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"The average house price fell marginally to £180,226, from £180,444 in October. Recent evidence has suggested that the UK housing market is slowing after interest rate increases, and economists forecast a drop in prices during 2005. But while the monthly figures may hint at a cooling of the market, annual house price inflation is still strong, up 13.8% in the year to November. Economists, however, forecast that ODPM figures are likely to show a weakening in annual house price growth in coming months. ""Overall, the housing market activity is slowing down and that is backed up by the mortgage lending and the mortgage approvals data,"" said Mark Miller, at HBOS Treasury Services. ""The ODPM data is a fairly lagging indicator."" The figures come after the Bank of England said the number of mortgages approved in the UK has fallen to the lowest level for nearly a decade. The Halifax, meanwhile, said last week that house prices increased by 1.1% in December - the first monthly rise since September. The UK's biggest mortgage lender said prices rose 15.1% over the whole of 2004, but by only 2.8% in the second half of the year. It is predicting a 2% fall in overall prices in 2005 as the market stabilises after large gains in recent years. The ODPM attributed the monthly fall of prices in November to a drop in the value of detached houses and flats. It said annual inflation rose between October and November because prices had fallen by 1.1% in the same period in 2003. The ODPM data showed the average house price was £192,713 in England; £139,544 in Wales; £116,542 in Scotland, and £111,314 in Northern Ireland. All areas saw a rise in annual house price inflation in November except for Northern Ireland and the West Midlands, where the rate was unchanged, the ODPM said. The North East showed the highest rate of inflation at 26.2%, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber on 21.7%, and the North West on 21.1%. The East Midlands, the West Midlands and the South West all had an annual inflation rate of more than 15%. In London, the area with the highest average house price at £262,825, annual inflation rose only slightly in November to 7.1% from 7% the previous month."	business
"The Sunday Telegraph said the LSE's plan was further evidence it wants to retain tight control over its destiny. Both Deutsche Boerse and rival Euronext held talks with the London market last week over a possible offer. A £1.3bn offer from Deutsche Boerse has already been rejected, while Euronext has said it will make an all cash bid. Speculation suggests that Paris-based Euronext has the facilities in place to make a bid of £1.4bn, while its German rival may up its bid to the £1.5bn mark. Neither has yet tabled a formal bid, but the LSE is expected to hold further talks with the two parties later this week. However, the Sunday Telegraph report added that there are signs that Deutsche Boerse chief executive Werner Seifert is becoming increasingly impatient with the LSE's managed bid process. Despite insisting he wants to agree a recommended deal with the LSE's board, the newspaper suggested he may pull out of the process and put an offer directly to shareholders instead. The newspaper also claimed Mr Seifert was becoming ""increasingly frustrated"" with the pace of negotiations since Deutsche Boerse's £1.3bn offer was rejected in mid-December, in particular the LSE's decision to suspend talks over the Christmas period. Meanwhile, the German exchange's offer has come under fire recently. Unions for Deutsche Boerse staff in Frankfurt have reportedly expressed fears that up to 300 jobs would be moved to London if the takeover is successful. Others claim it will weaken the city's status as Europe's financial centre, while German politicians are also said to be angry over the market operator's promise to move its headquarters to London if a bid is successful. A further stumbling block is Deutsche Boerse's control over its Clearstream unit, the clearing house that processes securities transactions. LSE shareholders fear it would create a monopoly situation, weakening the position of shareholders when negotiating lower transaction fees for share dealings. LSE and Euronext do not have control over their clearing and settlement operations, a situation which critics say is more transparent and competitive."	business
"Harinordoquy was a second-half replacement in last Saturday's 24-18 defeat to Wales. Bourgoin lock Pascal Pape, who has recovered from a sprained ankle, returns to the 22-man squad. Wing Cedric Heymans and Ludovic Valbon come in for Aurelien Rougerie and Jean-Philippe Grandclaude. Rougerie hurt his chest against Wales while Grandclaude was a second-half replacement against both England and Wales. Valbon, capped in last June's Tests against the United States and Canada, was a second half replacement in the win over Scotland. France coach Bernard Laporte said Harinordoquy had been axed after a poor display last weekend. ""Imanol has been dropped from the squad because the least I can say is that he didn't make a thundering comeback against Wales,"" said Laporte. ""We know the Ireland game will be fast and rough and we also want to be able to replace both locks during the game if needed, and Gregory Lamboley can also come on at number seven or eight. ""The Grand Slam is gone but we'll go to Ireland to win. ""It will be a very exciting game because Ireland have three wins under their belt, have just defeated England and have their eyes set on a Grand Slam."" France, who lost to Wales last week, must defeat the Irish to keep alive their hopes of retaining the Six Nations trophy. Ireland are unbeaten in this year's tournament and have their sights set on a first Grand Slam since 1948. Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Pierre Mignoni (Clermont), Yann Delaigue (Castres), Frederic Michalak (Stade Toulousain), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Yannick Jauzion (Stade Toulousain), Ludovic Valbon (Biarritz), Christophe Dominici (Stade Francais), Cedric Heymans (Stade Toulousain), Julien Laharrague (Brive) Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Francais), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Olivier Milloud (Bourgoin), Sebastien Bruno (Sale/ENG), William Servat (Stade Toulousain), Fabien Pelous (Stade Toulousain, capt), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Pascal Papé (Bourgoin), Gregory Lamboley (Stade Toulousain), Serge Betsen (Biarritz), Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin), Yannick Nyanga (Béziers)"	sport
"A tie-up between Barclays and California-based Wells Fargo would create the world's fourth biggest bank, valued at $180bn (£96bn). Barclays has declined to comment on the report in the Sunday Express, saying it does not respond to market speculation. The two banks reportedly held talks in October and November 2004. Barclays shares were up 8 pence, or 1.3%, at 605 pence by late morning in London on Monday, making it the second biggest gainer in the FTSE 100 index. UK banking icon Barclays was founded more than 300 years ago; it has operations in over 60 countries and employs 76,200 staff worldwide. Its North American divisions focus on business banking, whereas Wells Fargo operates retail and business banking services from 6,000 branches. In 2003, Barclays reported a 20% rise in pre-tax profits to £3.8bn, and it has recently forecast similar gains in 2004, predicting that full year pre-tax profits would rise 18% to £4.5bn. Wells Fargo had net income of $6.2bn in its last financial year, a 9% increase on the previous year, and revenues of $28.4bn. Barclays was the focus of takeover speculation in August, when it was linked to Citigroup, though no bid has ever materialised. Stock market traders were sceptical that the latest reports heralded a deal. ""The chief executive would be abandoning his duty if he didn't talk to rivals, but a deal doesn't seem likely,"" Reuters quoted one trader as saying."	business
"The parties say they can stick to the rules by ensuring that their calls are not marketing - for instance by asking about people's voting intentions. The Lib Dems are asking the watchdog overseeing the rules to stop the calls. The information commissioner's office says surveys are allowed but people had to be told if personal data was kept. Telephone call centres are expected to be used as never before by all the three major parties in the run-up to the general election. But seven million telephone numbers are on the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) lists, which ban unsolicited sales and marketing calls. Both schemes are run by the Direct Marketing Association and backed by EU directives on privacy and electronic communications. The rules on marketing calls apply as much to politicians as to private sector companies. But that does not mean Labour and the Tories are not calling people signed up to the TPS. A Labour Party spokesman told the BBC News website the party avoided those on TPS lists when telephoning people about membership or fundraising. But that did not happen for ""voter identification"" calls. ""When we ask which party they will vote for, that is not marketing and we have very clear legal advice that it is not,"" he said. ""So it is not covered by the Telephone Preference Service."" He said the party always asked people if they would be happy to be contacted again and if they said no, they were not rung again. A Conservative spokeswoman said the party stuck to the rules when it rang TPS subscribers. She said: ""We do apply TPS but in line with the law. We would not do things that are not allowed in the law."" Assistant information commissioner Phil Jones said it was classed as marketing if political parties telephoned people to encourage them to vote for them. But ""classic market research"", such as a poll of voter intentions, did not constitute direct marketing, he said. ""If a party is calling someone who is registered on TPS and records their voting intention with a view to using this information in the future, this should be clear to the voter concerned,"" said Mr Jones. ""If a party rings a person who is registered on TPS to ask about their voting intention and goes on to encourage that voter to support them, the party may well be in breach of the regulations. ""In summary, whether a party calling TPS registered voters to check their voting intentions will breach regulations will depend on the script used and whether the script is followed."" Mr Jones said the watchdog received ""very few complaints"" on the issue. Earlier, Lib Dem chairman Matthew Taylor wrote to the watchdog saying: ""The advice we have received on several previous occasions is that such phone calls are illegal."" He says evidence from local Lib Dem parties around the country suggests there are ""significant"" numbers of such calls. ""I hope you can therefore take swift and efficient action to ensure that this ceases,"" he tells the commissioner. Mr Taylor argues there should be new guidelines so all parties can act in the same way if the watchdog believes the rules allow parties to ring TPS numbers about voting intentions and later urge those people to vote for them."	politics
"The ex-England coach has been given a six-month contract to succeed Dave Jones, who was sacked after the club's poor start to the season. Wolves chairman Rick Hayward said: ""We're delighted Glenn is here. He has a six-month contract so we can test each other out and see if it works."" Hoddle, who will work alongside Stuart Gray, has been out of the game since he was sacked by Spurs in 2003. Gray, who has been caretaker manager, was assistant boss when Hoddle was manager at Southampton. ""I'm delighted to be here,"" said Hoddle. ""I saw the massive potential that Wolves have got and their desire and amibition to get back into the Premiership parallels my ambitions. ""Stuart Gray has done a fantastic job as caretaker manager. We've worked together at Southampton and I'm delighted to be back with him."" Wolves chief executive Jez Moxey defended the decision to give Hoddle a short-term contract. ""We hope it will work out for both parties and we extend it for the long term,"" he said. ""Most managers want a four-year contract and then expect it to be paid off if it doesn't work out. ""For somebody of Glenn's calibre to come in on a short-term contract and put his reputation on the line, it demonstrates his commitment and self-belief and the potential he thinks is here."" Hayward revealed that Hoddle was one of the first to be approached after Jones' departure. ""He was not available at the time because he was looking at various other things,"" he explained. ""Five weeks later we're back on track and this a tremendous opportunity for Wolves."" Hoddle began his managerial career as player-boss with Swindon before moving on to Chelsea and then taking up the England job. His spell in charge of the national side came to an end after the 1998 World Cup when he made controversial remarks about the disabled in a newspaper interview. The 47-year-old later returned to management with Southampton, where he again succeeded Jones - as he has now done at Wolves. He engineered an upturn in Saints' fortunes before being lured to White Hart Lane by Tottenham - the club where he made his name as a player. That relationship turned sour at the start of the last campaign and he left the London club early last season. Since then he has applied unsuccessfully for the post of France manager and had also been linked with a return to Southampton. Wolves are currently 17th in the Championship and have a home game against Millwall on Tuesday."	sport
"Australian Open champion Williams survived an early scare to beat Russia's Elena Bovina 1-6 6-1 6-4. World number one Lindsay Davenport and Anastasia Myskina also progressed. Davenport defeated China's Jie Zheng 6-2 7-5, while French Open champion Myskina sailed through after her opponent Marion Bartoli retired hurt. American Davenport will now face fellow former Wimbledon champion, Conchita Martinez of Spain, who ousted seventh-seeded Nathalie Dechy of France 6-1 6-2. Myskina will face eighth-seed Patty Schnyder from Switzerland, who defeated China's Li Na 6-3 7-6 (10-8). The other quarter final pits wild card Sania Mirza of India against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Montenegro, who both won on Tuesday. Before her meeting with Martinez, Davenport believes there is some room for improvement in her game. ""I started well and finished well, but played some so-so games in the middle,"" she said. Williams was also far from content. ""I don't know what I was doing there,"" she said. ""It was really windy and I hadn't played in the wind. All my shots were going out of here."" But Hantuchova is in upbeat mood ahead of her clash with the younger Williams sister, who was handed a first-round bye. ""I feel I have an advantage (over Serena) because I have already played two matches on these courts,"" she said. ""It is a difficult court to play on. Very fast and sometimes you feel you have no control over the ball."""	sport
"The comments come a day ahead of a High Court challenge by residents' groups and local councils to the government's White Paper. The judicial review will centre on government plans for expansion at Heathrow, Stansted and Luton airports. BAA, which operates all three, said it was consulting with local communities. ""We are...consulting on voluntary compensation schemes which go beyond our statutory obligations,"" a BAA spokesman said. Groups challenging the plans include Stop Stansted Expansion, Heathrow anti-noise campaigners HACAN Clearskies and the London boroughs of Hillingdon and Wandsworth. At Heathrow, Gatwick, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, BAA launched a series of consultations on blight to properties from the proposed expansion in September 2004, which will close next week. The company is also offering to buy noise-hit properties for an index-linked, unblighted price. Among other measures, BAA has set up a homeowner support scheme for people living near Stansted, and has launched a special scheme for those close to the airport but far enough away not to be covered by the homeowner scheme. At Heathrow, BAA said it was working closely with all interested parties to see how the strict environmental, air quality and noise targets for a third runway can be met. At Gatwick, the company has written to homes and business likely to be affected by any extra runway. Stop Stansted Expansion said the White Paper, published in December 2003, was ""fundamentally flawed"" and did not follow the proper consultation process. ""We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge before us because the courts have never before overturned a government White Paper,"" said Stop Stansted Expansion chairman Peter Sanders said. HACAN chairman John Stewart said: ""Almost exactly a year ago the government published its 30-year aviation White Paper with much fanfare. ""It hoped that would be the end of the debate and it could proceed with its plans for a massive expansion of aviation. ""Yet, a year later the protesters are still here, and stronger than ever. "" A judgement from Mr Justice Sullivan is expected early in February."	politics
"Partridge worked with Marley from 1977 until the Jamaican musician's death in 1981. : ""I joined Island Records in 1977 and the first week I was there I worked on his show at the Rainbow Theatre. It was one of the last dates he did in London."" : The album Exodus came out in 1977 and that provided five hits and confirmed his global superstar status. ""By 1979 he was the biggest touring attraction in the world. I remember going to see dates in Milan and Turin and they were enormous concerts."" : Bob was one of the most mesmeric people I've ever had the privilege to work with. ""He must have had an iron will to succeed. Bob was a very driven individual. You realised from the start there was a manifest destiny within him that he believed in. He didn't suffer fools gladly. At the risk of stating the obvious, he was an extraordinary song writer and his stage act was perhaps the greatest I've ever seen. I saw him many times."" : ""I recall in 1978 he came to the UK for Top of the Pops and a Daily Mirror journalist did a half-hour interview. It was interrupted to do a rehearsal. He came back into the dressing room to resume the interview but saw a World Cup match on TV. ""He sat down in front of the TV and after 10 minutes it was obvious he wasn't going to move. That was the end of it. The Mirror had a very truncated interview. ""The last time I saw him was in London in 1980. I arranged for him to play four days of football indoors in Fulham. ""Bob was a good player. We are talking about Jamaican-style football. He was an attacking midfield player. His team assembled wherever his gigs were. We played in Brazil against some World Cup-winning players."" : It was always a struggle for him to connect with Black America. Reggae did not correspond with disco in the 70s. But Bob in the 1990s became one of the great icons in America and the Third World. ""In 1991, ten years after his death, he sold more records than at any time during his life. ""We saw Black America taking Bob into their hearts for the first time."" : ""Bob, in worldwide terms, is the greatest music star there has ever been. If you went to Africa he would be recognised everywhere, in places John Lennon or Elvis wouldn't be. ""No disrespect to the other artists but a case can be made for him as the greatest, the best and the most influential artist in popular music."" : Well 1981 was to be the year he toured Africa with Stevie Wonder. He had only performed in Zimbabwe and Guinea before. ""Of course the 1981 tour never happened, but the whole of Africa would have embraced him. We can't speculate but he was at the height of his powers and just 36 years old. I had no sense his career was going to go downhill."" : ""Bob was endlessly optimistic about the way Africa would turn out. He realised that nothing was perfect but he had total belief in the power of mankind. ""I'm sure if he were alive today he would believe Africa would firstly become politically free and secondly be able to defeat the Aids epidemic."" : ""The final tune of his final album was Redemption Song - one of the most incredible classics of all time."""	entertainment
"Police found the trio handling unsealed postal ballots in a deserted warehouse in the city during a late-night raid in June 2004, the hearing was told. The votes were later counted towards that month's English local elections. The men, elected to the Aston ward, deny collecting votes fraudulently. The judge presiding has indicated the whole postal voting system is under scrutiny. Deputy High Court Judge Richard Mawrey, QC told the hearing at the Birmingham and Midlands Institute the case could have potentially serious consequences for any forthcoming General Election. The special Election Court, the first in living memory to hear allegations of vote-rigging, opened in Birmingham last month. The case against Muhammad Afzal, Mohammed Islam and Mohammed Kazi is being brought by local Liberal Democrat supporters. They claim the trio benefited from the widespread misuse of postal votes during the 10 June election. Ravi Sukul, counsel for the petitioners, accused the three men of being ""deeply involved"" in illegal practices. Witnesses saw them carrying several bags from their campaign office, which the men drove to a warehouse on an industrial estate off Birch Road East, the court was told. The police were alerted and called to the premises. Mr Sukul said: ""When (the officers) arrived there, in the middle of the night, they saw a large room with a 10ft long table and six Asian men present. ""Hundreds of documents and unsealed envelopes were scattered all over the table."" The police officers left the warehouse, but were later ordered back to seize the documents. ""When the officers left, all the envelopes and papers were scattered,"" Mr Sukul said. ""(When they went) back to make the seizure, every one of these 275 yellow ballot papers were placed neatly in envelope A and sealed. The house was in order."" Interrupting Mr Sukul in his opening, Mr Mawrey said: ""What you are saying is, these men were operating a vote-forging factory on an industrial estate."" The court heard how documents were taken by police to the elections office next morning, where they were mixed in with other ballots. The case against the men follows a hearing into postal fraud allegations made against three other Birmingham councillors in the Bordesley Green ward, claims which are denied. Mr Mawrey is due to deliver a judgment in their case once the Aston petition has been heard. Mr Afzal, Mr Islam and Mr Kazi deny conspiring to commit election fraud to deceive the returning officer. The case continues."	politics
"The Russian oil firm has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US in an attempt to halt the forced sale. However, Judge Letitia Clark said the hearing would continue on Thursday when arguments in the case would be heard. Russian authorities are due to auction off Yuganskneftegas on 19 December to pay a huge tax bill sent to Yukos. Russian prosecutors are forcing the sale of the firm's most lucrative asset Yuganskneftegas to help pay a $27bn (£14bn) back tax bill, which they claim is owed by Yukos. Filing for bankruptcy protection in the US was ""a last resort to preserve the rights of our shareholders, employees and customers,"" said Yukos chief executive Steven Theede. The company added it had opted to take action through American courts as US bankruptcy law gives worldwide jurisdiction over a debtor company's property and because it was seeking a judiciary willing to protect the value of shareholders' investments. However, as the firm is based in Russia and has no significant US assets, lawyers are unsure of the outcome of the case. ""We are here to stop 60% of our body from being cut off on Sunday,"" Zack Clement, a lawyer for Yukos, told Judge Clark in an emergency hearing in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday. As well as the bid to get Chapter 11 bankruptcy - which protects firms from creditors, allowing them to continue trading as they restructure their finances - the group also made a claim for damages against the Russian government. Yukos asked the Houston court to order Russia to arbitration so that it can press claims for billions of dollars in damages over a ""campaign of illegal, discriminatory and disproportionate"" tax claims. Mr Clement said that under Russian law, the Russian government was obliged to enter into arbitration as set out in international law. He added that the opening bid for the firm's Yuganskneftgas unit was $8bn - less than half of the $20bn that Yukos advisers say it is worth. ""We believe the only significant bidder at the auction on Sunday is Gazprom,"" he said, referring to Russia's natural gas giant. Yukos maintains that the forced auction is illegal and ""will cause the company to suffer immediate and irreparable harm."" Many commentators believe the Russian government's aggressive pursuit of Yukos is a politically-motivated response to the political ambitions of its former chief executive, Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Mr Khodorkovsky, who had funded liberal opposition groups, was arrested in October last year on fraud and tax evasion charges and is still in jail Analysts believe that if its production unit is auctioned off, it is likely to be bought up by a government-backed firm, like Gazprom, effectively bringing a large chunk of Russia's lucrative oil and gas industry back under state control."	business
Ray's success on DVD outstripped its $74m (£40m) US box office total, earning more than $40m (£22m) on the first day of the DVD's release alone. Ray has been nominated in six Oscar categories including best film and best actor for Jamie Foxx. The film recounts the life of blues singer Ray Charles, who died in 2004. In its first week on home entertainment release the film was the number one selling DVD, with the limited edition version coming in at number 11. Sony horror film The Grudge, starring Michelle Gellar, was the US' second best-selling DVD, with Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere's romantic comedy Shall We Dance? at number three. Foxx's critically acclaimed performance as Ray has already earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award for best actor, as well as a prestigious Golden Globe. Ray director Taylor Hackford, responsible for the classic 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman, has also received an Oscar nomination in the best director category. The film's three other Oscar nominations are for costume, film editing and sound mixing.	entertainment
"Chelsea were reported to have made inquiries about Inter Milan's 22-year-old Brazilian star. Rinaldi told BBC Sport from Rio de Janeiro: ""I can assure you that Chelsea have had no dealings whatsoever with either me or Adriano. ""Parma and Real Madrid are interested but there's nothing new there. Their interest has been known for some time."" Adriano has scored 14 goals in 20 Serie A appearances this season. And Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho had claimed that he was in Milan talking to Adriano on the day he is alleged to have held a clandestine meeting with Arsenal defender Ashley Cole. Mourinho said he was ""just practising my Portuguese with him because I don't need strikers"". Rinaldi told BBC Sport: ""I have to say that nobody from Chelsea or any other London club has contacted me. ""If they want to, that's fine. I can tell them what the situation is. ""If Chelsea are interested then they must make an offer."" Inter are reported to have slapped a price tag in the region of £40m on the head of Adriano, who joined them just over a year ago from Parma. Real Madrid view him as a natural replacement for compatriot Ronaldo. But Rinaldi said: ""I cannot give you a price that Inter would accept for Adriano. That's something that would have to be negotiated between the interested clubs."""	sport
"""Clearance rates in our end-of-season sale have been below our expectations,"" the company said. The High Street retailer said it now expected to report annual profits of between £415m and £425m ($779m-798m). Next's shares fell more than 3% following the release of the trading statement. Next chief executive Simon Wolfson admitted that festive sales were ""below where we would expect a normal Christmas to be"", but said sales should still top analyst expectations. Among areas where Next could have done better, Mr Wolfson said menswear ranges were ""a little bit too similar to the previous year"". Mr Wolfson also said that disappointing pre-Christmas sales were ""more to do with the fact that we went in with too much stock rather than (the fact that) demand wasn't there for the stock"". Next's like-for-like store sales in the five months from 3 August to 24 December were up 2.9% on a year earlier. This figure is for existing Next stores, which were unaffected by new Next store openings. Like-for-like sales growth at the 49 Next stores directly affected by new store openings in their locality was 0.5%. Overall sales across both its retail and mail order divisions were up 12.4%, Next said. Its Next Directory mail order division saw sales rise 13.4% during the five-month period. ""In terms of all the worries about their trading pre-Christmas, it's a result,"" said Nick Bubb, an analyst at Evolution Securities. ""Profits of around £420m would be well within the comfort zone."" However, one dealer, who asked not to be named, told Reuters the seasonal sales performance was ""not what people had hoped for"". ""Christmas has been tough for the whole sector, and this is one of the best retailers,"" he said. Next's trading statement comes a day after House of Fraser and Woolworths disappointed investors with their figures."	business
The surge was led by animated movie Howl's Moving Castle, which took 20bn yen (£102m) to become the biggest film in Japan in 2004. It is expected to match the 30.7bn yen (£157m) record of Hayao Miyazaki's previous film Spirited Away. Japan Motion Picture Producers figures showed that 170 million cinema admissions were made in Japan in 2004. The Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, was the biggest foreign movie hit in Japan last year, taking 13.8bn yen (£70.7m). It was followed by Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Finding Nemo and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The second highest-grossing Japanese film was romantic drama Crying Out Love in the Centre of the World, followed by Be With You and Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation. Japanese films accounted for 37.5% of Japan's box office total last year, with foreign films taking the remaining 62.5%. This represented a 4.5% gain for the proportion of Japanese films in 2004 compared to 2003. The number of Japanese films released rose to 310 in 2004 from 287 the previous year. Sales of movies on DVD and video amounted to 497bn yen (£2.54bn) for the year.	entertainment
The sale is the last part of a plan to restructure 2.4bn euros-worth of debts. Despite struggling since it was opened in 1992, EuroDisney has recently made progress in turning its business around and ticket sales have picked up. However, analysts still question whether it attracts enough visitors to stay open, even with the restructuring. EuroDisney remains Europe's largest single tourist attraction, attracting some 12.4 million visitors annually. A new attraction - Walt Disney Studios - has recently opened its site near Paris. The company's currently traded stock tumbled in Paris on the latest news, shedding 15% to 22 euro cents. EuroDisney will sell the new shares priced at 9 euros cents each. The US Disney Corporation and Saudi Arabian prince Al-Walid bin Talal, the firm's two main shareholders, will buy the new stock. The restructuring deal is the second in the firm's troubled financial history; its finances were first reorganised in 1994.	business
