victory over El Salvador in their World Cup qualifier on Saturday.


Stem Cell Molecules Repair Genetic Damage Researchers report that embryonic stem cells sent molecular signals that repaired fatal genetic damage to heart cells in laboratory mice.


Fish Beats Hernych at St. Petersburg Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish beat Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-4 Monday to reach the second round of the St. Petersburg Open.

Newbery Wins Platform Diving Gold for Australia Chantelle Newbery became the first Australian to win the Olympic women #39;s platform diving title with a clearcut victory in the final on Sunday.


Tigers in Thai zoo dying of bird flu BANGKOK - Avian influenza has killed 23 tigers and sickened 30 more at a private zoo in eastern Thailand, Thai officials said on Tuesday.


Automakers Display Eco-Friendly Cars (AP) AP - The Habo No. 1 looks like any one of the legions of Volkswagen sedans in China. But a peek under the hood reveals an array of chrome canisters in place of the usual engine.

Sources: Sony Eyes File-Sharing Venture LOS ANGELES - Sony BMG Music Entertainment and online peer-to-peer software distributor Grokster are working on a new venture that is expected to offer paid and free song downloads over the Internet, sources say.


Brown, Jeter Hand Yankees Series Lead Over Twins  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kevin Brown pitched six innings and  Derek Jeter notched three hits and drove in three runs to lead  the New York Yankees to an 8-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins  in the American League Divisional Series Friday.


Apple Has Loyalty -- But Where Is Its Future? Clearly Apple hopes the halo of its iPod can be used to tempt consumers to invest in its computers, after sales of the iPod earlier this year overtook those of its supposedly staple desktops and laptops.

VC Firm Joins Open Source Development Labs (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Voyager Capital, a Pacific Northwest I.T. venture firm, has joined the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), an Oregon-based organization dedicated to boosting the growth and adoption of Linux in enterprises.


Stock Futures Rise After GDP Data  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures rose on Tuesday,  pointing to a flat market open, after preliminary third-quarter  gross domestic product data showed higher-than-expected growth.


Milosevic War Crimes Trial Resumes The trial of Slobodan Milosevic on war crimes charges has resumed in The Hague with the former Yugoslav president launching a spirited defense.

US strike kills 15 Iraqis Meanwhile, Italy #39;s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, arrived in Kuwait on an 11th-hour mission to win the release of two Italian women hostages kidnapped by Islamist militants last week.


Adelphia to allow Time Warner/Comcast dual bid-WSJ Bankrupt cable operator Adelphia Communications Corp (ADELQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research) will allow cable companies Time Warner Inc.


Cyclones Blow Chance Iowa State makes a slew of late-game errors and falls to Missouri, 17-14, in overtime. The loss sends Colorado to the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma.

Schwarz out of the race nother stage victory for race leader Petter Solberg, his fifth since the start of the rally. The Subaru driver is not pulling away at a fast pace from Gronholm and Loeb but the gap is nonetheless increasing steadily.


Mortgage Applications Climb Last Week (Reuters) Reuters - New applications for U.S. home loans\climbed last week, as most mortgage rates fell from the\previous week, an industry group said on Wednesday.


Hub schools make grade with \$12.5M science grant A record \$12.5 million grant to be announced today will revolutionize science teaching throughout Boston Public Schools, officials said.


HP to Buy Synstar Hewlett-Packard will pay \$297 million for the British company. Also: TiVo goes all out to attract customers   hellip;. Sprint offers service guarantees for business wireless subscribers   hellip;. and more.


Boston techies envision TV's on-demand future At the end of a boisterous dinner, after several glasses of good red wine, technology entrepreneur John Landry pulled out his iPaq hand-held and beckoned me over to his side of the table.

AirAsia ordering 40 Airbus planes Airbus won an order to sell 40 planes to AirAsia, Southeast Asia #39;s largest discount airline, beating out Boeing. The Kuala Lumpur-based airline said in a statement to the Malaysian stock


Death Stars: Sterilizing the Galactic Center (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Anyone looking for signs of extraterrestrial life need not look in the center of our galaxy.


Candidate list hints at Iraq's political future BAGHDAD -- Iraq's future political landscape began taking shape yesterday, as a coalition led by powerful Shi'ite Muslim groups revealed a few of its candidates in next month's parliamentary election. They include former exiles, a prominent cleric, and members of the interim government.

UN staff blast officials, spare Annan UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19 (AFP) - The UN staff union on Friday passed a resolution highly critical of the world body #39;s senior management while declining to pin the blame directly on Secretary General Kofi Annan.


Boller Silences Critics Much maligned quarterback Kyle Boller should have a pleasent week after playing one of the best games of his career in Sunday's 20-17 overtime win over the Jets.


Stock Futures Rise After GDP Data  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures rose on Tuesday,  pointing to a flat market open, after preliminary third-quarter  gross domestic product data showed higher-than-expected growth.

FCC approves Cingular/AWS merger WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today conditionally approved the \$41 billion merger of Cingular Wireless LLC and AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc.


Brazil's Trade Surplus Is Biggest Ever Brazil racked up its biggest trade surplus in history last year, but the country's export boom of everything from soybeans to automobiles is expected to ease in 2005.


Nintendo cuts price on Game Boy Advance Nintendo Co. has permanently slashed prices on its Game Boy Advance SP portable video game system as the company tries to entrench its No.

United says it will ask workers for more cost cuts CHICAGO _ Calling its financial condition  quot;sobering, quot; United Airlines said Friday that it will seek substantially more cost cuts than previously announced to help the carrier emerge from bankruptcy.


Disk storage outlook dimmer A ray of second-quarter sunshine is overshadowed by clouds on the horizon, according to Gartner.


Turkey gets conditional OK for EU talks In a historic move that could extend Europe #39;s borders to the edge of the volatile Middle East, the European Union recommended Wednesday setting mostly Muslim Turkey

Blast kills 10 in southwestern Pakistan At least 10 people were killed and 21 others wounded in a powerful bomb blast Friday in Quetta, capital of Pakistan #39;s southwestern Baluchistan province, state-run Pakistan TV reported.


G20 Divided Over Dollar Slide, U.S. Mum  BERLIN (Reuters) - Europe and Japan voiced strong concern  on Saturday over the slumping dollar but the world's 20 biggest  economies, nearing the end of a two-day summit, looked divided  over what if anything to do about it.


Oil Prices Rise to High As Demand Continues The price of oil hit another high yesterday, closing above \$47 a barrel as traders reacted to continuing concerns about supply disruptions from terrorism and instability in oil-producing countries.


Birdstone Proves Worth Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone established himself as the nation's leader among 3-year-olds Saturday with a victory in the Travers Stakes.


