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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

Amazon.com net sales jump 29; Google reports \$52M in net income OCTOBER 22, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Amazon.com Inc. fell a penny short of analysts #39; per-share earnings expectations, while reporting net sales of \$1.


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.


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.

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


Iran, EU Negotiators Seek Nuke Agreement (AP) AP - A key U.N. atomic agency meeting adjourned for the weekend, giving Iran time to consider a total freeze of a program that could make weapons grade uranium and for delegates to decide on further steps in policing Tehran's nuclear activities.


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.

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.


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 ...


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.

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


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

Milosevic #39;s Lawyers to Appeal Own Appointment THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The two lawyers representing Slobodan Milosevic filed papers Thursday (9 September), asking for permission to appeal their appointment by the UN tribunal.


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.


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

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.


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


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.

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 ...


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.


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.

Shares plunge 20 at Global Crossing NEW YORKShares of Global Crossing Ltd. lost nearly 20 per cent in value yesterday on concerns it could face a second bankruptcy after it said it is cutting 600 jobs as it negotiates with lenders for financing.


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.

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.


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.

Fannie Mae Used Improper Accounting-Probe  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fannie Mae used improper accounting  to manipulate its quarterly earnings reports, regulators said,  touching off the mortgage finance industry's second such  controversy in less than 18 months.


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.


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.

Reds pick up Miley #39;s option for 2005 Reds general manager Dan O #39;Brien said Sunday what he has hinted at for the last month or so: Dave Miley and his staff will be back for 2005.


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.


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 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


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

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


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.


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.

Peruvian Maoist trial thrown into chaos The first hearing in the re-trial of former leaders of Peru #39;s Shining Path guerrilla group has ended in chaos. The judge suspended the hearing after the group #39;s founder, Abimael Guzman, and his 15 co-defendants


KarstadtQuelle Sells Stake in Venture Troubled German retailer KarstadtQuelle AG said Monday it is selling its 82 percent stake in a three-year-old joint venture with coffeehouse chain Starbucks Coffee International to the US company.


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.

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, ...


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.


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.

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


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.


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.

Chercher dans toute l #39;actualit Italy ground to a halt as millions of workers observed a general strike in protest against the economic policies of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi #39;s centre-right government.


Red Sox explode in the 8th for 12-5 win The New York Yankees are going to the playoffs, and they will probably go there as AL East champions, too. They just won #39;t be clinching the division in Fenway Park.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


Expos Skipper Robinson OKs One-Year Deal (AP) AP - Frank Robinson has agreed to a one-year contract to return as manager of the Expos, although whether he actually manages the team next year will hinge on the pace of the team's sale and the whim of the new owners.


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.

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.


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


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

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.


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.


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.

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


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.


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.

Alamosa to Buy AirGate for \$392 Million  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Alamosa Holdings Inc. APCS.O will  acquire AirGate PCS Inc. PCSA.O for \$392 million in stock  creating the largest Sprint Corp. FON.N wireless affiliate,  the companies said on Wednesday.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

Reds pick up Miley #39;s option for 2005 Reds general manager Dan O #39;Brien said Sunday what he has hinted at for the last month or so: Dave Miley and his staff will be back for 2005.


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


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.


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...


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.

Explosion in Kathmandu injures 30 At least 30 people have been hurt in a explosion in Nepal #39;s capital, Kathmandu. Police say it was a bomb. The explosion struck a building of the government-owned Employees #39; Provident Fund that was under construction.


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.


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

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.


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...


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...

Caymas to open with security gateways Security start-up Caymas Systems launches Monday with products to protect the flow of corporate data.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

Five facts about France #39;s Muslim headscarf ban - The French parliament passed the law in March to ban  quot;conspicuous symbols quot; of faith from its state school system. Guidelines for applying the law identified Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

Milosevic #39;s Lawyers to Appeal Own Appointment THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The two lawyers representing Slobodan Milosevic filed papers Thursday (9 September), asking for permission to appeal their appointment by the UN tribunal.


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.


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.

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


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


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.

EU Accuses Microsoft of Paternal View Microsoft Corp. said Friday that small companies and their customers would suffer most if it is forced to remove its digital media software from Windows, while the European Union accused it of being "paternalistic" in trying to decide what's best for everyone.


Kansas State 76, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 42 Clent Stewart scored a career-high 15 points and Kansas State used stifling defense for a 76-42 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Monday.


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

KarstadtQuelle Sells Stake in Venture Troubled German retailer KarstadtQuelle AG said Monday it is selling its 82 percent stake in a three-year-old joint venture with coffeehouse chain Starbucks Coffee International to the US company.