"The now formally launched MSN search site takes the training wheels off the test version unveiled in November 2003. The revamped engine indexes more pages than before, can give direct answers to factual questions, and features tools to help people create detailed queries. Microsoft faces challenges establishing itself as a serious search site because of the intense competition for queries. Google still reigns supreme as the site people turn to most often when they go online to answer a query, keep up with news or search for images. But in the last year Google has faced greater competition than ever for users as old rivals, such as Yahoo and Microsoft, and new entrants such as Amazon and Blinkx, try to grab some of the searching audience for themselves. This renewed interest has come about because of the realisation that many of the things people do online begin with a search for information - be it for a particular web page, recipe, book, gadget, news story, image or anything else. Microsoft is keen to make its home-grown search engine a significant rival to Google. To generate its corpus of data, Microsoft has indexed 5 billion webpages and claims to update its document index every two days - more often than rivals. The Microsoft search engine can also answer specific queries directly rather than send people to a page that might contain the answer. For its direct answer feature, Microsoft is calling on its Encarta encyclopaedia to provide answers to questions about definitions, facts, calculations, conversions and solutions to equations. Tony Macklin, director of product at Ask Jeeves, pointed out that its search engine has been answering specific queries this way since April 2003. ""The major search providers have moved beyond delivering only algorithmic search, so in many ways Microsoft is following the market,"" he said. Tools sitting alongside the MSN search engine allow users to refine results to specific websites, countries, regions or languages. Microsoft is also using so-called ""graphic equalisers"" that let people adjust the relevance of terms to get results that are more up-to-date or more popular. The company said that user feedback from earlier test versions had been used to refine the workings of the finished system. The test, or beta, version of the MSN search engine unveiled in November had a few teething troubles. On its first day many new users keen to try it were greeted with a page that said the site had been overwhelmed."	tech
"Brian 'Head' Welch told a radio station in California that his bandmates respected his decision to leave. A replacement guitarist has yet to be named by Korn, who are currently at work on their eighth studio album. Welch added that he would appear at a church in Bakersfield to explain how he ""got to this place in life"". The remaining members of Korn, who are known for their hardcore brand of rock, said they hoped Welch ""finds the happiness he is looking for"". The 34-year-old made reference to the band's aggressive brand of music and its young fans in his parting statement. ""Anger is a good thing, and if kids want to listen to Korn, good, but there's happiness after the anger,"" he told his local radio station in Bakersfield. ""I'm going to show it through my actions, how much I love my fans,"" added Welch. Korn have enjoyed a moderate degree of chart success in the UK, with 10 singles breaking into the Top 40. Their best performance to date in the UK has been 2002's Here To Stay, which reached number 12, while their album Untouchables, released in the same year, made it to number four."	entertainment
The Securities and Exchange Commission has asked for information about transactions involving holders of 5% or more of the firm's shares. Marsh has said it is co-operating fully with the SEC investigation. Marsh is also the focus of an inquiry the New York attorney-general into whether insurers rigged the market. Since that inquiry was launched in October, Marsh has replaced its chief executive and held a boardroom shake-out to meet criticism by lessening the number of company executives on the board. Prosecutors allege that Marsh - the world's biggest insurance broker - and other US insurance firms may have fixed bids for corporate cover. This is the issue at the heart of the inquiry by New York's top law officer, Eliot Spitzer, and a separate prosecution of five insurers by the State of California. The SEC's investigation into so-called related party transactions includes dealings in the Trident Funds, managed by MMC Capital, the company's private equity firm. Marsh's new chief executive, Michael Cherkasky, is trying to negotiate a settlement with Mr Spitzer. Mr Spitzer has built up a reputation as a fierce critic and campaigner against corporate America's misdeeds. The uncertainty unleashed by the scandal has prompted three credit rating agencies - Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch - to downgrade Marsh in recent weeks. According to the Financial Times, insurance analysts are now questioning whether Marsh will be able to maintain its strong record of earning growth as they draw up forecasts for the first quarter of next year. Doubts also exist over how much the company may have to pay regulators and lawyers to put the scandal behind.	business
"The Parents Television Council (PTC), which monitors violence and sex on TV, said the cable music channel offered the ""cheapest form"" of programming. The group is at the forefront of a vociferous campaign to clean up American television. But a spokeswoman for MTV said it was ""unfair and inaccurate"" to single out MTV for criticism. The PTC monitored MTV's output for 171 hours from 20 March to 27 March 2004, during the channel's Spring Break coverage. In its report - MTV Smut Peddlers: Targeting Kids with Sex, Drugs and Alcohol - the PTC said it witnessed 3,056 flashes of nudity or sexual situations and 2,881 verbal references to sex. Brent Bozell, PTC president and conservative activist said: ""MTV is blatantly selling raunchy sex to kids. ""Compared to broadcast television programmes aimed at adults, MTV's programming contains substantially more sex, foul language and violence - and MTV's shows are aimed at children as young as 12. ""There's no question that TV influences the attitudes and perceptions of young viewers, and MTV is deliberately marketing its raunch to millions of innocent children."" The watchdog decided to look at MTV's programmes after Janet Jackson's infamous ""wardrobe malfunction"" at last year's Super Bowl. The breast-baring incident generated 500,000 complaints and CBS - which is owned by the same parent company as MTV - was quick to apologise. MTV spokeswoman Jeannie Kedas said the network follows the same standards as broadcasters and reflects the culture and what its viewers are interested in. ""It's unfair and inaccurate to paint MTV with that brush of irresponsibility,"" she said. ""We think it's underestimating young people's intellect and level of sophistication."" Ms Kedas also highlighted the fact MTV won an award in 2004 for the Fight for Your Rights series that focused on issues such as sexual health and tolerance."	entertainment
"The Reserve Bank of Australia lifted interest rates 0.25% to 5.5%, their first upwards move in more than a year. However, shortly after the Bank made its decision, new figures showed a fall in economic growth in the last quarter. The Bank said it had acted to curb inflation but the move was criticised by some analysts. The rate hike was the first since December 2003 and had been well-flagged in advance. However, opposition parties and some analysts said the move was ill-timed given data showing the Australian economy grew just 0.1% between October and December and 1.5% on an annual basis. The figures, representing a decline from the 0.2% growth in GDP seen between July and September, were below market expectations. Consumer spending remains strong, however, and the Bank is concerned about growing inflationary pressures. ""Over recent months it has become increasingly clear that remaining spare capacity in the labour and goods markets is becoming rather limited,"" said Ian Macfarlane, Governor of the Reserve Bank. At 2.6%, inflation remains within the Bank's 2-3% target range. However, exports declined in the second half of 2004, fuelling a rise in the country's current account deficit - the difference in the value of imports compared to exports - to a record Australian dollar 29.4bn. The Australian government said the economy remained strong with unemployment at a near 30 year low. ""The economy has been strong and it is properly moderating but it doesn't look to me like it's slowing in any unreasonable way,"" said Treasurer Peter Costello. Stock markets had factored in the likelihood of a rate rise but analysts still expressed concern about the strength of the economy. ""That 1.5% annual growth rate is the lowest we have seen since the post-election slump we saw back in 2000-1,"" said Michael Blythe, chief economist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. ""This suggests the economy really did slow very sharply in the second half of 2004."""	business
"He showed admirable resolve to win a rain-affected match 6-7 6-4 6-4. Compatriot and seventh seed Rafael Nadal also reached the last eight, beating Italian Potito Starace 6-1 6-3. Nadal, playing in the outdoor clay event for the first time, hit some powerful forehands to oust Starace in a match delayed over an hour by rain. ""It's always a problem to have to stop for rain but one gets used to it,"" said Spanish teenager Nadal. ""Luckily, I was able to keep my pace going throughout the match."" He will now play Gaston Gaudio, who beat unseeded Brazilian Flavio Saretta 6-3 6-2 in the day's late match."	sport
"The government's partial sell-off of NTPC is part of a controversial programme to privatise state-run firms. The 865 million share offer, a mix of new shares and sales by the government, raised 54bn rupees($1.2bn). It was India's second $1bn stock debut in three months, coming after the flotation by software firm Tata. The share offer was eleven times oversubscribed. ""It is a good investment bet,"" said Suhas Naik, an investment analyst from ING Mutual Fund. ""Power needs in India are set to rise and NTPC will benefit from that."" Analysts say the success of the NTPC flotation would encourage the government to reduce stakes in more power companies. NTPC has said it will use the money from the share sale to feed the growing needs of the country's energy-starved economy. The firm is the largest utility company in India, and the sixth largest power producer in the world."	business
"Veteran star Ossie Davis, a well-known civil rights activist, died in Miami at the age of 87 on 4 February 2005. Friends and family, including actress Ruby Dee his wife of 56 years, gathered at the Riverside Church on Saturday. Also present at the service was former US president Bill Clinton and singer Harry Belafonte, who gave the eulogy. ""He would have been a very good president of the United States,"" said Mr Clinton. ""Like most of you here, he gave more to me than I gave to him."" The 87-year-old was found dead last weekend in his hotel room in Florida, where he was making a film. Police said that he appeared to have died of natural causes. Davis made his acting debut in 1950 in No Way Out starring Sidney Poiter. He frequently collaborated with director Spike Lee, starring in seven Lee films including Jungle Fever, Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X. Attallah Shabazz, the daughter of activist Malcolm X, recalled the famous eulogy delivered by Davis at her father's funeral. ""Harlem has come to bid farewell to one of its finest hopes,"" she said, quoting the man she knew as Uncle Ossie. ""Ditto."" ""Ossie was my hero, and he still is,"" said Aviator star Alan Alda, a family friend for over forty years. ""Ossie was a thing of beauty."" ""I want so badly someday to have his dignity - a little of it anyway,"" added Burt Reynolds, Davis's co-star in the 90s TV comedy Evening Shade. Before the midday funeral, scores of Harlem residents formed a queue outside the church to pay their respects to Davis. ""It is hard to fathom that we will no longer be able to call on his wisdom, his humour, his loyalty and his moral strength to guide us in the choices that are yet to be made and the battles that are yet to be fought,"" said Belafonte, himself an ardent civil rights activist who had been friends with Davis for over 60 years. ""But how fortunate we were to have him as long as we did."""	entertainment
The IPO for 17.3 million shares was fully sold within 10 minutes of opening, on Friday. Analysts expect Jet to raise at least 16.4bn rupees ($375m; £198m) from the offering. Interest in Jet's IPO has been fuelled by hopes for robust growth in India's air travel market. The share offer, representing about 20% of Jet's equity, was oversubscribed, news agency Reuters reported. Jet, which was founded by London-based travel agent Naresh Goyal, plans to use the cash to buy new planes and cut its debt. The company has grown rapidly since it launched operations in 1993, overtaking state-owned flag carrier Indian Airlines. However, it faces stiff competition from rivals and low-cost carriers. Jet's IPO is the first in a series of expected share offers from Indian companies this year, as they move to raise funds to help them do business in a rapidly-growing economy.	business
"Dibaba won in 14 minutes 32.93 seconds to erase the previous world indoor mark of 14:39.29 set by another Ethiopian, Berhane Adera, in Stuttgart last year. But compatriot Kenenisa Bekele's record hopes were dashed when he miscounted his laps in the men's 3,000m and staged his sprint finish a lap too soon. Ireland's Alistair Cragg won in 7:39.89 as Bekele battled to second in 7:41.42. ""I didn't want to sit back and get out-kicked,"" said Cragg. ""So I kept on the pace. The plan was to go with 500m to go no matter what, but when Bekele made the mistake that was it. The race was mine."" Sweden's Carolina Kluft, the Olympic heptathlon champion, and Slovenia's Jolanda Ceplak had winning performances, too. Kluft took the long jump at 6.63m, while Ceplak easily won the women's 800m in 2:01.52."	sport
"All 10,000 tickets for Saturday's concert, featuring Franz Ferdinand, Belle and Sebastian and Travis, at Glasgow's SECC sold out in 36 hours. Mull Historical Society, Deacon Blue, Idlewild, Texas, Mogwai and Teenage Fanclub are among the other acts performing at the concert. Organisers hope to raise at least £250,000 from the show. It follows a Cardiff gig starring Eric Clapton, Keane and Jools Holland, which raised more than £1.25m. And it is taking place on the same night as a tsunami benefit show in Bristol, which will see Massive Attack and Portishead share a stage for the first time. Colin MacIntyre, of Mull Historical Society, was playing another gig on the same day but said he was determined to make the Glasgow benefit. He said: ""I think we were all affected by seeing the reports coming from the Far East. ""We all know somebody who was there, but more than that it was that we had never seen a wave of destruction, a natural disaster, like this in my generation. ""I'm lucky as an artist to be able to perform at something like this."""	entertainment
"The home favourite will face Marat Safin in Sunday's final after coming through 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) 6-1. Hewitt fought back from a set down and trailed in both tie-breaks but would not be denied, thrilling the Melbourne crowd with a typically battling effort. He is aiming to be the first Australian winner since Mark Edmondson in 1976. Hewitt is the first Australian to make the final since Pat Cash lost to Mats Wilander in 1988, but faces a huge challenge against Safin - the conqueror of Roger Federer. After needing five sets in his last two matches there was reason to think Hewitt might struggle for fitness. He certainly made a sluggish start, dropping his opening service game, and Roddick dominated with his huge serve as he took the first set. After 12 tense games in the second, the key moment came when Hewitt raised his game in the tie-break to overturn an early mini-break. That energised the crowd but Roddick was not finished and raced 4-1 clear in the crucial third before Hewitt pegged him back and forced another tie-break. Again Roddick broke first and again Hewitt fought back, taking the lead with a superb backhand pass. The Australian was not to be denied and a disheartened Roddick made little impact in the fourth set as Hewitt raced to victory, sending the Melbourne crowd wild and ensuring the final will be a huge occasion. ""It's awesome,"" said Hewitt. ""I started preparing for this tournament nine months ago. ""I've done a lot of hard yards to get here. ""I've always said I'd do anything to get in the first night final at the Australian Open. Now I've got my chance."" Roddick was furious with himself for failing to take advantage of leads in both tie-breaks. ""I'm usually pretty money in those,"" said Roddick. ""Either one of those would have given me a distinct advantage. ""I'm mad, I felt I was in there with a shot. He put himself in position to win big points. I donated a little more than I would have wanted."" And the American played down the influence of one spectator who appeared to contribute to a double fault by shouting during Rodick's service action. ""It just took one jackass to shout out,"" said Roddick, adding that the crowd overall was ""very respectful""."	sport
The government has plans for up to eight Las Vegas style resorts in the UK, one of which is likely to be in Glasgow. Scottish ministers insist they will still have the final say on whether a super-casino will be built in Scotland. But opposition parties say that will not happen in practice. The vote is due to be taken on Wednesday and is expected to be close. The Scottish Executive believes that the legislation should be handled by Westminster. The new law will control internet gambling for the first time and is aimed at preventing children from becoming involved. A super-casino in Glasgow could be located at Ibrox or the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. The new gambling bill going through Westminster will allow casino complexes to open to the public, have live entertainment and large numbers of fruit machines with unlimited prizes. But the Scottish National Party and the Tories say the issue of super-casinos should be decided in Scotland and believe the executive is shirking its responsibility.	politics
"""We and anybody else involved in the process are still some way away from going to the next stage,"" Tigers boss John Wells told BBC Radio Leicester. ""At the moment, there are still a lot of unknowns about Andy Farrell, not least his medical situation. ""Whoever does take him on is going to take a big, big gamble."" Farrell, who has had persistent knee problems, had an operation on his knee five weeks ago and is expected to be out for another three months. Leicester and Saracens are believed to head the list of rugby union clubs interested in signing Farrell if he decides to move to the 15-man game. If he does move across to union, Wells believes he would better off playing in the backs, at least initially. ""I'm sure he could make the step between league and union by being involved in the centre,"" said Wells. ""I think England would prefer him to progress to a position in the back row where they can make use of some of his rugby league skills within the forwards. ""The jury is out on whether he can cross that divide. ""At this club, the balance will have to be struck between the cost of that gamble and the option of bringing in a ready-made replacement."""	sport
"The former Portsmouth boss replaces Steve Wigley, who has been relieved of first-team duties after just one win in 14 league games in charge. Redknapp, 57, quit his Fratton Park position on 24 November and vowed: ""I will not go down the road - no chance."" Pompey coach Kevin Bond is poised to join Redknapp, who will be Saints' third boss of the season. Redknapp's first game in charge will be at home to Middlesbrough on Saturday. Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric said he was ""disappointed"" by the news and claimed Redknapp had been in talks with Southampton for ""some time"". ""It would appear that negotiations over this have been going on for some time,"" Mandaric said on Portsmouth's official website. ""I am surprised and a little shocked that the chairman of Southampton has not picked up the phone and kept me informed."" According to Mandaric, Redknapp vowed he would not join their South coast rivals when he left Portsmouth. ""I said to Harry 'I hope you don't go to Southampton', and he told me 'absolutely not',"" he said. ""I'm wouldn't say I'm bitter, disgusted or angry, just disappointed, but it's Harry's life and it's his decision."" Redknapp became a cult hero after leading Portsmouth into the Premiership for the first time, and then masterminding their survival in their debut season. But he left the club claiming he needed a break from football, though many believed he was upset with Mandaric's decision to bring in Velimir Zajec as executive director. Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe was desperate to give former academy director Wigley, who replaced Paul Sturrock just two games into the season, every chance to succeed at St Mary's. But results under Wigley have been poor and Southampton are deep in trouble near the foot of the table. When Redknapp's appointment is confirmed, he will be Saints' ninth manager in eight years."	sport
"Mr Blunkett's conduct is being looked at to establish whether he abused his position in relation to his ex-lover. The Parliamentary standards watchdog is looking at his decision to give Kimberly Quinn free rail tickets. He is also being investigated over the visa application of Mrs Quinn's ex-nanny. The visit to Sheffield will be seen as a show of unity by Mr Blair. On Wednesday during Prime Minister's Questions, Tory leader Michael Howard went on the offensive over comments Mr Blunkett is alleged to have made in a new biography. He is understood to have made a series of criticisms about his Cabinet colleagues from the prime minister down. Mr Howard said Mr Blunkett had complained he had inherited a ""giant mess"" when he took over at the Home Office from Jack Straw, now foreign secretary. The Tory leader went on: ""He doesn't stop there: he thinks the culture secretary's weak; he thinks the trade secretary doesn't think strategically and he thinks the education secretary hasn't developed as expected. ""He says the prime minister doesn't like being told the truth and the chancellor - no doubt the prime minister will agree with this - is a bully."" Mr Blair retorted voters remembered the record of a government and no comments by politicians. The home secretary has already admitted he was wrong to give the two first class tickets, given to him as an MP, to Mrs Quinn and has since paid the £180 back. He has apologised for ""a genuine mistake"" and says he will write to the watchdog to answer further questions. The rail tickets are meant to help MPs' spouses get between Westminster and their constituencies. After his inquiry, Parliamentary watchdog Sir Philip Mawer will report to the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee, the group of MPs who will recommend to the full House of Commons what action - if any - should be taken against Mr Blunkett. The separate inquiry by ex-senior civil servant Sir Alan Budd is investigating whether the home secretary helped fast-track a bid by Mrs Quinn's nanny, Leoncia Casalme, to stay in the UK. Last week, Mr Blunkett won the first round of a High Court battle with Mrs Quinn for access to her son. Mr Blunkett declined to comment about his own position, saying the inquiry was under way and the High Court had stressed his right to privacy did not affect his job in improving security and stability. Downing Street has stressed Mr Blair's support for the home secretary."	politics
"The job of firms such as HP now, she said in a speech at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), was to ensure digital and physical worlds fully converged. She said the goal for 2005 was to make people the centre of technology. CES showcases 50,000 new gadgets that will be hitting the shelves in 2005. The tech-fest, the largest of its kind in the world, runs from 6 to 9 January. ""The digital revolution is about the democratisation of technology and the experiences it makes possible,"" she told delegates. ""Revolution has always been about giving power to the people."" She added: ""The real story of the digital revolution is not just new products, but the millions of experiences made possible and stories that millions can tell."" Part of giving people more control has been about the freeing up of content, such as images, video and music. Crucial to this has been the effort to make devices that speak to each other better so that content can be more easily transferred from one device, such as a digital camera, to others, such as portable media players. A lot of work still needs to be done, however, to sort out compatibility issues and standards within the technology industry so that gadgets just work seamlessly, she said. Ms Fiorina's talk also touted the way technology is being designed to focus on lifestyle, fashion and personalisation, something she sees as key to what people want. Special guest, singer Gwen Stefani, joined her on-stage to promote her own range of HP digital cameras which Ms Stefani has helped design and which are heavily influenced by Japanese youth culture. The digital cameras, which are due to go on sale in the US by the summer, are based on the HP 607 model. The emphasis on personalisation and lifestyle is a big theme at this year's CES, with tiny, wearable MP3 players at every turn and rainbow hues giving colour to everything. Ms Fiorina also announced that HP was working with Nokia to launch a visual radio service for mobiles, which would launch in Europe early this year. The service will let people listen to radio on their mobiles and download relevant content, like a track's ringtone, simultaneously. The service is designed to make mobile radio more interactive. Among the other new products she showcased was the Digital Media Hub, a big upgrade to HP's Digital Entertainment Centre. Coming out in the autumn in the US, the box is a networked, high-definition TV, cable set-top box, digital video recorder and DVD recorder. It has a removable hard drive cartridge, memory card slots, and Light Scribe labelling software which lets people design and print customised DVD labels and covers. It is designed to contain all a household's digital media, such as pre-recorded TV shows, pictures, videos and music so it can all be managed in one place. The hub reflects the increasing move to re-box the PC so that it can work as part of other key centres of entertainment. Research suggests that about 258 million images are saved and shared every day, equating to 94 billion a year. Eighty per cent of those remain on cameras. Media hubs are designed to encourage people to organise them on one box. Ms Fiorina was one of several keynote speakers, who also included Microsoft chief Bill Gates, to set out what major technology companies think people will be doing with technologies and gadgets in the next 12 months. In a separate announcement during the keynote speech, Ms Fiorina said that HP would be partnering MTV to replace this year's MTV Asia music award. MTV's Asia Aid will be held in Bangkok on 3 February, and is aimed at helping to raise money for the Asian tsunami disaster."	tech
"The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences has sent out the first ballot papers with the full list of films vying for recognition. Among those expected to receive nominations are The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby and Sideways. Academy members will now vote for their favourites before the final nominees are announced on 25 January. To be eligible for nomination a film must have been shown in a commercial theatre for seven consecutive days before the deadline of 31 December. Director Martin Scorsese's The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio went on general release on Christmas Day in the US, ensuring it just made the deadline. Studios have already begun lobbying voters, taking out full page adverts in trade publications such as Variety urging them to remember particular films when it comes to choosing what to back. Other movies tipped for possible success include Closer, starring Jude Law and Julia Roberts, Finding Neverland, with Johnny Depp as author JM Barry and Kinsey starring Liam Neeson as the famed sex scientist Alfred Kinsey. Meanwhile, design engineer Takuo Miyagishima will be awarded an Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner on 12 February 2005. Miyagishima is the 18th recipient of the Sawyer Award, which is ""presented to an individual in the motion picture industry whose technological contributions have brought credit to the industry."" The main Oscar ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on 27 February."	entertainment
"But analysts said any gains are likely to be short-lived as problems with the US economy were still significant. They also pointed out that positive comments apart, President George W Bush's administration had done little to stop the dollar's slide. A weak dollar helps boost exports and narrow the current account deficit. The dollar was trading at $1.2944 against the euro at 2100GMT, still close to the $1.3006 record level set on 10 November. Against the Japanese yen, it was trading at 105.28 yen, after hitting a seven-month low of 105.17 earlier in the day. Policy makers in Europe have called the dollar's slide ""brutal"" and have blamed the strength of the euro for dampening economic growth. However, it is unclear whether ministers would issue a declaration aimed at curbing the euro's rise at a monthly meeting of Eurozone ministers late on Monday. Higher growth in Europe is regarded by US officials as a way the huge US current account deficit - that has been weighing on the dollar - could be reduced. Mr Snow who is currently in Dublin at the start of a four-nation EU visit, has applauded Ireland's introduction of lower taxes and deregulation which have helped boost growth. ""The eurozone is growing below its potential. When a major part of the global economy is below potential there are negative consequences... for the citizens of those economies... and for their trading partners,"" he said. Mr Snow's comments may have helped shore up the dollar on Monday, but he was careful to qualify his statement. ""Our basic policy, of course, is to let open, competitive markets set the values,"" he explained. ""Markets are driven by fundamentals and towards fundamentals."" US officials have also said that other economies need to grow, so the US is not the main global growth engine. Economists say that the fundamentals, or key indicators, of the US economy are looking far from rosy. Domestic consumer demand is cooling, and heavy spending by President Bush has pushed the budget deficit to a record $427bn (£230bn). The current account deficit, meanwhile, hit a record $166bn in the second quarter of 2004. For many analysts, a weaker dollar is here to stay. ""No end is in sight,"" said Carsten Fritsch, a strategist at Commerzbank . ""It is only a matter of time until the euro reaches $1.30."" Some analysts maintain the US is secretly happy with a lower dollar which helps makes its exports cheaper in Europe, thus boosting its economy."	business
"Both sides hope to reach a negotiated deal over state aid received by European aircraft maker Airbus and its US rival Boeing, Mr Mandelson said. Airbus and Boeing accuse each other of benefiting from illegal subsidies. Mr Mandelson said the EU and US hoped to avoid having to resolve the dispute at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). ""With this agreement the EU and US have confirmed their willingness to resolve the dispute which has arisen between them,"" Mr Mandelson said. ""I hope our negotiations in the next three months will lead to an agreement ending subsidies to development and production of large civil aircraft."" Last year, the US terminated an agreement with the EU, reached in 1992, which limits the subsidies countries can hand over to civil aircraft makers. The US filed a complaint against Brussels with the WTO over state aid to Airbus, prompting a retaliatory EU complaint over US support for Boeing. However, both sides agreed to suspend their requests for WTO arbitration at the beginning of December, to allow bilateral talks to continue. EADS and BAE Systems, the European defence and aerospace firms which own Airbus, welcomed Mr Mandelson's announcement. ""It has always been preferable that any differences between the US and Europe on this matter be overcome through constructive discussion rather than through legal recourse,"" the companies said in a joint statement. Separately, the world's largest package delivery company, UPS, said it had placed an order for 10 Airbus A380 superjumbo freight-carrying jets, with an option to buy 10 more of the triple-decker aircraft. The US company said it needed to expand its air freight capacity following strong international growth, and would begin receiving deliveries of the A380s from 2009. However, UPS said it was cutting a previous order for smaller Airbus A300s from 90 planes to 53. So far, Airbus has delivered 40 A300s to UPS. Airbus overtook Boeing as the world's largest manufacturer of commercial airliners in 2003."	business
