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

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.


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;?


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

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.


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.


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

Dollar Plunges on Greenspan Comments  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar sank across the board,  dropping to multiyear lows against the yen and the euro on  Friday, after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said  demand for U.S. assets could ease at some point given the size  of the current account deficit.


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.


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.

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


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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 ...


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


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.

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.


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


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


EU chief battles to avert veto in crunch vote (AFP) AFP - The European Union braced for a knife-edge vote to decide the fate of its new executive arm with incoming EU chief Jose Manuel Barroso hardening his stance against rebel legislators.


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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 ...


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


Rats in Mouse #39;s house? Remember John Edwards Two Americas campaign theme? It occurred to me how well that theme fits the corporate world. For proof, look no further than the stockholder lawsuit against Walt Disney Co.


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.


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


Rapidly expanding Vietnam Airlines ready to take on America HANOI : Yesterday Vietnam, today Asia, tomorrow the United States: Vietnam Airlines has expanded to the point where it is even eyeing the huge American market, a move which would have been unthinkable not long ago.

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.


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.


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...

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


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.


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

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.


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.


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

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...


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.


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 ...

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.


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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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


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

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.


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.


Travel Column: Australia Through Aboriginal Eyes This week's TravelWatch column profiles Anangu Tours, an Aborigine-owned tour company in Australia's Red Center.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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


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

Rapidly expanding Vietnam Airlines ready to take on America HANOI : Yesterday Vietnam, today Asia, tomorrow the United States: Vietnam Airlines has expanded to the point where it is even eyeing the huge American market, a move which would have been unthinkable not long ago.


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


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


Travel Column: Australia Through Aboriginal Eyes This week's TravelWatch column profiles Anangu Tours, an Aborigine-owned tour company in Australia's Red Center.


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.

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...


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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


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.

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.


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.


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

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


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

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


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.


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


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.


Dollar Plunges on Greenspan Comments  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar sank across the board,  dropping to multiyear lows against the yen and the euro on  Friday, after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said  demand for U.S. assets could ease at some point given the size  of the current account deficit.

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.


POLITICAL POINTS  1:27 PM Sorry Is the Hardest Word It did not go unnoticed among the press corps traveling with President Bush that British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized this week to fellow Labor Party officials for the fact that, as it


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.

Dollar Plunges on Greenspan Comments  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar sank across the board,  dropping to multiyear lows against the yen and the euro on  Friday, after Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said  demand for U.S. assets could ease at some point given the size  of the current account deficit.


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


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

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


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


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.

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.


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


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

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.


Samsung MMCmicro Cards Samsung MMCmicro It seems that mobile phones will soon be getting yet another new memory storage format, joining a growing field of ever-smaller memory cards.


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.

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


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


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.

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.


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


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.

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


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


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...

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


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

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


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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


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

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


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.


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

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


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


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.

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


POLITICAL POINTS  1:27 PM Sorry Is the Hardest Word It did not go unnoticed among the press corps traveling with President Bush that British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized this week to fellow Labor Party officials for the fact that, as it


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.

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.


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


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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


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


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.


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.


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

Mass. court denies new trial for convict BOSTON -- The state appeals court on Thursday declined to allow a new trial for a father convicted of beating a man to death at their sons #39; hockey practice.


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.


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.


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.


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.

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.


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


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.

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.


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


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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


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.


Sports: Cobbs out for the season DENTON, Texas Last season #39;s NCAA rushing and scoring leader will miss the rest of this football season. North Texas running back Patrick Cobbs has sprained ligaments in his left knee.

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


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.


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.

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.


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


Pfizer's Gloom Factor The stock will continue to be depressed, but things will improve if Celebrex's safety is proven.

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.


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


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.

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


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.


POLITICAL POINTS  1:27 PM Sorry Is the Hardest Word It did not go unnoticed among the press corps traveling with President Bush that British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized this week to fellow Labor Party officials for the fact that, as it

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.


