Police Chief Backs Using Force Against Intruders Britains top police officer today called for an urgent updating of the law to protect householders who use force to defend their homes against criminals - even if it involves killing the intruder.

Labour delegates force Iraq vote Iraq is chosen for a vote at Labour conference but Tony Blair says he will not apologise for the war.


Eleusis wins Long Island  #39;cap; Personal Legend wins Turnback the <b>...</b> Eleusis made a successful US debut by beating Literacy by 2\\ lengths in Aqueduct #39;s Saturday feature, the Grade II, \$150,000 Long Island Handicap for fillies and mares 3 and older.


PSV Stays Top After 1-0 Win Over Willem II  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored his  seventh goal of the season to give Dutch league leader PSV  Eindhoven a 1-0 win over Willem II Tilburg on Saturday.

Safin stops Youzhny for China Open title Marat Safin won the China Open yestereday, beating fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny, 7-6 (4), 7-5, to claim his first title in two years.


New Brussels blow for Turkey #39;s EU hopes EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler on Friday became the latest Brussels critic to raise doubts over Turkey #39;s hopes of joining the bloc, as wrangling over Ankara #39;s EU bid heats up.


PeopleSoft CEO Conway maintains defiant tone SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - With 15,000 attendees at PeopleSoft Inc. #39;s Connect 2004 user show waiting to hear how the company would handle Oracle Corp.

SunGard to Spin Off Data Recovery Unit  NEW YORK (Reuters) - SunGard Data Systems Inc. SDS.N on  Monday said it would spin off its data recovery business,  sending its stock up 11 percent to a four-month high.


New Google Scholar search service aimed at academics Google Inc. on Thursday formally launched a new search service aimed at scientists and academic researchers. Google Scholar is a free beta service that allows users to search for scholarly literature


Pulitzer shares surge on possible sale ST. LOUIS Pulitzer Incorporated shares spike more than 17 percent on news that the publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and two Arizona newspapers is considering a possible sale.

Walgreen 4th-Qtr Net Rises 18 Percent on Drug Sales (Update1) Walgreen Co., the largest US drugstore chain, said fourth-quarter profit rose 18 percent, helped by sales of prescription drugs. Net income had its biggest gain in almost two years, climbing


EA Signs Five-Year Exclusive NFL Deal Electronic Arts announced an exclusive licensing relationships with the National Football League and PLAYERS INC to develop, publish and distribute interactive football games.


Van Gogh #39;s murder brings out Holland #39;s contradictions The murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a young Muslim of Moroccan descent has shaken Holland to its very foundations. To most people, including the Dutch, the killing and its violent

Car Crashes Into Japan Parliament Gate -Jiji (Reuters) Reuters - A car crashed into a gate of Japan's\parliament building in central Tokyo on Thursday and caught\fire, Jiji news agency said.


Bluetooth flying bot creates buzz The latest tiny flying robot that could help in search and rescue or surveillance has been unveiled in Japan.


Fierce Clashes in Iraq Kill 34 People BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. forces battled insurgents loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City on Tuesday, in clashes that left at least 34 people dead, including one American soldier, and 193 people injured, U.S...

Live: Olympics day four Richard Faulds and Stephen Parry are going for gold for Great Britain on day four in Athens.


It #39;s About Time Sox Became The Champs  And Real Rivals Finally. the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox have a bona fide rivalry. Please don #39;t assume that this belongs on the sports pages.


Rate hikes by Fed dull ARMs #39; luster 30-year fixed home loans remain appealing, but variable rates have been on the move up. By Sandra Block. If you #39;re hoping an adjustable-rate mortgage will help you afford your dream house, you may want to rethink those granite countertops.

Merrill, Wachovia, others fined for late reporting NEW YORK: The NASD yesterday said it censured and fined 29 securities firms a total of \$US9.22 (\$NZ13.04) million for failing to properly disclose required information about their brokers more than 8300 times.


Bombings at Two Buenos Aires Banks Kill 1 (AP) AP - Homemade bombs exploded in two Buenos Aires banks Wednesday, killing a security guard, police said.

U.S. Report Undercuts Bush War Rationale WASHINGTON - Undercutting the Bush's administration's rationale for invading Iraq, the final report of the chief U.S. arms inspector concludes that Saddam Hussein did not vigorously pursue a program to develop weapons of mass destruction after international inspectors left Baghdad in 1998, according to lawmakers and others briefed on the report...


Flower power turns up the volume A Japanese company has come up with a way of turning flowers into loudspeakers.


REL asks quitting directors to rethink Mumbai: The board of Indian power utility Reliance Energy Ltd. told the Bombay exchange on Tuesday it had asked its six directors who resigned last week to reconsider their resignations.


Korean and Japanese Phone Makers Win -Survey  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - South Korean mobile phone makers  continued a rapid move up the global market rankings during the  third quarter, while growth in the wider mobile phone market  slowed, a survey found on Wednesday.


US diplomat among 7 injured in Islamabad hotel explosion ISLAMABAD: Seven people including foreigners were injured in a powerful explosion at the entrance to the Marriott Hotel lobby on Thursday.

UN demands Rwanda pull out military forces in DRC The UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned reported military actions by Rwanda in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and demanded the country immediately withdraw any troops it may have in the DRC.


Retailers Looking to Move Plasma TV's (AP) AP - Hanging stockings by the chimney with care? Retailers hope that St. Nicholas soon will be there  #151; to hang a 42-inch plasma-screen TV.


A Taste of Yum! Wins the World Over Strong international sales growth and solid U.S. comps propel the company's stock to its highest price ever.

Pfizer News Sends Blue Chips Down  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Dow Jones industrial average fell  on Friday after Pfizer Inc. PFE.N shares opened nearly 19  percent down on trial data for its popular arthritis drug  Celebrex that showed increased risk of heart attack.


Sainz forced off road TWO-TIME world champion Carlos Sainz #39;s career came to a premature end today after the Spaniard was forced out of the Rally of Australia.

Patriots Begin Title Defense with Narrow Win Over Colts The New England Patriots began their quest for successive Super Bowl titles with a tight 27-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the opening game of the NFL season in Foxboro Thursday.


Blue Chips Drop After Merck Announcement  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were lower on Thursday  after drug company and Dow component Merck   Co.MRK.N said it  was withdrawing a key drug, casting a dark mood over the market  as oil prices remained above \$49 a barrel.


Olympic traffic measures needed at Paralympics: experts Experts recommend that the traffic control measures taken during last month #39;s Olympic Summer Games and the current Paralympics should be kept in Athens permanently, as they

Yankees' Holding Pattern Is Sure to Change Brian Cashman, the general manager of the Yankees, on Friday looked as if he had been up deep into the night plotting how to improve the team.


IBM plans Web meeting service, takes aim at WebEx IBM's new Lotus Web Conferencing Service, expected to be offered next month, requires that users simply register an account and have an Internet connection, a Web browser and a phone.


Putin backs veto for members of expanded Security Council Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday rejected a key recommendation of a United Nations panel on expanding the UN Security Council, saying any reform would be one-sided if new members did not have veto power.

Baghdad Bombings Kill One US Soldier, Wound 13 WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2004 -- A series of car bombings in Baghdad today killed one American soldier and wounded 13 others. The bombings also killed at least two Iraqi policemen and reportedly injured scores of other Iraqis.


Coke opens fridge door to rivals Coca Cola says it will allow retailers to stock rival drinks in its branded coolers as part of a deal with EU anti-trust watchdogs.

Report boosts Nextel, Sprint Shares of Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. jumped yesterday following reports the two telephone companies were discussing a merger.


Egypt and Israel sign US trade accord 25 years after peace treaty (AFP) AFP - In a partnership hailed as a major boost to often chilly ties, Egypt and Israel signed a first joint trade accord with the United States since their historic peace treaty 25 years ago.


Interview: OSDL chief Stuart Cohen - Part 2 In the second of a two-part interview, Open Systems Development Labs chief Stuart Cohen gives his views on Linux security, desktops, the Domino effect towards Linux, and why Microsoft will eventually port to Linux.

Explorers Find Ancient City in Remote Peru Jungle (Reuters) Reuters - An ancient walled city complex\inhabited some 1,300 years ago by a culture later conquered by\the Incas has been discovered deep in Peru's Amazon jungle,\explorers said on Tuesday.


Oracle in Merger Talks with Other Firms  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. ORCL.O is in  merger talks with other technology companies as it awaits the  outcome of its \$9.2 billion hostile takeover bid for rival  software maker PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O.


Unrest Spreads To Southern Iraq (CBS/AP) As US forces continued to bombard the restive city of Fallujah and clashed with militants in the streets of Baghdad, there was unrest in the normally quiet British-patrolled city of Basra.

A suicide bombing killed 3 people in a crowded Tel Aviv market <b>...</b> A suicide bombing killed at least five people and seriously injured more than 30 others in a crowded Tel Aviv open-air market. Injured shoppers were treated on the ground, as vegetables were strewn on the pavement.


China move on textile exports gets cautious response The US and the European Union responded cautiously yesterday to China #39;s surprise undertaking to impose duties on some textile exports, a step it said was designed to ensure a  quot;smooth


Arrowhead: It still is pointing the way In comparison to its contemporaries it could be termed a modern marvel, an example of how to do things right when everyone else was doing things wrong.

Australia better prepared, says Gilchrist Mumbai - Australia #39;s stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist said on Saturday his team was seeking a momentous Test series triumph in India.


Modified US space shuttle ready to fly next spring NASA said Thursday it had corrected flaws that caused the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia in February 2003 and that a modified shuttle would be ready to resume flights sometime next Spring.


Bonds deserves a  quot;C quot; for historic 73 What symbol should be placed next to Barry Bonds #39; monumental mark of 73 home runs? How about a capital  quot;C quot; for  quot;The Cream, quot;  quot;The Clear, quot;  quot;The Cheat quot;?

Red Sox ready to end jinx The New York Yankees hold the Curse of the Bambino, the Boston Massacre and their acquisition of Alex Rodriguez in their longstanding dominance over the Red Sox, but recent history suggests changes are coming.


Conditions Worsen in Darfur, U.N. Agencies Say (Reuters) Reuters - Conditions for 1.2 million Sudanese\displaced in Darfur continue to worsen amid violent attacks,\spreading disease, and heavy rains which wreak havoc with aid\convoys, United Nations agencies said on Tuesday.


Egypt and Israel sign US trade accord 25 years after peace treaty (AFP) AFP - In a partnership hailed as a major boost to often chilly ties, Egypt and Israel signed a first joint trade accord with the United States since their historic peace treaty 25 years ago.