"James Wareham, a lawyer representing one of the directors, told Reuters the 10 had agreed to pay those who lost billions when the firm collapsed. The remaining $36m will be paid by the directors' insurers. But, a spokesman for the prosecutor, New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, said no formal agreement had been made. Corporate governance experts said that if the directors do dip into their own pockets for the settlement, it will set a new standard for the accountability of bosses, when the firms they oversee face problems. ""Directors very rarely pay,"" said Charles Elson, chairman of the Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. He added that the settlement ""sends a pretty strong shockwave through the director world"". A formal agreement on the payout is expected to be signed on Thursday in a US district court in Manhattan. Earlier, the New York Times had reported that the personal payments were required as part of any deal at the start of negotiations. The ten former outside directors are James Allen, Judith Areen, Carl Aycock, Max Bobbitt, Clifford Alexander, Stiles Kellett, Gordon Macklin, John Porter, Lawrence Tucker and the estate of John Sidgmore, who died last year. It has not yet been determined how much each director will have to pay. ""None of the 10 former directors was a direct participant in the accounting machinations of the WorldCom fraud,"" said the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Two other outside former directors, Bert Roberts and Francesco Galesi, remain defendants in the lawsuit, said the newspaper. According to the WSJ, which cites people familiar to the case, the settling directors are expected to deny wrongdoing and state they are settling the case to eliminate the uncertainties and expense of further litigations. The second-largest US long-distance telecoms operator filed for bankruptcy in 2002 when an $11bn accounting scandal was unearthed. The company emerged from Chapter 11 protection last year and changed its name to MCI Inc. Former WorldCom chief executive Bernard Ebbers is to face trial this month on criminal charges that he oversaw the fraud."	business
"The top seed was a strong favourite for the title but went down 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to the American. Dent will face Juan Ignacio Chela next after the fourth seed was too strong for Jurgen Melzer. Olivier Rochus beat third seed Nicolas Kiefer 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 and will take on second seed Joachim Johansson. The Swede reached the last four by beating compatriot Thomas Enqvist 6-3 4-6 6-1. ""I felt like I was striking the ball much better,"" said Johansson. ""I felt like I had a lot of break chances, I didn't take care of them all, but I broke him four times and he only broke me once. ""I felt that was the key to get up in the set early."""	sport
"The 1991 laptop was chosen because it was one of the first ""lightweight"" portable computers and helped define the layout of all future notebook PCs. The magazine has compiled an all-time top 100 list of gadgets, which includes the Sony Walkman at number three and the 1956 Zenith remote control at two. Gadgets needed moving parts and/or electronics to warrant inclusion. The magazine staff compiled the list and specified that gadgets also needed to be a ""self-contained apparatus that can be used on its own, not a subset of another device"". ""In general we included only items that were potentially mobile,"" said the magazine. ""In the end, we tried to get to the heart of what really makes a gadget a gadget,"" it concluded. The oldest ""gadget"" in the top 100 is the abacus, which the magazine dates at 190 A.D., and put in 60th place. Other pre-electronic gadgets in the top 100 include the sextant from 1731 (59th position), the marine chronometer from 1761 (42nd position) and the Kodak Brownie camera from 1900 (28th position). The Tivo personal video recorder is the newest device to make the top 10, which also includes the first flash mp3 player (Diamond Multimedia), as well as the first ""successful"" digital camera (Casio QV-10) and mobile phone (Motorola Startac). The most popular gadget of the moment, the Apple iPod, is at number 12 in the list while the first Sony transistor radio is at number 13. Sony's third entry in the top 20 is the CDP-101 CD player from 1983. ""Who can forget the crystalline, hiss-free blast of Madonna's Like A Virgin emanating from their first CD player?"" asked the magazine. Karl Elsener's knife, the Swiss Army Knife from 1891, is at number 20 in the list. Gadgets which could be said to feature surprisingly low down in the list include the original telephone (23rd), the Nintendo GameBoy (25th), and the Pulsar quartz digital watch (36th). The list also contains plenty of oddities: the Pez sweet dispenser (98th), 1990s toy Tamagotchi (86th) and the bizarre Ronco inside the shell egg scrambler (84th). Almost everyone has a mobile phone, how many people own a Powerbook? or an iPod? The findings of this magazine are not very convincing. What about the magnetic compass? We still use it 1,000 years after it was invented. I am amazed by the obsession with individual gadgets rather than genre. For example the Sony walkman was the first truly portable way of listening to your own music on the move whereas Minidisc, Flash MP3, portable CD players etc. are really just improvements in technology. My favourite 'true' gadgets are probably my portable MiniDisc player and the little battery powered whizzy thing I use to froth up my coffee! Calm down it's only in their opinion, and any list that includes the Taser in the top 100 gadgets has to be suspect.... Swiss army knife and no question about it. How many of the other items are still relatively unchanged from the original idea and still as useful/popular? You don't need a laptop or even a pocket calculator to work that one out! This list merely illustrates interesting cultural divides between the American authors and the overwhelmingly British responses. Brits see no further than mobile phones and the over thirties Sinclair; whilst the Americans focus on Apple, TV remotes and TiVO (which probably is rather obscure in Europe). What about the Soda Stream. This gadget changed my pre-teen life. Lap tops may enable you to ""think different, but you cant use them to ""get busy with the fizzy"" How about Astro Wars, one of the pioneers for computer games, i remember spending many an hour playing this and it still works today! However tried it the other day and it was rubbish, still a great gadget of its time. Why worry about mobile phones. Soon they will be subsumed into the PDA's / laptops etc. What about the Marine Chronometer? Completely revolutionised navigation for boats and was in use for centuries. For it's time, a technological marvel! Sony Net Minidisc! It paved the way for more mp3 player to explode onto the market. I always used my NetMD, and could not go anywhere without it. A laptop computer is not a gadget! It's a working tool! The Sinclair Executive was the world's first pocket calculator. I think this should be there as well. How about the clockwork radio? Or GPS? Or a pocket calculator? All these things are useful to real people, not just PC magazine editors. Are the people who created this list insane ? Surely the most important gadget of the modern age is the mobile phone? It has revolutionised communication, which is more than can be said for a niche market laptop. From outside the modern age, the marine chronometer is the single most important gadget, without which modern transportation systems would not have evolved so quickly. Has everyone forgot about the Breville pie maker?? An interesting list. Of the electronic gadgets, thousands of journalists in the early 1980s blessed the original noteboook pc - the Tandy 100. The size of A4 paper and light, three weeks on a set of batteries, an excellent keyboard, a modem. A pity Tandy did not make it DOS compatible. What's an Apple Powerbook 100 ? It's out of date - not much of a ""gadget"". Surely it has to be something simple / timeless - the tin opener, Swiss Army Knife, safety razor blade, wristwatch or the thing for taking stones out of horses hooves ? It has to be the mobile phone. No other single device has had such an effect on our way of living in such a short space of time. The ball point pen has got to be one of the most used and common gadgets ever. Also many might be grateful for the pocket calculator which was a great improvement over the slide rule. The Casio pocket calculator that played a simple game and made tinny noises was also a hot gadget in 1980. A true gadget, it could be carried around and shown off. All top 10 are electronic toys, so the list is probably a better reflection of the current high-tech obsession than anything else. I say this as the Swiss Army Knife only made No 20. Sinclair QL a machine far ahead of its time. The first home machine with a true multi-takings OS. Shame the marketing was so bad!!! Apple.. a triumph of fashion over... well everything else. Utter rubbish. Yes, the Apple laptop and Sony Walkman are classic gadgets. But to call the sextant and the marine chronometer 'gadgets' and rank them as less important than a TV remote control reveals a quite shocking lack of historical perspective. The former literally helped change the world by vastly improving navigation at see. The latter is the seed around which the couch potato culture has developed. No competition. I'd also put Apple's Newton and the first Palm Pilot there as the front runners for portable computing, and possibly the Toshiba Libretto for the same reason. I only wish that Vulcan Inc's Flipstart wasn't just vapourware otherwise it would be at the top. How did a laptop ever manage to beat off the challenge of the wristwatch or the telephone (mobile or otherwise)? What about radios and TVs? The swiss army knife. By far the most useful gadget. I got mine 12 years ago. Still wearing and using it a lot! It stood the test of time. Psion Organiser series 3, should be up there. Had a usable qwerty keyboard, removable storage, good set of apps and programmable. Case design was good (batteries in the hinge - a first, I think). Great product innovation. The first mobile PC was voted best gadget by readers of...err... mobile PC?! Why do you keep putting these obviously biased lists on your site? It's obviously the mobile phone or remote control, and readers of a less partisan publication would tell you that. The Motorola Startac should be Number One. Why? There will be mobile phones long after notebook computers and other gadgets are either gone or integrated in communications devices. The Psion series 3c! The first most practical way to carry all your info around... I too would back the Sinclair Spectrum - without this little beauty I would never have moved into the world of IT and earn the living that I do now. I'd have put the mobile phone high up the list. Probably a Nokia model. Sinclair Spectrum - 16k. It plugged into the tv. Games were rubbish but it gave me a taste for programming and that's what I do for a living now. I wish more modern notebooks -- even Apple's newest offerings -- were more like the PB100. Particularly disheartening is the demise of the trackball, which has given way to the largely useless ""trackpad"" which every notebook on the market today uses. They're invariably inaccurate, uncomfortable, and cumbersome to use. Congratulations to Apple, a deserved win!"	tech
"The Scot was Pompey chairman Milan Mandaric's first choice to replace Harry Redknapp, who left Fratton Park for rivals Saints earlier in December. ""I think it's a fantastic job for anybody apart from somebody who has just been the Southampton manager,"" Strachan told the BBC. Club director Terry Brady held initial talks with Strachan on Saturday. The former Scotland international added that joining Southampton's local rivals would not be a wise move. ""It's got everything going for it but I've got too many memories of the other side and I don't want to sour those memories,"" he said. ""Everything's right - it's 10 minutes away, there are good players there, a good set-up, a good atmosphere at the ground. ""There's lots to do but it's not right for somebody who has just been the Southampton manager."" Since Redknapp's departure, executive director Velimir Zajec and coach Joe Jordan have overseen first-team affairs. The duo had gone five matches unbeaten until Sunday's 1-0 defeat at home to champions Arsenal, but the club are still in a respectable 12th place in the Premiership table. Strachan left St Mary's in February, after earlier announcing his intention to take a break from the game at the end of the 2003-04 season. His previous managerial experience came at Coventry, whom he led for five years from 1996 to 2001."	sport
"The pilot scheme in the Huaral Valley, 80 kilometres north of the capital Lima, aims to offer the 6,000-strong community up-to-date information on agricultural market prices and trends. The Agricultural Information Project for Farmers of the Chancay-Huaral Valley also provides vital links between local organisations in charge of water irrigation, enabling them to coordinate their actions. More than 13,000 rural inhabitants, as well as 18,000 students in the region, will also benefit from the telecoms infrastructure. The 14 telecentres uses only free open source software and affordable computer equipment. The network has been three years in the making and was officially inaugurated in September. The non-government organisation, Cepes (Peruvian Centre for Social Studies) led the $200,000 project, also backed by local institutions, the Education and Agriculture ministries, and European development organisations. ""The plan includes training on computers and internet skills for both operators and users of the system,"" said Carlos Saldarriaga, technical coordinator at Cepes. Farmers are also taking extra lessons on how to apply the new information to make the most of their plots of land. The Board of Irrigation Users which runs the computer centres, aims to make the network self-sustainable within three years, through the cash generated by using the telecentres as internet cafes. One of the key elements of the project is the Agricultural Information System, with its flagship huaral.org website. There, farmers can find the prices for local produce, as well as information on topics ranging from plague prevention to the latest farming techniques. The system also helps the inhabitants of the Chancay-Huaral Valley to organise their vital irrigation systems. ""Water is the main element that unites them all. It is a precious element in Peru's coastal areas, because it is so scarce, and therefore it is necessary to have proper irrigation systems to make the most of it,"" Mr Saldarriaga told the BBC News website. The information network also allows farmers to look beyond their own region, and share experiences with other colleagues from the rest of Peru and even around the world. Cepes says the involvement of the farmers has been key in the project's success. ""Throughout the last three years, the people have provided a vital thrust to the project; they feel it belongs to them,"" said Mr Saldarriaga. The community training sessions, attended by an equal number of men and women, have been the perfect showcase for their enthusiasm. ""We have had an excellent response, mainly from young people. But we have also had a great feedback when we trained 40 or 50-year old women, who were seeing a computer for the first time in their lives."" So far, the Huaral programme promoters say the experience has been very positive, and are already planning on spreading the model among other farmers' organisations in Peru. ""This is a pilot project, and we have been very keen on its cloning potential in other places,"" underlined Mr Saldarriaga. The Cepes researcher recalls what happened in Cuyo, a 50-family community with no electricity, during the construction of the local telecentre site. There it was necessary to build a mini-hydraulic dam in order to generate 2kW worth of power for the computers, the communications equipment and the cabin lights. ""It was already dark when the technicians realised they didn't have any light bulbs to test the generator, so they turned up to the local store to buy light bulbs,"" recalls Carlos Saldarriaga. ""The logical answer was 'we don't sell any', so they had to wait until the next morning to do the testing."" Now, with the wireless network, Cuyo as well as the other communities is no longer isolated."	tech
"Oliver Letwin said the UK could not compete with other countries without the £4bn tax cuts he was promising. Tory co-chairman Liam Fox had opened the forum in Brighton with an attack on Labour's record and party leader Michael Howard is due to speak later. Tony Blair has said Conservative policies would cause economic failure. But Mr Letwin said Britain had fallen from fourth to 11th in the international economic competitiveness league. ""Can this country compete, can this country prosper, unless we do something about the burden of regulation and tax on our economy?"" he said. ""If we are going to take on the great challenges, the challenges like those posed by the Chinese and the Indians, we have got to do something about getting down the burden of regulation and getting down the burden of tax,"" he said. ""The fact is the very carefully costed, fully funded plans we have laid out for saving £12bn by 2007-2008 are absolutely crucial to delivering an economy that will prosper and provide people with jobs and indeed provide the public services with the money they need on a sustainable long-term basis."" Mr Letwin said voting for Labour meant choosing higher taxes, borrowing and waste. Earlier, Dr Fox had said Labour's rule had been characterised by ""lost trust and failure to deliver"". He also attacked the government's ""failure"" to control immigration and asylum and criticised its record on the NHS, telling delegates Labour cannot be trusted on education or crime. A Tory government would sort out the ""shambles"" of immigration, put patients before statistics and bring discipline to schools, he said. Michael Howard, who had been due to welcome delegates to the conference on Friday, will address them in a lunchtime speech. His welcome address had to be postponed after he stayed in London to lead the party's opposition to the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in its lengthy progress through Parliament. The bill was finally passed on Friday evening, after more than 30 hours of debate. Mr Howard is likely to defend his party's handling of the bill, which was only passed after the Conservatives accepted Prime Minister Tony Blair's promise that MPs would be able to review it within a year."	politics
"Light crude oil futures fell $2.86 to $41.32 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex), and have now lost $4 in five days. Nonetheless, US crude is still 30% more expensive than at the beginning of 2004, boosted by growing demand and bottlenecks at refineries. Traders ignored the possible effects of Asia's tidal waves on global supplies. Instead, the focus is now on US consumption, which is heavily influenced in the short term by the weather. ""With the revised milder temperatures... I'm more inclined to think we'll push lower and test the $40-40.25 range,"" said John Brady of ABN AMRO. ""The market definitely feels to be on the defensive."" Statistics released last week showed that stockpiles of oil products in the US had risen, an indication that severe supply disruptions may not arise this winter, barring any serious incident. Oil prices have broken records in 2004, topping $50 a barrel at one point, driven up by a welter of worries about unrest in Iraq and Saudi Arabia, rising demand and supply bottlenecks. London's International Petroleum Exchange remained closed for the Christmas holiday."	business
"The Brazilian confirmed tempers had flared but could shed no light on reports that food was thrown at United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. ""I saw people being pulled apart, people pushing, pointing and shouting,"" he told Uefa's official website. ""The United players were trying to wind us up about the result but I didn't see any soup being thrown at anyone."" However, Edu tried to play down the incidents, adding: ""There was nothing that I haven't seen in Brazilian derbies. ""Derby matches in Brazil are worse. I like to play in games like this with this intense rivalry."" But Edu was highly critical of the ferocity of some of United's challenges during the game, particularly on Jose Antonio Reyes. ""I think we were a lot fairer in the tackles than United,"" he said. ""Reyes was being kicked all over the park - they were beating up the boy and Gary Neville was tackling in such a way that he should have been sent off."" Following the game, the Football Association said it would look into events in the tunnel. It also charged Ruud van Nistelrooy with serious foul play while Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been asked to explain comments he made about the referee."	sport
"By playing games, like pass-the-parcel, a University of Hertfordshire team is finding out how future robot companions should react in social situations. The study's findings will eventually help humans develop a code of social behaviour in human-robot interaction. The work is part of the European Cogniron robotics project, and was on show at London's Science Museum. ""We are assuming a situation in which a useful human companion robot already exists,"" said Professor Kerstin Dautenhahn, project leader at Hertfordshire. ""Our mission is to look at how such a robot should be programmed to respect personal spaces of humans."" The research also focuses on human perception of robots, including how they should look, and how a robot can learn new skills by imitating a human demonstrator. ""Without such studies, you will build robots which might not respect the fact that humans are individuals, have preferences and come from different cultural backgrounds,"" Professor Dautenhahn told BBC News Online. ""And I want robots to treat humans as human beings, and not like other robots,"" she added. In most situations, a companion robot will eventually have to deal not only with one person, but also with groups of people. To find out how they would react, the Hertfordshire Cogniron team taught one robot to play pass-the-parcel with children. Showing off its skills at the Science Museum, the unnamed robot had to select, approach, and ask different children to pick up a parcel with a gift, moving it arm as a pointer and its camera as an eye. It even used speech to give instructions and play music. However, according to researchers, it will still take many years to build a robot which would make full use of the ""robotiquette"" for human interaction. ""If you think of a robot as a companion for the human being, you can think of 20 years into the future,"" concluded Professor Dautenhahn. ""It might take even longer because it is very, very hard to develop such a robot."" You can hear more on this story on the BBC World Service's Go Digital programme."	tech
"But more and more iPod owners are filling that space with audio content created by an unpredictable assortment of producers. It is called ""podcasting"" and its strongest proponent is former MTV host and VJ (video jockey) Adam Curry. Podcasting takes its name from the Apple iPod, although you do not need an iPod to create one or to listen to a podcast. A podcast is basically an internet-based radio show which podcasters create, usually in the comfort of their own home. They need only a microphone, a PC, and some editing software. They then upload their shows to the internet and others can download and listen to them, all for free. Using technology based on XML computer code and RSS - Really Simple Syndication - listeners can subscribe to podcasts collected automatically in a bit of software, which Mr Curry has pioneered. The latest MP3 files of shows can then be picked up by a music playing device automatically. Mr Curry records, hosts, edits and produce a daily, 40 minute podcast called The Daily Source Code. He wants to make podcasting ""the Next Big Thing"" and says it is an extension of his childhood love of radio gadgetry. ""I was always into technologies and wires,"" he explains. ""My parents gave me the Radio Shack 101 project kit, which allows you to build an AM transmitter and subsequently an FM transmitter. ""I had my mom drive me around the block, see how far it would reach on the car radio."" Mr Curry is American, but he grew up in the Netherlands where he hosted illegal, pirate radio shows in the Dutch capital. He tried university in the US, and ended up back in Holland where he hosted a music video show. He spent the next seven years in New York where he worked at MTV hosting the Top 20 Video Countdown, but spent most of his hours tinkering with this new thing called the internet. ""At a certain point in 1995, I was driving in on a Friday afternoon, beautiful blue sky, one of those beautiful days thinking, this is so stupid. ""You know, I'm going do the Top 20 Countdown, take the cheque, go home, and sit on the internet until three in the morning. ""So, after I finished the show, I quit. I said, on air, it's been great, I've been here for seven years at that point, there's something on the internet, I've got to go find it, and I'll see you later."" But Mr Curry's technology and broadcast interests started to gel a couple of years ago when computer storage was growing exponentially and high-speed internet connections were becoming more widely available. The MP3 format also meant that people could create and upload audio more cheaply and efficiently than ever before. Most importantly, Mr Curry says, people across the globe were bored with the radio they were hearing. ""Listen to 99% of the radio that you hear today, it's radio voices, and it's fake, it's just fake."" He wanted to make it easier for people to find ""real voices"" on the internet. He wanted software that would automatically download new audio content directly onto players like, iPods. Mr Curry is not a computer programmer, so he asked others to create one for him. No one did, so he tried to write one himself. He finished it a few months ago and says it ""totally sucked."" He put it up on the net as open source software and now dozens of coders and audio junkies are refining it; the result is a work in progress called ""ipodder"". Doug Kaye, a California-based podcaster, praises the former MTV VJ for what he has done. ""Adam created a simple script that solved what we call the last mile problem. Ipodder takes audio from the web and brings it all the way down to the MP3 player,"" he explains. ""People can wake up in the morning, pick up their iPods as they go to work or before they go exercise, and discover that there's all this new content automatically put onto their players."" It is created an explosion in podcasting content and podcasters are springing up in Australia, Finland, Brazil, even Malaysia. One couple broadcasts theirs, The Dawn and Drew Show, from Wisconsin in the US, sometimes even from the comfort of their own bed. Topics range from the comfort of their bed, to the latest films or music and have thousands of listeners. Already, websites are springing up that point listeners in the right direction of good podcasts. Chris McIntyre runs Podcast Alley and says that there are good sites out there but that not everyone has the technological know-how to simply listen. ""If I were to tell my mom, or my mother-in-law to copy an XML or RSS file to their podcast aggregator, they would think I was speaking a foreign language,"" Mr McIntyre says. Along with technical challenges, there may be legal challenges to podcasters who air their favourite, albeit copyrighted, music. Some in podcasting also worry that too much attention may turn what they see as the ""anti-radio"" into something that is more like conventional broadcasting. Already there is interest in podcasting from the corporate world. Heineken is doing its own podcast now, and so is Playboy. For his part, Adam Curry's pressing ahead with his own vision of what podcasting should be. He loves doing The Daily Source Code because it is about introducing good music and cool ideas to new audiences. He has even been called the Ed Sullivan or Johnny Carson of podcasting which, he says, ""is a badge I'll wear with great honour. ""To be the Johnny Carson, or Ed Sullivan of anything is wonderful. And you know what? You don't need a hell of a lot of talent. ""You just have to be nice, have your ears open, and let people shine. And that's good for me."" Clark Boyd is technology correspondent for The World, a BBC World Service and WGBH-Boston co-production."	tech
"The lawsuit, against an unidentified individual, comes just weeks before the MacWorld conference in San Francisco, used to showcase new products. The complaint said an ""unidentified individual... has recently misappropriated and disseminated confidential information"". The lawsuit was filed with the Santa Clara California Superior Court. Apple is famously secretive about its future product launches while Apple users are equally famous for speculating about new technology from the company. Fans have speculated in recent weeks about the possibility of a new type of iPod being announced at the MacWorld conference. Apple said in the seven-page complaint, filed on 13 December, that it did not know the ""true names or capacities, whether individual, associate, corporate or otherwise,"" of the defendants. The company said it would amend the complaint once they had discovered the names of those who had allegedly leaked information. It is not the first time Apple has sued people who have posted information about future products on the internet. In December 2002, Apple sued a former contractor who allegedly posted online drawings, images and engineering details of the company's PowerMac G4 computer. In a statement, Apple said of the current lawsuit: ""Apple has filed a civil complaint against unnamed individuals who we believe stole our trade secrets and posted detailed information about an unannounced Apple product on the internet."""	tech
The spurt put China's trade surplus - a sore point with some of its trading partners - at a six-year high. It may also increase pressure on China to relax the peg joining its currency, the yuan, with the weakening dollar. The figures released by the Ministry of Commerce come as China's tax chief confirmed that growth had topped 9% in 2004 for the second year in a row. State Administration of Taxation head Xie Xuren said a tightening of controls on tax evasion had combined with the rapid expansion to produce a 25.7% rise in tax revenues to 2.572 trillion yuan ($311bn; £165bn). According to the Ministry of Commerce, China's exports totalled $63.8bn in December, taking the annual total up 35.4% to $593.4bn. With imports rising a similar amount, the deficit rose to $43.4bn. The increased tax take comes despite healthy tax rebates for many exporters totalling 420bn yuan in 2004, according to Mr Xie. China's exporting success has made the trade deficit of the United States soar even further and made trade with China a sensitive political issue in Washington. The peg keeping the yuan around 8.30 to the dollar is often blamed by US lawmakers for job losses at home. A US report issued on Tuesday on behalf of a Congressionally-mandated panel said almost 1.5 million posts disappeared between 1989 and 2003. The pace accelerated in the final three years of the period, said the report for the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, moving out of labour-intensive industries and into more hi-tech sectors. The US's overall trade deficit with China was $124bn in 2003, and is expected to rise to about $150bn for 2004.	business