Coca-Cola Sees 2nd-Half Below Estimates  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co. KO.N on Wednesday said  earnings for the remainder of 2004 would lag current  expectations because of weakness in key markets.


Davenport Won't Decide on Retirement Now (AP) AP - All in due time, Lindsay Davenport will decide whether she wants retire. Only right now is not that time.


Nowitzki Breaks Out Dirk Nowitzki sets a Mavericks franchise record with 53 points to lead host Dallas to a 113-106 overtime victory against Houston.

Fire of London Anyone seeking the secret of Chelsea #39;s success this season need have witnessed only one moment in training yesterday, a second #39;s play that exemplified the spirit, individual


Microsoft desktop-search announcement due Microsoft #39;s MSN division is expected to announce a test version of its long-awaited desktop-search software this morning in a conference call with reporters.


Treasuries Up, Indirect Bidders Buy Big (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury prices built on early\gains on Wednesday after an auction of five-year debt drew\surprisingly strong demand from indirect bidders, which include\foreign central banks.

Oracle's PeopleSoft Bid Deadline Nears  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. ORCL.O on Friday  won the backing of another key public pension fund in its  \$8.8-billion hostile bid for PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O as the  17-month takeover battle between the two California-based  business software makers neared a key deadline.


Indonesia's Yudhoyono rejects foreign help to solve Aceh conflict (AFP) AFP - A state of civil emergency in the rebellion-hit Indonesian province of Aceh has been formally extended by six month, as the country's president pledged to end violence there without foreign help.


Giving Voice to A Billion Things (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - When Robert Poor looks at the world, he sees 50 billion embedded microcontrollers, the workhorse chips inside cars, traffic lights and air conditioners, doing their jobs in splendid isolation. Then he imagines what will happen when they all can talk to one another.

Qwest posts loss of \$569 million in third quarter Qwest posted a third-quarter loss of \$569 million after setting aside money to settle lawsuits stemming from a three-year accounting fraud.


Thailand bird flu deaths increase A girl has died of bird flu in Thailand, the 11th confirmed victim of the disease this year. Kanda Srileung-On died in the north of the country, hours after testing positive for the virus, apparently caught from infected chickens.


Latest scandal puts spotlight back on boards At first glance, it might seem as if software company Computer Associates International Inc. has cleaned up its act. Yes, its former CEO and another top executive were indicted last

Macy #39;s supplants venerable names The Lazarus nameplate, a fixture on the retail landscape for 153 years, is coming off department store signs, joining Shillito #39;s as a defunct brand.


Judge rejects injunction by organizers over use of Olympic symbols The local issue of Playboy remained on newsstands Friday, after a judge rejected a request for a temporary injunction filed by Athens Games #39; organizers over the magazine #39;s use of Olympic symbols in a photo spread.


Bettman engages fans in online chat (CP) - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spent part of his afternoon Wednesday answering questions from fans about the league #39;s lockout rather than preparing for opening night.

Boller Silences Critics Much maligned quarterback Kyle Boller should have a pleasent week after playing one of the best games of his career in Sunday's 20-17 overtime win over the Jets.


Virgin Blue Increases Surcharge as Fuel Prices Soar (Update1) Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd., Australia #39;s second-biggest airline, increased a surcharge on all tickets as the cost of jet fuel soars.


Lexmark loses ink cartridge battle Printer makers can #39;t be very happy, as Lexmark has just lost what could have been a landmark case for its profits and the future of printer ink cartridges.


US strike kills 15 Iraqis Meanwhile, Italy #39;s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, arrived in Kuwait on an 11th-hour mission to win the release of two Italian women hostages kidnapped by Islamist militants last week.


South African wins Madrid Open by two shots to assure European <b>...</b> Richard Sterne of South Africa shot a 5-under-par 65 and rallied to win the one-million-euro (\$1.5-million Cdn) Madrid Open by two shots Sunday, ensuring the 23-year-old of another year on the European tour.

Olympic champ Massu, Ginepri fall VIENNA, Austria -- The top three seeded players were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the CA Trophy on Friday, and American Robby Ginepri also was ousted.


WHO urges poor nations to offer women deworming pills  PRETORIA -- The World Health Organization urged poor countries yesterday to offer deworming pills to pregnant women after a recent study in Nepal showed a 41 percent drop in the deaths of infants of mothers who took the pills before giving birth.


La Russa, Francona have family ties For the here and now, it is the challenge of matching wits with Terry Francona that dominates Tony La Russa's thoughts in the World Series.

French Open champ Myskina tumbles in Bali French Open champion Anastasia Myskina of Russia must face an early exit in the Wismilak International Tennis Tournament in Bali after losing to Maria Elena Camerin of


Fed raises again Central bank boosts fed funds rate to 2.25 but after 5 hikes in this year what #39;s in store for  #39;05? NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The Federal Reserve raised a critical short-term interest rate by a quarter of a percentage


A Look at Lawsuits, Voting Problems (AP) AP - Many states are facing legal challenges over possible voting problems Nov. 2. A look at some of the developments Monday:

Mugabe Higher Than Tsvangirai In Zimbabwe (CPOD) Aug. 26, 2004 - Adults in Zimbabwe are divided over the performance of Robert Mugabe, according to the Afrobarometer conducted by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, Ghanas Centre for


Money From Salvadoran Immigrants Aids Farming Cooperative Back Home SAN PEDRO MASAHUAT, El Salvador -- Marta Sonia Ayala hunched over a metal table in a room that resembles a large restaurant kitchen, scooping heaps of a light brown powder into plastic bags. Later, she placed the bags of frijolito -- beans ground into flour -- in a heat-sealing machine, placed colored labels on them and shipped them to 22 stores throughout the country where they would sell for \$1.35 a pound.


Tigers in Thai zoo dying of bird flu BANGKOK - Avian influenza has killed 23 tigers and sickened 30 more at a private zoo in eastern Thailand, Thai officials said on Tuesday.

9 killed in clashes between Pakistani forces, militants At least nine were killed Tuesday in the clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants in the South Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, Daily Times reported Wednesday.


Patriots, Eagles Do the Expected _ Win (AP) AP - There might still be a spotless season on the NFL horizon this year.


Some Retailers Offering Online Rebates (AP) AP - The rebate check is no longer a reward reserved for penny-pinchers with an abundance of paperwork skills and patience. Paperless, online rebates are finally gaining momentum in retail, an industry that has long offered customers electronic options for virtually every other type of transaction, from simple purchases to coupons.

Lexmark loses ink cartridge battle Printer makers can #39;t be very happy, as Lexmark has just lost what could have been a landmark case for its profits and the future of printer ink cartridges.


Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations 33 Palestinians, 23 of whom are civilians, including 7 children and a mentally disabled man, were killed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF).


PeopleSoft reveals alliance with IBM PeopleSoft Inc., which is fighting a hostile takeover bid from Oracle Corp., on Tuesday announced an alliance with IBM that may help ease the worries of potential customers.

DreamWorks #39; share price soars in debut trading NEW YORK, October 28 (newratings.com) - DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc (ticker: DWA), the creator of famous animation films including Shrek and Shark Tale, witnessed a robust rally in its share price this morning, during its debut trading at the Wall


Wolfsburg remains top Martin Petrov put the home side ahead early, but Kaiserslautern #39;s Carsten Jancker made it 1-1 with just eight minutes remaining.


Bulldogs Clip Jackets Quarterback David Greene throws a 28-yard touchdown pass for No. 8 Georgia in its 19-13 victory over Georgia Tech on Saturday.

Trescothick boosts England England and Sri Lanka were evenly poised when rain brought a premature end to their crucial Champions Trophy encounter at the Rose Bowl.


Cuba to Get Rid of Dollars After a Decade  HAVANA (Reuters) - Cubans rushed to change dollars into  local pesos on Tuesday as President Fidel Castro's communist  government prepared to pull the U.S. currency from circulation  more than a decade after it was legalized here.


AOL offers its customers online shield free of charge America Online blocked popup ads and intensified its fight against junk e-mail last year. Starting today, the largest online service is carrying its campaign against online plagues even further.

Hub schools make grade with \$12.5M science grant A record \$12.5 million grant to be announced today will revolutionize science teaching throughout Boston Public Schools, officials said.


Kidnappers Say They Have Killed Italian Hostage --TV (Reuters) Reuters - Militants in Iraq said they have killed\Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni, who went missing after being\ambushed on the road between Baghdad and Najaf, Al Jazeera\reported Thursday.


Nixon is eager to hit his stride ANAHEIM, Calif. -- In the immediate moments after Wednesday night's win over the Anaheim Angels, reporters gathered three-deep around the locker of catcher Jason Varitek, who clubbed a two-run homer to tie the game in the sixth, and helped navigate the heartening performance of Pedro Martinez, who notched a convincing playoff win, demonstrating high heat and the kind of location ...


UPDATE: Australia #39;s Orica Triples FY Net To A\$327.8M MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Following several years of cost cutting, Australia #39;s Orica Ltd. (ORI.AU), the world #39;s biggest maker of mining explosives, on Wednesday said net


US Congress Sends Bush Corporate Tax Bill The US Senate easily gave final congressional approval on Monday to a huge corporate tax bill that aims to end a trade fight with the European Union by repealing US export

CIGNA Corp. 3Q Profit Up on Gain From Sale CIGNA Corp. said net income rose sharply in the third quarter, reflecting increased earnings in its health care segment and a gain from the sale of a retirement benefits business.


Disbelieving Hauritz bowled over by Bombay turn Off spinner Nathan Hauritz could hardly believe his eyes at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Nor could he believe his luck.  quot;I #39;ve never seen a wicket on which the

Second-Ranked Oklahoma Routs Oregon 31-7 (AP) AP - Freshman Adrian Peterson ran for 183 yards and scored two touchdowns in his third straight 100-yard rushing performance to lead No. 2 Oklahoma to a 31-7 victory over Oregon on Saturday.


Kuwaiti Paper: Laden Lives in a Safe Place in NE of Kabul It is claimed that Al-Qaeda terrorist network leader Osama Bin Laden lives in a northeastern part of the Afghani capital Kabul in a safe place under the protection of a tribe.


NSF Announces Two Cybersecurity Centers To Study Internet <b>...</b> The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced 33 new projects from its \$30 million Cyber Trust program, including two new cybersecurity research centers that will focus on eliminating plagues of Internet worms and viruses and on building better

Agencies Find What They #39;re Looking For When computer users hunt for information on the Internet, they typically turn to Google or Yahoo. When analysts working for US intelligence look for documents and data stored on computers


US strike kills 15 Iraqis Meanwhile, Italy #39;s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, arrived in Kuwait on an 11th-hour mission to win the release of two Italian women hostages kidnapped by Islamist militants last week.


Roddick, Henman Out of Paris Masters Top seed Andy Roddick and holder Tim Henman, their minds perhaps on next week #39;s Masters Cup, bowed out of the Paris Masters in the third round on Thursday.

Pennington's leadership not half bad for New York EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Chad Pennington could feel the pressure of trying to make franchise history weighing down his teammates.


US Airways Seeks Court Approval To Cut Union Pay - Report US Airways will ask a bankruptcy court judge to impose emergency pay cuts of 23 percent on its major unions, according to a newspaper report late on Thursday.


130,000 in Moscow protest terrorism after deadly siege Tens of thousands of people rallied Tuesday outside the Kremlin in a show of solidarity against terrorism. The demonstration came nearly a week after more than 350 people, many

Indonesia Prospective Leader on Hunt for Ministers Former general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono discussed presidential plans and a cabinet with visitors to his home on Wednesday, even though he has yet to declare victory


Signs point to Anelka exit NICOLAS Anelka #39;s future with Manchester City is in serious doubt after chairman John Wardle admitted for the first time the club would consider bids for him.


IBM Unwraps Middle Tier i5 Server IBM on Tuesday unveiled the eServer i5 550, a new addition to its Power 5-based lineup that it #39;s aiming at mid-sized business.

VC Firm Joins Open Source Development Labs (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Voyager Capital, a Pacific Northwest I.T. venture firm, has joined the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), an Oregon-based organization dedicated to boosting the growth and adoption of Linux in enterprises.


Thailand bird flu deaths increase A girl has died of bird flu in Thailand, the 11th confirmed victim of the disease this year. Kanda Srileung-On died in the north of the country, hours after testing positive for the virus, apparently caught from infected chickens.


Saudi to fight terrorists with prayers Saudi Arabia said Friday it has advised the nation #39;s imams they should condemn terrorism and terrorists in prayers during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

AOL offers its customers online shield free of charge America Online blocked popup ads and intensified its fight against junk e-mail last year. Starting today, the largest online service is carrying its campaign against online plagues even further.


Unions and Car Chiefs in Talks on Jaguar Plant Union leaders today arrived at luxury car-maker Jaguar for crucial talks over the future of the Coventry Browns Lane plant. The factory, which opened in 1951 and currently employs


Johansson beats Agassi in final STOCKHOLM, Sweden (Ticker) - With the support of the home crowd, Sweden #39;s Thomas Johansson finally beat Andre Agassi. Johansson rallied from a set down and defeated the top-seeded Agassi, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4

Disgruntled Rice keeps up pressure for a trade Jerry Rice was scheduled to meet with Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis on last night to discuss the receiver's future after he said he wants to be traded.