Going ballistic: Agni-II test fired NEW DELHI: Indias quest to develop a solid missile defence took a step forward today when it successfully test-fired the surface-to-surface Agni-II missile, which can cover targets in the 2000-2500 kms-range, from the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at


Rate hikes by Fed dull ARMs #39; luster 30-year fixed home loans remain appealing, but variable rates have been on the move up. By Sandra Block. If you #39;re hoping an adjustable-rate mortgage will help you afford your dream house, you may want to rethink those granite countertops.


Second Acts Former House speaker Thomas M. Finneran is the new president of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, a trade group that counts more than 400 members, including Genzyme Corp. and Biogen Idec Inc., the two largest biotechnology companies in the state. Its previous president left under pressure earlier this year, and some members say they chose Finneran, who quit his legislative post ...

Heineken Profit Dips But Repeats Outlook  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch brewer Heineken posted a 4.5  percent fall in core profit for the first half on Wednesday, at  the low end of expectations as a weak dollar and sluggish  markets hurt business.


Eleusis wins Long Island  #39;cap; Personal Legend wins Turnback the <b>...</b> Eleusis made a successful US debut by beating Literacy by 2\\ lengths in Aqueduct #39;s Saturday feature, the Grade II, \$150,000 Long Island Handicap for fillies and mares 3 and older.


Barcelona return for Mourinho Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, last night talked about how  quot;emotional quot; it will be returning to Barcelona in the last 16, knockout stage of the Champions League.

USC #39;s Orgeron shows interest in Ole Miss job While the list has dwindled in the search to replace David Cutcliffe as the Ole Miss football coach, one name has risen to the top.


Merrill, Wachovia, others fined for late reporting NEW YORK: The NASD yesterday said it censured and fined 29 securities firms a total of \$US9.22 (\$NZ13.04) million for failing to properly disclose required information about their brokers more than 8300 times.


Blair Flies to Stand by Bush in Post-Arafat Plans (Reuters) Reuters - As George W. Bush formulates his plans\for a Middle East without Yasser Arafat, British Prime Minister\Tony Blair will be standing where he says he belongs: right by\the U.S. president's side.

Presidential campaign turns even nastier (AFP) AFP - The US presidential race hit a new low in nastiness with images of Osama bin Laden and epithets such as  quot;despicable quot; and  quot;un-American quot; bombarding voters before a crucial series of televised debates.


Treasuries Slip as Stocks Rally  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury debt prices slipped on  Monday, though traders characterized the move as profit-taking  rather than any fundamental change in sentiment.


McCain Optimistic About Steroid Test Deal (AP) AP - Sen. John McCain is "guardedly optimistic" that major league baseball and its players could reach an agreement on tougher testing for steroids.

Paralympics: China Surges As First Doping Cases Result In Lifetime <b>...</b> ATHENS (AFP) - The Athens Paralympics weathered its first doping scandal, while juggernaut China continued to dominate the competition, racking up nearly twice as many as second-place Britain over the first four days of competition.


Maddux Wins No. 302, Baker Wins No. 1,000 Greg Maddux pitched the Chicago Cubs into the lead in the NL wild-card race and gave Dusty Baker a win to remember. Maddux threw seven shutout innings for his 302nd career win, Baker got his 1,000th victory as a manager and Chicago beat the Montreal Expos 5-2 on Monday night...


Google Shares, Once Devalued, Just May Be Winners After All Wall Street, which forced Google, the Internet search engine, to sharply lower the price of its shares in its initial public offering in August, has decided that the company is worth a lot more today than it was then.

Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Security software maker Symantec Corp.  has agreed to buy Veritas Software Corp. for \$13.5 billion,  expanding into the backup and recovery software market, the  companies said on Thursday.


EU to talk through asylum plans Key EU interior ministers are to meet in Florence to discuss plans for migrant holding centres outside Europe.


Gregg: I will help to close deal EVERTON chairman Bill Kenwright #39;s plans for a Russian revolution at Goodison Park may have thawed the cold war with director Paul Gregg.

Boxing: Khan shows no rust to emerge lord of the ring Amir Khan celebrated his first fight since winning the lightweight Olympic silver medal in Athens with a one-sided 35-13 points victory over American Michael Evans at Liverpool Olympia last night.


Intel Outlook May Portend PC Weakness  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Intel Corp's INTC.O sharp cut in its  revenue outlook dragged down shares of personal computer makers  on Friday, on fears that the chipmaker's problems could signal  weak PC markets, analysts said.


Paralympics: China Surges As First Doping Cases Result In Lifetime <b>...</b> ATHENS (AFP) - The Athens Paralympics weathered its first doping scandal, while juggernaut China continued to dominate the competition, racking up nearly twice as many as second-place Britain over the first four days of competition.

Nuggets 100, Clippers 88 Carmelo Anthony, who missed Denver #39;s previous game after being cited for marijuana possession, scored 23 points for the Nuggets in a 100-88 preseason victory Thursday night over the Los Angeles Clippers.


Clinton Rips Starr, Media on Prosecution (AP) AP - In a prime-time television outburst, Bill Clinton ripped old nemesis Kenneth Starr and what the former president portrayed as a gullible media eager to report every "sleazy thing" leaked from a prosecutor bent on bringing him down.


Saddam meets lawyer, aides due in Court Saddam Hussein met with a defense lawyer Thursday for the first time since his capture a year ago, days before several of his top aides are due to appear in court for hearings on alleged war crimes.

Election chaos? (U.S. News   World Report) U.S. News   World Report - Michael Cadigan's day job is practicing commercial law in Albuquerque. But over eggs at the trendy Gold Street Caffe in the heart of downtown, he and a dozen other lawyers are immersing themselves in the intricacies of election law. On Election Day, they plan to be out in force for Democrat John Kerry at polling places across New Mexico, where Al Gore won in 2000 by just 366 votes.  quot;We know there was a lot of monkey business with counting ballots before, quot; says Cadigan.  quot;We want to make sure that doesn't happen again. ...


Retailers Looking to Move Plasma TV's (AP) AP - Hanging stockings by the chimney with care? Retailers hope that St. Nicholas soon will be there  #151; to hang a 42-inch plasma-screen TV.


Colgate to cut workforce CONSUMER goods maker Colgate-Palmolive said today it would cut about 12 per cent of its 37,000-person work force and close a third of its factories worldwide as part of a four-year restructuring.

Ex PeopleSoft chief admits lying to analysts WILMINGTON: The former chief executive of PeopleSoft, who was fired last week, said he lied to Wall Street analysts last year about the impact of Oracle #39;s hostile bid on the company #39;s business.


Space O2 Generator Fails Again Repairs to the oxygen generator onboard the International Space Station seemed to work, but then failed the following day. Astronauts are again limited to backup oxygen supplies. By Amit Asaravala.


JJB profit and bid hopes fade away Sports retailer JJB yesterday reported a near 25 drop in profits and continuing poor sales, and ended shareholders #39; hopes of a takeover by announcing that a potential bidder had walked away.

China move on textile exports gets cautious response The US and the European Union responded cautiously yesterday to China #39;s surprise undertaking to impose duties on some textile exports, a step it said was designed to ensure a  quot;smooth


Charting East Asias milestones IT is a special honour for me to be speaking before such a distinguished gathering, including my illustrious predecessor and his colleagues from Korea and Japan who are all well-known for their visionary ideas and as proponents of East Asian cooperation.


Four players shoot opening-round 66 SEMMES, Ala. -- Grace Park, looking to clinch second place in the Player of the Year race, birdied the final hole Thursday to gain a share of the lead after the first round of the Tournament of Champions.

Robertson emerges with time A debate on draft day 2003 was whether the Patriots should have moved up to take Kentucky defensive lineman Dewayne Robertson , who was picked fourth overall by the Jets. After he had a subpar rookie season, the feeling was the Patriots made the right choice, though they took Ty Warren 13th overall that year and he also ...


The Playlist: What's Wrong With Digital Music Stores? (PC World) PC World - Though digital music has come a long way, today's online music stores still have significant problems. Here's my fix-it wish list.


Dutchman suspected of aiding Saddam in war crimes is arrested A MAN suspected of helping former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein commit war crimes and genocide by supplying him with materials for chemical weapons, has been arrested by the Netherlands authorities.

U.S. Wants to Lease Swedish Submarine (AP) AP - The United States wants to lease a Swedish attack submarine for naval exercises in the Baltic Sea in a deal possibly worth tens of millions of dollars, defense officials said Sunday.


Titan reveals its purple patches LONDON: Unprecedented pictures of the purple atmospheric haze on Titan have been captured by the Cassini spacecraft during its closest approach yet to Saturn #39;s largest moon.


US stocks up on durable goods news; chips down US stocks got a mild boost on Friday as government data showed better-than-expected demand in August for durable goods other than transportation equipment, but climbing oil prices limited gains.

Walgreen 4th-Qtr Net Rises 18 Percent on Drug Sales (Update1) Walgreen Co., the largest US drugstore chain, said fourth-quarter profit rose 18 percent, helped by sales of prescription drugs. Net income had its biggest gain in almost two years, climbing


New MSN Search May Be a Google Killer! New MSN Search May Be a Google Killer!\\The Second Look at MSN's Search technology is available for public beta testing. I've given it a spin myself and must say that I'm impressed. Although they have no ads on the SERP's of the preview site, I'm sure they will load it ...


British Energy to delist to save rescue plan Beleaguered British Energy has applied to delist its shares as it tries to stop shareholders from blocking a restructuring plan to keep the company in business.

Oil Hits \$53 on Winter Worries, Nigeria  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices scaled new heights at \$53 for  U.S. crude on Thursday on concerns over tight winter heating  fuel supplies and an unexpected strike at Nigerian oil  terminals.


Steal SpongeBob, buy a PC museum We've got two more entries this week in the category of "What weird, useless stuff is for sale on eBay that I just have to have?"

Microsoft Will Replace Fake Copies of XP U.K. users will be able to replace pirated versions of Windows that they have purchased.


Sharon Seeks Wider Govt. to Save Gaza Pullout Plan  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  launched new efforts Tuesday to widen his shaky coalition after  a stinging setback in parliament that complicated his plan to  withdraw from some occupied territory.


Iran Denies Any Nuclear Activity At Suspect Site Parchin VIENNA (AFP) - Iran denied that it had carried out any nuclear-related activity at the Parchin military site which is the subject of US and UN concern.

UN Council Votes Ivory Coast Arms Embargo (Reuters) Reuters - The U.N. Security Council on\Monday imposed an immediate arms embargo on Ivory Coast and\voted to punish key government and rebel leaders with\additional sanctions next month.


Intel Outlook May Portend PC Weakness  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Intel Corp's INTC.O sharp cut in its  revenue outlook dragged down shares of personal computer makers  on Friday, on fears that the chipmaker's problems could signal  weak PC markets, analysts said.


ANZ sells project finance unit Australia  amp; New Zealand Banking Group said today it would transfer most of its London-based project finance business to Standard Chartered.