"Mr Camus said in a statement that he has accepted the invitation to return full-time to the Lagardere group, which owns 30% of EADS. ""I will give up my role as soon as the board of directors asks me to do so,"" he said. Airbus head Noel Forgeard is now set to replace Mr Camus, bringing the company's power struggle to an end. Fighting between Mr Camus and Mr Forgeard has hit the headlines in France and analysts feared that this fighting could destabilise the defence and aerospace group. French finance minister Herve Gaymard is on record as saying that he ""deplored"" the infighting at the company. The company should now be able put this dispute behind it, with the departure of Mr Camus and with the clear support given to Mr Forgeard by the Lagardere group, the main French shareholder of EADS. The other main shareholders of EADS are the French government (15%) , who also support Mr Forgeard, and Germany's DaimlerChrysler (30%). Rainer Hertrich, the German co-head of EADS will also step down when his contract expires next year. Mr Camus recently came under pressure as it became clear that the A380 superjumbo was running over budget. EADS - Airbus' majority owner - admitted earlier this week that the project was running 1.45bn euros (£1bn; $1.9bn) over budget. But Mr Forgeard has denied this, telling French media that there is no current overrun in the budget. ""But for the sake of transparency, we told our shareholders last week that if we look at the forecast for total costs of the project up to 2010, there is a risk that we will go over by around 10%, which is about 1bn euros (£686m; $1.32bn),"" he told France's LCI Television. Due to enter service in 2006, the A380 will replace the Boeing 747 jumbo as the world's biggest passenger aircraft."	business
"The figures collected by the Mobile Data Association (MDA) showed that 2.4 billion were fired off in December alone, the highest monthly total ever. That was 26% more than in December 2003. The records even surpassed the MDA's own predictions, it said. Every day 78 million messages are sent and there are no signs of a slow down. Before December's bumper text record, the previous highest monthly total was in October 2004, when 2.3 billion were sent. Text messaging is set to smash more records in 2005 too, said the MDA, with forecasts suggesting a total of 30 billion for the year. Even though mobiles are becoming increasingly sophisticated with much more multimedia applications, texting is still one of the most useful functions of mobiles. People are using SMS to do much more too. Booking cinema tickets, text voting, and news or sports text alerts are growing popular. Mobile owners have also given the chance to donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee's (DEC) Asian Tsunami fund by texting ""Donate"" to a simple short code number. Looking further ahead in the year, the MDA's chairman Mike Short, has predicted that more people will go online through their mobiles, estimating 15 billion WAP page impressions. Handsets with GPRS capability - an ""always on"" net connection - will rise to 75%, while 3G mobile ownership growing to five million by the end of 2005. These third generation mobiles offer a high-speed connection which means more data like video can be received on the phone. Globally, mobile phone sales passed 167 million in the third quarter of 2004, according to a recent report from analysts Gartner. That was 26% more than the previous year. It is predicted that there would be two billion handsets in use worldwide by the end of 2005."	tech
"An actor dressed as the giant creature breathed smoke over photographers on Monday as Godzilla received the 2,271st star on Hollywood Boulevard. ""Godzilla should thank you for this historical and monumental star,"" said Final Wars producer Shogo Tomiyama. ""But unfortunately, he cannot speak English,"" he added. Hollywood's honorary mayor, Johnny Grant, said: ""I do hereby proclaim this Godzilla Day in Hollywood. ""He's loose, he's wild, and I'm getting the hell out of here,"" he added. The premiere of Godzilla: Final Wars at Grauman's Chinese Theatre followed the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard. The monster was joined by co-stars including Japanese pop star and actor Masahiro Matsuoka. Director Ryuhei Kitamura said it may not be Godzilla's final outing, as it has been billed. ""That's what the producers say. But the producer's a liar,"" he said. ""[Godzilla's] been working for the last 50 years. So, I think Godzilla just deserves a vacation."" And producer Shogo Tomiyama added: ""So long as Godzilla can fascinate people, I believe he will be resurrected by new generations of filmmakers in the future."" Godzilla first appeared in 1954 as a prehistoric lizard woken by atomic bomb tests."	entertainment
"Retail sales dropped by 1% on the month in December, after a 0.6% rise in November, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. The ONS revised the annual 2004 rate of growth down from the 5.9% estimated in November to 3.2%. A number of retailers have already reported poor figures for December. Clothing retailers and non-specialist stores were the worst hit with only internet retailers showing any significant growth, according to the ONS. The last time retailers endured a tougher Christmas was 23 years previously, when sales plunged 1.7%. The ONS echoed an earlier caution from Bank of England governor Mervyn King not to read too much into the poor December figures. Some analysts put a positive gloss on the figures, pointing out that the non-seasonally-adjusted figures showed a performance comparable with 2003. The November-December jump last year was roughly comparable with recent averages, although some way below the serious booms seen in the 1990s. And figures for retail volume outperformed measures of actual spending, an indication that consumers are looking for bargains, and retailers are cutting their prices. However, reports from some High Street retailers highlight the weakness of the sector. Morrisons, Woolworths, House of Fraser, Marks & Spencer and Big Food all said that the festive period was disappointing. And a British Retail Consortium survey found that Christmas 2004 was the worst for 10 years. Yet, other retailers - including HMV, Monsoon, Jessops, Body Shop and Tesco - reported that festive sales were well up on last year. Investec chief economist Philip Shaw said he did not expect the poor retail figures to have any immediate effect on interest rates. ""The retail sales figures are very weak, but as Bank of England governor Mervyn King indicated last night, you don't really get an accurate impression of Christmas trading until about Easter,"" said Mr Shaw. ""Our view is the Bank of England will keep its powder dry and wait to see the big picture."""	business
"The accusation came after it emerged a Devon man had been told he could use his four dogs to ""chase away unwanted animals"" from his farm. Because he did not intend to kill deer or foxes it was not hunting. Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik said ministers had invented a new category of hunting - chasing away - and asked how police were supposed to interpret the rules. North Devon landowner Giles Bradshaw was put in touch with the Middle Way Group, of which Mr Opik is a co-chairman, after he had been in contact with the rural affairs ministry, Defra. He had asked whether his technique of using his four dogs to frighten off deer and foxes would be outlawed under the Hunting Act. Mr Bradshaw was initially told it was an offence - prompting him to complain. The Middle Way group also said Mr Bradshaw would be put in a position where he would have to buy a rifle to shoot animals that would have previously gone free. In a later conversation Mr Bradshaw was told that according to Defra's lawyers chasing away unwanted animals was ""not in fact hunting as described in the Hunting Act 2004 therefore you would not be committing an offence"". Mr Opik said: ""Hunting with dogs and flushing are not defined in the Hunting Act. ""Now Defra have also invented a completely new category of hunting - 'chasing away' which isn't even covered by the Act. ""However, all these activities involve the use of dogs to chase wild mammals. ""How is the village bobby who sees a group of people with dogs supposed to distinguish between illegal hunting, exempt hunting, drag hunting, unintentional hunting, a hunt exercising hounds or simply chasing away?"" Tory MP Peter Luff, another co-chairman of Middle Way, said that the legislation was ""so poorly drafted nobody appears able to properly define the offence"". ""It is no wonder the government desperately wants to move on from this disastrous law. However, I seriously doubt the countryside will be that accommodating."" Mike Hobday, of the League Against Cruel Sports, said: ""There is no confusion, it is a matter of simple common sense. ""If Mr Bradshaw is setting his dogs to chase wild animals then he is hunting them and that will be a criminal offence. ""If all the dogs are doing is barking at the deer, then nobody can define that as hunting."""	politics
"In its latest bi-annual report, the OECD cut its growth predictions for the world's main industrialised regions. US growth would reach 4.4% in 2004, but fall to 3.3% next year from a previous estimate of 3.7%, the OECD said. However, the Paris-based economics think tank said it believed the global economy could still regain momentum. Forecasts for Japanese growth were also scaled back to 4.0% from 4.4% this year and 2.1% from 2.8% in 2005. But the outlook was worst for the 12-member eurozone bloc, with already sluggish growth forecasts slipping to 1.8% from 2.0% this year and 1.9% from 2.4% in 2005, the OECD said. Overall, the report forecast total growth of 3.6% in 2004 for the 30 member countries of the OECD, slipping to 2.9% next year before recovering to 3.1% in 2006. ""There are nonetheless good reasons to believe that despite recent oil price turbulence the world economy will regain momentum in a not-too-distant future,"" said Jean-Philippe Cotis, the OECD's chief economist. The price of crude is about 50% higher than it was at the start of 2004, but down on the record high of $55.67 set in late October. A dip in oil prices and improving jobs prospects would improve consumer confidence and spending, the OECD said. ""The oil shock is not enormous by historical standards - we have seen worse in the seventies. If the oil price does not rise any further, then we think the shock can be absorbed within the next few quarters,"" Vincent Koen, a senior economist with the OECD, told the BBC's World Business Report. ""The recovery that was underway, and has been interrupted a bit by the oil shock this year, would then regain momentum in the course of 2005."" China's booming economy and a ""spectacular comeback"" in Japan - albeit one that has faltered in recent months - would help world economic recovery, the OECD said. ""Supported by strong balance sheets and high profits, the recovery of business investment should continue in North America and start in earnest in Europe,"" it added. However, the report warned: ""It remains to be seen whether continental Europe will play a strong supportive role through a marked upswing of final domestic demand."" The OECD highlighted current depressed household expenditure in Germany and the eurozone's over-reliance on export-led growth."	business
"Scoggins was best remembered for singing the theme tune to popular US TV show The Beverly Hillbillies. The Texan-born singer approached the producers of the programme with theme tune The Ballad of Jed Clampett for the pilot which was screened in 1962. The show, which told the story of a poor man striking oil and moving to Beverly Hills, ran until 1971. Scoggins' daugher Jane Kelly Misel said that her father never tired of the song and would sing it at least once a day. ""He'd sing it at birthdays and anniversaries and variety shows. He never stopped performing it,"" she said. When a film version of The Beverly Hillbillies was made in 1993, Scoggins came out of retirement to perform the theme tune. Scoggins sang the lyrics while bluegrass stars Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs played guitar and banjo."	entertainment
The Veritas leader said the only people to benefit from immigrants from places like Poland were employers, landlords, members of the 'metropolitan elite'. The MEP said his party would only admit foreigners who were required because they had specific skills to offer. And he argued asylum cost £2bn a year for 14,000 successful applicants. Mr Kilroy-Silk said that worked out at £143,000 per successful asylum seeker. He said Veritas wanted to grant an amnesty for all those in Britain claiming asylum and who have children and deport everyone else. Britain should take its fair share of asylum seekers under the United Nations Convention on Human Rights, he argued. And Mr Kilroy-Silk said he wanted to spend an extra £500m a year to help provide for refugees abroad.	politics
"Nicholas Betts-Green, who had been selected to fight the Suffolk Coastal seat, quit after reports in a newspaper that he attended a BNP meeting. The former teacher confirmed he had attended the meeting but said that was the only contact he had with the group. Mr Betts-Green resigned after being questioned by the party's leadership. A UKIP spokesman said Mr Betts-Green's resignation followed disclosures in the East Anglian Daily Times last month about his attendance at a BNP meeting. ""He did once attend a BNP meeting. He did not like what he saw and heard and will take no further part of it,"" the spokesman added. A meeting of Suffolk Coastal UKIP members is due to be held next week to discuss a replacement. Mr Betts-Green, of Woodbridge, Suffolk, has also resigned as UKIP's branch chairman."	politics
"The trial scheme, which could start in weeks, may be extended to apply to children from other countries. Children's charities have reacted with alarm, saying the policy amounts to forcible removal and may not guarantee the safety of those affected. But the Home Office says it may be in the children's best interests if it reunites them with their communities. The pilot, included in the government's five-year immigration plan, aims to return unaccompanied asylum-seeking children from Albania who have failed in their asylum claims. Since 2002, at least 9,000 under-18s have arrived in the UK to seek asylum without other family members. These children automatically become the responsibility of social services. Up to now, ministers have held back from final removal orders against unaccompanied children until after they are legally adults at 18. At least a dozen Albanian-born teenagers are thought to have been identified for return, according to sources, although there is no public confirmation of numbers. Those selected could either be returned to their families, should they be traced, or placed in the care of other Albanian authorities. Separate negotiations to establish a family tracing and returns scheme are believed to be underway with another country. Under the 1989 Children Act, public bodies have a duty to act in the ""best interest"" of a child in their care. Laura Brownlees of Save the Children said there were grave concerns, not least because of the well-documented trafficking of children into crime and prostitution in Albania. ""If children are going to be returned then there should be proper assessments and decisions on a case by case basis,"" she said. ""We do not think there are structures in place [to receive returning children in Albania]. 'If these decisions are not in the best interests of the child, then that is a forced removal because the child will not have any choice in the final decision."" In its five-year immigration plan, announced on Tuesday, the government said it was addressing ""the difficult issue"" of returning unaccompanied asylum seeking children. A spokesman for the Home Office said it was wholly wrong to suggest that the plan was to return children ""and leave them to rot"". ""We are developing a returns programme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children whose asylum and humanitarian protection claims have been refused,"" said the spokesman. ""We have been exploring how we can establish reception and longer-term care arrangements in countries of origin and believe that it's possible to return children in a way that is in their best interests and is safe and sustainable. ""We do not believe that it is right, or in keeping with children's legislation, that children who can return should remain in the UK indefinitely separated from their families and communities."" The spokesman stressed the UK would abide by its international human rights obligations. Only those children who could be provided with a carefully planned reintegration package would be returned, he said. But Andrew Hogg, spokesman for the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, said ministers had so far failed to reassure agencies. ""From what is so far known, we strongly oppose the scheme because the welfare and best interests of the child will not properly be taken into account,"" said Mr Hogg. ""In Albania particularly there is no statutory child care or protection structure. ""The Medical Foundation has many serious concerns, including the assessment process for suitability for return, the degrading of best interests of the child principles and of child welfare, and the lack of safeguards in the chosen countries."" A spokesman for the Albanian embassy in London said it was the first it had heard of a scheme, but did not rule out that there had been an agreement between the two countries."	politics
"Orange added more than five million new customers in 2004, leading to a 10% increase in its revenues. Increased take-up of broadband telecoms services also boosted France Telecom's profits, which showed a 5.5% rise to 18.3bn euros ($23.4bn; £12.5bn). France Telecom is to spend 578m euros on buying out minority shareholders in data services provider Equant. France Telecom, one of the world's largest telecoms and internet service providers, saw its full-year sales rise 2.2% to 47.2bn euros in 2004. Orange enjoyed strong growth outside France and the United Kingdom - its core markets - swelling its subscriber base to 5.4 million. France Telecom's broadband customers also increased, rising to 5.1 million across Europe by the end of the year. The firm said it had met its main strategic objectives of growing its individual businesses and further reducing its large debt. An ill-fated expansion drive in the late 1990s saw France Telecom's debt soar to 72bn euros by 2002. However, this has now been reduced to 43.9bn euros. ""Our results for 2004 allow us to improve our financial structure while focusing on the innovation that drives our strategy,"" said chief executive Thierry Breton. Looking ahead, the company forecast like-for-like sales growth of between 3% and 5% over the next three years. France Telecom is consolidating its interest in Equant, which provides telecoms and data services to businesses. Subject to approval by shareholders of the two firms, it will buy the shares in Equant it does not already own. France Telecom said it would fund the deal by selling an 8% stake in telephone directory company PagesJaunes."	business
House prices were 11.8% higher on the year in the last quarter of 2004, down from 16.3% in the July-to-September quarter, the Land Registry said. The average house price in England and Wales was £182,920, down from £187,971 in July-September. The volume of sales between October and December dropped by nearly a quarter from the same period in 2003. The government figures are the first official confirmation of falls in the market at the end of 2004. Land Registry figures are less up to date than those of banks and building societies, since they record completions not mortgage approvals. However, the figures are viewed as the most accurate measure of house prices as they include all property transactions, including cash sales. The cost of buying a home fell in seven out of 10 regions between the third and fourth quarters of 2004. The biggest annual gains were made in Wales, where house prices were up by 23% in the fourth quarter. House prices rose the slowest in Greater London, being up by 6%. In the capital, the volume of sales fell by 23% from 36,185 in 2003 to 28,041 for the same period in 2004. There was also a decline in the number of million-pound properties sold in the capital, with 436 properties over £1m sold compared to 469 for the same period in 2003. Although the figures point to a slowdown in the market, the most recent surveys from Nationwide and Halifax have indicated the market may be undergoing a revival. After registering falls at the back end of 2004, Halifax said house prices rose by 0.8% in January and Nationwide reported a rise of 0.4% in the first month of the year. Members of the Bank of England's rate-setting committee will make their latest decision on interest rates on Thursday.	business
"Mr Morrow will succeed Shiro Tsuda as president of Vodafone KK, Japan's number three mobile operator, in April. Mr Tsuda, who will become chairman, was appointed president only two months ago but the business has struggled since then, losing customers in January. Vodafone had pinned its hopes on the launch of its 3G phones in November but demand for them has been slow. While it has more than 15 million customers in Japan, Vodafone has found it difficult to satisfy Japan's technologically demanding mobile users. It suffered a net loss of more than 58,000 customers in January, its second monthly reverse in the last year. ""Vodafone is going to need to put a lot of money into Japan if it wants to rebuild the business,"" Tetsuro Tsusaka, a telecoms analyst with Deutsche Bank, told Reuters. ""I do not know if it will be worth it for them to spend that kind of money just for Japan."""	business
"Five million visitors made the London gallery - which houses treasures like Raphael's Madonna of the Pinks - the UK's most visited museum in 2004. It recorded a 13.8% rise in numbers and was the country's second most visited tourist attraction, behind Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Charles Saumarez Smith, the gallery's director, said he was ""delighted"". He said the number of visitors through the doors had boosted figures to pre-11 September 2001 levels. Mr Saumarez Smith added that the pedestrianisation of Trafalgar Square, where the gallery is located, and strong temporary collections throughout 2004 had led to the strong performance. ""Our 2004 exhibition programme of El Greco, Russian Landscape in the Age of Tolstoy and Raphael: From Urbino to Rome was particularly strong and exceeded all targets,"" he said. ""The exceptional quality of the paintings in our permanent collection is also huge draw for the public. ""The expectations of today's visitors are higher than ever and we have kept pace with their demands."" Mr Saumarez Smith said he was confident the gallery could maintain the attendance. ""With important exhibitions of the work of Caravaggio, Stubbs and Rubens in place for 2005, I am confident that the gallery is set for another highly successful year,"" he added. The figures were prepared by the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva). It found that the figures had been boosted by an increase in Europeans travelling to the UK on budget airlines. Popular cultural tourist spots such as the Tate Modern and the Natural History Museum all recorded increases of more than 10% in visitor numbers compared with 2003. But for legal or confidentiality reasons some Alva members did not submit figures for 2004, including Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Madame Tussauds and Alton Towers. Alva director Robin Broke said: ""Visits from Western Europe were up by 10% and from North America by some 9% compared to 2003, while numbers from the rest of the world rose 20%. ""European figures were helped by the rapid growth of low-cost flights to Britain from Europe, especially from new EU countries."""	entertainment
"Among the pictures for sale are works by Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Henri Matisse. The collection was housed at Versace's six-storey New York townhouse. The 51-year-old designer was shot outside his Florida home in 1997 by suspected serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who later killed himself. The auction, at Sotheby's, will feature 45 contemporary, impressionist and 19th Century paintings. One of the highlights of the sale is Roy Lichtenstein's Blue Nude which has been given an estimate of £1.8m ($3.4m). Tobias Meyer, Sotheby's worldwide head of contemporary art, said: ""This collection reflects Mr Versace's wide-ranging taste and impeccable eye, and many of the works were commissioned directly from the artists. ""Outstanding later examples from champions of the Pop movement, such as Roy Lichtenstein, are juxtaposed with masterpieces from the most visible artists of the 1980's, including Jean-Michel Basquiat and the collaborative genius of Basquiat and Warhol, as well as Francesco Clemente."" Much of the collection will be offered for sale at three auctions in New York in June, with smaller contemporary paintings going under the hammer in London on 22 and 23 June. A sale of Versace's furniture and artworks sold in 2001fetched £5.5m ($10.3m)."	entertainment
"UK chancellor Gordon Brown said the London meeting of the world's seven richest nations would be remembered as ""the 100% debt relief summit"". Some 37 countries could benefit after a case-by-case review by bodies including the World Bank and the IMF, he said. But the US says it cannot support Mr Brown's International Finance Facility to boost aid to developing countries. BBC correspondents said the meeting had produced some movement towards the UK's ambitions, but much work was needed. Mr Brown said it was a major breakthrough for the international organisations to offer up to 100% multilateral debt relief - ""the vast bulk"" of money owed by the poorest countries. ""We could be at the beginning of the final stage of the process where the debts that were owed by the poorest countries, built up over 20 or 30 years, debts that are simply unpayable in the real world, are finally taken care of,"" he said. He added: ""It is the richest countries hearing the voices of the poor."" But he said they would insist on government reforms and the need for transparency, tackling corruption and openness from both the poorest and richest nations. BBC correspondent Patrick Bartlett said while it was an agreement in principle, the organisations involved now have to look at how it would work in practice. Oxfam senior policy adviser Max Lawson welcomed the statement and said G7 ministers had ""passed the first hurdle of 2005"". But he added: ""They need to move quickly to turn their proposals into real change for the world's poorest. ""Two million children will die needlessly between now and the next meeting in April. If rich countries are going to keep their promises to tackle obscene poverty they need deliver - and deliver quickly."" Talks are continuing on how to finance increased overseas development assistance. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is to look at a proposal to use its gold supplies to help the debt relief effort when it meets in April. Mr Brown said G7 ministers had agreed to defer debt interest payments and repayments for some countries affected by the tsunami until the end of 2005. But UK plans for an International Finance Facility (IFF) to help deal with debt in the developing world have not been agreed. Mr Brown wanted to provide $10bn (£5.38bn) a year over a decade, using G7 backing so the money could be borrowed up front on financial markets. It is a key element of his proposals for a modern version of the Marshall Plan, which brought US aid to rebuild Europe after World War II, for the developing world. Mr Brown said it was ""winning support every day"" and said a programme had been agreed to draw up more details in time for the G8 summit in July. But US Treasury Under-Secretary John Taylor said the US could not support the IFF because of its ""legislative process"". ""The US is completely committed to poverty reduction and providing financing to do that,"" he said. ""But this particular mechanism does not work for the United States. It works for other countries, and that is fine."" Earlier, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the US had increased support for Africa in the past four years from $1.1bn per year to $4.6bn per year. But South Africa Finance Minister Trevor Manuel told the BBC's Talking Point programme what was needed was one approach, with all wealthy nations on board. He said much of the money pledged by the US had not yet been dispensed. The UK has made poverty in the poorest nations a key theme for its 2005 presidency of the Group of Eight (G8), which comprises the G7 and Russia. The G8 countries will meet at Gleneagles in Scotland. At a dinner on Friday night, former South African president Nelson Mandela backed Mr Brown's plan when he urged the finance chiefs to write-off African debt and provide an extra $50bn (£26.69bn) a year in aid for the next decade. Talks also centred on the impact of the rising economies of China and India, the US budget and trade deficits, how the US, Europe and Japan can act to boost global economic growth, and HIV/Aids. G7 ministers called for more flexibility in international exchange rates and said ""excess volatility"" would impede economic growth. Representatives from China, India, Russia, South Africa and Brazil were invited to attend some of the sessions. A G8 summit is set to take place in July."	business
"Lennon concedes Rangers are in good form at the moment, but they have failed to beat Celtic in their last seven meetings. ""Rangers are on the up and have been on a good run in recent weeks,"" he said. ""But it's a game we believe we're capable of winning if we play our best,"" he told the Evening Times. ""All the boys are looking forward to it because they are brilliant games to be involved in. ""Without playing at the top of our game, we have still been winning matches. ""At the minute, we are at the top of the league and still in with a chance of staying in Europe, so I don't think it is the crisis people have been trying to make out. ""Of course, it is a concern when you are losing goals, because we have been notorious for being a team that is hard to beat and keeping clean sheets, but hopefully we are over that wee run. ""Considering we lost Henrik Larsson at the end of last season, we have still been scoring a lot of goals, which is pleasing."""	sport
"A three-day Elvis convention took place in Blackpool, England, over the weekend with the aim of finding the best European Elvis impersonator. His Graceland, Tennessee, home was the focus for US celebrations with four days of events including a concert by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Elvis' single Jailhouse Rock became the UK's number one on Sunday. Fans in France celebrated with a tribute concert by Elvis cover bands and a special exhibition of memorabilia is on display in Bonn, Germany. Jailhouse Rock is now the 999th number one single in UK pop history. Record company SonyBMG are releasing Elvis' 18 number one singles at the rate of one a week in Britain, complete with original artwork and a collector's box. Hit single One Night will follow next week - with the chance of becoming the 1,000th number one as interest surrounding Elvis' birthday grows. HMV spokesman Gennaro Castaldo said: ""It would be a fantastic and truly fitting way to celebrate Elvis' landmark birthday."""	entertainment
"The feel-good factor among US consumers rose in December for the first time since July according to new data. The Conference Board survey of 5,000 households pointed to renewed optimism about job creation and economic growth. US retailers have reported strong sales over the past 10 days after a slow start to the crucial festive season. According to figures also released on Tuesday, sales in shopping malls in the week to 25 December were 4.3% higher than in 2003 following a last minute rush. Wal-Mart, the largest US retailer, has said its December sales are expected to be better than previously forecast because of strong post-Christmas sales. It is expecting annual sales growth of between 1% and 3% for the month. Consumer confidence figures are considered a key economic indicator because consumer spending accounts for about two thirds of all economic activity in the United States. ""The continuing economic expansion, combined with job growth, has consumers ending this year on a high note,"" said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board's consumer research centre. ""And consumers' outlook suggests that the economy will continue to expand in the first half of next year."" The overall US economy has performed strongly in recent months, prompting the Federal Reserve to increase interest rates five times since June."	business