King frees convicted activist in Bahrain MANAMA, Bahrain -- Bahrain's king ordered the immediate release of a human rights activist who was convicted of inciting hatred of the government and sentenced to one year in prison yesterday in a case linked to criticism of the prime minister.


HP to Buy Synstar Hewlett-Packard will pay \$297 million for the British company. Also: TiVo goes all out to attract customers   hellip;. Sprint offers service guarantees for business wireless subscribers   hellip;. and more.

EDS offers early retirement to 9,200 workers PLANO, Texas Electronic Data Systems today announced it will offer early retirement incentives to about 92-hundred workers. That #39;s just over 17 percent of the domestic work force of Plano-based EDS.


Nixon is eager to hit his stride ANAHEIM, Calif. -- In the immediate moments after Wednesday night's win over the Anaheim Angels, reporters gathered three-deep around the locker of catcher Jason Varitek, who clubbed a two-run homer to tie the game in the sixth, and helped navigate the heartening performance of Pedro Martinez, who notched a convincing playoff win, demonstrating high heat and the kind of location ...


The Giants' Warner, a Backup, Speaks Up The person insisting loudest that the Giants' offense has bigger problems than Eli Manning is Kurt Warner, the quarterback who was benched in favor of Manning.

Shaun Alexander drags LB Julian Peterson SEATTLE - It was a year and 12 days since the Seahawks last held an opponent scoreless in a game. The last time the 49ers were held scoreless in a game was in 1977: Jimmy Carter was in office and David Krieg


Paypal and Apple iTunes link-up Payment system Paypal announces a tie-up with Apple's iTunes as it continues to secure new business with online retailers.


Water of Life and Other Scientific Highlights of 2004 Science judged that the runner-up to the discovery of water on Mars was the finding of another species of dwarf human which lived on the remote Indonesian island of Flores as little as 13,000 years ago.

Various Factors Blamed for Childhood Obesity By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID    WASHINGTON (AP) -- A wide-ranging effort involving parents, schools, communities and government is needed to turn the tide of childhood obesity, the Institute of Medicine said Thursday...


Stocks: Shares rise on National Semiconductor profit NEW YORK US stocks were little changed Thursday, recovering earlier losses after an upbeat earnings report from the chip maker National Semiconductor sparked some buying.


UN council mulls Sudan resolution, US to speak on genocide UNITED NATIONS : The UN Security Council was to discuss a new US draft resolution aimed at tightening the pressure on Sudan over the crisis in Darfur, including possible sanctions on its oil sector.

Powell Criticizes Some European Allies on Iraq In a fresh sign of lingering tensions over the Iraq war, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell Thursday rapped European allies who declined to assist a NATO-led Iraq training


Phillies keep Lidle around for two more years Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies re-signed righthander Cory Lidle to a two-year deal worth \$6.3 million Tuesday.


Wolfensohn May Step Down From World Bank (AP) AP - James Wolfensohn said Sunday he anticipates bowing out in 2005 as World Bank president and not serving a third five-year term, but would do whatever shareholders ask of him.

#39;Suspect Package #39; Man Dies in Polling Day Blast A man who tried to bring a suspicious package into a polling station in Chechnya today was killed in an explosion as he ran away, election officials said.


Mozilla Previews FireFox 1.0 (Article Central) The Mozilla Foundation is set to release a preview of FireFox 1.0, the latest version of the open source Web browser.


Netanyahu Presses for Referendum After Knesset Approves Gaza <b>...</b> Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won an  quot;historic quot; vote in the Knesset Tuesday evening for his disengagement plan, but the uprooting of Jewish communities in Gaza is still far from a done deal after Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu immediately led a

Cuba to Get Rid of Dollars After a Decade  HAVANA (Reuters) - Cubans rushed to change dollars into  local pesos on Tuesday as President Fidel Castro's communist  government prepared to pull the U.S. currency from circulation  more than a decade after it was legalized here.


Streets of New York on deck for Kastor Even in the immediate afterglow of her bronze medal in the Olympic marathon in August, Deena (Drossin) Kastor was thinking of Sunday #39;s New York City Marathon.


Bollore to Raise Havas Stake; Won #39;t Seek Short-Term Control French financier Vincent Bollore said he plans to lift his stake in Havas SA, the world #39;s sixth- largest advertising company, from the current 10.

Pair urges Disney CEO search The leaders of the effort to oust Michael Eisner as chief executive of Walt Disney Co. have called on the company's board to reject Eisner's offer to retire in 2006 and his pick of president Robert Iger as his successor.


#39;Suspect Package #39; Man Dies in Polling Day Blast A man who tried to bring a suspicious package into a polling station in Chechnya today was killed in an explosion as he ran away, election officials said.

Development: Donor Neglect Deadly - Oxfam The world #39;s poorer nations are paying a heavy price in human lives for the failure of the rich to provide the resources they promised to fight global hunger and poverty, humanitarian agency Oxfam said in a report released Sunday.


The Last Noel If destructible DVDs are going to have a fair shot, distributors are going to have to test the concept by releasing a film that is reasonably in demand.


CA expects loss on restructuring, settlement charges Computer Associates said Wednesday that it met its sales forecast in the quarter ended Sept. 30 but will post a loss for the quarter as it absorbs restructuring charges and the \$225 million it agreed to pay shareholders in compensation for its accounting violations.

Iran's protest blogger numbers grow The number of Iranian bloggers passes 10,000 as internet users seek to protest against media censorship.


Olympics: Thorpe Wins 'Race of the Century'  ATHENS (Reuters) - Australia's Ian Thorpe won the gold  medal in the men's 200 meters freestyle, dubbed the "race of  the century," at the Athens Olympics on Monday.

Birdstone Shows Belmont Was No Fluke The downpour that engulfed Saratoga somehow held off until just after Birdstone won the Travers Stakes on Saturday and solidified his credentials as the top 3-year-old in training.


9 killed in clashes between Pakistani forces, militants At least nine were killed Tuesday in the clashes between Pakistani security forces and militants in the South Waziristan tribal area bordering Afghanistan, Daily Times reported Wednesday.


Streets of New York on deck for Kastor Even in the immediate afterglow of her bronze medal in the Olympic marathon in August, Deena (Drossin) Kastor was thinking of Sunday #39;s New York City Marathon.

Lack of Courtesy From ADs Miffs Osborne (AP) AP - Tom Osborne has been out of college football for seven years, and now he can't even get a phone call returned.


Universal Life cooperating in insurance probe Insurance broker Universal Life Resources (ULR) has agreed to cooperate with California authorities in their investigation of alleged insurance industry misdeeds, an attorney for the state said on Thursday.