Rate hikes by Fed dull ARMs #39; luster 30-year fixed home loans remain appealing, but variable rates have been on the move up. By Sandra Block. If you #39;re hoping an adjustable-rate mortgage will help you afford your dream house, you may want to rethink those granite countertops.


Presidential campaign turns even nastier (AFP) AFP - The US presidential race hit a new low in nastiness with images of Osama bin Laden and epithets such as  quot;despicable quot; and  quot;un-American quot; bombarding voters before a crucial series of televised debates.


Singingfish Floats New Multimedia Search With broadband and desktop media fueling consumer interest in digital media content, video and audio search provider Singingfish has launched an improved search portal to help the world find more multi-media online.

OSDL teams with another open source group The Beaverton-based Open Source Development Labs announced this week it is combining some efforts with another open source group to further the adoption of Linux.


New Brussels blow for Turkey #39;s EU hopes EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler on Friday became the latest Brussels critic to raise doubts over Turkey #39;s hopes of joining the bloc, as wrangling over Ankara #39;s EU bid heats up.


Understanding Search Engine Models Understanding Search Engine Models\\To understand search engines and search engine marketing, one must first understand the search engine model. There are two fundamentally different types of search engine back ends: site directories and spidering search engines. Site directory databases are built by a person manually inputting data about websites. Most ...

Interview: OSDL chief Stuart Cohen - Part 2 In the second of a two-part interview, Open Systems Development Labs chief Stuart Cohen gives his views on Linux security, desktops, the Domino effect towards Linux, and why Microsoft will eventually port to Linux.


Police Chief Backs Using Force Against Intruders Britains top police officer today called for an urgent updating of the law to protect householders who use force to defend their homes against criminals - even if it involves killing the intruder.


Check Boeing sops, Airbustells US Check Boeing sops, Airbustells <b>...</b> European aircraft maker Airbus on Thursday criticised a US move to take a fight about subsidies to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), saying it showed its rivals unwillingness to address its own subsidies.

New drug extends multiple sclerosis options 25/11/2004 - The first in a completely new class of drug for multiple sclerosis has been approved in the US, opening up a new avenue of treatment for sufferers of the debilitating diseases and potential blockbuster revenues for developers Elan and Biogen


Islamic threaten women #39;s soccer tournament in Bangladesh The organizers of Bangladesh #39;s first women #39;s soccer tournament promised to keep playing despite protests by a Muslim group that called the event  quot;indecent and against Islamic norms quot;.


Consumer Confidence Hits 7-Month Low   NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumers turned more gloomy in  October, beset by soaring energy prices, relentless violence in  Iraq and the increasingly bitter end of the presidential  election campaign.

Oracle in Merger Talks with Other Firms  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. ORCL.O is in  merger talks with other technology companies as it awaits the  outcome of its \$9.2 billion hostile takeover bid for rival  software maker PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O.


Iran Announces Uranium Conversion Tests Defying a key demand set by 35 nations, Iran announced Tuesday that it has started converting raw uranium into the gas needed for enrichment, a process that can be used to make nuclear weapons.


Crude oil prices soar on drop in US oil inventories Crude oil futures surged Wednesday as the US Energy Department reported US oil supplies fell more than expected. Crude oil for October delivery rose 1.68 dollars to 43.

Merrill, Wachovia, others fined for late reporting NEW YORK: The NASD yesterday said it censured and fined 29 securities firms a total of \$US9.22 (\$NZ13.04) million for failing to properly disclose required information about their brokers more than 8300 times.


Cambodia #39;s Legislature Bars Government from Pardoning Khmer Rouge Legislators today approved laws barring the Cambodian government from pardoning Khmer Rouge suspects, one day after ratifying a landmark UN-backed plan to set up a tribunal to prosecute surviving leaders of the murderous 1970s regime.


Dozens of Iraqi soldiers found executed The corpses of 50 soldiers of Iraq #39;s new army have been discovered northeast of the capital Baghdad. Interim Iraqi interior ministry spokesman Adnan Abd al-Rahman said the troops were believed to have been

Dutchman suspected of aiding Saddam in war crimes is arrested A MAN suspected of helping former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein commit war crimes and genocide by supplying him with materials for chemical weapons, has been arrested by the Netherlands authorities.


Qwest: The end of the beginning Thursday #39;s agreement between Qwest Communications and federal regulator settles allegations of  quot;massive financial fraud quot; at a price of \$250 million.


Residents Protest Nation #39;s First Hydrogen Refueling Station Two dozen protesters greeted Mayor Tony Williams and top executives of Shell, who came to open North America #39;s first hydrogen refueling station.

UPDATE 2-Trump bondholders agree on recapitalization plan Trump Hotels  amp; Casino Resorts Inc. (DJTC.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) , which has been on the brink of bankruptcy, said on Thursday that a majority of bondholders have approved


Mobile phone network reaches last of China's ethnic minorities (AFP) AFP - China has brought its mobile phone network to the last of its ethnic minority regions previously cut off from communication with the outside world, state media reported.


Live: Olympics day four Richard Faulds and Stephen Parry are going for gold for Great Britain on day four in Athens.

EU to talk through asylum plans Key EU interior ministers are to meet in Florence to discuss plans for migrant holding centres outside Europe.


Thousands queue for Halo 2 Hordes of video game fans queued outside more than 6500 stores across the United States overnight on Tuesday to get a copy of the new Halo 2 game whose first day takings are expected to rival a Hollywood blockbuster.


Germany Cedes 2006 Cup Honor to Brazil (AP) AP - Germany declined the chance to play in the opening game of the 2006 World Cup, with the host nation ceding the honor to Brazil, the 2002 champion.

Braves 6, Padres 5 Andruw Jones hit a two-run homer off Trevor Hoffman in the ninth inning and the Atlanta Braves threw out the potential tying run at the plate for the final out Wednesday night, preserving a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the San Diego Padres.


Colgate to cut workforce CONSUMER goods maker Colgate-Palmolive said today it would cut about 12 per cent of its 37,000-person work force and close a third of its factories worldwide as part of a four-year restructuring.


Clouds darken PeopleSoft conference SAN FRANCISCO -- PeopleSoft Inc. is trying to create a party-like atmosphere at its annual customer conference, but this week's gathering may feel more like a wake with rival Oracle Corp.'s \$7.7 billion takeover bid looming larger than ever.

Singapore Air plans \$7.35B Boeing order Singapore Airlines plans to buy up to 31 Boeing long-range 777-300ER planes worth about \$7.35 billion, the carrier said Wednesday.


Arsenal loses again in Premier League Arsenal dropped five points behind Chelsea in the English Premier League on Sunday after losing 2-1 to Liverpool on an injury-time goal by Neil Mellor.


CarMax Earnings Fall, Stock Up on Outlook (Reuters) Reuters - CarMax Inc.  on Friday posted\lower quarterly profit, but the used-car retailer said its\sales have been steadily improving, sending its shares up as\much as 14 percent.

WTO Hits EU Again Over Sugar Sales  GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization (WTO) has  again declared some European Union sugar exports illegal,  dealing a new blow to the bloc's lavish system of farm  subsidies, a trade source close to the case said Wednesday.


Plant a tree at Easter urges Nobel laureate world to plant trees at Easter as a symbol of renewal and to protect the planet. planted, quot; Maathai told Reuters Television in Oslo, where she received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.


Sears gets a boost from Vornado Vornado Realty Trust gave Sears, Roebuck  amp; Co. #39;s stock a big boost Friday when it said it bought a 4.3 percent stake in the famous but struggling chain.

AOL Files Lawsuit Against IM  #39;Spim #39; America Online Inc. said Thursday it had filed a federal lawsuit accusing numerous unnamed defendants of violating federal and state laws by sending bulk messages known as  quot;spim quot; to instant message accounts and Internet chat rooms.


Bank on it: Checks won #39;t float, they #39;ll bounce or write a check before the funds are available in their accounts - might soon find themselves at risk for more bounced checks and high overdraft fees.

Wall Street Set for a Flat Start (Reuters) Reuters - Wall Street was set for a flat start on\Tuesday as investors braced themselves for a slew of data, with\a steadier dollar helping to offset the impact of firmer crude\oil prices.


Iran Denies Any Nuclear Activity At Suspect Site Parchin VIENNA (AFP) - Iran denied that it had carried out any nuclear-related activity at the Parchin military site which is the subject of US and UN concern.


Red Sox ready to end jinx The New York Yankees hold the Curse of the Bambino, the Boston Massacre and their acquisition of Alex Rodriguez in their longstanding dominance over the Red Sox, but recent history suggests changes are coming.

Jags Cut Compton, Maddox (AP) AP - Veteran offensive lineman Mike Compton and rookie defensive tackle Anthony Maddox were among the 12 players cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.


Judge: Geico can sue Google, Overture over ads A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a trademark infringement suit filed by the Government Employees Insurance Co. (GEICO) against Internet search giants Google Inc. and Overture Services Inc. can proceed.


Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Security software maker Symantec Corp.  has agreed to buy Veritas Software Corp. for \$13.5 billion,  expanding into the backup and recovery software market, the  companies said on Thursday.

Pulitzer shares surge on possible sale ST. LOUIS Pulitzer Incorporated shares spike more than 17 percent on news that the publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and two Arizona newspapers is considering a possible sale.


Understanding Search Engine Models Understanding Search Engine Models\\To understand search engines and search engine marketing, one must first understand the search engine model. There are two fundamentally different types of search engine back ends: site directories and spidering search engines. Site directory databases are built by a person manually inputting data about websites. Most ...


Space Station crew become  quot;Weightless-Watchers quot; with low food <b>...</b> With food supplies becoming critically low onboard the International Space Station, the astronauts have been told to cut back on their food consumption.

Dell Offers SUSE on Servers Dell (Quote, Chart) officials announced Wednesday an agreement with Linux distributor Novell (Quote, Chart) to distribute and support SUSE Enterprise Server 9 on its single- and dual-processor line of servers.


Local group joins suit to de-list endangered species Bob Briggs wifes family has owned about 1,000 acres of redwood forest off Waddell Creek since 1913. He doesnt clearcut, and logs about once a decade.


Planned Grand Canyon Flood Seeks to Reverse Erosion Description: Researchers flooded the Colorado River last week, in an attempt to reverse erosion in the Grand Canyon. NPR #39;s Liane Hansen speaks to Denny Fenn, director of the Southwest Biological Science Center, about the experiment #39;s preliminary findings.

Software Licensing Moving Toward Subscription, Utility Models (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Panelists at SoftSummit point to emerging alternatives to perpetual licensing but say the transition won't be easy.


Blue Chips Drop After Merck Announcement  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were lower on Thursday  after drug company and Dow component Merck   Co.MRK.N said it  was withdrawing a key drug, casting a dark mood over the market  as oil prices remained above \$49 a barrel.