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.


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

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.


Web domains approved for Posties, travel The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has approved two new sponsored Internet domains, .post and .travel, specifically for the post and travel industries.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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


Kashmir separatist chief arrested Kashmir separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is prevented from leading a protest against allleged rapes by an Indian army officer.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

Red Sox explode in the 8th for 12-5 win The New York Yankees are going to the playoffs, and they will probably go there as AL East champions, too. They just won #39;t be clinching the division in Fenway Park.


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.


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.

Spain coach faces racism inquiry THE Spanish football federation yesterday opened a disciplinary file against national coach Luis Aragones - but anti-racism campaigners expect him to be let off with a warning.


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


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.

Microsoft Patches for ISA Server 2000 and Proxy Server 2.0 Microsoft has released bulletin MS04-039 reporting a security vulnerability in Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 and in Proxy Server 2.0, and has also announced the availability of the patches to resolve these issues.


Sharon orders 1,000 homes in West Bank Israel announced plans for 1,000 houses in the West Bank yesterday, accelerating the expansion of the settlements.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

Gold Fields wins appeal to fight takeover Gold Fields Ltd. won an appeal on Friday in its battle to stave off a hostile \$7.1 billion takeover by Harmony Gold Mining Co. that would create the world #39;s largest gold mining company.


NKorea warns Japan against economic sanctions North Korea has warned Japan that it will treat economic sanctions as a  quot;declaration of war quot; and threatens to try to exclude Tokyo from six-party talks on Pyongyang #39;s nuclear arms programs.


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 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.


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.


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

A different ball game Two interesting stories this week. One - Manchester United #39;s signing of Wayne Rooney - exciting if rather predictable; another - Southampton #39;s apparent intent to hire England rugby union coach Sir Clive Woodward - surprising and, to many, baffling.


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.

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...


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.


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.

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


Unilever Cuts Profit Forecasts on Sluggish Sales (Update3) Unilever, the world #39;s largest maker of food and soap, cut its full-year earnings forecast after sales of ice cream and cold drinks slumped in Europe and demand for beauty and laundry products slowed.


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

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.


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.


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.

EU Accuses Microsoft of Paternal View Microsoft Corp. said Friday that small companies and their customers would suffer most if it is forced to remove its digital media software from Windows, while the European Union accused it of being "paternalistic" in trying to decide what's best for everyone.


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.


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.

KarstadtQuelle Sells Stake in Venture Troubled German retailer KarstadtQuelle AG said Monday it is selling its 82 percent stake in a three-year-old joint venture with coffeehouse chain Starbucks Coffee International to the US company.


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...


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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 ...


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.

Amazon.com net sales jump 29; Google reports \$52M in net income OCTOBER 22, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Amazon.com Inc. fell a penny short of analysts #39; per-share earnings expectations, while reporting net sales of \$1.


Explosion in Kathmandu injures 30 At least 30 people have been hurt in a explosion in Nepal #39;s capital, Kathmandu. Police say it was a bomb. The explosion struck a building of the government-owned Employees #39; Provident Fund that was under construction.


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.

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.


Australian reporter freed in Iraq An Australian journalist was seized by militants in Iraq for nearly 24 hours, but then released unharmed.


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.

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.


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.


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

Shares plunge 20 at Global Crossing NEW YORKShares of Global Crossing Ltd. lost nearly 20 per cent in value yesterday on concerns it could face a second bankruptcy after it said it is cutting 600 jobs as it negotiates with lenders for financing.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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


Peruvian Maoist trial thrown into chaos The first hearing in the re-trial of former leaders of Peru #39;s Shining Path guerrilla group has ended in chaos. The judge suspended the hearing after the group #39;s founder, Abimael Guzman, and his 15 co-defendants


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

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


Hollywood to sue server operators in bid to stymie online piracy LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood movie studios on Tuesday sued scores of operators of US- and European-based computer servers that help relay digitized movie files across online file-sharing networks.


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.

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.


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;?


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.

AOL Updates Audio Video Search SingingFish AOL Updates Audio Video Search SingingFish\\Rumors are floating that market leaders Google along with Yahoo! and Microsoft (MSN) are working on an improved multimedia searching capabilities. AOL entered into the field with their acquisition of Singingfish Inc. around a year ago.\\Singingfish Inc. would be today announcing their updated services to ...


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

Goodale Hints of Tax Cuts The Federal Government says they are considering more tax cuts for lower and middle-income Canadians. Fending off attacks over the 9.1 billion dollar budget surplus, Finance Minister Ralph Goodale said he


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.