Randy Moss' Status Unknown for Sunday  MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Sports Network) - Minnesota Vikings  star receiver Randy Moss suffered a hamstring injury during  Sunday's win over New Orleans and his status for this weekend's  game versus Tennessee is unknown.

Judge rejects injunction by organizers over use of Olympic symbols The local issue of Playboy remained on newsstands Friday, after a judge rejected a request for a temporary injunction filed by Athens Games #39; organizers over the magazine #39;s use of Olympic symbols in a photo spread.


Report: US Airways Seeks Union Pay Cut  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bankrupt airline US Airways will ask a  bankruptcy court judge to impose emergency pay cuts of 23  percent on its major unions, the New York Times reported late  on Thursday.


The Giants of Anime are Coming The three titans of Japanese animation are all about to unleash monster new films. Watch your back, Shrek. By Charles C. Mann from Wired magazine.

Aural Heaven: IPod and Analog In high-tech Japan, an antiques dealer pioneers a new way to listen to digital music -- by piping the tunes through tube radios. Nobuyuki Hayashi reports from Tokyo.


Treasuries Up, Indirect Bidders Buy Big (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury prices built on early\gains on Wednesday after an auction of five-year debt drew\surprisingly strong demand from indirect bidders, which include\foreign central banks.


UPDATE: Australia #39;s Orica Triples FY Net To A\$327.8M MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Following several years of cost cutting, Australia #39;s Orica Ltd. (ORI.AU), the world #39;s biggest maker of mining explosives, on Wednesday said net

Latest scandal puts spotlight back on boards At first glance, it might seem as if software company Computer Associates International Inc. has cleaned up its act. Yes, its former CEO and another top executive were indicted last


BoSox, Astros Play for Crucial Game 4 Wins (AP) AP - The Boston Red Sox entered this AL championship series hoping to finally overcome their bitter rivals from New York following a heartbreaking seven-game defeat last October. Instead, they've been reduced to trying to prevent the Yankees from completing a humiliating sweep in their own ballpark.


Returns are in, and Merrimack looks like a winner With a 90-59 record in five years at Merrimack , Ann McInerney has set some high standards.

College Basketball: Illinois Defeats Wake Forest  CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (Sports Network) - Roger Powell Jr. scored  19 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead fifth-ranked  Illinois to a lopsided 91-73 win over No. 1 Wake Forest in the  ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Assembly Hall.


Virus chaos thwarted by poor social engineering The latest variant of the Sober virus was released on Friday and has been spreading over the weekend, but antivirus experts say the situation could have been much worse.


Photos from MacExpo 2004 With over 100 exhibitors  #151; including Apple, Adobe, Bose, Epson, HP, Microsoft, Quark and Sony  #151; and more than 20,000 visitors expected during the three-day event  #151; this year #146;s London MacExpo is shaping up as the biggest and best ever staged. Nov 18


South Africa Arrests One in WMDs, Nuclear Probe  JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - South African  authorities have arrested one person in an investigation into  contraventions of laws on weapons of mass destruction and  nuclear energy, the government said Thursday.


Disgruntled Rice keeps up pressure for a trade Jerry Rice was scheduled to meet with Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis on last night to discuss the receiver's future after he said he wants to be traded.

Singh takes two-shot lead, Woods tied for second Fiji #39;s Vijay Singh fashioned an eight-under par 63 on Saturday to take a two-shot second-round lead on 131 in the Deutsche Bank Championship.


British Mercenary May Head to African Jail (AP) AP - From special forces commander to soldier of fortune, Simon Mann's colorful career reads like a thriller. Born to a world of wealth and privilege, the British mercenary made a fortune in some of Africa's bloodiest wars  #151; and even enjoyed a stint in the movies.


Agencies Find What They #39;re Looking For When computer users hunt for information on the Internet, they typically turn to Google or Yahoo. When analysts working for US intelligence look for documents and data stored on computers

AT T, Vonage Cut Prices on Internet Calling (Reuters) Reuters - AT T Corp.  and Internet telephone\provider Vonage said on Thursday they were cutting prices for\their residential Internet calling services by  #36;5 per month,\the strongest signs yet of a price war in the nascent market.


'Soft patch' not so soft, as US economic growth is revised higher (AFP) AFP - The US economy's  quot;soft patch quot; was not as weak as initial estimates, according to government data showing a 3.3 percent pace of expansion in the second quarter.


Poll: Voters Eyeing National Security WASHINGTON - Concern about national security is dominating public attention in the final months of the presidential campaign because of continuing fears of terrorism and unhappiness about the war in Iraq, according to a poll released Wednesday.   "For the first time since the Vietnam era, national security issues are looming larger than economic issues in an election year," said Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People   the Press...

New push to stop child soldiers A report released Wednesday shows commitment by 85 countries to end the practice - but enforcement still lags. By Mike Crawley  Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor.


Coca-Cola Sees 2nd-Half Below Estimates  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co. KO.N on Wednesday said  earnings for the remainder of 2004 would lag current  expectations because of weakness in key markets.


Nuggets snag win this time The Nuggets and the Timberwolves, who exchanged words and cheap shots in a playoff series in April, met again Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.

Patriots, Eagles Do the Expected _ Win (AP) AP - There might still be a spotless season on the NFL horizon this year.


Ford Down, Nissan Up in September Sales Ford Motor Co. (FN) posted its fourth consecutive month of weaker US sales with a 7 percent drop in September results on Friday, and the automaker doubled its incentives on some models to kick-start sales this month.


Irish urged to reduce gas emissions Ireland #39;s leading expert on climate change, Dr John Sweeney, has warned that both the Government and the public urgently need to do more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

IBM Unwraps Middle Tier i5 Server IBM on Tuesday unveiled the eServer i5 550, a new addition to its Power 5-based lineup that it #39;s aiming at mid-sized business.


European powers get back on track Order was restored in Europe, but South American leaders Brazil and Argentina couldn't find the net yesterday as both were held to 0-0 draws in World Cup qualifying.


Tanks encircle shrine in US blitz on rebels UNITED States tanks today encircled the sacred Imam Ali shrine in the Iraqi city of Najaf, after an intense bombardment of rebel positions overnight.

King frees convicted activist in Bahrain MANAMA, Bahrain -- Bahrain's king ordered the immediate release of a human rights activist who was convicted of inciting hatred of the government and sentenced to one year in prison yesterday in a case linked to criticism of the prime minister.


Fish Beats Hernych at St. Petersburg Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish beat Jan Hernych of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-4 Monday to reach the second round of the St. Petersburg Open.