Eleusis wins Long Island  #39;cap; Personal Legend wins Turnback the <b>...</b> Eleusis made a successful US debut by beating Literacy by 2\\ lengths in Aqueduct #39;s Saturday feature, the Grade II, \$150,000 Long Island Handicap for fillies and mares 3 and older.

Germany Cedes 2006 Cup Honor to Brazil (AP) AP - Germany declined the chance to play in the opening game of the 2006 World Cup, with the host nation ceding the honor to Brazil, the 2002 champion.


Parliament Invasion Spurs Security Concern (AP) AP - Silver buckled shoes, stockings and a ceremonial sword? Time, some say, for Parliament's archaic security measures to be dragged into the 21st century after what was called the worst security breach at the House of Commons since 1642.

Dutchman suspected of aiding Saddam in war crimes is arrested A MAN suspected of helping former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein commit war crimes and genocide by supplying him with materials for chemical weapons, has been arrested by the Netherlands authorities.


Pfizer Hikes Warning on Bextra Skin Risk  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc. PFE.N said on Friday it  is sending additional information to healthcare professionals  about its arthritis drug Bextra, a COX-2 product in the same  class as the withdrawn drug Vioxx.


Cambodia #39;s Legislature Bars Government from Pardoning Khmer Rouge Legislators today approved laws barring the Cambodian government from pardoning Khmer Rouge suspects, one day after ratifying a landmark UN-backed plan to set up a tribunal to prosecute surviving leaders of the murderous 1970s regime.

Conditions Worsen in Darfur, U.N. Agencies Say (Reuters) Reuters - Conditions for 1.2 million Sudanese\displaced in Darfur continue to worsen amid violent attacks,\spreading disease, and heavy rains which wreak havoc with aid\convoys, United Nations agencies said on Tuesday.


Crude oil prices soar on drop in US oil inventories Crude oil futures surged Wednesday as the US Energy Department reported US oil supplies fell more than expected. Crude oil for October delivery rose 1.68 dollars to 43.


Africa fights AIDS with girl power A bill is currently in Uganda's parliament that would strengthen women's rights.

Pakistan down India to ensure top six finish (AFP) AFP - Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India 3-0 here to ensure they stand among the top six in the Olympic men's field hockey competition.


IBM #39;s New eServer Supports AMD Dual-Core IBM (Quote, Chart) is looking to get a leg up on the competition with the October 15 launch of eServer 326, a rack-mounted server that supports AMD #39;s (Quote, Chart) upcoming dual-core 64-bit processor.


Inaction #39;s Consequence LAST MONTH the United States and its allies signaled a change in Sudan policy. Rather than pressuring Sudan #39;s government to halt its genocidal attacks against civilians in the western province of Darfur, they

In Chile, pace of justice quickens A judge has ruled that Gen. Augusto Pinochet stand trial for his alleged involvement in state-sponsored torture.


Fans Honour Legend Clough Thousands of football fans fell silent today to honour the life and achievements of legendary manager Brian Clough. A public tribute was held in Nottingham city centre and a minute


Experts Predict Mount St. Helens Eruption (AP) AP - The flurry of earthquakes at Mount St. Helens intensified further Thursday, and one scientist put the chance of a small eruption happening in the next few days at 70 percent.

Interview: OSDL chief Stuart Cohen - Part 2 In the second of a two-part interview, Open Systems Development Labs chief Stuart Cohen gives his views on Linux security, desktops, the Domino effect towards Linux, and why Microsoft will eventually port to Linux.


Australia cancels 80pc of Iraqi debt Nineteen countries, including Australia, have agreed to cancel 80 per cent of the debt Iraq owes them. The deal secured for the Paris Club of creditor nations ends a trans-Atlantic dispute and probably sets


Investors expect PeopleSoft shareholders to back Oracle bid REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. Investors continue to bet today that most PeopleSoft shareholders will back Oracle #39;s nine-point-two (b) billion-dollar takeover bid for its bitter rival.

PeopleSoft CEO Conway maintains defiant tone SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - With 15,000 attendees at PeopleSoft Inc. #39;s Connect 2004 user show waiting to hear how the company would handle Oracle Corp.


Plane crash kills 10 close to racing MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- A Hendrick Motorsports plane crashed yesterday on its way to a NASCAR race, killing all 10 people aboard, including the son, brother and two nieces of the owner of one of auto racing's most successful organizations.


Employees from 10 hotels locked out The San Francisco Multi-Employer Group announced this morning that it has locked out UNITE HERE Local 2 employees from 10 hotels and staffed the vacated positions with replacement workers.

China plans renewed bank bailout A year after injecting \$45bn into two state banks to ready them for flotation, China is preparing a fresh bailout for two more institutions.


New Brussels blow for Turkey #39;s EU hopes EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler on Friday became the latest Brussels critic to raise doubts over Turkey #39;s hopes of joining the bloc, as wrangling over Ankara #39;s EU bid heats up.


County unemployment drops to 3.7 percent SAN DIEGO - San Diego County #39;s unemployment rate was 3.7 percent in August, down from a revised 4.4 percent in July and 4.3 percent a year ago, the California Employment Development Department reported today.


we must win this new conflict Britain is embroiled in a fresh conflict with Iraq as it battles to quash global terrorism for ever, Tony Blair declared in a stark relabelling of the situation yesterday.


Patriots Begin Title Defense with Narrow Win Over Colts The New England Patriots began their quest for successive Super Bowl titles with a tight 27-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the opening game of the NFL season in Foxboro Thursday.

Guo tucks away gold for China China #39;s Guo Jingjing easily won the women #39;s 3-meter springboard last night, and Wu Minxia made it a 1-2 finish for the world #39;s diving superpower, taking the silver.


Colgate to cut workforce CONSUMER goods maker Colgate-Palmolive said today it would cut about 12 per cent of its 37,000-person work force and close a third of its factories worldwide as part of a four-year restructuring.


National Registry Push Could Ease Drug Study Hunt By LAURAN NEERGAARD     WASHINGTON (AP) -- Scientists are conducting thousands of medical experiments that can offer tantalizing hope to the ill, but tracking them down and getting enrolled can be incredibly difficult.    It might get easier, thanks to a growing push by doctors and lawmakers to force drug companies to list on a national registry every study they conduct...

New MSN Search May Be a Google Killer! New MSN Search May Be a Google Killer!\\The Second Look at MSN's Search technology is available for public beta testing. I've given it a spin myself and must say that I'm impressed. Although they have no ads on the SERP's of the preview site, I'm sure they will load it ...


Saddam meets lawyer, aides due in Court Saddam Hussein met with a defense lawyer Thursday for the first time since his capture a year ago, days before several of his top aides are due to appear in court for hearings on alleged war crimes.


Astros exercise Biggio #39;s option, but not Kent #39;s Houston, TX (Sports Network) - Craig Biggio will be around for an 18th season with the Houston Astros. On Thursday, the team exercised its contract option on Biggio for the 2005 season.

49ERS NOTEBOOK Fumbling holiday-party plans If you think you are having trouble with your holiday party, check out the 49ers. The 49ers planned to have theirs Friday at a hotel near where the team stays the night before games, but coaches and their


Polls Open for Indonesia #39;s First Direct Presidential Elections Polls have opened for Indonesia #39;s first direct presidential election. Election observers say they are impressed with the six-month electoral process, which also chose members of the national assembly and local councils.


U.S. Brokers Cease-fire in Western Afghanistan  KABUL (Reuters) - The United States has brokered a  cease-fire between a renegade Afghan militia leader and the  embattled governor of the western province of Herat,  Washington's envoy to Kabul said Tuesday.

France Opposes Immigrant Transit Camps in Africa France, Sweden and Belgium shot down a German proposal to set up European Union refugee processing centres in North Africa, arguing that the idea would do more harm than good.


PeopleSofts big bash See you next year in Las Vegas , proclaimed a marquee at the PeopleSoft user conference in San Francisco in late September. It was one of many not-so-subtle attempts by the company to reassure its customers


Champion snaps Chelsea #39;s streak Porto power RUSSIAN oil billionaire Roman Abramovich suffered two rare defeats yesterday as reigning champions FC Porto downed his Chelsea side 2-1 ensuring it avoided the ignominy of becoming the first titleholders to exit in the first round.

Patriots Begin Title Defense with Narrow Win Over Colts The New England Patriots began their quest for successive Super Bowl titles with a tight 27-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the opening game of the NFL season in Foxboro Thursday.


Vendors Upgrade Development Tools OCTOBER 18, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - IBM and Borland Software Corp. last week separately brought out upgrades to their development tool lines that executives said add support for heterogeneous environments and


Martha Stewart Living posts bigger loss Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., still reeling from the personal legal woes of its imprisoned founder, former chairwoman and CEO, posted a wider loss in the third quarter

CarMax Earnings Fall, Stock Up on Outlook (Reuters) Reuters - CarMax Inc.  on Friday posted\lower quarterly profit, but the used-car retailer said its\sales have been steadily improving, sending its shares up as\much as 14 percent.


Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Review November 17, 2004 - Most of us who #39;ve been gamers for a while are familiar with the history behind Troika, which was formed from key members of the Black Isle group that made the Fallout, among other talented individuals.


Sudan Rejects US-Sponsored Darfur Resolution Sudan on Wednesday rejected a US-sponsored UN Security Council draft resolution to punish it over a conflict in its western Darfur region, saying the measure was unfair and lacked balance.

Baghdad Bombings Kill One US Soldier, Wound 13 WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2004 -- A series of car bombings in Baghdad today killed one American soldier and wounded 13 others. The bombings also killed at least two Iraqi policemen and reportedly injured scores of other Iraqis.


Arsenal matches record of 42 league games without a loss on Sunday Arsenal rallied for three second-half goals in 11 minutes on Sunday to beat Middlesbrough 5-3, matching a 25-year-old record of 42 league games without a loss in the top-flight of English soccer.


Nedved to rejoin Czech national team after injury healed Czech captain Pavel Nedved will return to the national soccer team once his knee is completely healed, he said in a statement which his manager Zdenek Nehoda provided Tuesday.

Youzhny sends champion Henman crashing out of Paris PARIS (AFP) - Defending champion Tim Henman crashed out of the 2.45-million-euro Paris Masters tamely surrendering the title he won so impressively last year.


Chips are down in tech world EUROPE #39;s biggest chipmaker, Infineon, rocked the technology world today as profits fell e100m (70m) short of analysts #39; expectations.


Local group joins suit to de-list endangered species Bob Briggs wifes family has owned about 1,000 acres of redwood forest off Waddell Creek since 1913. He doesnt clearcut, and logs about once a decade.

Ex PeopleSoft chief admits lying to analysts WILMINGTON: The former chief executive of PeopleSoft, who was fired last week, said he lied to Wall Street analysts last year about the impact of Oracle #39;s hostile bid on the company #39;s business.