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.

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


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


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.

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.


Kashmir separatist chief arrested Kashmir separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is prevented from leading a protest against allleged rapes by an Indian army officer.


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.

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.


Labour has failed on pensions, commission will report A report on pensions commissioned by the Government will be highly critical of Labour #39;s record on the issue, saying that people are saving far less for retirement than official figures show


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

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

ATA Files for Bankruptcy Protection ATA Holdings Corp. (ATAH), parent of struggling low-cost carrier ATA Airlines, on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as falling fares and soaring fuel prices drained it of cash.


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...


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.

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.


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.


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.


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.

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.


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


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.

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.


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.


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;.

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


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.


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.

Caymas to open with security gateways Security start-up Caymas Systems launches Monday with products to protect the flow of corporate data.


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.


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.

Reds pick up Miley #39;s option for 2005 Reds general manager Dan O #39;Brien said Sunday what he has hinted at for the last month or so: Dave Miley and his staff will be back for 2005.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.


Euro exchange rate poses no threat to eurozone economy A top European Union (EU) economic official said on Monday that the current level of the euro against the US dollar posed no threat to the eurozone economic recovery.


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.

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.


Milosevic #39;s Lawyers to Appeal Own Appointment THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The two lawyers representing Slobodan Milosevic filed papers Thursday (9 September), asking for permission to appeal their appointment by the UN tribunal.

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...


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.


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, ...

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.


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.


Chercher dans toute l #39;actualit Italy ground to a halt as millions of workers observed a general strike in protest against the economic policies of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi #39;s centre-right government.

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


KarstadtQuelle Sells Stake in Venture Troubled German retailer KarstadtQuelle AG said Monday it is selling its 82 percent stake in a three-year-old joint venture with coffeehouse chain Starbucks Coffee International to the US company.

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.


Australian reporter freed in Iraq An Australian journalist was seized by militants in Iraq for nearly 24 hours, but then released unharmed.


EU Accuses Microsoft of Paternal View Microsoft Corp. said Friday that small companies and their customers would suffer most if it is forced to remove its digital media software from Windows, while the European Union accused it of being "paternalistic" in trying to decide what's best for everyone.

The space warrior, the witch and ICANN Leaders of the Internet's controversial ruling body are getting a visit this week from a witch-in-training and a space warrior from centuries in the future.


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.

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...


GE Says It's on Track for 2004, 2005  BOSTON (Reuters) - Diversified manufacturer General  Electric Co. GE.N said on Tuesday that it is on track to meet  its full-year earnings forecast and to achieve double-digit  gains in earnings per share in 2005.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


Sony looks under the Christmas tree Americans will go gadget shopping this holiday season even if oil prices go up, Sony execs say.


Eagles sign cornerback Brown to six-year deal Sheldon Brown signed a six-year extension with Philadelphia on Thursday, keeping the second-year cornerback with the Eagles through the 2012 season.

THIERRY HEELS THE WOUNDS THE MARK of brilliance is to produce the unexpected. The proof of genius is to do it time and again. Thierry Henry is a brilliant genius.


Sharon orders 1,000 homes in West Bank Israel announced plans for 1,000 houses in the West Bank yesterday, accelerating the expansion of the settlements.


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.

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 ...


U.S. Says N.Korea Miscalculating by Stalling on Talks  TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States accused North Korea  Tuesday of miscalculation by refusing to resume talks on its  nuclear programs before the U.S. presidential election while  China renewed a diplomatic drive to end the stalemate.


Seminoles Monday recap Despite myriad miscues, Florida State rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Syracuse 17-13 before 40,539 fans at the Carrier Dome.

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.


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.


GE Says It's on Track for 2004, 2005  BOSTON (Reuters) - Diversified manufacturer General  Electric Co. GE.N said on Tuesday that it is on track to meet  its full-year earnings forecast and to achieve double-digit  gains in earnings per share in 2005.

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.


Expos Skipper Robinson OKs One-Year Deal (AP) AP - Frank Robinson has agreed to a one-year contract to return as manager of the Expos, although whether he actually manages the team next year will hinge on the pace of the team's sale and the whim of the new owners.


Fannie Mae Used Improper Accounting-Probe  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fannie Mae used improper accounting  to manipulate its quarterly earnings reports, regulators said,  touching off the mortgage finance industry's second such  controversy in less than 18 months.

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.


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;.