The mill, Krivorizhstal, was sold in June 2004 for $800m (£424m) - well below other offers. President Viktor Yushchenko, elected in December, is planning to revisit many of Ukraine's recent privatisations. Krivorizhstal is one of dozens of firms which he says were sold cheaply to friends of the previous administration. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said as many as 3,000 firms could be included on the list of firms whose sale was being reviewed. Mr Yushchenko had previously said the list would be limited to 30-40 enterprises. More than 90,000 businesses in all, from massive corporations to tiny shopfronts, have been sold off since 1992, as the command economy built up when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union was dismantled. Analysts have suggested that the government needs to avoid the impression of an open-ended list, so as to preserve investor confidence. Thursday's ruling by a district court in Perchesk overturned a previous decision in a lower court permitting the sale. The consortium which won the auction for the mill was created by Viktor Pinchuk, son-in-law of former-President Leonid Kuchma, and Rinat Akhmetov, the country's richest man. The next step is for the supreme court to annul the sale altogether, opening the way for Krivorizhstal to be resold. Mr Yushchenko has suggested a fair valuation could be as much as $3bn. One of the foreign bidders who lost out, steel giant LNM, told BBC News that it would be interested in any renewed sale.	business
"His comments follow news that all four Britons held by the US in the Cuban camp will be freed within weeks. The South African archbishop said detentions without trial were ""unacceptable"" and ""distressing"". Twelve foreign nationals are being held indefinitely without trial in the UK under anti-terror laws. Referring to the detentions in Cuba, Archbishop Tutu told BBC News: ""It is utterly unacceptable. ""The rule of law is in order to ensure that those who have power don't use their power arbitrarily and every person retains their human rights until you have proven conclusively that so-and-so is in fact guilty."" Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, and Martin Mubanga, Richard Belmar and Feroz Abbasi, from London, have been held by the US at Guantanamo Bay for almost three years. On Tuesday Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the Commons that the US had agreed to release the four after ""intensive and complex discussions"" over security. The Britons were detained as part of the US-led ""war on terror"". The archbishop added: ""Whilst we are saying thank you that these have been released, what is happening to those left behind? ""We in South Africa used to have a dispensation that detained people without trial and the world quite rightly condemned that as unacceptable. ""Now if it was unacceptable then how come it can be acceptable to Britain and the United States. It is so, so deeply distressing."" Following Mr Straw's announcement, lawyer Louise Christian, who represents Mr Abbasi and Mr Mubanga, said the government should have acted sooner. Foreign nationals detained in the UK are being held at Belmarsh and Woodhill prisons. In December the House of Lords, the UK's highest court, ruled that the anti-terror measures broke human rights laws. But the men are still behind bars. Archbishop Tutu criticised the measures, saying: ""I am opposed to any arbitrary detention that is happening, even in Britain."" Shami Chakrabarti, director of civil rights group Liberty, has called on the government to ""practise what it preaches"" and either free or charge the detained men. But the Home Office defended the measures. A spokesman said: ""These individuals cannot currently be prosecuted because some evidence, such as that provided by third parties, cannot safely be disclosed in criminal proceedings without putting others at risk. ""It is also currently the case that intelligence gained from covert intercepts cannot be used in a court of law."""	politics
"But the player, who missed the victory over Scotland through injury, must attend a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday after being cited by Wasps. ""Serge has a good case so we are confident he will play,"" said France coach Bernard Laporte. The inexperienced Nicolas Mas, Jimmy Marlu and Jean-Philippe Grandclaude are also included in a 22-man squad. The trio have been called up after Pieter de Villiers, Ludovic Valbon and Aurelien Rougerie all picked up injuries in France's 16-9 win on Saturday. Laporte said he was confident that Betsen would be cleared by the panel investigating his alleged trip that broke Wasps centre Stuart Abbott's leg. ""If he was to be suspended, we would call up Imanol Harinordoquy or Thomas Lievremont,"" said Laporte, who has dropped Patrick Tabacco. ""We missed Serge badly against Scotland. He has now recovered from his thigh injury and played on Saturday with Biarritz."" France's regular back-row combination of Betsen, Harinordoquy and Olivier Magne were all missing from France's side at the weekend because of injury. Laporte is expected to announce France's starting line-up on Wednesday. Forwards: Nicolas Mas, Sylvain Marconnet, Olivier Milloud, William Servat, Sebastien Bruno, Fabien Pelous, Jerome Thion, Gregory Lamboley, Serge Betsen, Julien Bonnaire, Sebastien Chabal, Yannick Nyanga. Backs: Dimitri Yachvili, Pierre Mignoni, Frederic Michalak, Yann Delaigue, Damien Traille, Brian Liebenberg, Jean-Philippe Grandclaude, Christophe Dominici, Jimmy Marlu, Pepito Elhorga."	sport
"The Cabinet Office has confirmed it is reviewing the current pension system, prompting unions representing 4.5m workers to threaten united action. They believe the plans include raising the mandatory retirement age for public service workers from 60 to 65. The government says unions will be consulted before any changes are made. It is thought the proposed overhaul, due on Thursday, could mean pensions could be based on a ""career average"" salary. For each year served, staff currently get one eightieth of their highest salary in the final three years. Ministers will be anxious to avoid mass strike action in the lead-up to the next general election, which is widely expected next May. In a statement on Sunday, the Cabinet Office said it was reviewing the Civil Service Pension Scheme, and hoped to announce proposals soon. ""Unions will of course be consulted about any proposed changes. ""Public sector pension schemes need to remain affordable and sustainable. People are living longer and pensions are getting more expensive. ""To maintain the long-term affordability of our pension scheme, the government announced in its Green Paper on pensions that pension age would rise from 60 to 65."" On Monday, Tony Blair's official spokesman declined to say whether the prime minister backed the plans. He said: ""What's important is that there's a process going on, it's out for consultation at the moment, let's wait for that process to complete itself."" There is already widespread anger over the chancellor's plans to get rid of more than 100,000 civil servants. Now public service unions are united against the plans and the Trades Union Congress is discussing the issue next Monday. Dave Prentis, general secretary of Unison, said changes to pension provisions for workers in the public sector would mean they had to pay in more but would still face a raw deal. ""Members working in the NHS or for local government have never had high pay or city bonuses, but they could look forward to a decent pension - now all that is being taken away,"" he said. ""What really riles me is the breathtaking hypocrisy of MPs who recently voted themselves the best pension scheme in Europe, but say they can't afford it for anyone else. ""This is a position that Unison cannot accept and will oppose. It will lead to conflict between Unison and the government, if not this year then next."" Mr Prentis said workers did not want to go on strike and called for talks between unions and the highest level of government. Mark Serwotka, from the Public and Commercial Services union said there should be a co-ordinated one day strike unless there was a government rethink. The Fire Brigades Union said the government was planning to cut ill health retirement benefits for firefighters and other measures to chip away at pensions. Pensions officer Paul Woolstenholmes said: ""The pensions of millions of public sector workers are under threat - apart from MPs and judges who have the most generous pensions arrangements in the country."""	politics
"Jonathan Baume, of the top civil servants' union, spoke of ""competing agendas"" between Mr Brown and Mr Blair. But the chancellor said Mr Baume was never at meetings between himself and the prime minister so could not judge. He said the union leader was trying to block civil service reform which threatened his members' jobs. It suited the purpose of Mr Baume's union, the First Division Association, to suggest there were two agendas battling against each other because the union was trying to resist the planned reforms, Mr Brown told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Under the plans, unveiled in the Gershon report, some 84,000 civil servants jobs will be axed or changed and the savings ploughed back into frontline services. Mr Brown said: ""To be honest I don't think you can rely on his [Mr Baume's] judgement on this matter when it comes to the decisions that the government are making. ""Mr Blair and I are making exactly the same decisions on civil service reforms. We are determined to go on with the Gershon reforms."" He also said that as Mr Baume was never present at meetings between himself and the prime minister, he was not in a position to judge. On Wednesday, ahead of the Chancellor's pre-Budget report, Mr Baume told BBC News there were sometimes ""conflicting and competing agendas for government"" between Number 10 and the Treasury. What the chancellor wanted was ""not by any means what Alan Milburn and the prime minister want to see"", Mr Baume said. ""Government departments get their money from the Treasury on the basis of public service agreements they sign up to, but at the same time the prime minister also has an agenda and that's not necessarily the same as the Treasury's and the prime minister is of course a very powerful figure in any government. ""He also sends instructions and messages and directions to departments about how he would like each secretary of state and each department to implement a policy agenda. ""The problem is that on many occasions these two don't add up and individual cabinet ministers as well as departments have to make sense of this battle."" Number 10 said ministers were interested in governing and not a ""soap opera"" about Mr Blair and Mr Brown. Tory shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin said: ""The battle Royal that the top civil servants are now reporting on between the chancellor and Tony Blair is preventing them both from getting on with the business of getting taxpayers value for money."""	politics
"Trust in online security is falling as a result. Almost 70% of those asked in a poll said that net firms are not doing enough to protect people. The survey of more than 1,000 people reported that 43% were not willing to hand over personal information online. It is worrying for shopaholics and firms who want to exploit the net. More people are becoming aware of online security issues but they have little confidence that companies are doing enough to counter the threats, said security firm RSA, which carried out the poll. An estimated 12 million Britons now use the net as a way of managing their financial affairs. Security experts say that scare stories and the vulnerabilities dogging e-commerce and e-banking are being taken seriously - by banks in particular. ""I don't think the threat is overplayed,"" Barry Beal, global security manager for Capgemini, told the BBC News website. He added: ""The challenge for banks is to provide the customer with something that improves security but balances that with usability."" Ensuring extra security measures are in place protects them too, as well as the individual, and it is up to both parties to make sure they do what is necessary to prevent fraud, he said. ""Card issuers will keep us informed of types of attacks and what procedure to take to protect ourselves. If we do that, they will indemnify us,"" he said. Many believe using login details like usernames and passwords are simply not good enough anymore though. One of the biggest challenges to improving security online is how to authenticate an individual's identity. Several security companies have developed methods which complement or replace passwords, which are easily compromised and easy to forget. Last year, a street survey found that more than 70% of people would reveal their password for a bar of chocolate. On average, people have to remember four different passwords. Some resort to using the same one for all their online accounts. Those who use several passwords often write them down and hide them in a desk or in a document on their computer. In a separate survey by RSA, 80% said they were fed up with passwords and would like a better way to login to work computer systems. For many, the ideal is a single online identity that can be validated once with a series of passwords and questions, or some biometric measurement like a fingerprint or iris scan with a token like a smartcard. Activcard is just one of the many companies, like RSA Security, which has been trying to come up with just that. RSA has a deal with internet provider AOL that lets people pay monthly for a one-time passcode generation service. Users get a physical token which automatically generates a code which stays active for 60 seconds. Many companies use a token-based method already for employees to access networks securely already. Activcard's method is more complex. It is currently trailing its one-time passcode generation technology with UK banks. Steve Ash, from Activcard, told the BBC News website there are two parts to the process of identification. The most difficult is to ascertain whether an individual is who they say they are when they are online. ""The end solution is to provide a method where you combine something the user knows with something they have and present those both."" The method it has developed makes use of the chip embedded in bank cards and a special card reader which can generate unique codes that are active for a specified amount of time. This can be adjusted at any time and can be active for as little as 30 seconds before it changes. It combines that with usual usernames and passwords, as well as other security questions. ""You take the card, put it in the reader, enter your pin number, and a code is given. ""If you wanted then to transfer funds, for instance, you would have to have the code to authorise the transaction."" The clever bit happens back at the bank's secure servers. The code is validated by the bank's systems, matching the information they expect with the customer's unique key. ""Each individual gets a key which is unique to them. It is a 2048-bit long number that is virtually impossible to crack,"" said Mr Ash. It means that in a typical security attack, explains Mr Ash, even if password information is captured by a scammer using keystroke software or just through spoof websites, they need the passcode. ""By the time they go back [to use the information], the code has expired, so they can't prove who they are,"" according to Mr Ash. In the next few years, Mr Ash predicts that this kind of method will be commonplace before we see biometric authentication that is acceptable for widespread use. ""PCs will have readers built into them, the cost of readers will be very cheap, and more people will have the cards."" The gadgets we carry around, like personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobiles, could also have integrated card reader technology in them. ""The PDA or phone method is a possible alternative as people are always carrying phones around,"" he said."	tech
"After Real's 3-0 win at Roma, the England skipper admitted another season of under-achievement would not be tolerated at the Bernabeu stadium. Beckham said: ""It's expected of Madrid to get through, but it's a relief for the club and players to have won. ""We lost momentum last season but we cannot afford to to go another season without winning anything."" Real's finish as runners-up in their Champions League group means they cannot face his old club Manchester United in the next round. But Real could be drawn against other Premiership hopefuls, Arsenal or Chelsea, who won their respective groups. ""It's going to be great whoever we play, even if we don't get either of the two English teams."""	sport
"The moment that plastic finally toppled cash happened at 10.38am on Wednesday, according to the Association for Payment Clearing Services (Apacs) Apacs chose school teacher Helen Carroll, from Portsmouth, to make the historic transaction. The switch over took place as she paid for her groceries in the supermarket chain Tesco's Cromwell Road branch. Mrs Carroll was born in the same year that plastic cards first appeared in the UK. ""I pay for most things with my debit card, with occasional purchases on one of my credit cards,"" said Mrs Carroll, who teaches at Peel Common Infants School in Gosport. Spending patterns for the year and estimates for December led Apacs to conclude that 10.38am was the time that plastic would finally rule the roost. Shoppers in the UK are expected to put £269bn on plastic cards during the whole of 2004, compared with £268bn paid with cash, Apacs said. When the first plastic cards appeared in the UK in June 1966, issued by Barclaycard, but only a handful of retailers accepted them and very few customers held them. ""But in less than 40 years, plastic has become our most popular way to pay, due to the added security and flexibility it offers,"" said Apacs spokeswoman Jemma Smith. ""The key driver has been the introduction of debit cards, which now account for two-thirds of plastic card transactions and are used by millions of us every day."""	business
O'Driscoll was originally named in the starting line-up but has failed to recover from the hamstring injury he picked up in the win over Italy. His replacement will be named after training on Friday morning. Fellow centre Gordon D'Arcy is also struggling with a hamstring injury and he will undergo a fitness test on Friday to see if he can play. Kevin Maggs would be an obvious replacement at centre while Shane Horgan could also be moved from wing. Ulster wing Tommy Bowe could also be asked to travel with the squad to Scotland as a precautionary measure. The only other change to the Ireland side sees Wasps flanker Johnny O'Connor replacing Denis Leamy. O'Connor will be winning his third cap after making his debut in the victory over South Africa last November. : Murphy, Horgan, TBC, D'Arcy, Hickie, O'Gara, Stringer, Corrigan, Byrne, Hayes, O'Kelly, O'Connell, S Easterby, O'Connor, Foley. : Sheahan, Horan, O'Callaghan, Miller, G Easterby, Humphreys, Dempsey.	sport
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opener, slipping the ball between Paul Jones' legs after just nine minutes. United wasted a host of chances to make it safe as Jones made some great saves, but Wayne Rooney put the tie beyond doubt late on with a cool finish. Exeter had chances of their own, Sean Devine twice volleying wide and Andrew Taylor forcing Tim Howard to save. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was taking few chances after their 0-0 draw in the first game and he handed starts to Paul Scholes and Ryan as well as Ronaldo and Rooney. Exeter began brightly with Devine and Steve Flack seeing plenty of the ball, but it did not take United long to assert their authority and the hosts soon found themselves a goal down. Scholes played a lovely pass in to Ronaldo on the left-hand side of the six-yard box and the Portuguese winger slid the ball between the legs of Jones to open the scoring. United sensed a chance to finish the tie as a contest early on and Ronaldo blazed over before Jones saved well from Scholes and then Rooney. The visitors' pressure by now was incessant and Rooney had another shot blocked while Ronaldo slammed well over the bar again from a good position. Just before the break Giggs had a golden chance to double the advantage, but the Welshman dragged a left-foot effort badly wide from 10 yards. In stoppage time Exeter created their best chance as Alex Jeannin swung in a cross from the left that Devine managed to flick goalwards, but the ball flew wide of Howard's goal. The Grecians came out after the break in determined fashion and Howard had to show safe hands to collect two searching crosses into the United box. Rooney looked like he might have sealed the result with a turn and shot but the ball stuck in the St James Park mud and Jones raced back to gather on the goalline. Moments later Devine had the chance to make himself a hero, but he could only volley Jeannin's brilliant cross wide of Howard's goal after being left unmarked six yards out. After Rooney had completely messed up a free-kick 20 yards out Taylor showed him how it should be done, his stunning drive from distance forcing a flying stop from Howard. The home crowd were baying for a goal and they did get the ball into the net only for Devine's low effort to be ruled out for an obvious offside. The persistent Rooney eventually rounded Jones with three minutes to go and slotted into an empty net to book a home tie with Middlesbrough in the fourth round. Jones, Hiley, Sawyer, Gaia, Jeannin, Moxey, Taylor (Martin 89), Ampadu (Afful 69), Clay, Flack (Edwards 74), Devine. Subs Not Used: Rice, Todd. Ampadu, Clay. Howard, Phil Neville, Gary Neville, O'Shea, Fortune, Giggs (Saha 70), Miller (Fletcher 66), Scholes, Djemba-Djemba (Silvestre 80), Ronaldo, Rooney. Subs Not Used: Ricardo, Bellion. Ronaldo 9, Rooney 87. 9,033. P Dowd (Staffordshire).	sport
"It will be the 21st James Bond film to hit the big screen, and speculation has been rife over who will play the lead. Casino Royale was turned into a spoof spy movie by John Huston in 1967, with David Niven in the lead role. Pierce Brosnan led the past four Bond films but said producers axed him after offering him the chance to return. Among the favourites to take over the coveted role are Scottish actor Dougray Scott, Oscar nominee Clive Owen and Australian star Hugh Jackman. Producers say no decision has yet been made on who will become the seventh actor, including Niven, to play Bond on film. Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino had talked of wanting to take on the Casino Royale project, and said he had spoken to Brosnan about it. Shooting on Casino Royale is expected to begin once Campbell has finished work on The Legend of Zorro, a sequel to The Mask of Zorro, starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas. Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson expect the film to be released in 2006. The script will once again be developed by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade who have both worked on two previous Bond movies. Fleming's book saw the introduction of Bond pitted against a Russian spy in a game of baccarat. Simultaneously, a woman arrives on the scene to take his eye off the game. The novel is one of Fleming's most violent and sadistic stories, with 007 suffering a savage beating from his nemesis Le Chiffre. In addition to the 1967 film, it was also adapted for television in 1954 with actor Barry Nelson as an Americanised ""Jimmy"" Bond. MGM Vice Chairman Chris McGurk said: ""Martin (Campbell) is an incredibly exciting film-maker. Goldeneye was a wonderful movie and helped reinvigorate the Bond franchise. We're thrilled to have him back to direct the newest Bond."" New Zealand-born Campbell moved to the UK in 1966 and directed TV series such as The Professionals, Minder and Bergerac. His film credits include Edge of Darkness, Vertical Limit and Beyond Borders, which starred Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen."	entertainment
"The Danish and German governments are challenging a European Commission ruling which said Greece should have sole rights to use the name. The Commission's decision gave the same legal protection to feta as to Italian Parma ham and French Champagne. But critics of the judgement say feta is a generic term, with the cheese produced widely outside Greece. The Commission's controversial 2002 ruling gave ""protected designation of origin"" status to feta cheese made in Greece, effectively restricting the use of the feta name to producers there. From 2007 onwards, Greek firms will have the exclusive use of the feta label and producers elsewhere in Europe must find another name to describe their products. The German and Danish governments argue that feta does not relate to a specific geographical area and that their firms have been producing and exporting the cheese for years. ""In our opinion it is a generic designation and we do not have any other name or term for this type of cheese,"" Hans Arne Kristiansen, a spokesman for the Danish Dairy Board, told the BBC. Denmark is Europe's second largest producer of feta after Greece - producing about 30,000 tonnes a year - and exports its products to Greece. It is concerned that the ruling could threaten the production of other cheeses in Denmark such as brie. ""It would cost millions if we wanted to introduce a new designation,"" Mr Kristiansen said. ""That is just one of the costs."" The case will also have a major impact on Britain's sole feta producer, Yorkshire company Shepherds Purse Cheeses. Judy Bell, the company's founder, said it would cost a huge amount to rebrand its product. ""If we lose we will have to go through a massive re-merchandising process and reorganisation,"" she said. ""We have never tried to pull the wool over anyone's eyes - it's very clear from the label that it's Yorkshire feta."" The original decision was a victory for Greece, where feta cheese is believed to have been produced for about 6,000 years. Feta is a soft white cheese made from sheep or goat's milk, and is an essential ingredient in Greek cuisine. Greece makes 115,000 tonnes, mainly for domestic consumption. The Court is expected to reach a verdict in the case in the autumn."	business
"Output in the period grew just 0.1%, an annual rate of 0.3%. Exports - the usual engine of recovery - faltered, while domestic demand stayed subdued and corporate investment also fell short. The growth falls well short of expectations, but does mark a sixth straight quarter of expansion. The economy had stagnated throughout the 1990s, experiencing only brief spurts of expansion amid long periods in the doldrums. One result was deflation - prices falling rather than rising - which made Japanese shoppers cautious and kept them from spending. The effect was to leave the economy more dependent than ever on exports for its recent recovery. But high oil prices have knocked 0.2% off the growth rate, while the falling dollar means products shipped to the US are becoming relatively more expensive. The performance for the third quarter marks a sharp downturn from earlier in the year. The first quarter showed annual growth of 6.3%, with the second showing 1.1%, and economists had been predicting as much as 2% this time around. ""Exports slowed while capital spending became weaker,"" said Hiromichi Shirakawa, chief economist at UBS Securities in Tokyo. ""Personal consumption looks good, but it was mainly due to temporary factors such as the Olympics. ""The amber light is flashing."" The government may now find it more difficult to raise taxes, a policy it will have to implement when the economy picks up to help deal with Japan's massive public debt."	business
"The Croatian eighth seed booked his place in the last four with a 7-5 6-4 victory over the British number one. Henman had looked on course to level the match after going 2-0 up in the second set, but his progress was halted as the rain intervened again. Ljubicic hit back after the break to seal a fourth straight win over Henman. Earlier in the day, Spanish fifth seed Tommy Robredo secured his semi-final place when he beat Nicolas Kiefer of Germany 6-4 6-4. Afterwards, Henman was left cursing the weather and the umpire after seven breaks for rain during the match. ""It was incredibly frustrating,"" Henman said. ""It's raining and the umpire doesn't take control. ""He kept telling us to play till the end of the game. But if it's raining, you come off - the score's irrelevant. ""It couldn't be more frustrating as I was very happy with my form until now. You don't expect this in the desert."""	sport
"It may have to go the whole way and have NFL-style video cameras all over the field, or slap the vociferous perpetrators over the knuckles. What the IRB does not want is a football scenario where the verbal slanging matches often overshadow the game itself. Sunday's explosive Six Nations clash at Lansdowne Road was a good example as Ireland took another step towards their first Grand Slam since 1948. The game was as exciting as it comes, with a much-improved England side enraged at a few decisions that did not go their way. One can understand that frustration. There was no doubt that Ireland had the rub of the green in their 19-13 victory, but the reaction from the England camp may not have endeared them to the sport's ""blazers"". Referee Jonathan Kaplan was not perfect by any means and two decisions in particular made him the villain of the piece. I doubt whether Kaplan would have been too pleased at the comments made. After all, he has no public recourse to criticism. It was the same for Simon McDowell, the touch judge who was heavily criticised by Scotland coach Matt Williams after their defeat against France. As far as England were concerned, there were queries over Mark Cueto's first half-effort when he went over in the corner from a Charlie Hodgson kick. England coach Andy Robinson referred to a similar case at Ravenhill in January when Ulster were playing Gloucester in the Heineken Cup. On that occasion, David Humphreys kicked to Tommy Bowe, who touched down in the corner only for the try to be wiped out. But you cannot have cameras at every conceivable angle to pick up such anomalies. Perhaps Robinson was right to say the referee should have gone upstairs when Josh Lewsey was driven over the Irish line near the end. Lewsey claims he touched it down and was in full control. However, one has to credit Ireland flanker Johnny O'Connor for cleverly scooping the ball away and blocking any evidence of a touchdown. But in rugby, everything tends to even out over the 80 minutes. The referee also missed England's Danny Grewcock taking out Ronan O'Gara off the ball to allow Martin Corry a Sunday stroll to the line. Those were the stand-out moments in a classic game between the two old foes. But there were many more, and one should not take away from those. Brian O'Driscoll's winning try was as well-conceived as they come, while Charlie Hodgson's brilliant kicking display was another highlight. And Ronan O'Gara's tremendous ability to control the game was also a crucial component. But the defining moments came with Ireland under the cosh in the final 15 minutes. Two outstanding pieces of defensive play denied England and allowed Ireland to hold on. The first was Denis Hickie's brilliant double tackle in the right-hand corner. He gobbled up Cueto from another Hodgson cross-field kick, then regained his feet to stop Lewsey from scoring a certain try. Ireland's second-row colossus Paul O'Connell was equally superb. England had turned Ireland one way then the other, and the defence cordon was slowly disintegrating. England prop Matt Stevens ran in at full steam to suck in a few more tacklers. Unfortunately he ran into O'Connell who hit him hard - very hard - and then wrestled the ball away for a crucial turnover. That spoke volumes about Ireland's back-foot display, with defensive coach Mike Ford taking a bow at the end. To win a game like that showed that Ireland have moved forward. It may be tries that win games, but it is defence that wins championships."	sport
"In a speech on Monday, Mr Prettejohn urged the FSA to force brokers to disclose the size of their commissions. ""The FSA should change, and change now"" said Mr Prettejohn, who wants it to move from ""disclosure on request"" to mandatory disclosure. The call came in a speech on improving the London insurance market. ""The FSA should not bide their time and 'wait and see'. They should seize the moment,"" Mr Prettejohn, Lloyd's chief executive said. The FSA took over regulation of the general insurance sector in January, but it sidestepped calls to require brokers to disclose the commissions they earn from insurers to their clients. Last week, the City watchdog gave brokers and insurers guidance on managing conflicts of interest. Brokers must give information on their commissions if, and only if, their customers request it, the FSA said. In the US, lack of transparency about brokers' commissions has led to problems. The world's biggest insurance broker Marsh & McLennan said last week it would pay $850m to settle charges, raised by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in October, that it sought to rig bids in conjunction with insurers. The probe centred around so-called contingent commissions, whereby brokers were rewarded according to how much business they brought to an insurer, an arrangement that did not always benefit brokers' customers. All of the insurance business written in the Lloyd's market is placed via brokers."	business