Qatar Defense Show Focuses on Videogame Technology  DOHA (Reuters) - Rick Bracewell is driving through Baghdad  when gunmen open fire. Then a nearby dead dog strapped with  explosives blows up and his vehicle goes up in flames.


Clinton Rips Starr, Media on Prosecution (AP) AP - In a prime-time television outburst, Bill Clinton ripped old nemesis Kenneth Starr and what the former president portrayed as a gullible media eager to report every "sleazy thing" leaked from a prosecutor bent on bringing him down.

Van Gogh #39;s murder brings out Holland #39;s contradictions The murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a young Muslim of Moroccan descent has shaken Holland to its very foundations. To most people, including the Dutch, the killing and its violent


Walgreen 4th-Qtr Net Rises 18 Percent on Drug Sales (Update1) Walgreen Co., the largest US drugstore chain, said fourth-quarter profit rose 18 percent, helped by sales of prescription drugs. Net income had its biggest gain in almost two years, climbing


Intel cuts Pentium 4 prices The newest P4 chips drop in price by 18 percent to 35 percent; a host of other chips are cheaper now as well.

Microsoft, Sun, Intel push IT management via Web services (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Microsoft and Sun Microsystems on Thursday are publishing a specification to leverage Web services for managing a broad range of IT systems including PCs and devices on a network.


EU to talk through asylum plans Key EU interior ministers are to meet in Florence to discuss plans for migrant holding centres outside Europe.


we must win this new conflict Britain is embroiled in a fresh conflict with Iraq as it battles to quash global terrorism for ever, Tony Blair declared in a stark relabelling of the situation yesterday.

U.S. Report Undercuts Bush War Rationale WASHINGTON - Undercutting the Bush's administration's rationale for invading Iraq, the final report of the chief U.S. arms inspector concludes that Saddam Hussein did not vigorously pursue a program to develop weapons of mass destruction after international inspectors left Baghdad in 1998, according to lawmakers and others briefed on the report...


Two gored to death in Spanish bull-run Two Spanish men were gored to death by fighting bulls yesterday during the bull-run at the local fiestas in Ampuero, a town 30 miles east of the northern port city of Santander.

Bombings at Two Buenos Aires Banks Kill 1 (AP) AP - Homemade bombs exploded in two Buenos Aires banks Wednesday, killing a security guard, police said.


Mosaic Merger to Take Effect Today Polk County will retain its position at the heart of the US phosphate industry, at least through the end of this decade, following the merger of IMC Global Inc.


UPDATE 1-Diebold cuts forecast, cites voting machine unit Diebold Inc. (DBD.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , the leading maker of automated teller machines, on Monday reduced its third-quarter and full-year earnings forecasts as it absorbs

Singapore Air plans \$7.35B Boeing order Singapore Airlines plans to buy up to 31 Boeing long-range 777-300ER planes worth about \$7.35 billion, the carrier said Wednesday.


Iran Announces Uranium Conversion Tests Defying a key demand set by 35 nations, Iran announced Tuesday that it has started converting raw uranium into the gas needed for enrichment, a process that can be used to make nuclear weapons.


Oil Firm After 4 Percent Jump Oil prices held firm on Friday after leaping almost \$2 a day earlier on news US crude stocks sank to a five-month low last week and distillate fuels barely grew ahead of winter.

Intel Outlook May Portend PC Weakness  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Intel Corp's INTC.O sharp cut in its  revenue outlook dragged down shares of personal computer makers  on Friday, on fears that the chipmaker's problems could signal  weak PC markets, analysts said.


China cracks down on  quot;phone sex quot; services BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- China is carrying out a nationwide campaign to crack down on  quot;phone sex quot; services, paralleling another sweeping operation against Internet pornography, Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong said here Tuesday.


Ahold to Sell Spain Operations to Permira (AP) AP - The Dutch supermarket retailer Ahold, seeking to streamline global operations and reduce debt, said Sunday it will sell its holdings in Spain to Permira Funds for about  #36;849 million.

Rate hikes by Fed dull ARMs #39; luster 30-year fixed home loans remain appealing, but variable rates have been on the move up. By Sandra Block. If you #39;re hoping an adjustable-rate mortgage will help you afford your dream house, you may want to rethink those granite countertops.


AOL drops Microsoft antispam technology com September 16, 2004, 1:15 PM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half.

Livewire: Fantasy Sports Leagues Thrive Online (Reuters) Reuters - Take 15 million armchair athletes,\add a steady stream of statistics and mix in a healthy dollop\of trash talk. Post it all on the Internet and you've got a  #36;3\billion industry built around imaginary sports teams.


Egypt and Israel sign US trade accord 25 years after peace treaty (AFP) AFP - In a partnership hailed as a major boost to often chilly ties, Egypt and Israel signed a first joint trade accord with the United States since their historic peace treaty 25 years ago.


AOL Files Lawsuit Against IM  #39;Spim #39; America Online Inc. said Thursday it had filed a federal lawsuit accusing numerous unnamed defendants of violating federal and state laws by sending bulk messages known as  quot;spim quot; to instant message accounts and Internet chat rooms.

Pump prices may dip after Labor Day Pump prices have been climbing in advance of Labor Day, as they often do before the last major drive-away weekend of the summer. The average price for self-serve regular


Juniper Takes Security to Endpoints Juniper Networks (Quote, Chart) has launched a new initiative designed to improve interoperability of popular third-party antivirus and firewall measures with its own Secure Socket Layer (define) Virtual Private Network (define) appliances.


Yankees' Holding Pattern Is Sure to Change Brian Cashman, the general manager of the Yankees, on Friday looked as if he had been up deep into the night plotting how to improve the team.

USC #39;s Orgeron shows interest in Ole Miss job While the list has dwindled in the search to replace David Cutcliffe as the Ole Miss football coach, one name has risen to the top.


Africa fights AIDS with girl power A bill is currently in Uganda's parliament that would strengthen women's rights.


AOL, E-Mail Companies Sue Spammers The nation #39;s largest e-mail providers today filed a new round of lawsuits against Internet spammers allegedly responsible for shoveling millions of junk e-mail messages into computer users #39; in-boxes and their instant messaging screens.

German Finance Professionals Grow Sharply (AP) AP - German finance professionals grew sharply more pessimistic about the country's economic growth outlook, fearing that the euro's record highs against the U.S. dollar will weigh on exports, a monthly survey showed Tuesday.


Producer sues for Rings profits Hollywood producer Saul Zaentz sues the producers of The Lord of the Rings for \$20m in royalties.


Alstom to sign 1 billion Euro in contracts with China (AFP) AFP - The French Group Alstom Saturday will sign contracts worth up to 1 billion Euros (1.23 billion dollars) in China for the delivery of trains and locomotives, French sources with knowledge of the deal revealed to AFP.

UN demands Rwanda pull out military forces in DRC The UN Security Council on Tuesday condemned reported military actions by Rwanda in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and demanded the country immediately withdraw any troops it may have in the DRC.


Planned Grand Canyon Flood Seeks to Reverse Erosion Description: Researchers flooded the Colorado River last week, in an attempt to reverse erosion in the Grand Canyon. NPR #39;s Liane Hansen speaks to Denny Fenn, director of the Southwest Biological Science Center, about the experiment #39;s preliminary findings.


New drug extends multiple sclerosis options 25/11/2004 - The first in a completely new class of drug for multiple sclerosis has been approved in the US, opening up a new avenue of treatment for sufferers of the debilitating diseases and potential blockbuster revenues for developers Elan and Biogen

UPDATE 2-Trump bondholders agree on recapitalization plan Trump Hotels  amp; Casino Resorts Inc. (DJTC.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) , which has been on the brink of bankruptcy, said on Thursday that a majority of bondholders have approved


OSDL teams with another open source group The Beaverton-based Open Source Development Labs announced this week it is combining some efforts with another open source group to further the adoption of Linux.


Americans Have Dirty Paws New report gives them a 'C' for hand hygiene    HealthDayNews -- Americans are doing a crummy job of keeping their hands clean.    They got a "C" in hand hygiene in the 2004 Clean Hands Report Card produced by the Soap and Detergent Association...

GAO: Outsourcing could hurt IT employment growth A new GAO report indicates that offshore outsourcing could hurt IT employment growth over the next decade, but the study released today is sprinkled with caveats and qualifiers and shows more study is needed.


Google Shares, Once Devalued, Just May Be Winners After All Wall Street, which forced Google, the Internet search engine, to sharply lower the price of its shares in its initial public offering in August, has decided that the company is worth a lot more today than it was then.


Fannie Mae woes may hit stock If Fannie Mae (FNM) is hampered by new limits on its operations, shareholders of the USA #39;s biggest mortgage-investment company are likely to feel the pinch more than the nation #39;s mortgage borrowers.

Mosaic Merger to Take Effect Today Polk County will retain its position at the heart of the US phosphate industry, at least through the end of this decade, following the merger of IMC Global Inc.


Modified US space shuttle ready to fly next spring NASA said Thursday it had corrected flaws that caused the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia in February 2003 and that a modified shuttle would be ready to resume flights sometime next Spring.


New Brussels blow for Turkey #39;s EU hopes EU farm commissioner Franz Fischler on Friday became the latest Brussels critic to raise doubts over Turkey #39;s hopes of joining the bloc, as wrangling over Ankara #39;s EU bid heats up.

UN Council Votes Ivory Coast Arms Embargo (Reuters) Reuters - The U.N. Security Council on\Monday imposed an immediate arms embargo on Ivory Coast and\voted to punish key government and rebel leaders with\additional sanctions next month.


Germany Cedes 2006 Cup Honor to Brazil (AP) AP - Germany declined the chance to play in the opening game of the 2006 World Cup, with the host nation ceding the honor to Brazil, the 2002 champion.


Australia better prepared, says Gilchrist Mumbai - Australia #39;s stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist said on Saturday his team was seeking a momentous Test series triumph in India.

Robertson emerges with time A debate on draft day 2003 was whether the Patriots should have moved up to take Kentucky defensive lineman Dewayne Robertson , who was picked fourth overall by the Jets. After he had a subpar rookie season, the feeling was the Patriots made the right choice, though they took Ty Warren 13th overall that year and he also ...


Bombings at Two Buenos Aires Banks Kill 1 (AP) AP - Homemade bombs exploded in two Buenos Aires banks Wednesday, killing a security guard, police said.


Mediation efforts to end Ukraine crisis step up as Solana due in Kiev (AFP) AFP - Attempts to mediate the political crisis in Ukraine are gathering pace with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski expected in Kiev.

Israel's Labour to Join Sharon Coalition-Israeli Media  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's opposition Labour party has  clinched a deal with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party  to join his coalition, a move that could push forward his Gaza  pullout plan, Israeli media reported on Friday.