Chelsea lodge complaint with Uefa Chelsea have lodged a complaint with Uefa after up to 50 fans were barred from the ground in their Champions League clash with CSKA Moscow.

Shaun Alexander drags LB Julian Peterson SEATTLE - It was a year and 12 days since the Seahawks last held an opponent scoreless in a game. The last time the 49ers were held scoreless in a game was in 1977: Jimmy Carter was in office and David Krieg


Water of Life and Other Scientific Highlights of 2004 Science judged that the runner-up to the discovery of water on Mars was the finding of another species of dwarf human which lived on the remote Indonesian island of Flores as little as 13,000 years ago.


UN staff blast officials, spare Annan UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19 (AFP) - The UN staff union on Friday passed a resolution highly critical of the world body #39;s senior management while declining to pin the blame directly on Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Vote observers: access to US polling places difficult (AFP) AFP - An international human rights group said its observers for the 2004 US election found access to polling stations difficult in Florida and Ohio.


Birdstone Proves Worth Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone established himself as the nation's leader among 3-year-olds Saturday with a victory in the Travers Stakes.


Child soldiers square up to US tanks Struggling to lift a Kalashnikov, a 12-year-old with the Mahdi army militia said he could do anything in battle except fly a helicopter.

French court to rule on Sikh boys A French court will rule on whether a new law bans three Sikh boys from wearing the under-turban to school.


Space race sparks new interest The race to collect the Ansari X Prize has all the makings of a good television reality show. But the competition to win the \$10 million prize is also drumming up renewed interest in space flight at a time


Paypal and Apple iTunes link-up Payment system Paypal announces a tie-up with Apple's iTunes as it continues to secure new business with online retailers.

Microsoft Sees \$100 Million First Day for 'Halo 2' Game  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - First-day sales of Microsoft  Corp.'s MSFT.O new video game "Halo 2" will reach \$100  million, a senior Microsoft games executive said on Tuesday.


Powell Visits Port-Au-Prince, Urges World Help to Control Haitian <b>...</b> Secretary of State Colin Powell held talks in Port-au-Prince Wednesday in a brief visit to Haiti marred by a shooting incident outside the presidential palace as he met officials of the country #39;s interim government.


Kazaa  #39;worried about piracy #39; Kazaa, the internet #39;s most popular file-swapping system, told a court in Sydney yesterday that it was worried about users exchanging unauthorised files and had held talks with record companies in the United States.

Various Factors Blamed for Childhood Obesity By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID    WASHINGTON (AP) -- A wide-ranging effort involving parents, schools, communities and government is needed to turn the tide of childhood obesity, the Institute of Medicine said Thursday...


Roddick, Henman Out of Paris Masters Top seed Andy Roddick and holder Tim Henman, their minds perhaps on next week #39;s Masters Cup, bowed out of the Paris Masters in the third round on Thursday.


Lack of Courtesy From ADs Miffs Osborne (AP) AP - Tom Osborne has been out of college football for seven years, and now he can't even get a phone call returned.

Birdstone Shows Belmont Was No Fluke The downpour that engulfed Saratoga somehow held off until just after Birdstone won the Travers Stakes on Saturday and solidified his credentials as the top 3-year-old in training.


Stem Cell Molecules Repair Genetic Damage Researchers report that embryonic stem cells sent molecular signals that repaired fatal genetic damage to heart cells in laboratory mice.


Nortel Restatements Delayed to November  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. NT.TO, one of  the world's largest makers of telecoms equipment, said on  Wednesday it would miss by about two weeks its end of October  deadline to release long-awaited restated financial results.

Greenspan: Economy Regaining Traction (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. economy has escaped a\recent soft patch and seems to be picking up steam, Federal\Reserve chief Alan Greenspan said on Wednesday in remarks\economists saw as cementing a September rate rise.


Thousands in anti-war protest rally The parents of British soldiers killed in Iraq were among thousands of protesters who joined an anti-war march through central London yesterday.


Vote observers: access to US polling places difficult (AFP) AFP - An international human rights group said its observers for the 2004 US election found access to polling stations difficult in Florida and Ohio.

West Japan Quakes Unlikely to Be Precursors, Panel Says  TOKYO (Reuters) - Two strong earthquakes that struck  western Japan are unlikely to be precursors to the type of  massive tremors that hit the region every century or so and the  chances of major aftershocks seem low, a government panel said  on Monday.


Brown to abandon fuel duty increase Gordon Brown will scrap this year #39;s planned increase in fuel duties this week as part of a heavily political package of measures designed to win back Labour #39;s lost supporters in middle Britain.


Two Killed, 10 Hurt in Latest Bangladesh Blast Two people were killed and 10 wounded in a bomb blast in northeastern Bangladesh on Sunday, in the latest of a series of attacks that have killed more than 100 people in the past four years, police said.

Child soldiers square up to US tanks Struggling to lift a Kalashnikov, a 12-year-old with the Mahdi army militia said he could do anything in battle except fly a helicopter.


Oil Prices Rise to High As Demand Continues The price of oil hit another high yesterday, closing above \$47 a barrel as traders reacted to continuing concerns about supply disruptions from terrorism and instability in oil-producing countries.


LSE rejects Deutsche Boerse bid Deutsche Boerse has made a 1.3 billion (\$2.49 billion) approach for the London Stock Exchange, and the LSE #39;s rejection of it on Monday left observers doubting a much better offer would emerge.

US Air Locked in Down-to-Wire Talks on Cuts With Its Pilots US Airways was locked in tough bargaining on wage and benefit cuts with its pilots union, whose backing is critical for the struggling airline to avoid another bankruptcy filing.


NASA sets Swift launch for Saturday Swift #39;s new launch date is Saturday, if NASA, Boeing and the Air Force can replace and test components of the rocket in time. The gamma-ray observatory #39;s


Fannie Mae Financial Reports Questioned Home mortgage lender Fannie Mae on Wednesday said the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight uncovered accounting inaccuracies that raise doubts about the company #39;s previous financial reports.

Giving Voice to A Billion Things (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - When Robert Poor looks at the world, he sees 50 billion embedded microcontrollers, the workhorse chips inside cars, traffic lights and air conditioners, doing their jobs in splendid isolation. Then he imagines what will happen when they all can talk to one another.


Briefly: Web services security outfits merge roundup Plus: Groups push on for TV on cell phones...Shopping.com holders cut IPO shares...Transmeta starts new chip, warns on earnings.


FCC further deregulates Net calls States are now barred from imposing telecommunications regulations on Net phone providers.


Nixon is eager to hit his stride ANAHEIM, Calif. -- In the immediate moments after Wednesday night's win over the Anaheim Angels, reporters gathered three-deep around the locker of catcher Jason Varitek, who clubbed a two-run homer to tie the game in the sixth, and helped navigate the heartening performance of Pedro Martinez, who notched a convincing playoff win, demonstrating high heat and the kind of location ...