"But it may not have come from the shot that killed Bonny Lee Bakley in 2001, Mr Blake's murder trial was told by criminalist Steven Dowell. Mr Dowell told a Los Angeles court the residue may have come from Mr Blake's revolver, his gun collection, his presence at the crime scene or police. The 71-year-old former star of US TV drama Baretta has denied murder. Mr Blake said he found Ms Bakley, 44, dead in a car after they left a restaurant. He said he briefly returned to the restaurant to collect a gun he had left behind and discovered her body when he returned. The gun he collected was not the murder weapon. It could also have been picked up if he touched or leant on the car when he found the body, or from a police box in which his clothes were later stored. The box had come from an area where officers went after being on the firing range. But Mr Dowell also said the residue would have been present if Mr Blake fired a gun that night. Witnesses have already told the trial Mr Blake ""stood out as being quite nervous and agitated"" at the restaurant before the murder. The actor, who won an Emmy for playing a maverick detective in the 1970s TV cop drama Baretta, could face life in prison if convicted."	entertainment
"The most popular groups in the history of rock all have several things in common. The music must be inspired and appeal across generations and be distinctive, if not always groundbreaking. But such success is down to more than music. They have to be compelling performers, charismatic and intelligent enough to make good decisions and keep their feet on the ground. They also have to want it. They have to want to be the biggest band ever and not stop wanting it. The Beatles had it, the Rolling Stones still have it, REM hold onto it and Queen were it in a catsuit. And U2 have it in spades, and keep churning it out. Their new album, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, comes 28 years after the schoolfriends got together in Dublin and 17 years after The Joshua Tree cemented their place on the all-time rock A-list. They may have lost some of the edginess and raw, youthful force that propelled them to the top, but they have lost none of the desire or ability to craft songs and albums. Vertigo, the first single from the new album, went straight into the UK singles chart at number one, knocking Eminem off the top spot and giving them their 26th top 10 hit. ""The challenge is to be bigger and bolder and better - to make records the whole world will listen to,"" Bono recently said. Drummer Larry Mullen Jr echoed those sentiments: ""We're very competitive - we want to be on the radio, have big singles. We don't want to be thought of as a veteran band."" The band have done ""everything in their considerable powers"" to ensure they remain the biggest band in the world, according to Q magazine editor Paul Rees. ""This makes them hugely determined and formidable."" He added: ""They are equally determined to push themselves to make music that continues to stand up. ""As such, they've constantly re-invented and challenged themselves. They are, perhaps, alone as the only rock band that has got better with age."" The other key ingredient was the fact they were highly organised, Mr Rees said. ""They do everything in the right way."" The group were born when Mullen put an appeal for bandmates on a high school notice board, attracting fellow pupils Paul Hewson (Bono, vocals), Adam Clayton (bass), David Evans (The Edge, guitar) and his brother Dick. Dick Evans soon dropped out and the four-piece were known as The Feedback and The Hype before settling on U2. By 1978, they had won a talent contest and got noticed by a manager, Paul McGuinness. ""They were brilliant, but very coarse,"" McGuinness recently said. ""In a way, they were doing exactly what they do now. Only badly."" They struggled to attract record company attention, later being described as ""pretty damn average"" and ""strange and eerie"" by scouts who saw them live. They released two Ireland-only singles, which topped the national charts in 1979 and 1980, leading to a deal with Island and their debut album Boy. The stadium-filling, anthemic sound was U2's aim from the start, and their third album, War, saw them make the breakthrough on both sides of the Atlantic, going to number one in the UK and 12 in the US. Songs like Sunday Bloody Sunday and New Year's Day brought success and an image as a political and spiritual band - which Bono rejected as a cliche. His stage performances - which included flag-waving, speaker-climbing and drum-throwing - earned him a reputation as an electric performer, and their appearance at 1985's Live Aid is widely seen as sealing their global stardom. In 1987, The Joshua Tree broke sales records and saw the band reach the height of their powers with hits including Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For and With Or Without You. Those songs took the band's epic, atmospheric sound to a simple, powerful and popular pinnacle. The end of the decade marked a crucial point for the band - they had reached the top but still yearned for new challenges and achievements. These came in the form of explorations of different branches of rock and forays into electronic dance music, plus wildly extravagant stage shows, while still trying to retain their mass appeal. The Achtung Baby album in 1991 was followed by Zooropa, Pop and their corresponding stadium tours, which featured giant olives, flying cars, live phone calls to the White House and Bono's transformation into alter-egos The Fly and MacPhisto. He was also building a parallel reputation - not always to the pleasure of his bandmates - as a campaigner on issues from global debt to Aids. Before the release of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, they had sold 125 million albums around the world. But they still want more."	entertainment
"The Spaniard then donated his £28,000 prize money to relief efforts for the victims of the Asian tsunami. The final was close throughout, with Thai second seed Srichaphan - the 2003 winner - closing out the first set. But Moya took the second set, before bouncing back from 5-2 down in the decider to force and win a tie-break. Moya confirmed afterwards: ""I'm donating my prize money from this tournament for the tsunami victims, hoping it makes some difference to their lives. His contribution follows pledges by four other players to donate their prize money from the tournament, which went ahead after the 26 December disaster which has so far claimed at least 150,000 lives. Scrichapan said he would donate an unspecified amount for relief work in Thailand, where more than 5,000 people were killed. The ATP has announced that it would contribute the US$25,000 tournament fee to Unicef's emergency relief fund in Tamil Nadu. The ATP Tour's sponsor, Mercedes, said it would also contribute, increasing the ATP donation to US$40,000."	sport
Roger Federer became the first man since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three Grand Slams in one season. And after Anastasia Myskina became the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam at the French Open, two more followed at Wimbledon and the US Open. Meanwhile, Briton Tim Henman enjoyed his best year, while Greg Rusedski fought back superbly from adversity. Federer began the year as world number one and holder of the Wimbledon and Masters Cup titles, and set about conquering new ground. The Swiss sounded warning of the dominance to come at the Australian Open. He ripped through the draw before beating Marat Safin in the final. Andy Roddick was the only player to put up any real resistance at Wimbledon, and Federer's performance against Lleyton Hewitt in the US Open final was breathtaking. Federer again got the better of Hewitt in the season-ending Masters Cup. His victory in Houston proved to be his 13th successive win in a final, an Open era record. The only major let-down was a third-round loss to Gustavo Kuerten at the French Open, and Roland Garros will be his main target in 2005. There was also a surprise loss to the unheralded Tomas Berdych at the Olympic Games, which saw Chile dominate as Nicoals Massu took the singles and then paired up with Fernando Gonzaelz to win doubles gold. Another major trophy that looks beyond Federer is the Davis Cup, which was won by Spain in a 3-2 home success over the USA in Seville. Roddick struggled on the clay, losing to Rafael Nadal on the opening day before going down to Carlos Moya in the all-important fourth rubber. Henman broke new ground by reaching the semis on clay at the French Open - a stunning effort - and also at the US Open. A quarter-final defeat to Mario Ancic at Wimbledon was disappointing for the limp manner of the Briton's defeat, but he remains optimistic of going further next year. British number two Rusedski endured a rollercoaster year, returning to the circuit after being cleared of a doping offence in March. With his ranking down at 168, many feared the 31-year-old's career was over, but he battled back in the second half of the season to re-enter the top 50. The Russian women finally delivered on their long-recognised promise in 2004, with Myskina, Maria Sharapova and Svetlana Kuznetsova winning Grand Slams, before taking the season-ending Fed Cup. But while the young Russians were on the way up, it was a different story for the Belgians and the Williams sisters. Only veteran Lindsay Davenport held the new wave at bay, a stunning run of form after Wimbledon taking her to number one ahead of Amelie Mauresmo, whose Grand Slam drought goes on. The year started in regulation fashion as Justine Henin-Hardenne beat compatriot Kim Clijsters at the Australian Open. A virus ruined the rest of Henin-Hardenne's year, although she was fit enough to win Olympic gold, but Clijsters had an even more miserable 2004. She suffered a serious wrist injury and then announced the end of her relationship with Lleyton Hewitt, and will be happy to see the year end. In their absence, Myskina thrashed Elena Dementieva in a historic, but woeful, all-Russian final at the French Open. Wimbledon was a more refreshing affair as Sharapova captivated SW19, showing nerves of steel as she battled past Davenport and Serena Williams to take the title. Davenport was a strong favourite for the US Open but, hampered by injury, lost to the powerful and unflappable Kuznetsova in the semis. Kuznetsova went on to give Dementieva another Grand Slam final thrashing, with the latter's wayward serve becoming one of the talking points of the year. With the Russians still improving, the likes of Henin-Hardenne, Clijsters, Davenport, Mauresmo, Venus and Serena will need to be fully fit and motivated in 2005. And it may take their compatriot Safin to challenge Federer on the men's side.	sport
"Hansen, the Commonwealth and European champion, has been sidelined since the European Cup in Poland in June 2004. It was hoped she would be able to return this summer, but the wound from the injury has been very slow to heal. Her coach Aston Moore told the Times: ""We're not looking at any sooner than 2006, not as a triple jumper."" Moore said Hansen may be able to return to sprinting and long jumping sooner, but there is no short-term prospect of her being involved again in her specialist event. ""There was a problem with the wound healing and it set back her rehabilitation by about two months, but that has been solved and we can push ahead now,"" he said. ""The aim is for her to get fit as an athlete - then we will start looking at sprinting and the long jump as an introduction back to the competitive arena."" Moore said he is confident Hansen can make it back to top-level competition, though it is unclear if that will be in time for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne next March, when she will be 34. ""It's been a frustrating time for her, but it has not fazed her determination,"" he added."	sport
"The sequel took $44.7m (£23.2m) between 24 and 26 December, according to studio estimates. It took $19.1m (£9.9m) on Christmas Day alone, the highest takings on that day in box office history. Meet The Fockers is the sequel to Ben Stiller comedy Meet The Parents, also starring Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand. Despite the success of Meet The Fockers, takings were down 26.5% on 2003's figures - which was blamed on Christmas falling over a weekend this year. ""When Christmas falls on a weekend, it's bad for business,"" said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations, which compiles box office statistics. The weekend's top 12 films took an estimated $121.9m (£63.3m), compared with $165.8m (£86.1m) last year, when the third Lord of the Rings film dominated the box office. Meet The Fockers knocked last week's top film, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, down to third place, with $12.5m (£6.5m). Comedy Fat Albert - co-written by Bill Cosby - entered the chart in second place after opening on Christmas Day, taking $12.7m (£6.6m). The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes, took $9.4m after expanding from 40 to 1,796 cinemas on Christmas Day."	entertainment
"Lehmann is understudy to Oliver Kahn in the German squad, but has lost his place to Manuel Alumnia at Highbury. Klinsmann said: ""It will be difficult for any of our players if he is not a first-choice at his club. ""If Jens is not Arsenal's number one keeper, that is a problem for me. He must be playing regularly."" Lehmann is desperate to keep his place in the Germany squad when the country hosts the World Cup in 2006. Klinsmann added: ""If he is not playing regularly he cannot be Germany's number one keeper, or even number two keeper. ""The situation for Jens is that he is currently the number two keeper at Arsenal. This could be critical if it remains the same during next season."""	sport
"Chambers was banned for two years after testing positive for the anabolic steroid THG and his suspension runs out in November this year. But Collins says the British Olympic Association should reverse the decision to ban him from the Olympics for life. ""It was too harsh,"" Collins told Radio Five Live. ""They should reconsider."" Chambers has been in America learning American football but has not ruled out a return to the track. Collins added: ""He is a great guy and I have never had any problems with him. We are friends. ""I would like to see Dwain come back and compete again. He is a good person. ""Even though he made a mistake he understands what he did and should be given a chance once more."""	sport
"LG Card had been threatened with collapse because of its huge debts but the firm's creditors and its former parent have stepped in to rescue it. A consortium of creditors and LG Group, a family owned conglomerate, have each put up $480m to stabilise the firm. LG Card has seven million customers and its collapse would have sent shockwaves through the country's economy. The firm's creditors - which own 99% of LG Card - have been trying to agree a deal to secure its future for several weeks. They took control of the company in January when it avoided bankruptcy only through a $4.5bn bail-out. They had threatened to delist the company, a move which would have triggered massive debt redemptions and forced the company into bankruptcy, unless agreement was reached on its future funding. ""LG Card will not need any more financial aid after this,"" Laah Chong-gyu, executive director of Korea Development Bank - one of the firm's creditors - said. The agreement will see some 12 trillion won of debt converted into equity. ""The purpose of the capital injection is to avoid delisting and the goal will be met,"" David Kim, an analyst at Sejong Securities, told Reuters. South Korea's consumer credit market has been slowly recovering from a crisis in 2002 when a credit bubble burst and millions of consumers fell behind on their debt repayments. LG Card returned to profit in September but needed further capital to avoid being thrown off the market. South Korea's stock exchange can delist any firm if its debt exceeds its assets two years running."	business
"The government has ruled out amending the present law, which allows ""reasonable force"" in self defence. Mr Howard branded the decision unacceptable, saying: ""It is not householders who should be frightened, it's the burglars."" Home Secretary Charles Clarke said ministers had kept to their pledge to review the law. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens last month backed a Tory attempt to change the law so only householders using ""grossly disproportionate"" force could be prosecuted. The pressure prompted the prime minister to say the police and Crown Prosecution Service would be consulted as part of a review of the law. He told MPs: ""If we get the right response from those people, we will, of course, support a change in the law."" Instead, the government has decided no change is needed but there will be a publicity campaign so people are clear they are entitled to defend themselves. On Thursday, Mr Howard told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mr Blair had initially refused the law change, then had come round to the idea and was now backtracking again. He said: ""We've had three policy positions in three months and two U-turns. ""It's not surprising Gordon Brown told him: 'There's nothing you could say to me now that I could ever believe.'"" Mr Howard said the ""grossly disproportionate"" test matched the hurdle ministers had introduced for civil cases where burglars where claimed compensation from householders. The issue entered the public spotlight when Norfolk farmer Tony Martin was jailed for shooting dead a 16-year-old burglar in 1999 as he ran away from the farm. But the home secretary said Mr Howard was wrong to say the law was biased in favour of burglars. The barrister who had represented Mr Martin had said the rules were ""weighted overwhelmingly"" in favour of the householder, said Mr Clarke. He said: ""The problem is there has not been enough understanding of it - that was the point Sir John Stevens was making and the prime minister was making."" The new guidance would help ensure clarity on the issue, added Mr Clarke. The director of public prosecutions, Ken Macdonald, says only 11 householders or occupiers of business premises have been prosecuted in the last 15 years. Those cases included a warehouse manager who had waited for a burglar, tied him up, beat him and set him alight, he said. Tory MP Patrick Mercer's private member's bill to change the law received a first reading in Parliament on Wednesday and goes to a full debate next month."	politics
"The bid has come from Boston-based private investment firm Highfields Capital Management, which already owns 6.7% of Circuit City's shares. Shares in the retailer were up 19.6% at $17.04 in Tuesday morning trading in New York following the announcement. Highfield said that it intends to take the Virginia-based firm private. ""Such a transformation would eliminate the public-company transparency into the company's operating strategy that is uniquely damaging in a highly competitive industry where Circuit City is going head-to-head with a tough and entrenched rival,"" Highfield said. One analyst suggested that a bidding battle may now begin for the company. Bill Armstrong, a retail analyst at CL King & Associates, said he expected to see other private investment firms come forward for Circuit City. The retailer is debt free with a good cash flow, despite the fact that it is said to be struggling to keep up with market leader Best Buy and cut-price competition from the likes of Wal-Mart, said Mr Armstrong."	business
"He sees Owen as the ideal replacement for Alan Shearer, who is due to retire in the summer, although he hopes to persuade Shearer to carry on. ""Michael is in the category of players who would excite the fans and we're monitoring him,"" he told BBC Newcastle. ""He is a great centre-forward and only 25 but I don't think we're the only ones monitoring the situation at Real."" Souness has also hinted he thinks Shearer may carry on despite his stated intent to retire at the end of the season. He believes the prospect of breaking Jackie Milburn's club scoring record may influence the striker's decision. Milburn scored 200 league and cup goals between 1946 and 1957, while Shearer currently has 187 goals to his name. ""Without giving too much away, I am confident he will be here next season,"" said Souness. ""I can't imagine him leaving without breaking Jackie Milburn's scoring record."" Souness also revealed he tried to bring back Nolberto Solano during the January transfer window. The Peruvian international was sold to Aston Villa a year ago but in the phone-in for BBC Newcastle, Souness said tried to re-sign him, but Villa were not interested in selling. The former Rangers and Liverpool boss is also looking to bring in a number of new acquisitions once the current campaign has been completed. ""I'm after three, four or five new players in the summer - we have got lots of targets,"" he said. ""Don't think we will wait to the last day of the season to say: `Who are we going to target now?""'"	sport
"Minutes of the December meeting which pushed rates up to 2.25% showed that policy-makers at the Fed are worried about accelerating inflation. The clear signal pushed the dollar up to $1.3270 to the euro by 0400 GMT on Wednesday, but depressed US shares. ""The markets are starting to fear a more aggressive Fed in 2005,"" said Richard Yamarone of Argus Research. The Dow Jones index dropped almost 100 points on Tuesday, with the Nasdaq also falling as key tech stocks were hit by broker downgrades. The dollar also gained ground against sterling on Tuesday, reaching $1.8832 to the pound before slipping slightly on Wednesday morning. The release of the minutes just three weeks after the 14 December meeting was much faster than usual, indicating the Fed wants to keep markets more apprised of its thinking. This, too, is being taken in some quarters as a sign of aggressive moves on interest rates to come. The key Fed funds rate has risen 1.25 percentage points during 2004 from the 46-year low of 1% reached not long after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. That long trough ""might be contributing to signs of potentially excessive risk-taking in financial markets"", said the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC), which sets interest rates. The odds now favour a further boost to rates at the next meeting in early February, economists said. But the respite for the dollar, which spent late 2003 being pushed lower against other major currencies by worries about massive US trade and budget deficits, may be short-lived. ""You can't rule out a further correction... but we don't think it's a change in direction in the dollar,"" said Jason Daw at Merrill Lynch. ""Nothing fundamental has changed."""	business
"Tim Renner, the head of Universal Music Germany until last year, told BBC World Service's The Music Biz programme that the country's music industry was now struggling to survive. Renner warned that unless the industry accepted ""new realties"" - such as downloading - its decline could become irreversible. ""The problem the music industry has got is that they aren't willing to accept that the classic way of doing business is over and out,"" he stated. ""So the music industry in its current form over here is pretty much in the state of a zombie."" The music market in Germany peaked in 1997, with sales of 2.6bn euros (£1.8bn). Since 2000, sales have plummeted to just 1.6bn euros (£1.1bn) in 2003. In the space of one year - between 2002 and 2003 - CD album sales fell by 13.8%. But a study by the Society for Consumer Research found that at the same time, more than twice as many recordable CDs had music recorded on them than CD albums were sold. Mr Renner pointed out that, because profit comes mainly from the longevity of a good-selling record, this was particularly damaging. ""You need time,"" he added. However, Peter Zombic, the managing director of the International Federation of Phonographic Industry in Germany, said he did not feel the situation was as ""dramatic"" as Mr Renner believed. ""It's quite true that we have severe problems in Germany - but that's true in other parts of the world and in most developed markets too,"" he argued. ""We have a severe problem with piracy, especially internet piracy, and we also have a severe problem of private copying. ""I don't agree that the music industry lost control over the music market - in fact, especially in regard to Germany talent, the market is quite successful."" He did, however, admit that copyright owners have ""partly lost control of their copyright"", due to piracy and copying. But he refuted suggestions that the industry had been too slow to respond to digital downloading. ""We were the first to implement a download service - back in 1997,"" he argued. ""At that time it was not successful, because of the advent of piracy - it was the Napster time, when P2P services became popular. ""It still is quite difficult for the music industry to compete with a price that is zero as far as the illegal product is concerned."" Mr Zombic also called for a change to the perception in Germany that private copying of music is not a problem. German law does allow people to make copies of CDs for their family and close friends, without fear of breaking copyright. Mr Zombic said that this legal framework was a ""huge problem"". ""There is a widespread attitude that private copying is a hobby, it's nice, it's fun,"" he added. ""We try to make clear it's not nice and it's not fun - it's endangering the creativity in our country."""	entertainment
"Recent years have seen a less-than-successful adaptation of the 1960s puppet show Thunderbirds and a moderately successful version of E Nesbit's Five Children and It, previously filmed by the BBC in 1991. He-Man and Transformers, which were cartoon favourites in the 1980s, will soon receive their own costly makeovers. With screen versions of The A-Team, The Dukes of Hazzard and even Blake's Seven on the cards, nostalgia is clearly big business. But some critics complain that these expensive takes on iconic series of yesteryear do not match up to our fond memories of the originals. The new version of The Magic Roundabout, which will be released as Sprung! in the US, replaces the stop-motion models of the 1960s TV show with polished, computer-generated animation. In a similar fashion, the 2004 Thunderbirds used human actors and special effects in place of the original's puppets and models. The films are squarely pitched at younger audiences. Pop stars Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue provide voices in The Magic Roundabout, while the now-defunct boy band Busted performed the Thunderbirds theme song. But while some reviewers have been won over, there has nonetheless been a significant backlash. ""This CG-animated adventure airbrushes the sly charm and trippy otherworldliness which made the 60s stop-motion Roundabout a cult hit,"" writes Stella Papamichael on the BBC Movies site. And the recent puppet comedy Team America: World Police was in part provoked by its directors' outrage that Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds was remade without its signature mannequins. Dan Jolin, reviews editor of Empire magazine, says classic children's TV shows have a built-in audience that make them ideal for reinvention. ""I can understand why people are taking these intellectual properties and repackaging them for the kids of today. ""But I think it's backfiring. What's next - The Clangers on some distant planet, with some giant CGI Soup Dragons chasing after them?"" Despite Thunderbirds' disappointing global box-office performance - the film cost $42m (£22m) but only recouped $21m (£11m) - the nostalgia craze shows no signs of abating. It can therefore be only a matter of time before some other TV favourites receive the Hollywood treatment. After the success of Garfield: The Movie, Britain's shabby tabby surely deserves his own film vehicle. With only 13 episodes made of the 1974 series, there is plenty of room to explore the lives of the pink cat, Professor Yaffle and the Mice of the Marvellous Mechanical Mouse Organ. Furry recyclers have already had one big-screen outing - 1977's Wombling Free. But with environmental issues still occupying our thoughts it is high time they made a comeback. Advances in special effects technology could do wonders for the BBC's supernatural comedy . And the success of Pirates of the Caribbean must surely herald a comeback for TV's most popular cartoon buccaneer, . It might also remind viewers the lewd character names often associated with the show never actually existed. The Magic Roundabout is out in the UK on 11 February. How about bringing Catweazle to the big screen? He could give Gandalf a run for his money! Thundercats!! I loved it. Should be fun to see on the big screen, if some effort is put in! it will bring my youth back! Get your hands off the Clangers! Is nothing sacred? Make a movie version of the Banana splits! What about Keanu Reeves and Richard Gere in a remake of The Wooden Tops? Or perhaps Robbie Williams could get his much mooted acting career off the ground by taking on the role of Andy Pandy. You forgot to mention the grearest of them all, Danger Mouse! But then again, it couldn't be better than the original series, could it? It's always nice to see these old toons re-released, but after the abysmal Thunderbirds movie (and the song!) I think I've been completely put off. Just leave these classics alone as good memories. I think remakes are a good idea. As the world moves on people tend to look more and more into the past to things that make them feel safe. I believe this is the whole reason ""retro"" has become so popular. As long as a remake does justice to the original then all it can do is create a wider audience and possibly entice a new generation of persons to enjoy and revive and old series. Personally i'd like to see cartoons such as Transformers, Thundercats and M.A.S.K. get full Hollywood remakes. Leave them alone, why ruin something that we all have very fond memories of in the first place? The thunderbirds film was apalling, not a patch on the puppet series I grew up with and the Magic Roundabout will never be the same without the voice of Eric Thompson. Love to see Transformers with real actors and CGI. And make it at least a 15 rating. Part of the reason for the success of such classics as the Magic Roundabout was that the characters were not the sweet and cuddly creatures that you would expect. They were moody, sarcastic, and rather human. Just looking at the pictures of the animations for the new film show that these characteristics have not been preserved. Dougal never smiled like that! Films of this sort have an unfortunate habit of Disneyfying everthing, and they just lose the real magic that made the show special in the first place. I have fond memories of Bod (not least of which because I look like him) and would like to see someone attempt to make it into a film. It's got all the right material for an american blockbuster - no plot and no story. Bod would likely be played by Tom Cruise and would undoubtedly have a girlfriend or two. It's all very well and good remaking these classic TV shows and films with all the latest technology for a 'new' audience, but for me a lot of the original charm is lost when they do this, and seems more like a money making exercise to cash in on the original success of the programme than reinventing or improving it. It maybe that to an audience who have never seen the originals they can watch them without prejudice, but to people who have grown up with all these shows such as Thunderbirds and Magic Roundabout which are part of our childhood, they are never going to live up to expectation. It does pose the question though that with all the long line of remakes being made, are film-makers running out of original ideas? All I can say is bring back Danger Mouse, probably the greatest kids' show ever. I recently re-watched some episodes and realised that there was a level of humour shown in Danger Mouse that was completely lost on me when I was a child. There WAS a new Captain Pugwash cartoon made a couple of years back. Again, like so many of these nostalgia programmes, the animation - this time computer created flat-cell like animation - failed to match the original's cut out paper technique for inventiveness, and was woefully inadequate. We live in a sampling world - the music industry has been pludering past decades for inspiration, clipping sounds from 20 years ago is much cheaper and easier that doing something