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.


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 ...

Travel Column: Australia Through Aboriginal Eyes This week's TravelWatch column profiles Anangu Tours, an Aborigine-owned tour company in Australia's Red Center.


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.


Rats in Mouse #39;s house? Remember John Edwards Two Americas campaign theme? It occurred to me how well that theme fits the corporate world. For proof, look no further than the stockholder lawsuit against Walt Disney Co.

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


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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


Shareholders Toast Brewers' Merger  BRUSSELS/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Shareholders gave their  blessing on Friday for Belgium's Interbrew INTB.BR to buy  Brazil's AmBev AMBV4.SA<ABV.N> in a \$9.7 billion deal that  will create the world's largest brewer.

Deficits soil safe-haven image of US Treasury debt Once a seemingly indestructible hiding hole for the frightened investor, some on Wall Street are beginning to question the super-safe status of US Treasury debt.


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.

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


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

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.


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.


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.

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


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.


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.

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.


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


Samsung MMCmicro Cards Samsung MMCmicro It seems that mobile phones will soon be getting yet another new memory storage format, joining a growing field of ever-smaller memory cards.

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.


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.


Mobile phone  #39;deafness #39; risk p2pnet.net News:- Defects in Siemens 65 series mobile phones could cause deafness, says the company.  quot;In extreme cases, this volume could lead to hearing damage.

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...


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


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.

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


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.


Mass. court denies new trial for convict BOSTON -- The state appeals court on Thursday declined to allow a new trial for a father convicted of beating a man to death at their sons #39; hockey practice.

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


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.


Taliban suicide bomber kills girl, wounds 6 others KABUL - A man with six grenades strapped to his body killed himself and a 12-year-old girl on a busy street in Kabul Saturday, police said.

Pakistan Test-Fires Nuclear Missile Pakistan has successfully test fired a medium-range, nuclear-capable missile that could hit most cities in neighbouring India. Defence officials said the exercise was not intended as a message to the South Asian rival.


Pakistan Test-Fires Nuclear Missile Pakistan has successfully test fired a medium-range, nuclear-capable missile that could hit most cities in neighbouring India. Defence officials said the exercise was not intended as a message to the South Asian rival.

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.


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.


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

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


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


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

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


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.


EU chief battles to avert veto in crunch vote (AFP) AFP - The European Union braced for a knife-edge vote to decide the fate of its new executive arm with incoming EU chief Jose Manuel Barroso hardening his stance against rebel legislators.

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.


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.


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

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


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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...

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


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.


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

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.


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.


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

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


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.


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.

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.


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


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

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


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


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.

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


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


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.

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.


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


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

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.


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...


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.

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.


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


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

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


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


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.

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.


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


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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;?

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.


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.


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.

POLITICAL POINTS  1:27 PM Sorry Is the Hardest Word It did not go unnoticed among the press corps traveling with President Bush that British Prime Minister Tony Blair apologized this week to fellow Labor Party officials for the fact that, as it


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


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

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


Pakistan Test-Fires Nuclear Missile Pakistan has successfully test fired a medium-range, nuclear-capable missile that could hit most cities in neighbouring India. Defence officials said the exercise was not intended as a message to the South Asian rival.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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


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


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.

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.


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.

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.


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


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.

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


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.


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

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


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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

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.


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


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

Samsung MMCmicro Cards Samsung MMCmicro It seems that mobile phones will soon be getting yet another new memory storage format, joining a growing field of ever-smaller memory cards.


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.


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

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


Deficits soil safe-haven image of US Treasury debt Once a seemingly indestructible hiding hole for the frightened investor, some on Wall Street are beginning to question the super-safe status of US Treasury debt.


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 ...

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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


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

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


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.


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

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.


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


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

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.


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.


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

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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

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.


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


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.


Travel Column: Australia Through Aboriginal Eyes This week's TravelWatch column profiles Anangu Tours, an Aborigine-owned tour company in Australia's Red Center.