AOL Updates Audio Video Search SingingFish AOL Updates Audio Video Search SingingFish\\Rumors are floating that market leaders Google along with Yahoo! and Microsoft (MSN) are working on an improved multimedia searching capabilities. AOL entered into the field with their acquisition of Singingfish Inc. around a year ago.\\Singingfish Inc. would be today announcing their updated services to ...

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.


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.


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.

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.


Microsoft Patches for ISA Server 2000 and Proxy Server 2.0 Microsoft has released bulletin MS04-039 reporting a security vulnerability in Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000 and in Proxy Server 2.0, and has also announced the availability of the patches to resolve these issues.

Web domains approved for Posties, travel The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has approved two new sponsored Internet domains, .post and .travel, specifically for the post and travel industries.


Seminoles Monday recap Despite myriad miscues, Florida State rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Syracuse 17-13 before 40,539 fans at the Carrier Dome.


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.

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.


Reds pick up Miley #39;s option for 2005 Reds general manager Dan O #39;Brien said Sunday what he has hinted at for the last month or so: Dave Miley and his staff will be back for 2005.


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.

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.


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.


RIJKAARD SAVOURS BARCA WIN Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard savoured his side #39;s battling qualities after the Catalan giants fought back to beat Deportivo La Coruna 2-1 at the Nou Camp and open up a nine-point lead in the Primera Liga.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


Sony looks under the Christmas tree Americans will go gadget shopping this holiday season even if oil prices go up, Sony execs say.


Caymas to open with security gateways Security start-up Caymas Systems launches Monday with products to protect the flow of corporate data.

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.


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

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.


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.


Peruvian Maoist trial thrown into chaos The first hearing in the re-trial of former leaders of Peru #39;s Shining Path guerrilla group has ended in chaos. The judge suspended the hearing after the group #39;s founder, Abimael Guzman, and his 15 co-defendants

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


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.


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.

Seminoles Monday recap Despite myriad miscues, Florida State rallied from a seven-point halftime deficit to defeat Syracuse 17-13 before 40,539 fans at the Carrier Dome.


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.


Rugby-Lions accept extra match on 2005 New Zealand tour The British and Irish Lions have accepted an extra match on their tour of New Zealand next year. The Lions will now play the traditionally strong Auckland provincial

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.


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.


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.

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.


Red Sox on Brink of World Series Victory  ST. LOUIS (Reuters) - Pedro Martinez pitched seven shutout  innings and Manny Ramirez hit a home run as the Boston Red Sox  beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-1 Tuesday, moving to the brink  of their first World Series title since 1918.


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.

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.


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


Hollywood to sue server operators in bid to stymie online piracy LOS ANGELES -- Hollywood movie studios on Tuesday sued scores of operators of US- and European-based computer servers that help relay digitized movie files across online file-sharing networks.

Running was a key human characteristic By Lee Bowman. The ability to run long distances across the African savannah gave human ancestors an evolutionary advantage over other primates that walked upright, but could not run the mile or 20, researchers argue in a new study.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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


GE Says It's on Track for 2004, 2005  BOSTON (Reuters) - Diversified manufacturer General  Electric Co. GE.N said on Tuesday that it is on track to meet  its full-year earnings forecast and to achieve double-digit  gains in earnings per share in 2005.


Sharon orders 1,000 homes in West Bank Israel announced plans for 1,000 houses in the West Bank yesterday, accelerating the expansion of the settlements.

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.


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.


IBM Releasing New Power5-Based Servers RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK - IBM is rolling out a new line of Power5-processor based servers that it says outperform rivals from Sun and HP.

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.


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.


Kashmir separatist chief arrested Kashmir separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani is prevented from leading a protest against allleged rapes by an Indian army officer.

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...


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


Update 8: Ford, GM Set Production Cuts on Sales Drop Another disappointing sales month at General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. led the nation #39;s two largest automakers to cut planned vehicle production in the fourth quarter, which could hurt profits.


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

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.


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


Five facts about France #39;s Muslim headscarf ban - The French parliament passed the law in March to ban  quot;conspicuous symbols quot; of faith from its state school system. Guidelines for applying the law identified Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large

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.


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.


A different ball game Two interesting stories this week. One - Manchester United #39;s signing of Wayne Rooney - exciting if rather predictable; another - Southampton #39;s apparent intent to hire England rugby union coach Sir Clive Woodward - surprising and, to many, baffling.

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.


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.

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


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.


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

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...


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.


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

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


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.


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.

Explosion in Kathmandu injures 30 At least 30 people have been hurt in a explosion in Nepal #39;s capital, Kathmandu. Police say it was a bomb. The explosion struck a building of the government-owned Employees #39; Provident Fund that was under construction.