new. Seems that the film and TV is doing the same now - it's just cheaper to take ideas from the past and rework them, rather than being daring and trying something new. It got to be Mr.Benn. The story line about a man who changes in a fancy dress shop, steps into a door way and appears in another time and place would be amazing! If they got a decent producer and writer the story line could be great. And who to play the lead role? Well if it was a comedy then it would have to be someone like Steve Martin. If its going to be an adventure then Johnny Depp playing a role similar to the Pirates Of The Caribbean Character. Muffin the Mule perhaps ? After all, grannies and grandpas go to the cinema as well you know! Why can't the British film industry try making Gerry Anderson's UFO or Captain Scarlet, or Saphire and Steel, or The Tomorrow People. In today's media, it seems the past is the future. TV shows such as Battlestar Galactica have new remakes, DJ's are sampling or re-working 70's and 80's music. Even computer games from 10-15 years ago are getting modern re-workings. Personally, I think it shows that no one has any originality any more! Why not just leave our misty-eyed nostalgia alone. Mary, Mungo and Midge. But of course for most of the episodes the lift would be out of order and they would have to use the stairs. Plus would Mary be more of a Vicky Pollard character as she lives in a high rise council block? Yeah but no but I wasn't even there! I'd like to see Mr. Benn, with Brad Pitt in the title role. Sean Connery could play the mysterious costume shop owner. It demonstrates a profound lack of imagination in today's film-makers that they continually try to remake and remodel the past in an effort to cash in on nostalgia. There are plany of modern children's book that would make excellent films or TV programmes, why not use them instead of rehashing the past? Mr. Benn with Rowan Atkinson as the lead. Would have loved to see Dungeons & Dragons made, but unfortunately the film that it was made into didn't come up to scratch. The only one that isn't to be remade as yet is Thundercats, which I'd like to see. I'm an expat living in Norway, and I recently went through a period of buying the DVDs of many of my favourite children's programs for my 2 daughters. My dearest wish, however, is to see a feature length version of Noggin the Nog appear on The Big Screen!! Very Scandinavian... Rainbow! I believe that Childrens classics should be left well alone, and I will not be surprised if the Magic Roundabout does not do well at the Box Office, especially since it will be going up against The Spongebob Squarepants movie, popular among children because it's original, witty, and modern. The Magic Roundabout will never appeal to the children of today as it did all those many years ago. How about classics like Chorlton and the Wheelies, Rentaghost, Terrahawks, Bod.....oh the list could go on and on!!! If a Transformers movie is indeed on the cards then I'll be the first one on Amazon buying a copy, eagerly waiting at the front door with a frothy mouth and a nervous twitch. Repackage my childhood and sell it to me at an extortionate price! I don't care! Till then I'll have to make do with the Citreon C4 advert. I'd luv to see Willow the Wisp on the big screen but sadly without the late Kenneth Williams doing the voices it wouldnt be the same. And who remembers Trap Door voiced by the late Willie Rushden, superb children's programme. Could Morph hold his own in a big screen movie??? Or even Jamie and the Magic Torch....hmmmmm, I could go on and on. Danger Mouse? At 34 I'm showing my age. :-) Noggin the Nog was one of the best children's programs. The problem with bringing it to the big screen is that no-one could approach Oliver Postgate's wonderful voices. So in general leave well alone. The originals are good because they are of their time and the methods used are an integral part of the story. Just imagine what could be achieved by using CGI in a remake of Fingerbobs... the already disturbing hand antics of the bearded hippy, Yoffi could take on a whole new level with a more life-like Fingermouse Bob the Builder, Postman Pat and Fireman Sam together in an epic adventure of fire, post and bricks. In the ultimate struggle to save the women they love from the evil clowns, Krusty and Gobo. Will they triumph or will they fail miserably? Find out this Fall. One puppet show that I personally would love to see made into a live action movie is Joe 90. It would be worth the price of admission alone to see the large screen version of Joe's car. Of course, Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation is a rich seam of material worthy of big-screen, big-budget action. It was only that Thunderbirds The Movie was targetted as a children't movie that really let it down. After all, the children that remember those shows with such affection are now the parents of children themselves. It's only because the people who were children when these programmes were first shown have grown up and are plundering their childhoods, isn't it? I'd hate to see Bagpuss with perfect animation - I love that 'done in a shed' clunkiness and you couldn't recreate the magic. Perhaps if the remakes were done in a 'Look Around You' mock-authentic style I might be interested ... Chorton And The Wheelies or Jamie And His Magic Torch; that would be mega! This re-gurgitation of old films and TV shows makes me angry - it is corporate laziness resting on the safety of other people's ideas, because it guarantees to bring in the $$$. The same can be said of modern day pop bands who release other peoples material, Will Young etc. The sad fact is nostalgia sells big bucks in the short-term. The fact that they will be forgotten in 6 months time is irrelevant (e.g. Starsky & Hutch) Hence, the market is saturated with this mindless drivel, but it can only be stopped if people stop buying it! I pray they never do a remake of Chorlton And The Wheelies. I'm only 27 and don't remember the series from when it was on TV, but have the set on DVD and it's a classic. The fact it's so great comes from the fact that there were very few special effects involved and compared to today's stuff it looks amateurish. Thats the appeal though, it's so innocent (like Chorlton himself) and it would be a real shame if they did remake it."	entertainment
"The company's shares tumbled after it said it has ""entered a life-threatening profitability and financial situation"". Borussia Dortmund has posted record losses and missed rent payments on its Westfallen stadium. Chief executive Gerd Niebaum stepped down last week and creditors are now pushing for greater control. Shares in Borussia Dortmund, Germany's only stock-market listed football club, dropped by almost 23% to 2.05 euros during early afternoon trading. Fund manager Florian Hamm - Borussia Dortmund's largest investor - said he would only invest more money in the company if he got a greater say in how it is run. ""I demand better transparency,"" he is quoted as saying by Germany's Manger Magazin. The club has also faced calls to appoint executives from outside the club. Borussia Dortmund posted a record loss of 68m euros ($89m; £47m) in the 12 months through June. It made a loss of 27.2m euros in the first half of the current fiscal year and said that total debts will increase to 134.7m euros by the middle of 2006 unless a restructuring plan is pushed through. ""This is the bill for their mismanagement over the past years,"" said HVB analyst Peter-Thilo Halser. The club appointed an auditor, who has recommended a number of steps, including deferring the rent due on the stadium and suspending debt repayments until at least the 2006-2007 fiscal year. Stephen Schechter, a UK investment banker who has held talks with Borussia Dortmund over a possible bond sale, said the club needs a capital injection of 35m euros. ""They need strong people on the board who do not have a history with the club,"" he said."	business
"The party says the plans could save the average pensioner £100 every year and cut winter deaths. The government gives £200 for winter fuel to households with people over 60, or £300 where people are over 80. The Tories promise to keep the payments. The Lib Dems would allow people to swap these winter fuel payments for discounts on home insulation. Shadow local government secretary Ed Davey said: ""The current scheme has helped some older people, but this new Liberal Democrat approach will go much further to end the scandal of tens of thousands of old people dying from the winter cold every year."" The vouchers are designed to let pensioners choose from a list of approved energy supplies who would compete for business by offering discounts on home insulation schemes. The plan would boost energy conservation, says the party - and insulation could save £100 every year for pensioner households, so using the money more ""intelligently"" than at present."	politics
Alfa-Eco, the venture capital arm of Russian conglomerate Alfa Group, has a one-fifth stake in Sun Interbrew. The deal gives Inbev, the world's biggest beermaker, near-total control over the Russian brewer. Inbev bought out another partner in August 2004. Inbev brands include Bass, Stella Artois, Hoegaarden and Staropramen. It employs 77,000 people, running operations in over 30 countries across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. The Leuven-based brewery said it would own 97.3% of the voting shares and 98.8% of the non-voting shares of Sun Interbrew. The deal is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2005. Inbev was formed in August 2004 when Belgium's Interbrew bought Brazilian brewer Ambev. Sun Interbrew, which employs 8,000 staff, owns breweries in eight Russian cities - Klin, Ivanovo, Saransk, Kursk, Volzhsky, Omsk, Perm and Novocheboksarsk. There are also three breweries in Ukraine, in the cities of Chernigov, Nikolaev and Kharkov.	business
"Fears that big donors can buy political favours have sparked calls for a limit. In a new report, the Electoral Commission says it is worth debating a £10,000 cap for the future but now is not the right time to introduce it. It also says there should be more state funding for political parties and candidates should be able to spend more on election campaigning. There were almost £68m in reported donations to political parties in 2001, 2002 and 2003, with nearly £12m of them from individual gifts worth more than £1m. The rules have already been changed so the public can see who gives how much to the parties but the report says there are still public suspicions. The commission says capping donations would mean taxpayers giving parties more cash - something which would first have to be acceptable to the public and shown to work. ""While we are not in principle opposed to the introduction of a donation cap, we do not believe that such a major departure from the existing system now would be sensible,"" says its report. If there was to be a cap, it should be £10,000 - a small enough amount to make a difference but which would have banned £56m in donations between 2001 and 2003. Even without changes the commission does urge political parties to seek out more small-scale donations and suggests there should be income tax relief for gifts under £200. It also suggests increasing state funding for parties to £3m so help can be extended to all parties with at least two members in the House of Commons, European Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland Assembly. And it suggests new ways of boosting election campaigning, seen as a way of improving voter turnout. All local election candidates should be entitled to a free mailshot for campaign leaflets, says the watchdog. And there should be a shift in the amount of money allowed to be spent at elections from a national level to a local level to help politicians engage better with voters. The report suggests doubling the money which can be spent by candidates, while cutting national spending limits from £20m to £15m. The commission also says the spending limits for general elections should cover the four months before the poll - as happens with other elections. Electoral Commission chairman Sam Younger said: ""There is no doubt that political parties have a vital role to play in maintaining the health of our democracy and for this they need to be adequately resourced. ""Our research has shown that people want to be more informed about party politics and that they want politicians to be more visible and accessible. ""The public are reluctant for the state to fund parties but at the same time are unhappy with large private donations."" He called for a wider public debate on party funding to find the consensus needed for radical changes to the current system."	politics
"The unnamed woman from Georgia says that a chip inside the cartridge tells the printer that it needs re-filling even when it does not. The lawsuit seeks to represent anyone in the US who has purchased an HP inkjet printer since February 2001. HP, the world's biggest printer firm, declined to comment on the lawsuit. HP ink cartridges use a chip technology to sense when they are low on ink and advise the user to make a change. But the suit claims the chips also shut down the cartridges at a predetermined date regardless of whether they are empty. ""The smart chip is dually engineered to prematurely register ink depletion and to render a cartridge unusable through the use of a built-in expiration date that is not revealed to the consumer,"" the suit said. The lawsuit is asking for restitution, damages and other compensation. The cost of printer cartridges has been a contentious issue in Europe for the last 18 months. The price of inkjet printers has come down to as little as £34 but it could cost up to £1,700 in running costs over an 18-month period due to cartridge, a study by Computeractive Magazine revealed last year. The inkjet printer market has been the subject of an investigation by the UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which concluded in a 2002 report that retailers and manufacturers needed to make pricing more transparent for consumers."	tech
"Iran's parliament voted by a large majority to cut Turkcell's stake in a new mobile network from 70% to 49%. The move, which was justified on national security grounds, follows an earlier vote by MPs to give themselves a veto over foreign investments. Turkcell said the decision ""increases the risks"" attached to the project. Although the company's statement said it would continue to monitor developments, observers said they thought Turkcell was set to pull out of the $3bn deal. ""The possibility of carrying out this project is next to zero,"" said Atinc Ozkan, analyst at Finans Investment in Istanbul. If Turkcell does back out, MTN - the South African firm which lost out in the original tender - may well be back in the running. The company has said it is prepared to accept a minority stake if Iran will award it the mobile deal. Turkcell's mobile deal is the second Turkish investment in Iran to run into trouble. Turkish-Austrian consortium TAV was chosen to build and run Tehran's new Imam Khomeini International Airport - but the army closed it just hours after it opened in May 2004. In both cases, the justification has been national security, amid allegations that the Turkish firms are too close to Israel. The hardline posture taken by parliament, which is dominated by religious conservatives, could yet impact other inward investments."	business
"The 34-year-old, running only her second competitive race of the season, shook off the rust to win in two minutes, 35.39 seconds. But she is still undecided about competing in the European Championships in Madrid from 4-6 March. ""I'll probably be entered and make my mind up at the last minute,"" she said. ""My training hasn't gone as well as expected but I've got two weeks to decide. ""I need to take my time and make sure I feel good about what I'm doing. ""I felt very good here but with the crowd behind you, you feel like you can do anything."" American was the eventual winner of the men's 60m race which almost ended in farce. Three athletes were disqualified for false starting, including Britain's Mark Lewis-Francis, who was the first man guilty of coming out of his blocks too quickly. World 100m champion Kim Collins clinched second spot ahead of world 60m record holder and Scott's training partner Maurice Greene. Jason Gardener's unbeaten run came to an end as he came fifth and he will need to improve if he is to defend his European title in Madrid. ""You can't win them all,"" said Gardener afterwards. ""And I was very disappointed as I know I'm capable of doing better."" Russian was back on record-breaking form in the pole vault at the National Indoor Arena. The Olympic champion set a new world mark of 4.88m to break her own record - which she set just six days ago - and beat Russian rival Svetlana Feofanova. It was Isinbayeva's 11th world record - indoors or out - since July 2003. ""I'm so happy and I will do my best to break the 5m barrier soon,"" the 22-year-old told BBC Sport. Jamaica's stormed to a personal best of 7.13 seconds to claim the women's 60m sprint. Belgian Kim Gevaert, who will be one of the favourites for next month's European title, took second while American Muna Lee was third. There was disappointment for British pair Jeanette Kwakye and Joice Maduaka who finished seventh and eighth respectively. Jamaican stretched her unbeaten record to 25 races as she effortlessly claimed the 200m. The Olympic champion set a new indoor personal best of 22.38 seconds - the fastest time in the world this season. fought off fellow Briton Tim Abeyie to take the men's 200m in a personal best of 20.88. continued her outstanding start to the season, beating a strong international field, which included two-time Olympic 100m hurdles bronze medallist Melissa Morrison, to claim the women's 60m hurdles. The 25-year-old Briton clocked 7.98 seconds while pre-European Championships favourite Russian Irina Shevchenko finished down in sixth. Ethiopia's failed in her bid to smash compatriot Berhane Adere's world 3,000m record but still won the event in emphatic style. The Olympic 5,000m champion was inside record pace but dropped off over the final third, finishing in eight minutes, 33.05 seconds - the fourth fastest time ever recorded for the event. Britain's Jo Pavey bravely decided to go with Defar as she strode away from the field and took second in a season's best 8:41.43. Kenyan also missed out on the indoor 1500m world record, which Hicham El Guerrouj has held for the last eight years. Lagat settled for silver behind El Guerrouj in Athens and was almost four seconds short of the Moroccan's world best, clocking 3:35.27 in Birmingham. And was still struggling to find his form after the death of his fiancee this year. The Olympic 10,000m champion had comfortably led the men's two mile race after his younger brother Tariku had set the pace. But fellow Ethiopian appeared ominously on Bekele's shoulder with two laps to go before surging past him at the bell to win in 8:14.28. Jamaican made the most of a blistering start to take the men's 400m title in 45.91 seconds. World indoor champion, Alleyne Francique, faded badly and finished in fourth while American duo Jerry Harris and James Davis took second and third respectively. Swede showed her class in the long jump as she stole top spot from Jade Johnson with the very last jump of the competition. The Olympic heptathlon gold medallist reached 6.66m to better Johnson's mark of 6.52m - her second personal best inside a week. ""I was quite surprised because I didn't think I'd end up with second place,"" said Johnson, who wore London's 2012 Olympic bid slogan, ""Back the Bid"", on her shorts. ""But I'm pleased and hopefully I'll get a bit better for the Europeans. I really want to win a medal."" won the men's event with a season's best of 7.95m, taking the scalp of world indoor champion Savante Stringfellow of the USA."	sport
"The chancellor, speaking during a week-long tour of Africa, said it was time to talk about enduring British values of liberty and tolerance. Mr Brown has signed a debt relief deal with Tanzania which could cost the UK £1 billion. South African president Thabo Mbeki has attacked British imperialists, saying they treated Africans like savages. Mr Brown said that missionairies had come to Africa because of their sense of duty. He added that the history of internationalism and enterprise had given Britain a greater global reach than any other country. BBC political correspondent Mark Mardell said Britishness had long been a theme of the chancellor's but ""never before has he been so outspoken in defending Britain's past history"". The UK has pledged to pay 10% of the developing world's foreign debt bill in an attempt to fight poverty. On top of the relief deal with Tanzania Mr Brown said the UK would make similar offers to 70 poorer nations around the world. Under the plan - which could cost the UK £1bn - countries must spend the cash saved on health, education and welfare. ""We make this offer unilaterally but we are now asking other countries to join us,"" the chancellor said. Mr Brown, on a week-long tour of Africa, spent two days in Tanzania before heading on Friday evening to Mozambique, a country where more than half of the 17-million population lives below the poverty line. There he is expected to strike a similar debt relief pact. The chancellor said he hoped other G8 and European countries would follow suit. The UK has already cancelled its bilateral debts - money the UK alone is owed - with the world's poorest nations including Tanzania. Former international development secretary Clare Short questioned the effectiveness of debt relief as a means of tackling poverty."	politics
"Tuesday, 1 March 2000 GMT Howard Webb (South Yorkshire) home to Leicester in the quarter-finals But defender Andy Todd is suspended and could be replaced by Dominic Matteo - if he recovers from a hamstring injury. Burnley have major injury concerns over Frank Sinclair and John McGreal. Michael Duff looks set to continue at right-back with John Oster in midfield and Micah Hyde is expected to recover from a knee injury. - Blackburn boss Mark Hughes: ""Burnley are resolute and have individual talent but I fully expect us to progress. ""I thought we were comfortable in the first game and never thought we were under pressure. ""It's a competition we want to progress in and we are doing okay. If we beat Burnley, we have a home tie against another lower league club (Leicester).""   - Burnley boss Steve Cotterill: ""They will be fresh and we'll be tired. That is an honest opinion but our lads just might be able to get themselves up for one more big game. ""The atmosphere at the last game was very hot - a good verbal contest. ""Our fans will not need whipping up for this game. I just want them to help us as much as they can in a positive way."" KEY MATCH STATS   - BLACKBURN ROVERS against Bolton is part two of an East Lancashire hotpot that didn't turn out to be that spicy when first staged on a Sunday lunchtime the weekend before last, and resulted in a scrappy goalless draw.   - Rovers, who are aiming to win the Cup for a seventh time in their history and first time in 77 years, face another replay against Championship opposition after eventually disposing of Cardiff at Ewood Park in the third round. But they've not been beaten in the competition by a club outside the Premiership for nine years, since Ipswich - then in the second tier - defeated them 0-1 after extra time in a third round replay at Ewood Park on 16 January 1996. History is on Rovers side. When they last met their near neighbours in the FA Cup 45 years ago, it also required an Ewood Park replay, which the home side won 2-0, and when they last met in the League, Rovers did the double. They first won their Nationwide Division One trip to Turf Moor 0-2 four seasons ago, and then thrashed the Clarets on home soil 5-0.   - Manager Mark Hughes, who won the Cup four times as a player, is aiming to steer Rovers into the quarter-finals for the second time in 12 years, and first time since the 2000/2001 season. Success here, and victory home to Leicester in the next round, could see Rovers in the semi-finals without having played Premiership opposition.   - BURNLEY make the eight mile journey to their fierce rivals, determined to send Blackburn the same way as Liverpool in the third round. But having failed to pull off another shock at Turf Moor, it could be that the Championship outfit - 17 places inferior on the League ladder - have missed their best opportunity. Having said that, Burnley are yet to concede a goal in this Cup run.   - Steve Cotterills' Clarets have been knocked out in the fifth round four times in the last seven years, and have made only one appearance in the sixth round in 21 years. That was in the season before last, when they disposed of Premiership Fulham at this fifth round stage.   - While Blackburn have not played since the fifth round tie, Burnley have had two League outings away from home, drawing 1-1 at Derby and losing 1-0 at Preston. That takes their winless run to four games. The combatants from one-time prosperous mill towns, are both founder members of the Football League. HEAD TO HEAD 16th PREM WINNERS (six times) 13th Championship WINNERS (once)"	sport
"The 1991 laptop was chosen because it was one of the first ""lightweight"" portable computers and helped define the layout of all future notebook PCs. The magazine has compiled an all-time top 100 list of gadgets, which includes the Sony Walkman at number three and the 1956 Zenith remote control at two. Gadgets needed moving parts and/or electronics to warrant inclusion. The magazine specified that gadgets also needed to be a ""self-contained apparatus that can be used on its own, not a subset of another device"". ""In general we included only items that were potentially mobile,"" said the magazine. ""In the end, we tried to get to the heart of what really makes a gadget a gadget,"" it concluded. The oldest ""gadget"" in the top 100 is the abacus, which the magazine dates at 190 A.D., and put in 60th place. Other pre-electronic gadgets in the top 100 include the sextant from 1731 (59th position), the marine chronometer from 1761 (42nd position) and the Kodak Brownie camera from 1900 (28th position). The Tivo personal video recorder is the newest device to make the top 10, which also includes the first flash mp3 player (Diamound Multimedia), as well as the first ""successful"" digital camera (Casio QV-10) and mobile phone (Motorola Startac). The most popular gadget of the moment, the Apple iPod, is at number 12 in the list while the first Sony transistor radio is at number 13. Sony's third entry in the top 20 is the CDP-101 CD player from 1983. ""Who can forget the crystalline, hiss-free blast of Madonna's Like A Virgin emenating from their first CD player?"" asked the magazine. Karl Elsener's knife, the Swiss Army Knife from 1891, is at number 20 in the list. Gadgets which could be said to feature surprisngly low down in the list include the original telephone (23rd), the Nintendo GameBoy (25th), and the Pulsar quartz digital watch (36th). The list also contains plenty of oddities: the Pez sweet dispenser (98th), 1980s toy Tamagotchi (86th) and the bizarre Ronco inside the shell egg scrambler (84th). Why worry about mobile phones. Soon they will be subsumed into the PDA's / laptops etc. What about the Marine Chronometer? Completely revolutionised navigation for boats and was in use for centuries. For it's time, a technological marvel! Sony Net Minidisc! It paved the way for more mp3 player to explode onto the market. I always used my NetMD, and could not go anywhere without it. A laptop computer is not a gadget! It's a working tool! The Sinclair Executive was the world's first pocket calculator. I think this should be there as well. How about the clockwork radio? Or GPS? Or a pocket calculator? All these things are useful to real people, not just PC magazine editors. Are the people who created this list insane ? Surely the most important gadget of the modern age is the mobile phone? It has revolutionalised communication, which is more than can be said for a niche market laptop. From outside the modern age, the marine chronometer is the single most important gadget, without which modern transportation systems would not have evolved so quickly. Has everyone forgot about the Breville pie maker?? An interesting list. Of the electronic gadgets, thousands of journalists in the early 1980s blessed the original noteboook pc - the Tandy 100. The size of A4 paper and light, three weeks on a set of batteries, an excellent keyboard, a modem. A pity Tandy did not make it DOS compatible. What's an Apple Powerbook 100 ? It's out of date - not much of a ""gadget"". Surely it has to be something simple / timeless - the tin opener, Swiss Army Knife, safety razor blade, wristwatch or the thing for taking stones out of horses hooves ? It has to be the mobile phone. No other single device has had such an effect on our way of living in such a short space of time. The ball point pen has got to be one of the most used and common gadgets ever. Also many might be grateful for the pocket calculator which was a great improvement over the slide rule. The Casio pocket calculator that played a simple game and made tinny noises was also a hot gadget in 1980. A true gadget, it could be carried around and shown off. All top 10 are electronic toys, so the list is probably a better reflection of the current high-tech obsession than anyhting else. I say this as the Swiss Army Knife only made No 20. Sinclair QL a machine far ahead of its time. The first home machine with a true multi-takings OS. Shame the marketing was so bad!!! Apple.. a triumph of fashion over... well everything else. Utter rubbish. Yes, the Apple laptop and Sony Walkman are classic gadgets. But to call the sextant and the marine chronometer 'gadgets' and rank them as less important than a TV remote control reveals a quite shocking lack of historical perspective. The former literally helped change the world by vastly improving navigation at see. The latter is the seed around which the couch potato culture has developed. No competition. I'd also put Apple's Newton and the first Palm Pilot there as the front runners for portable computing, and possibly the Toshiba Libretto for the same reason. I only wish that Vulcan Inc's Flipstart wasn't just vapourware otherwise it would be at the top. How did a laptop ever manage to beat off the challenge of the wristwatch or the telephone (mobile or otherwise)? What about radios and TVs? The swiss army knife. By far the most useful gadget. I got mine 12 years ago. Still wearing and using it a lot! It stood the test of time. Psion Organiser series 3, should be up there. Had a usable qwerty keyboard, removable storage, good set of apps and programmable. Case design was good (batteries in the hinge - a first, I think). Great product innovation. The first mobile PC was voted best gadget by readers of...err... mobile PC?! Why do you keep putting these obviously biased lists on your site? It's obviously the mobile phone or remote control, and readers of a less partisan publication would tell you that. The Motorola Startac should be Number One. Why? There will be mobile phones long after notebook computers and other gadgets are either gone or integrated in communications devices. The Psion series 3c! The first most practical way to carry all your info around... I too would back the Sinclair Spectrum - without this little beauty I would never have moved into the world of IT and earn the living that I do now. I'd have put the mobile phone high up the list. Probably a Nokia model. Sinclair Spectrum - 16k. It plugged into the tv. Games were rubbish but it gave me a taste for programming and that's what I do for a living now. I wish more modern notebooks -- even Apple's newest offerings -- were more like the PB100. Particularly disheartening is the demise of the trackball, which has given way to the largely useless ""trackpad"" which every notebook on the market today uses. They're invariably inaccurate, uncomfortable, and cumbersome to use. Congratulations to Apple, a deserved win!"	tech
Slater, 35, is replacing actor Dallas Roberts in the Tennessee Williams drama, which opens next month. No reason was given for Roberts' departure. The role will be played by understudy Joey Collins until Slater joins the show. Slater won rave reviews for his recent performance in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in London's West End. He has also starred in a number of films, including Heathers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and more recently Churchill: The Hollywood Years. Preview performances of The Glass Menagerie will begin at New York's Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Thursday. Philip Rinaldi, a spokesman for the show, said the play's 15 March opening date remains unchanged. The revival, directed by David Leveaux, will also star Jessica Lange as the domineering mother, Amanda Wingfield.	entertainment