Brazil Ruling Party Seeks Stronger Hand from Poll  SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil's ruling Worker's  Party (PT) was looking to strengthen its hand in its fight to  transform this huge Latin American country with a good  performance in nationwide municipal elections on Sunday.

French court to rule on Sikh boys A French court will rule on whether a new law bans three Sikh boys from wearing the under-turban to school.


Labour #39;s anti-terror pledge Home Secretary David Blunkett has signalled that a third term Labour government would impose sweeping new anti-terror laws amid fears of an al Qaida attack on Britain.

Four held under terror laws Police say they are holding four men under anti-terrorism legislation after a tip-off from a newspaper, which said the suspects tried to buy explosives for a dirty bomb.


FCC approves Cingular/AWS merger WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission today conditionally approved the \$41 billion merger of Cingular Wireless LLC and AT amp;T Wireless Services Inc.


Starbucks price hike seen Oct. 6 Newspaper reports the coffee giant will raise the average drink price by 11 cents a cup. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coffee shop giant Starbucks Corp.

Kroger Is King Nation's leading supermarket operator posts 29 rise in third-quarter earnings, strong same-store sales.


Hub schools make grade with \$12.5M science grant A record \$12.5 million grant to be announced today will revolutionize science teaching throughout Boston Public Schools, officials said.


Sun Micro Aims to Woo Banking Customers  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Sun Microsystems Inc. SUNW.O is  staging its first press and customer event in New York on  Tuesday in three years to roll out new products and woo  customers in the banking industry, one of the network computer  maker's most important markets.

AirAsia ordering 40 Airbus planes Airbus won an order to sell 40 planes to AirAsia, Southeast Asia #39;s largest discount airline, beating out Boeing. The Kuala Lumpur-based airline said in a statement to the Malaysian stock


Cotrone wrestling at Oklahoma Dan Cotrone of Hanover, the all-New England Prep All-American heavyweight wrestler at the Tilton School in New Hampshire last year, is now attending the University of Oklahoma and vying for a spot on the Sooners's varsity wrestling team.


Davenport Won't Decide on Retirement Now (AP) AP - All in due time, Lindsay Davenport will decide whether she wants retire. Only right now is not that time.

Sing Me Back Home matches track mark OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Sing Me Back Home pulled away in the stretch to win the \$60,000 Decathalon Handicap at Monmouth Park yesterday, equaling the track record for 5 furlongs.


ATA parent hires restructuring officer ATA #39;s parent corporation has appointed a chief restructuring officer amid heightened speculation that the nation #39;s 10th-largest airline might be nearing bankruptcy.


Virgin Blue Increases Surcharge as Fuel Prices Soar (Update1) Virgin Blue Holdings Ltd., Australia #39;s second-biggest airline, increased a surcharge on all tickets as the cost of jet fuel soars.

Stock Futures Rise After GDP Data  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures rose on Tuesday,  pointing to a flat market open, after preliminary third-quarter  gross domestic product data showed higher-than-expected growth.


#39;Suspect Package #39; Man Dies in Polling Day Blast A man who tried to bring a suspicious package into a polling station in Chechnya today was killed in an explosion as he ran away, election officials said.


Intelligent Telescopes Survey the Violent Skies PPARC -- British astronomers are celebrating a world first that could revolutionise the future of astronomy. They have just begun a project to operate a global network of the world's biggest robotic telescopes, dubbed 'RoboNet-1.0' which will be controlled by intelligent software to provide rapid observations of sudden changes in astronomical objects, such as violent Gamma Ray Bursts, or 24-hour surveillance of interesting phenomena...

Water of Life and Other Scientific Highlights of 2004 Science judged that the runner-up to the discovery of water on Mars was the finding of another species of dwarf human which lived on the remote Indonesian island of Flores as little as 13,000 years ago.


United says it will ask workers for more cost cuts CHICAGO _ Calling its financial condition  quot;sobering, quot; United Airlines said Friday that it will seek substantially more cost cuts than previously announced to help the carrier emerge from bankruptcy.

Nortel Restatements Delayed to November  OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nortel Networks Corp. NT.TO, one of  the world's largest makers of telecoms equipment, said on  Wednesday it would miss by about two weeks its end of October  deadline to release long-awaited restated financial results.


Myanmar to Release More Prisoners Myanmar #39;s ruling military junta announced Saturday that more than 5,000 prisoners have had their sentences suspended and will be freed from various prisons around the


Bhopal victims still awaiting justice Twenty years later, Union Carbide is still shortchanging the victims of the world #39;s worst industrial disaster. On Dec. 3, 1984, a toxic gas leak from Union Carbide #39;s pesticide factory in Bhopal, India, killed at least 7,000 people.

Tigers in Thai zoo dying of bird flu BANGKOK - Avian influenza has killed 23 tigers and sickened 30 more at a private zoo in eastern Thailand, Thai officials said on Tuesday.


Nuggets snag win this time The Nuggets and the Timberwolves, who exchanged words and cheap shots in a playoff series in April, met again Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.


Athens champion album - Aug. 21 (1) Britain #39;s Yngling crew Shirley Robertson (M), Sarah Webb (R) and Sarah Ayton celebrate at award ceremony after winning the first title at the Athens Olympic Games on August 21, 2004.

Venus Williams Upset in Kremlin Cup Play (AP) AP - A weakened Lindsay Davenport lost to defending champion Anastasia Myskina 6-4, 7-6 (1) Saturday in the Kremlin Cup semifinals but will still regain the No. 1 ranking next week.


Mugabe Higher Than Tsvangirai In Zimbabwe (CPOD) Aug. 26, 2004 - Adults in Zimbabwe are divided over the performance of Robert Mugabe, according to the Afrobarometer conducted by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, Ghanas Centre for


Australia #39;s Alinta: ACCC Won #39;t Oppose Dampier Pipe Bid-2- SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Australian energy company Alinta Ltd. (ALN.AU) said Monday that Australia #39;s competition regulator won #39;t oppose its joint bid for the Dampier to Bunbury gas pipeline in Western Australia state.

Pair urges Disney CEO search The leaders of the effort to oust Michael Eisner as chief executive of Walt Disney Co. have called on the company's board to reject Eisner's offer to retire in 2006 and his pick of president Robert Iger as his successor.


AOL offers its customers online shield free of charge America Online blocked popup ads and intensified its fight against junk e-mail last year. Starting today, the largest online service is carrying its campaign against online plagues even further.