Consumer Confidence Hits 7-Month Low   NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumers turned more gloomy in  October, beset by soaring energy prices, relentless violence in  Iraq and the increasingly bitter end of the presidential  election campaign.


Consumer Prices Climb; Jobless Claims Up (AP) AP - Consumer prices barely budged in August, suggesting that inflation isn't currently a problem for the economy and Federal Reserve policy-makers can stick with a gradual approach to raising interest rates.

Wall Street Set for a Flat Start (Reuters) Reuters - Wall Street was set for a flat start on\Tuesday as investors braced themselves for a slew of data, with\a steadier dollar helping to offset the impact of firmer crude\oil prices.


Princess Di's Ex-Bodyguard Disputes Claim (AP) AP - A former bodyguard of Princess Diana on Tuesday dismissed her claim that one of her lovers was "bumped off."


Keck telescope confirms important exoplanet discovery Hawaii #39;s Keck Observatory has confirmed the existence of a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a distant star, the first one spotted by a network of astronomers using telescopes no larger than the ones you can buy in stores.

New Google Scholar search service aimed at academics Google Inc. on Thursday formally launched a new search service aimed at scientists and academic researchers. Google Scholar is a free beta service that allows users to search for scholarly literature


Two gored to death in Spanish bull-run Two Spanish men were gored to death by fighting bulls yesterday during the bull-run at the local fiestas in Ampuero, a town 30 miles east of the northern port city of Santander.


Deportivo La Corua 0-1 Liverpool: FT Report LA CORUNA, November 3 (Champions League) - Rafael Benitez heard his name ring around a Spanish stadium in his homeland again but this time it was from Scouse voices rather than those in Valencia, with whom he won La Liga.

Sainz forced off road TWO-TIME world champion Carlos Sainz #39;s career came to a premature end today after the Spaniard was forced out of the Rally of Australia.


UN Signs Pact with New World Court Opposed by U.S.  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations signed a  cooperation agreement on Monday with the new International  Criminal Court, despite objections to the tribunal from the  United States.


China move on textile exports gets cautious response The US and the European Union responded cautiously yesterday to China #39;s surprise undertaking to impose duties on some textile exports, a step it said was designed to ensure a  quot;smooth

Retailers Looking to Move Plasma TV's (AP) AP - Hanging stockings by the chimney with care? Retailers hope that St. Nicholas soon will be there  #151; to hang a 42-inch plasma-screen TV.


Dollar Rises Vs Euro on Asset Flows Data  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar extended gains against the  euro on Monday after a report on flows into U.S. assets showed  enough of a rise in foreign investments to offset the current  account gap for the month.

AOL Files Lawsuit Against IM  #39;Spim #39; America Online Inc. said Thursday it had filed a federal lawsuit accusing numerous unnamed defendants of violating federal and state laws by sending bulk messages known as  quot;spim quot; to instant message accounts and Internet chat rooms.


Chelsea 1-0 West Ham Mateja Kezman finally broke his Chelsea goal duck with the winner against a spirited West Ham in the Carling Cup. The striker was making his 13th outing for Chelsea and he arrowed in a second half shot past keeper James Walker.


Killings shock, humiliate Nepalese Protesters in Kathmandu have expressed disbelief and frustration after learning of the deaths of 12 Nepalese hostages in Iraq. Nepal #39;s ambassador to Qatar, Somananda Suman, confirmed

Pakistan's Musharraf to Retain Army Post Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will stay on as chief of the army staff beyond the date he promised to give up the post, the information minister said on Wednesday.


Gregg: I will help to close deal EVERTON chairman Bill Kenwright #39;s plans for a Russian revolution at Goodison Park may have thawed the cold war with director Paul Gregg.


Musharraf Hopeful For Kashmir Solution ISLAMABAD, Pakistan : Nov 10 (SADA) - President General Pervez Musharraf Tuesday hoped that debate on options he spelt out recently on Kashmir issue would take Pakistan and India closer to find out the settlement of decades-old dispute.

Saddam meets lawyer, aides due in Court Saddam Hussein met with a defense lawyer Thursday for the first time since his capture a year ago, days before several of his top aides are due to appear in court for hearings on alleged war crimes.


Did Apple Offer Sony an ITunes Deal? Update: A partnership may be crucial for long-term success, one industry insider says.


Juniper Takes Security to Endpoints Juniper Networks (Quote, Chart) has launched a new initiative designed to improve interoperability of popular third-party antivirus and firewall measures with its own Secure Socket Layer (define) Virtual Private Network (define) appliances.


EasyGroup close to launching low-cost mobile phone service (AFP) AFP - EasyGroup, the holding company of no-frills British airline easyJet, is close to striking a deal to launch a low-cost mobile telephone service in Britain, the Financial Times reported.


LSE says no to German exchange for a second time LONDON (CBS.MW) - Failed efforts to merge stock exchanges have littered the trading landscape in recent years, but the German stock exchange isn #39;t giving up on creating a pan-European and British market for trading stocks and derivatives.

Investors expect PeopleSoft shareholders to back Oracle bid REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. Investors continue to bet today that most PeopleSoft shareholders will back Oracle #39;s nine-point-two (b) billion-dollar takeover bid for its bitter rival.


Flower power turns up the volume A Japanese company has come up with a way of turning flowers into loudspeakers.


Titan reveals its purple patches LONDON: Unprecedented pictures of the purple atmospheric haze on Titan have been captured by the Cassini spacecraft during its closest approach yet to Saturn #39;s largest moon.

McNealy: Microsoft needs Sun to beat IBM and Red Hat Whatever pleasantries once existed between Sun Microsystems and Red Hat have vanished. This won #39;t come as a shock to many of you.


Pfizer Hikes Warning on Bextra Skin Risk  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc. PFE.N said on Friday it  is sending additional information to healthcare professionals  about its arthritis drug Bextra, a COX-2 product in the same  class as the withdrawn drug Vioxx.


Singapore Air plans \$7.35B Boeing order Singapore Airlines plans to buy up to 31 Boeing long-range 777-300ER planes worth about \$7.35 billion, the carrier said Wednesday.

Sears gets a boost from Vornado Vornado Realty Trust gave Sears, Roebuck  amp; Co. #39;s stock a big boost Friday when it said it bought a 4.3 percent stake in the famous but struggling chain.


An Afghan 'hanging chad' dispute An independent inquiry is helping to defuse a controversy over ink used in Saturday's election.


Chelsea 1-0 West Ham Mateja Kezman finally broke his Chelsea goal duck with the winner against a spirited West Ham in the Carling Cup. The striker was making his 13th outing for Chelsea and he arrowed in a second half shot past keeper James Walker.

Brazilian victory lifts Williams The Williams team breathed a sigh of relief after Juan Pablo Montoya #39;s victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix. The team finished fourth in the constructors standings but technical director Sam Michael was full of praise for the Colombian #39;s performance.


Dutchman suspected of aiding Saddam in war crimes is arrested A MAN suspected of helping former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein commit war crimes and genocide by supplying him with materials for chemical weapons, has been arrested by the Netherlands authorities.


Boxing: Khan shows no rust to emerge lord of the ring Amir Khan celebrated his first fight since winning the lightweight Olympic silver medal in Athens with a one-sided 35-13 points victory over American Michael Evans at Liverpool Olympia last night.

Hanover Striker Mathis to Return to US Hanover 96 striker Clint Mathis is to return to the United States after only a year in the Bundesliga, the German club said Tuesday.


Microsoft, Sun, Intel push IT management via Web services (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Microsoft and Sun Microsystems on Thursday are publishing a specification to leverage Web services for managing a broad range of IT systems including PCs and devices on a network.

Newest video games gun to be No. 1 Voters apparently weren #39;t the only ones willing to stand in long lines. The release of this year #39;s two hottest video games - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Halo 2 - had gamers lined up at stores across the nation to pick up their pre-ordered games.


Dollar Rises Vs Euro on Asset Flows Data  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar extended gains against the  euro on Monday after a report on flows into U.S. assets showed  enough of a rise in foreign investments to offset the current  account gap for the month.


New Google Scholar search service aimed at academics Google Inc. on Thursday formally launched a new search service aimed at scientists and academic researchers. Google Scholar is a free beta service that allows users to search for scholarly literature

Americans Have Dirty Paws New report gives them a 'C' for hand hygiene    HealthDayNews -- Americans are doing a crummy job of keeping their hands clean.    They got a "C" in hand hygiene in the 2004 Clean Hands Report Card produced by the Soap and Detergent Association...


FDA stifled dangerous Vioxx results - expert Washington - An expert with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said on Thursday he was pressured by his agency to stifle study results showing the potential dangers of the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx.


Jobless Claims Rise on Hurricanes The number of Americans seeking initial jobless benefits jumped by 18,000 last week, the government said on Thursday, but it attributed the entire rise to the effects of hurricanes that have battered the southern United States.

Heineken Profit Dips But Repeats Outlook  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch brewer Heineken posted a 4.5  percent fall in core profit for the first half on Wednesday, at  the low end of expectations as a weak dollar and sluggish  markets hurt business.


Experts Predict Mount St. Helens Eruption (AP) AP - The flurry of earthquakes at Mount St. Helens intensified further Thursday, and one scientist put the chance of a small eruption happening in the next few days at 70 percent.


Intel Outlook May Portend PC Weakness  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Intel Corp's INTC.O sharp cut in its  revenue outlook dragged down shares of personal computer makers  on Friday, on fears that the chipmaker's problems could signal  weak PC markets, analysts said.

Southwest To Bid For ATA Chicago Assets Southwest Airlines said on Friday it will bid at least USD\$100 million for assets of bankrupt ATA Airlines, including taking over six of ATA #39;s 14 gates at Chicago #39;s Midway Airport and selling tickets on some of each other #39;s flights.


Shanghai, Qualifying: Surprises all round Michael Schumacher spun and Sauber looked strong this afternoon. Fernando and Jacques went sixth and thirteenth.


Presidential campaign turns even nastier (AFP) AFP - The US presidential race hit a new low in nastiness with images of Osama bin Laden and epithets such as  quot;despicable quot; and  quot;un-American quot; bombarding voters before a crucial series of televised debates.

Cambodia #39;s Legislature Bars Government from Pardoning Khmer Rouge Legislators today approved laws barring the Cambodian government from pardoning Khmer Rouge suspects, one day after ratifying a landmark UN-backed plan to set up a tribunal to prosecute surviving leaders of the murderous 1970s regime.


Women #39;s basketball team finds special place in Chancellor #39;s heart The medal ceremony had ended. Van Chancellor had already shed a few tears, but he had held his emotions together through all the hugs and dancing, even through the victory


China plans renewed bank bailout A year after injecting \$45bn into two state banks to ready them for flotation, China is preparing a fresh bailout for two more institutions.