Cashing in at Deutsche Bank Vijay Singh's gift bag was without question stuffed more than anyone else's when he left TPC Boston in Norton following Monday's final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship.

Wolfsburg remains top Martin Petrov put the home side ahead early, but Kaiserslautern #39;s Carsten Jancker made it 1-1 with just eight minutes remaining.


Pakistani forces arrest several Al Qaeda suspects Pakistani security forces arrested several suspects on Monday, including some linked to Al Qaeda network. The arrests came one day after Pakistani security forces killed a senior Al Qaeda operative, Amjad Farooqi, in a raid in southern Pakistan.


An Ergonomic, Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Set The Wireless Optical Desktop Comfort Edition, with its mildly arced keypad, allows for easy typing while providing some relief for your wrists.

Briefly: Hello, halitosis roundup Plus: House takes on piracy, 'video voyeurism'...Verizon sets up Iobi Home...Sun makes financial pitch...PeopleSoft-Oracle trial delayed.


Ukraine Liberal Vows Demonstrations if Cheated  KIEV (Reuters) - The liberal challenger in a closely fought  presidential election in Ukraine raised the stakes on Friday,  threatening to bring his supporters onto the streets if the  authorities tried to deny him victory by cheating.


Briefly: Web services security outfits merge roundup Plus: Groups push on for TV on cell phones...Shopping.com holders cut IPO shares...Transmeta starts new chip, warns on earnings.

VC Firm Joins Open Source Development Labs (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Voyager Capital, a Pacific Northwest I.T. venture firm, has joined the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), an Oregon-based organization dedicated to boosting the growth and adoption of Linux in enterprises.


La Russa, Francona have family ties For the here and now, it is the challenge of matching wits with Terry Francona that dominates Tony La Russa's thoughts in the World Series.


Phillies keep Lidle around for two more years Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies re-signed righthander Cory Lidle to a two-year deal worth \$6.3 million Tuesday.

Cyclones Blow Chance Iowa State makes a slew of late-game errors and falls to Missouri, 17-14, in overtime. The loss sends Colorado to the Big 12 title game against Oklahoma.


Iraq's Top Cleric Arrives in Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - Iraq's top Shiite cleric made a dramatic return to Najaf at the head of a massive convoy Thursday hoping to end three weeks of fighting in the holy city, but hours earlier a mortar barrage slammed into a mosque filled with Iraqis preparing to join his march, killing 27 people.    Along with the mortar attack, another group of thousands of marchers heading into Najaf from its sister-city Kufa came under fire from an Iraqi National Guard base...


Thailand bird flu deaths increase A girl has died of bird flu in Thailand, the 11th confirmed victim of the disease this year. Kanda Srileung-On died in the north of the country, hours after testing positive for the virus, apparently caught from infected chickens.

Typhoon Kills 66 in Japan, Deadliest in 22 Years  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's deadliest typhoon in more than  two decades killed 66 people, news reports said on Thursday as  rescuers searched frantically for 22 still missing in floods  and landslides.


Congress Fails to Act on Copyright Bills Controversial bills proposed new penalties (including jail time) for copyright violations.


Sing Me Back Home matches track mark OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Sing Me Back Home pulled away in the stretch to win the \$60,000 Decathalon Handicap at Monmouth Park yesterday, equaling the track record for 5 furlongs.

Londoners urged to embrace 2012 bid To the outside world, Londoners are cold, brusque and unimpressed at the prospect of millions of people turning up on their doorstep to watch the 2012 Olympics.


Turkey gets conditional OK for EU talks In a historic move that could extend Europe #39;s borders to the edge of the volatile Middle East, the European Union recommended Wednesday setting mostly Muslim Turkey


Thousands in anti-war protest rally The parents of British soldiers killed in Iraq were among thousands of protesters who joined an anti-war march through central London yesterday.

Government Warns Americans of Iraq Travel (AP) AP - The State Department reminded Americans Friday of the dangers of traveling in Iraq, a day after two American construction workers were kidnapped from their home in Baghdad.


Sun Micro Aims to Woo Banking Customers  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Sun Microsystems Inc. SUNW.O is  staging its first press and customer event in New York on  Tuesday in three years to roll out new products and woo  customers in the banking industry, one of the network computer  maker's most important markets.


West Japan Quakes Unlikely to Be Precursors, Panel Says  TOKYO (Reuters) - Two strong earthquakes that struck  western Japan are unlikely to be precursors to the type of  massive tremors that hit the region every century or so and the  chances of major aftershocks seem low, a government panel said  on Monday.

US strike kills 15 Iraqis Meanwhile, Italy #39;s foreign minister, Franco Frattini, arrived in Kuwait on an 11th-hour mission to win the release of two Italian women hostages kidnapped by Islamist militants last week.


Birdstone Proves Worth Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone established himself as the nation's leader among 3-year-olds Saturday with a victory in the Travers Stakes.


Continental Refutes Report of Charges (AP) AP - Continental Airlines Inc. said Wednesday it was "outraged" at reports that French authorities want to prosecute the airline and several employees over the Concorde crash that killed 113 people in Paris four years ago.

Brazil's Trade Surplus Is Biggest Ever Brazil racked up its biggest trade surplus in history last year, but the country's export boom of everything from soybeans to automobiles is expected to ease in 2005.


FireFox as a Security Risk Compared to IE? A not-so anonymous Anonymous Coward asks:  quot;The administrator at my work gave me the following reason for not using Mozilla. What do you think?


King frees convicted activist in Bahrain MANAMA, Bahrain -- Bahrain's king ordered the immediate release of a human rights activist who was convicted of inciting hatred of the government and sentenced to one year in prison yesterday in a case linked to criticism of the prime minister.

Jackson Squares Off With Attorney SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Fans of Michael Jackson erupted in cheers Monday as the pop star emerged from a double-decker tour bus and went into court for a showdown with the prosecutor who has pursued him for years on child molestation charges...


Bernard Hopkins Leaves Calling Card  Stops De La Hoya in Ninth Just four months shy of his 40th birthday, Hopkinswho appeared to be starting to wear De La Hoya down as the fight neared the championship roundsclosed the show with a lethal body shot in the 9th.


E-Voting Machine Crash Deepens Concerns (AP) AP - A computer crash that forced a pre-election test of electronic voting machines to be postponed was trumpeted by critics as proof of the balloting technology's unreliability.

Stem Cell Molecules Repair Genetic Damage Researchers report that embryonic stem cells sent molecular signals that repaired fatal genetic damage to heart cells in laboratory mice.


LSE rejects Deutsche Boerse bid Deutsche Boerse has made a 1.3 billion (\$2.49 billion) approach for the London Stock Exchange, and the LSE #39;s rejection of it on Monday left observers doubting a much better offer would emerge.