AOL, E-Mail Companies Sue Spammers The nation #39;s largest e-mail providers today filed a new round of lawsuits against Internet spammers allegedly responsible for shoveling millions of junk e-mail messages into computer users #39; in-boxes and their instant messaging screens.


Israel's Labour to Join Sharon Coalition-Israeli Media  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's opposition Labour party has  clinched a deal with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party  to join his coalition, a move that could push forward his Gaza  pullout plan, Israeli media reported on Friday.


Sharon Seeks Wider Govt. to Save Gaza Pullout Plan  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  launched new efforts Tuesday to widen his shaky coalition after  a stinging setback in parliament that complicated his plan to  withdraw from some occupied territory.

UN Signs Pact with New World Court Opposed by U.S.  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations signed a  cooperation agreement on Monday with the new International  Criminal Court, despite objections to the tribunal from the  United States.


Scandal won #39;t go away ATHENS -- It was telling yesterday that the majority of the dozens of journalists who asked questions and attended a news conference into a Greek doping scandal were mostly Canadian. Question after question came from Canadians. We were all there, I think, ...


Spurs 88, 76ers 80 The Philadelphia 76ers got a firsthand demonstration of why Tim Duncan might be the toughest player in the NBA to defend. Duncan scored a season-high 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Spurs to

PSV Stays Top After 1-0 Win Over Willem II  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink scored his  seventh goal of the season to give Dutch league leader PSV  Eindhoven a 1-0 win over Willem II Tilburg on Saturday.


Did Apple Offer Sony an ITunes Deal? Update: A partnership may be crucial for long-term success, one industry insider says.


Pinochet is ordered to stand trial for murder Augusto Pinochet, the former Chilean dictator, was ordered under house arrest yesterday, charged with kidnapping and murder dating back to his 17-year rule.

US diplomat among 7 injured in Islamabad hotel explosion ISLAMABAD: Seven people including foreigners were injured in a powerful explosion at the entrance to the Marriott Hotel lobby on Thursday.


New drug extends multiple sclerosis options 25/11/2004 - The first in a completely new class of drug for multiple sclerosis has been approved in the US, opening up a new avenue of treatment for sufferers of the debilitating diseases and potential blockbuster revenues for developers Elan and Biogen


UN Council Votes Ivory Coast Arms Embargo (Reuters) Reuters - The U.N. Security Council on\Monday imposed an immediate arms embargo on Ivory Coast and\voted to punish key government and rebel leaders with\additional sanctions next month.

Princess Di's Ex-Bodyguard Disputes Claim (AP) AP - A former bodyguard of Princess Diana on Tuesday dismissed her claim that one of her lovers was "bumped off."


EU Pursues Oracle-PeopleSoft Case (AP) AP - European Union regulators suggested Monday they are not bound by a U.S. decision to allow Oracle Corp. to pursue its  #36;7.7 billion bid for rival business software maker PeopleSoft Inc. and are continuing to collect data on the deal.


Australia cancels 80pc of Iraqi debt Nineteen countries, including Australia, have agreed to cancel 80 per cent of the debt Iraq owes them. The deal secured for the Paris Club of creditor nations ends a trans-Atlantic dispute and probably sets

EU to talk through asylum plans Key EU interior ministers are to meet in Florence to discuss plans for migrant holding centres outside Europe.


Software Licensing Moving Toward Subscription, Utility Models (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Panelists at SoftSummit point to emerging alternatives to perpetual licensing but say the transition won't be easy.


GAO: Outsourcing could hurt IT employment growth A new GAO report indicates that offshore outsourcing could hurt IT employment growth over the next decade, but the study released today is sprinkled with caveats and qualifiers and shows more study is needed.

Dependent species risk extinction The global extinction crisis is worse than thought, because thousands of  quot;affiliated quot; species also at risk do not figure in calculations.


Adams backs power-sharing plan Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams   recommends his party  accept proposals to revive power-sharing.


An insurer sees the light Snoopy has left the building. Well, almost. MetLife Inc. , the insurance giant that employs Charlie Brown's dog in ads, is close to completing a deal to sell its State Street Research and Management investment arm to BlackRock Inc. for about \$400 million. Everyone involved will be better off for it.

Blue Chips Drop After Merck Announcement  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue chips were lower on Thursday  after drug company and Dow component Merck   Co.MRK.N said it  was withdrawing a key drug, casting a dark mood over the market  as oil prices remained above \$49 a barrel.


Planned Grand Canyon Flood Seeks to Reverse Erosion Description: Researchers flooded the Colorado River last week, in an attempt to reverse erosion in the Grand Canyon. NPR #39;s Liane Hansen speaks to Denny Fenn, director of the Southwest Biological Science Center, about the experiment #39;s preliminary findings.


Pakistan down India to ensure top six finish (AFP) AFP - Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India 3-0 here to ensure they stand among the top six in the Olympic men's field hockey competition.

An Afghan 'hanging chad' dispute An independent inquiry is helping to defuse a controversy over ink used in Saturday's election.


A Taste of Yum! Wins the World Over Strong international sales growth and solid U.S. comps propel the company's stock to its highest price ever.


Treasuries Slip as Stocks Rally  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury debt prices slipped on  Monday, though traders characterized the move as profit-taking  rather than any fundamental change in sentiment.

Oracle in Merger Talks with Other Firms  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. ORCL.O is in  merger talks with other technology companies as it awaits the  outcome of its \$9.2 billion hostile takeover bid for rival  software maker PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O.


Yankees' Holding Pattern Is Sure to Change Brian Cashman, the general manager of the Yankees, on Friday looked as if he had been up deep into the night plotting how to improve the team.


Virus writers look for work THE WRITERS of the MyDoom viruses are encoding job applications into the latest variants of the bug. According to Sophos the plea for work was found when its boffins were stripping the code of the MyDoom-U and MyDoom-V variants.

Thousands queue for Halo 2 Hordes of video game fans queued outside more than 6500 stores across the United States overnight on Tuesday to get a copy of the new Halo 2 game whose first day takings are expected to rival a Hollywood blockbuster.


Nuggets 100, Clippers 88 Carmelo Anthony, who missed Denver #39;s previous game after being cited for marijuana possession, scored 23 points for the Nuggets in a 100-88 preseason victory Thursday night over the Los Angeles Clippers.


IBM and Intel to open up blade specifications With today's expected announcement, hardware vendors will get access to the BladeCenter specifications by signing a seven-page licensing agreement, which grants users the right to license the specifications for certain types of products.


Charting East Asias milestones IT is a special honour for me to be speaking before such a distinguished gathering, including my illustrious predecessor and his colleagues from Korea and Japan who are all well-known for their visionary ideas and as proponents of East Asian cooperation.


Shell Warns of New Cuts in Reserves of Oil and Gas The warning came during its earnings report and on a day when Shell said it would merge the two entities that make up the company, unifying the boards and management.

American shoppers splurge in September WASHINGTON (AFP) - Shoppers -- the dynamo in the US economy -- shrugged off rising energy prices and splurged in malls and car showrooms in September, a government report showed.


Election chaos? (U.S. News   World Report) U.S. News   World Report - Michael Cadigan's day job is practicing commercial law in Albuquerque. But over eggs at the trendy Gold Street Caffe in the heart of downtown, he and a dozen other lawyers are immersing themselves in the intricacies of election law. On Election Day, they plan to be out in force for Democrat John Kerry at polling places across New Mexico, where Al Gore won in 2000 by just 366 votes.  quot;We know there was a lot of monkey business with counting ballots before, quot; says Cadigan.  quot;We want to make sure that doesn't happen again. ...


Pump prices may dip after Labor Day Pump prices have been climbing in advance of Labor Day, as they often do before the last major drive-away weekend of the summer. The average price for self-serve regular

Chips are down in tech world EUROPE #39;s biggest chipmaker, Infineon, rocked the technology world today as profits fell e100m (70m) short of analysts #39; expectations.


Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines Review November 17, 2004 - Most of us who #39;ve been gamers for a while are familiar with the history behind Troika, which was formed from key members of the Black Isle group that made the Fallout, among other talented individuals.


Virgin Starts (70) Mile-High Club With the misery that has plagued the airline industry recently, the last place you #39;d expect to see some inspiring -- heck, potentially rule-breaking -- thinking would be from an airline entrepreneur.

Qatar Defense Show Focuses on Videogame Technology  DOHA (Reuters) - Rick Bracewell is driving through Baghdad  when gunmen open fire. Then a nearby dead dog strapped with  explosives blows up and his vehicle goes up in flames.


Pfizer Hikes Warning on Bextra Skin Risk  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc. PFE.N said on Friday it  is sending additional information to healthcare professionals  about its arthritis drug Bextra, a COX-2 product in the same  class as the withdrawn drug Vioxx.


The Playlist: What's Wrong With Digital Music Stores? (PC World) PC World - Though digital music has come a long way, today's online music stores still have significant problems. Here's my fix-it wish list.

IBM #39;s New eServer Supports AMD Dual-Core IBM (Quote, Chart) is looking to get a leg up on the competition with the October 15 launch of eServer 326, a rack-mounted server that supports AMD #39;s (Quote, Chart) upcoming dual-core 64-bit processor.


An Afghan 'hanging chad' dispute An independent inquiry is helping to defuse a controversy over ink used in Saturday's election.

Cambodia #39;s Legislature Bars Government from Pardoning Khmer Rouge Legislators today approved laws barring the Cambodian government from pardoning Khmer Rouge suspects, one day after ratifying a landmark UN-backed plan to set up a tribunal to prosecute surviving leaders of the murderous 1970s regime.


AOL Files Lawsuit Against IM  #39;Spim #39; America Online Inc. said Thursday it had filed a federal lawsuit accusing numerous unnamed defendants of violating federal and state laws by sending bulk messages known as  quot;spim quot; to instant message accounts and Internet chat rooms.


Intel drops prices on computer chips SAN FRANCISCO - Intel Corp. has cut prices on its computer chips by as much as 35 percent, though analysts on Monday said the cuts were probably unrelated to swelling inventories of the world #39;s largest chip maker.

Blu-ray group mandates Microsoft codec for BD-ROM The Blu-ray Disc Association (BRDA) has selected Microsoft #39;s VC-9 video codec for future BD-ROM content, the organisation said today.


Merrill, Wachovia, others fined for late reporting NEW YORK: The NASD yesterday said it censured and fined 29 securities firms a total of \$US9.22 (\$NZ13.04) million for failing to properly disclose required information about their brokers more than 8300 times.


DMCA Limited by Sixth Circuit Appeals Court The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. I really dont know why a printer manufacturer should have exclusive rights on producing ink that work with their printers.

Singingfish Floats New Multimedia Search With broadband and desktop media fueling consumer interest in digital media content, video and audio search provider Singingfish has launched an improved search portal to help the world find more multi-media online.


Southwest To Bid For ATA Chicago Assets Southwest Airlines said on Friday it will bid at least USD\$100 million for assets of bankrupt ATA Airlines, including taking over six of ATA #39;s 14 gates at Chicago #39;s Midway Airport and selling tickets on some of each other #39;s flights.


UPDATE 2-Trump bondholders agree on recapitalization plan Trump Hotels  amp; Casino Resorts Inc. (DJTC.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) , which has been on the brink of bankruptcy, said on Thursday that a majority of bondholders have approved

Ex PeopleSoft chief admits lying to analysts WILMINGTON: The former chief executive of PeopleSoft, who was fired last week, said he lied to Wall Street analysts last year about the impact of Oracle #39;s hostile bid on the company #39;s business.


UN Council Votes Ivory Coast Arms Embargo (Reuters) Reuters - The U.N. Security Council on\Monday imposed an immediate arms embargo on Ivory Coast and\voted to punish key government and rebel leaders with\additional sanctions next month.


Dollar Keeps Gains as Market Awaits Data  TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar idled on Tuesday after gaining  the previous day, as many investors held off building positions  ahead of economic data from the United States.

EU foreign ministers hope to break deadlock over ASEM summit The European Union said Friday it  quot;hoped to reach a conclusion quot; at a meeting of foreign ministers on the participation of military-ruled Myanmar in an upcoming summit of Asian and European nations.


A suicide bombing killed 3 people in a crowded Tel Aviv market <b>...</b> A suicide bombing killed at least five people and seriously injured more than 30 others in a crowded Tel Aviv open-air market. Injured shoppers were treated on the ground, as vegetables were strewn on the pavement.


China cracks down on  quot;phone sex quot; services BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- China is carrying out a nationwide campaign to crack down on  quot;phone sex quot; services, paralleling another sweeping operation against Internet pornography, Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong said here Tuesday.

Planned Grand Canyon Flood Seeks to Reverse Erosion Description: Researchers flooded the Colorado River last week, in an attempt to reverse erosion in the Grand Canyon. NPR #39;s Liane Hansen speaks to Denny Fenn, director of the Southwest Biological Science Center, about the experiment #39;s preliminary findings.


Car Crashes Into Japan Parliament Gate -Jiji (Reuters) Reuters - A car crashed into a gate of Japan's\parliament building in central Tokyo on Thursday and caught\fire, Jiji news agency said.


Thai Airways orders six Airbus superjumbos Thai Airways International plans to buy six Airbus A380 double-decker aircraft that will be delivered in 2008 and 2009. The airline is also ordering two additional A340 aircraft.

China plans renewed bank bailout A year after injecting \$45bn into two state banks to ready them for flotation, China is preparing a fresh bailout for two more institutions.


Japan #39;s Sato staying at BAR Japan #39;s Takuma Sato will continue to drive for BAR next season, the Formula One team said on Tuesday. Sato, gearing up for his home grand prix at Suzuka on Sunday, is eighth in the


Cricket-Lillee a victim of generational change, says spin guru MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) - Cricket Australia said it was better off hiring full-time coaches than employing bowling great Dennis Lillee, who has abruptly ended his long coaching involvement with the body.

Patriots Begin Title Defense with Narrow Win Over Colts The New England Patriots began their quest for successive Super Bowl titles with a tight 27-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the opening game of the NFL season in Foxboro Thursday.


China cracks down on  quot;phone sex quot; services BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- China is carrying out a nationwide campaign to crack down on  quot;phone sex quot; services, paralleling another sweeping operation against Internet pornography, Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong said here Tuesday.


Did Apple Offer Sony an ITunes Deal? Update: A partnership may be crucial for long-term success, one industry insider says.

Nasa to resume shuttle missions The American space agency Nasa says the first space shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster of 2003 is to be launched next May or early June.


Boxing: Khan shows no rust to emerge lord of the ring Amir Khan celebrated his first fight since winning the lightweight Olympic silver medal in Athens with a one-sided 35-13 points victory over American Michael Evans at Liverpool Olympia last night.


Fans Honour Legend Clough Thousands of football fans fell silent today to honour the life and achievements of legendary manager Brian Clough. A public tribute was held in Nottingham city centre and a minute

Barcelona return for Mourinho Jose Mourinho, the Chelsea manager, last night talked about how  quot;emotional quot; it will be returning to Barcelona in the last 16, knockout stage of the Champions League.


Juniper Takes Security to Endpoints Juniper Networks (Quote, Chart) has launched a new initiative designed to improve interoperability of popular third-party antivirus and firewall measures with its own Secure Socket Layer (define) Virtual Private Network (define) appliances.


Mosaic Merger to Take Effect Today Polk County will retain its position at the heart of the US phosphate industry, at least through the end of this decade, following the merger of IMC Global Inc.

Heineken Profit Dips But Repeats Outlook  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch brewer Heineken posted a 4.5  percent fall in core profit for the first half on Wednesday, at  the low end of expectations as a weak dollar and sluggish  markets hurt business.


Sri Lanka raise England #39;s spirits In their opening match of the Champions #39; Trophy, Sri Lanka did little to suggest they have the wherewithal to knock England out of the tournament at the Rose Bowl on Friday.


Safin stops Youzhny for China Open title Marat Safin won the China Open yestereday, beating fellow Russian Mikhail Youzhny, 7-6 (4), 7-5, to claim his first title in two years.

Fans Honour Legend Clough Thousands of football fans fell silent today to honour the life and achievements of legendary manager Brian Clough. A public tribute was held in Nottingham city centre and a minute


Cape Clear, Neon in Web services deal Cape Clear Software and Neon Systems Inc. on Wednesday announced they are working together to integrate their respective technologies and allow users to quickly integrate mainframe applications and data through the use of Web services.


Indiana Hires Hoeppner Miami of Ohio's Terry Hoeppner is hired as Indiana's football coach and vows to take the Hoosiers to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1968.


Singapore Air plans \$7.35B Boeing order Singapore Airlines plans to buy up to 31 Boeing long-range 777-300ER planes worth about \$7.35 billion, the carrier said Wednesday.


UEFA Introduces Anti-Doping Program  SOFIA (Reuters) - UEFA will enforce a new anti-doping  program at all levels in and out of competition, a meeting of  the European soccer body's executive committee decided  Thursday.

Arsenal loses again in Premier League Arsenal dropped five points behind Chelsea in the English Premier League on Sunday after losing 2-1 to Liverpool on an injury-time goal by Neil Mellor.


Pakistan down India to ensure top six finish (AFP) AFP - Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India 3-0 here to ensure they stand among the top six in the Olympic men's field hockey competition.


IBM #39;s New eServer Supports AMD Dual-Core IBM (Quote, Chart) is looking to get a leg up on the competition with the October 15 launch of eServer 326, a rack-mounted server that supports AMD #39;s (Quote, Chart) upcoming dual-core 64-bit processor.

DMCA Limited by Sixth Circuit Appeals Court The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. I really dont know why a printer manufacturer should have exclusive rights on producing ink that work with their printers.


Saddam meets lawyer, aides due in Court Saddam Hussein met with a defense lawyer Thursday for the first time since his capture a year ago, days before several of his top aides are due to appear in court for hearings on alleged war crimes.


Islamic threaten women #39;s soccer tournament in Bangladesh The organizers of Bangladesh #39;s first women #39;s soccer tournament promised to keep playing despite protests by a Muslim group that called the event  quot;indecent and against Islamic norms quot;.

Youzhny sends champion Henman crashing out of Paris PARIS (AFP) - Defending champion Tim Henman crashed out of the 2.45-million-euro Paris Masters tamely surrendering the title he won so impressively last year.


Bombings at Two Buenos Aires Banks Kill 1 (AP) AP - Homemade bombs exploded in two Buenos Aires banks Wednesday, killing a security guard, police said.


CRN INTERVIEW: JOHN FOWLER, SUN Sun #39;s Fowler: Rising Sales While Hewlett-Packard, Dell and IBM are the recognized leaders of the X86 server market, one player has surprisingly begun to gain ground.


Eleusis wins Long Island  #39;cap; Personal Legend wins Turnback the <b>...</b> Eleusis made a successful US debut by beating Literacy by 2\\ lengths in Aqueduct #39;s Saturday feature, the Grade II, \$150,000 Long Island Handicap for fillies and mares 3 and older.


Arsenal loses again in Premier League Arsenal dropped five points behind Chelsea in the English Premier League on Sunday after losing 2-1 to Liverpool on an injury-time goal by Neil Mellor.

Deportivo La Corua 0-1 Liverpool: FT Report LA CORUNA, November 3 (Champions League) - Rafael Benitez heard his name ring around a Spanish stadium in his homeland again but this time it was from Scouse voices rather than those in Valencia, with whom he won La Liga.


AOL drops Microsoft antispam technology com September 16, 2004, 1:15 PM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half.


Nuggets 100, Clippers 88 Carmelo Anthony, who missed Denver #39;s previous game after being cited for marijuana possession, scored 23 points for the Nuggets in a 100-88 preseason victory Thursday night over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Boxing: Khan shows no rust to emerge lord of the ring Amir Khan celebrated his first fight since winning the lightweight Olympic silver medal in Athens with a one-sided 35-13 points victory over American Michael Evans at Liverpool Olympia last night.


Van Gogh #39;s murder brings out Holland #39;s contradictions The murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by a young Muslim of Moroccan descent has shaken Holland to its very foundations. To most people, including the Dutch, the killing and its violent


US Supreme Court to Decide Grokster Case The US Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider whether Internet file-trading networks should be held responsible when their users copy music, movies and other protected works without permission.

Dual Internal Clocks Control Fruit Flies -Study (Reuters) Reuters - Humans are not the only creatures with\an internal biological clock. Fruit flies have two, which\separately control morning and evening activity, scientists\said Wednesday.


Symantec to Buy Veritas for \$13.5 Billion  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Security software maker Symantec Corp.  has agreed to buy Veritas Software Corp. for \$13.5 billion,  expanding into the backup and recovery software market, the  companies said on Thursday.


As reserve, Penny seeks Knick payoff The aging process for veteran NBA players is usually accelerated when they have reached their tenth season. Penny Hardaway has 11 years and 647 games on his odometer and he can feel it in his bones and joints.

UPDATE 1-Thompson earns Celtic a record win over Rangers Scottish champions Celtic secured a record seventh successive win over Glasgow rivals Rangers on Sunday with a 1-0 victory courtesy of midfielder Alan Thompson #39;s venomous late strike.


Giga counters They #39;re bold, brash and break most rules of business -- so why are the Google guys multi-billionaires? GOOGLE Inc had plenty to celebrate at its recent annual summer picnic -- its debut as a public company