"Research undertaken for voting watchdog the Electoral Commission suggests 81% of 16 to 20-year-olds feel strongly about issues like crime and education. The survey findings are being released to coincide with the launch of the Y Vote Mock Elections 2005 initiative. Mock elections are planned to take place in schools across the UK. Electoral Commission boss Sam Younger said: ""We know that young people often feel disengaged from democratic life and we believe in working creatively to encourage their interest and participation. ""Mock elections can play an extremely valuable role in helping young people understand how the democratic process works and why it matters,"" he said. The survey of a sample of 500 British 16 to 20-year-olds and 500 21 to 25-year olds ""showed Britain's young people are far from apathetic about issues that matter to most of their lives"". The Y Vote initiative is being run jointly by the Electoral Commission, the Hansard Society and the Department for Education and Skills in the run-up to local elections and the general election, possibly on 5 May. Michael Rafferty, who is mock elections project manager at the Hansard Society, said he looked forward to seeing schools and colleges across the UK participating in the mock votes."	politics
"Gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 1.7% last year, the statistical office said. The economy contracted in 2003. Foreign sales increased by 8.2% last year, compared with a 0.3% slide in private consumption. Concerns remain, however, over the strength of the euro, weak domestic demand and a sluggish labour market. The European Central Bank (ECB) left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2% on Thursday. It is the nineteenth month in a row that the ECB has not moved borrowing costs. Economists predict that an increase is unlikely to come until the second half of 2005, with growth set to sputter rather than ignite. ""During 2004 we profited from the fact that the world economy was strong,"" said Stefan Schilbe, analyst at HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt. ""If exports weaken and domestic growth remains poor, we cannot expect much from 2005."" Many German consumers have been spooked and unsettled by government attempts to reform the welfare state and corporate environment. Major companies including Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler and Siemens have spent much of 2004 in tough talks with unions about trimming jobs and costs. They have also warned there are more cost cutting measures on the horizon."	business
"It issued the warning following analysis which shows that traffic on the Xbox game network increased fourfold on the launch day of Halo 2. The 9 November traffic explosion has continued into December, said Sandvine. Service providers now need to make sure that their networks can cope with the increasing demands for bandwidth. As well as being a popular single-player title, Halo 2 can be connected to Microsoft's subscription-based broadband network, Xbox Live. Gamers who want to play online can create their own clan, or team, and take on others to see how well they compare. But the surge in numbers and huge demands for bandwidth should be a wake-up call to the industry which must ensure that their networks can cope with the increases in traffic, said Sandvine's chief technology officer Marc Morin. In a bid to cope and ease congestion, providers are increasingly making their networks intelligent, finding out who is using bandwidth and for what. It could become common to charge people for the amount of bandwidth they use. ""The explosion in Xbox Live traffic attributed to Halo 2 should be seen as a clarion call,"" he said. ""ISPs need to enhance the broadband experience for these high-end users by prioritising or reserving bandwidth for games,"" he added. One of the main factors that spoils online gaming is ""lag"" in which there is a noticeable delay between a gamer clicking on a mouse or keyboard and what happens in the online gaming world. Gamers tend to migrate toward networks with the lowest ""lag"". Analysing traffic will become increasingly important for service providers if they are to hold on to bandwidth-hungry gamers said Lindsay Schroth, an analyst with research firm The Yankee Group. ""In the competitive broadband environment, operators need to differentiate the way they offer access to services like live-play gaming,"" she said. In countries such as Korea, which has high levels of fast net connections to homes, online gaming is hugely popular."	tech
Homegrown reality programmes dominated that category, including Channel 4's Supernanny and ITV1's Hell's Kitchen. EastEnders and Coronation Street were overlooked in the soap category, but Doctors and Family Affairs gained nods. The festival, which honours the best TV from around the globe, will take place in Lucerne, Switzerland from 3-8 May. Little Britain, which is now in its second series, faces competition from BBC Two's The Catherine Tate Show and Sacha Baron Cohen's creations Borat and Bruno. In the separate sitcom category, dark comedy Nighty Night - which began life on BBC Three - will do battle with mainstream BBC One show My Family. BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, which saw celebrities compete against each other to become champions of the dancefloor, is among five British nominations in the varirty category. Lenny Henry, who won a Golden Rose for his In Pieces series in 2001, picks up another nomination for his recent BBC show. British television music shows have picked up six nominations, with BBC Three's Flashmob - The Opera up against the UK Music Hall of Fame series, which was screened on Channel 4. British television has performed very well in the arts and specials category, gaining a total of 11 nominations. The BBC leads the way with its programmes on The Sound of Music, Agatha Christie and Rolf On Art - The Big Event - which saw Harris lead an effort to produce a life-size painting in London's Trafalgar Square. British shows - which picked up a total of 48 nominations - will have to overcome competition from a host of other countries, including the US, Canada, Japan and across Europe. UK nominee TV Diaries, which is shown around the world, is owned by a British company but has yet to be screened in this country. Previous UK winners have included Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Pop Idol, Channel 4 show Faking It and comedy duo French and Saunders, who became the first winners to receive and honorary Golden Rose. Individual performers will also be rewarded, with prizes for best comics, best sitcom actor and actress and best gameshow host. Last year actor Shane Richie won an award for his portrayal of Alfie Moon in EastEnders.	entertainment
"Comments by South Korea's central bank at the end of last week have sparked the recent round of dollar declines. South Korea, which has about $200bn in foreign reserves, said it plans instead to boost holdings of currencies such as the Australian and Canadian dollar. Analysts reckon that other nations may follow suit and now ditch the dollar. At 1300 GMT, the euro was up 0.9% on the day at 1.3187 euros per US dollar. The British pound had added 0.5% to break through the $1.90 level, while the dollar had fallen by 1.3% against the Japanese yen to trade at 104.16 yen. At the start of the year, the US currency, which had lost 7% against the euro in the final three months of 2004 and had fallen to record lows, staged something of a recovery. Analysts, however, pointed to the dollar's inability recently to extend that rally despite positive economic and corporate data, and highlighted the fact that many of the US's economic problems had not disappeared. The focus once again has been on the country's massive trade and budget deficits, with predictions of more dollar weakness to come. ""The comments from Korea came at a time when sentiment towards the dollar was already softening,"" said Ian Gunner, a trader at Mellon Financial. On Tuesday, traders in Asia said that both South Korea and Taiwan had withdrawn their bids to buy dollars at the start of the session. Mansoor Mohi-Uddin, chief currency strategist at UBS, said that there was a sentiment in the market that ""central banks from Asia and the Middle East are buying euros"". A report last month already showed that the dollar was losing its allure as a currency that offered rock-steady returns and stability. Compiled by Central Banking Publications and sponsored by the UK's Royal Bank of Scotland, the survey found 39 nations out of 65 questioned were increasing their euro holdings, with 29 cutting back on the US dollar."	business
"Lord Falconer insists that the proposals do not equate to a police state and strike a balance between protecting the public against the threat of terrorism and upholding civil liberties. But thriller writer Frederick Forsyth tells BBC News of his personal response to the move. There is a mortal danger aimed at the heart of Britain. Or so says Home Secretary Charles Clarke. My reaction? So what? It is not that I am cynical or just do not care. I care about this country very much. But in the 66 years that I have been alive, there has not been one hour, of one day, of one month, of one year, when there has not been a threat aimed at us. My point is, the British have always coped without becoming a dictatorship. We have coped with fear without becoming a state based on fear; we have coped with threat without turning our country into a land of state threat. But that is what the Blair government now seeks to do - create a tyranny to defend us from the al-Qaeda tyranny. I was born on 25 August, 1938. The mortal threat back then was a scruffy little Austrian called Adolf Hitler. A week after my first birthday, the threat had become reality. We were at war. My father wore a uniform for five years. After 1945 we yearned for peace at last. But in 1946 Winston Churchill told us - from the Baltic to the Adriatic an Iron Curtain has descended across Europe. Behind the Iron Curtain, another genocidal psychopath, another threat. Josef Stalin triggered the Cold War, with the Berlin blockade in 1948. My whole generation was blighted by it. We were threatened by the nuclear holocaust, the nuclear wind, the nuclear winter. We built shelters that would have sheltered nothing. We spent our treasure on weapons instead of hospitals. We took silly precautions. Some fought it; some marched futilely against it. Some pretended it was not there. The Cold War lasted 43 years, but we remained a parliamentary democracy. By the early seventies it was terrorism as well. Al Fatah, Black September, Red Brigades, but most of all for us the IRA and the INLA. Thirty more years; 300 policemen and women, over 600 soldiers, more than 3,000 civilians dead, but we won because even IRA bombs could not force us to become a tyranny. That was why the tyrants lost. Civil rights were infringed as little as humanly possible. Evidence had to be taken in secret to protect covert sources; yes , and one judge, no-jury courts had to be instituted when juries were terrorised. Informants had to be given immunity from their own crimes to win the bigger battle. But habeas corpus did not die; right of appeal was not abolished. Now the threat is Islamic fundamentalism. Its leaders want to destroy our society; so did the IRA. It is based and funded abroad; so was the IRA. It has sleeper fanatics inside our society; so did the IRA. It is extremely hard to penetrate with our agents; so was the IRA. The prime movers are not easy to bring to trial; neither were the IRA. But we did. And without becoming a tyranny. Now the Blair government proposes the law system of fascism and communism. The citizen can be arrested and held without charge or trial, not even on the careful consideration of an experienced judge, but the whim of a political activist called a government minister. To be protected from terror the government says, we must become a tyranny. But a tyranny is based on the citizen's terror. This is not victory; this is defeat before a shot is fired. An interesting article - its good to see widening participation in the debate - but I suggest we move one step further. Our own bombs and bullets will can only shatter peace, because invading foreign nations, imprisoning the innocent and 'hunting' in the 'shadows' cannot destroy an evil of the mind, and hatred within the heart. Rather than focusing upon effect, we should consider the cause, because terrorism does not begin with bombs. Why not try a foreign policy of compassion, it can only enhance our democracy, and share our freedom. I agree with Frederick Forsyth. We really can't deal with terrorism by turning Britain into a fascist state. What we really need is more honesty from our security services and our politicians. If they do not have evidence to bring these people to trial, there probably isn't any. Our security services, behave like the detective who having decided that a certain person is guilty, rakes over all kinds of obscure and flimsy evidence to try and prove it, while the real villain gets away. Remember there were no WMD in Iraq. Just because a person may have made some stupid and naive decisions in life does not make them a terrorist. In this overly 'politically correct' society, it is good to see someone like Mr. Forsyth speak out. Yes, there has been oppression by the British government in the past, and overstepping the mark in places like Ireland, but yes, we are still a democracy where it is rare to be arrested without charge/trial etc. (apart from a number of prisoners in Belmarsh goal, for example).This country signs up to human rights, and then pretends that they only apply to the people with nothing to fear, the innocent people (defined by whom?). When ID cards become mandatory, the data collected will not be protected by the Data Protection Act, and will be readily available to people like GCHQ, with no control by the person whose ID is being checked. The threat now is new. You cannot compare the threats of past years with now. Forsyth says 3000 died over 30 years or terrorism; 3000 people died in one morning in NY on September 11th 2001. The threat today is that terrorists will acquire nuclear or biological technology. A Kilo of Semtex will flatten a building, a Kilo of plutonium will flatten a city. You now have a combination of people who will perform terrorist acts with technology that is rapidly becoming accessible. I agree, the government is probably encouraging a degree of mass-hysteria and talking up the threat; but talking-down the threat and doing nothing is unacceptable too. The problem with this issue is not that it isn't important, but the fact that in general we Brits can be so politically apathetic some times, that we will just let this go without telling the government no. However, as the nation that gave the world the common law and a true sense of the rights of individual liberty I hope this will prove to be one step too far. As somebody of Chinese origin, I can say that this country used to be a good place to migrate and start a new life. Whilst life wasn't perfect, we could make better for ourselves. Now we are riddled with red tape and be told what we can or cannot do. We have to be politically-correct and we are not allowed to have beliefs or opinions. We have a Prime Minister who spends too much time meddling in US politics and affairs which have little to do with the lives of British Citizens at home or abroad. Mr Forsyth has done a good job in voicing his opinions. Let's hope the BBC doesn't get gagged for letting people express their views. The people have the right to know and the BBC's role is to Inform, Educate and Entertain... I agree. Terrorists intend to spread fear but in reality it is the government which has spread the fear, by its constant publicising of the this invisible enemy so dangerous that we must allow them to ride roughshod over our rights and liberties. In the end, the very thing we seek to protect is what we are giving up in the name of safety from this invisible enemy. The terrorists have already won. I absolutely agree with Frederick Forsyth. Yes we have to defend ourselves against terrorism but existing laws seem to be more than adequate. The idea that the ""new terrorism"" demands new powers is erroneous. The evidence of any real terrorist capability in the UK is scant. Ricin, for example, is a dangerous poison but it is not a weapon of mass destruction. What is really worrying is the enthusiasm of Mr Blair and his government for authoritarian reactions and attempts to manipulate the electorate through fear. If the government has its way with ID cards, tracking and so on then totalitarianism has won and as such it then matters little whether we give in to the terrorists demands or not. We will have lost the precious freedom which Bush and Blair constantly tells us we have and that they seek to bring to others. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Forsyth. I am shocked at the ease with which this government is prepared to wipe out a major portion of the liberties that British people have enjoyed for centuries - the right not to be deprived of our liberty without a trial in open court. That goes right back to Magna Carta, and ordinary people have spilled their blood to enforce that right against governments who thought they ""knew best"". When you look at today's Britain, you realise George Orwell was only wrong about one thing: the date. Frederick Forsyth puts it beautifully. The government is seeking to introduce a police state. The new powers of home internment without trial follow a pattern which includes the introduction of surveillance via compulsory ID cards and the linking of data bases, together with the un-British idea that we will have to swear allegiance to the state at the age of 18 years. We are sleep-walking into this. Wake up! An interesting view but missing two crucial facts of this new threat: 1) If these terrorists acquire weapons of mass destruction they WILL use them without fear of Mutually Assured Destruction that kept the cold war in a state of tense balance. These people will use devastating force against us without fear of ANY consequence. 2) The terrorists are prepared to use suicide bombers which means they could kill innocent people on the London Underground and we could do very little to stop it. Because these terrorists are potentially SO deadly, we have to come up with new, tougher responses. It will be a little late in the day when people outside London wake up one morning to find out that London has been nuked. We won't have much of a society left to debate ! He's correct in most of what he says. Mind you he does seem to have forgotten that disgraceful internment policy in Northern Ireland which probably caused many idealistic if misguided young Catholics to join the IRA. Administrative detention of Muslims could have a similar effect now. Surely we the public would be better protected if the security services, rather than alerting a suspect terrorist by placing them under house arrest (and for how long?)They were to place suspect terrorist under surveillance and maybe acquire sufficient evidence to prosecute or even better prevent a terrorist attack. I don't usually have much time for Mr Forsyth's largely right wing views but this time he has got it spot on. There is no doubt that there are terrorist organisations who would like to do harm to the U.K. but it is very doubtful whether al-Qaeda is a global organisation co-ordinating this. The rise of surveillance cameras, ID cards, the plan to charge for road use by tracking every vehicle at all times, this is the stuff of nightmares. Add to this this new legislation which effectively means that the protection of the law will be removed from anyone at the whim of the Home Secretary, and I genuinely wonder what sort of world my two children will inherit. Where will this end. As it stands terrorists do not need to attack the U.K. it's government will soon have it's people terrorised more that they could very achieve with a few bombs. Mr Forsyth has expressed exactly what my gut fears and reservations were about this proposed legislation, but could not verbalise. Thank you. Mr Forsyth seems to forget that killings in the Troubles occurred on both sides of the religious divide and was carried out by killers from both sides. He also forgets basic Human Rights were suspended then as now. Experienced Judges sat over some of the greatest miscarriages of justice during those times. For very little return and maximum alienation. These laws and the emphasis on the Islamic threat will just do the same. Forsyth is wrong. The nature of the current threat is new. It is no longer to our armed forces, as the Soviet threat in the Eastern bloc was. It is to you and I. The terrorist aim to kill indiscriminately. The best comparison is therefore the blitz, 1941. At this time, let us not forget, suspects (foreign and British were routinely rounded up and interned for the duration of the war, without any complaints from the public. We must not forget we are at war. I'd say that that the likelihood of an attack by a sleeper cell of fundamentalist lunatics against a major UK target is a ""When"" not an ""If"" probability. I'll bet any money you like that the day after any such attack Freddie Forsyth will be saying that the government didn't do enough to protect the UK. People like Forsyth can only see one side of any argument and for him it is the side that is opposite New Labour and Tony Blair. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Forsyth. The very reason this country has been such a wonderful place to live, is under attack, not from terrorists, but from this government. The perpetuation of the perceived terrorist threat is not because of what the 'alleged' terrorists are doing, but from our own government. I believe what this government is doing, is, at the very least, highly questionable and at worst, sinister. At what point will they feel they have enough control over every single person in the British Isles; when we are all tagged and monitored constantly? Our freedom is being craftily and surreptitiously whittled away by this government and we are gaining nothing. It should be of great concern to everyone. I am slightly older than Mr Forsyth and therefore have lived through the same history as him. I am against a police state and would not like to think that I lived in one. I think that the attack on Iraq made the international situation worse and may have provoked further acts of terrorism. How true. There are extremely worrying parallels between Britain now and Germany during the 30's. I never thought it would be so easy to take over a country from within. Mr Forsyth has forgotten one key point; the terrorists who threaten Britain today are well aware that Hitler, Stalin, and the IRA all failed. As a result modern day terrorists are willing to do things their predecessors did not. That does not mean that the civil liberties of modern Britain must be eroded to counter the threat; that should always be the absolute last resort. But to meet the new threat, to defeat the sinister fanaticism of today's terrorists, we may need to do things a little differently. Let us hope not. Frederic Forsythe's comments seem to me to be a well-thought-out analysis of why we (human society as a whole, and Britain in particular) should resist the temptation to over-protect through fear. It is this fear which enables terrorists to succeed in the end, and terrorists can come in all forms, as Mr. Forsythe's opening comments suggest. I am reminded of a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson. ""A nation that limits freedom in the name of security will have neither."" The government are faced with an incredibly difficult task, and have made a policy to deal with it. It's all very well criticising that policy, but if Mr Forsythe can't draw on his years of experience to offer an alternative, I say 'So what?' to his opinions. Frederick Forsyth's rhetoric is absurd and his conclusions laughable. He distorts reality to serve his own prejudice against New Labour. This government seeks to balance protection of our democracy with minimum loss of civil rights. It is Frederick Forsyth who is the extremist, because he does not appreciate the need for balance. I rarely find myself agreeing with My Forsyth, but in this instance I think he is correct. The rule of law must prevail, civil liberties are worth defending. If the government can hold 'suspects' without charge or trial, what's next? I agree absolutely. By introducing fascist type laws we loose the moral high ground in our fight against terror. Our democratic system is not perfect, but as Churchill points out it is ""better than all the others that have been tried"". Terrorist attacks will take place but for many reasons we should take that personal risk in return for personal freedom. I do not usually agree with Mr. Forsyth, but he is spot on here. The single biggest threat we face is that of a government dedicated to acting illegally and manipulating international and national law to suit its own purpose. Totalitarianism always requires an outside threat, justifying a range of extraordinary powers leaders want. The British government is a far greater threat that and terrorist organisation. Although, in principle I agree with him, Frederick Forsyth fails to address one key point- al-Qaeda attacks (though obviously there have been none yet in the UK) seek to kill the maximum number of people. The IRA wanted to limit the death toll of their attacks so as to maintain support among the republican movement. Yes, I agree with Mr. Forsyth's views. I do not believe the government's plans are justified. There is over reaction to and the negative influence of the US President's interpretation of democracy and freedom. He uses the same arguments that were current before the WWII, the Wars to ""liberate"" Iraq, Afghanistan with Syria and Iran to come. We are leaving a poor inheritance for the future generations. Mr Forsyth is a wonderful writer and should keep his fiction where it belongs. The British Government is not going down the road that Mr Forsyth suggests. Sadly comments such as his will make a lot of people believe that they are governed by people who are fast becoming tyrants instead of being genuinely committed to stopping tyranny, even if the method employed to do that is at the moment alien to the British people who have lived in a democracy protected by Tony Blair and others of like mind who, Mr. Forsyth seems to be putting along side the 'scruffy little Austrian.' Thomas Hobbes would be smiling in his grave at Labour's propositions. Like New Labour, he called himself a libertarian. Like New Labour, he believed he was promoting the people's best interests. But as Forsythe criticises this government, Hobbes has been criticised by most subsequent philosophers for arguing his way into the hands of the totalitarians. Simply put, he argued that in favour of the ultimate liberty - the liberty to live - man should be prepared to surrender all other liberties to a supreme sovereign, as protection against his fellow, barbaric, man. Hobbes has been roundly condemned by posterity, and rightly so. I hope New Labour suffers the same treatment. I agree with Mr Forsyth's views. The governments approach is totally against the spirit of British democracy. They must not be allowed to get away with it. Of course Frederick is wrong about Britain winning the war against the IRA and he's wrong too about the country not becoming a tyranny. Has he forgotten about shoot to kill, torture, internment without trial, collusion with loyalist death squads etc? My background is somewhat similar to Freddie's so I am persuaded to agree with many of his sentiments. We can have no moral justification for imposing our system of government on anyone while we are systematically depriving our own citizens of basic individual and collective freedoms. Whilst the principle of keeping potential terrorists under house arrest might seem superficially attractive, it is, unfortunately, also the first step towards totalitarianism. Who is to decide whom is a suspect? Why should we believe them? Who can have faith in the honesty, integrity, and competence of our intelligence services and politicians in light of the events of recent years? What is to stop false denunciations? What of those falsely accused who will lose their careers? Who will support their families? Will their children still go to school? It smacks to me of the methods of Nazi Germany, Stalin's Russia, Ceausescu's Romania - the list goes on. It looks as if a new dark age is coming. I see that opinion on Mr Forsyth's remarks are divided. The problem I see is that those who support imprisonment without trial believe it will never happen to them or their family, only to people they don't like or are scared of. But history has shown that if you have laws like that, they always get abused by those in power. After all, today you may be scared of the same people as those in power but someday those in power may be scared of you! And that day, you'll be the one imprisoned without the chance of justice. Our laws are such that you cannot just be imprisoned at the whim of our police forces, you have to be shown to be deserving of it. If we imprison people without trial for an indeterminate period, we are no better that those we are fighting. I never thought it possible for me to agree with a single word uttered by Frederick Forsyth, but I'm in wholehearted agreement with him on this one. We, as a nation are in grave danger of being duped by pro US propaganda, which of course also means we'll inherit most, if not all of their total paranoia, and allow our governments, of any political persuasion incidentally, to gradually, and insidiously, impose a police state by well tried & tested back door methods. I grieve for the future of my children, it's no wonder they're adamant they don't ever want any of their own. This government, with much fanfare, signs us up to the European Convention on Human Rights but now wants to introduce indefinite house arrest without trial. This puts it on a par with the government of Burma. Like many of your respondents, I wouldn't usually think of Mr Forsyth as someone whose views I share, but in the instance of opposing Charles Clark's proposals for house arrest, I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Forsyth/ I agree with Mr Forsyth. Just look at the facts - our government (along with the US) invaded another sovereign country (Iraq) by selecting intelligence that backed it's case based on fear. The facts turned out to be very different. If individuals are treated in the same distorted way, then we've done ourselves more damage than any terrorist organisation could with bombs. We become animals too. I agree in many ways with what Mr Forsyth has said - if we are to be respected and have influence within the world we must be seen to be walking the walk as well as talking the talk - how can we accuse countries such as Zimbabwe and Burma of human rights abuses when we are locking up people who may be totally innocent, it is hypocrisy of the highest order. Mr Forsyth links ""Islamic fundamentalism"" to the new ""threat"". However it appears that he has misunderstood the term ""Islamic fundamentalism"". It should be pointed out that a Muslim who adheres to the true fundamentals of the Qur'aan and the teachings of the last Prophet Muhammad is an Islamic Fundamentalist. This person does not commit suicide in any shape or form, nor does she/he kill innocent women, men and children. This person is self-reflective and constantly tries to better her/his actions by being good to others. The people who Mr Forsyth labels the new ""threat"" are those who do not follow the correct teachings of Islam. They have arrived at their own interpretations and assumptions with regards their actions. On top of that, they claim to be following Islam in its true form! I accept that the intentions of these policies are to make Britain a safer place but I cannot think of a single example from history where doing this sort of thing has ever made any difference - in Northern Ireland internment certainly didn't achieve anything - the bombings didn't stop, and it could be argued that all it achieved was to just supply the IRA with yet more angry and resentful republicans willing to take up arms against the British. Being eight years older than Frederick Forsyth and a survivor of the Blitz on London, it is easy to agree with him, he is absolutely spot on. During the IRA bombings there were massive explosions in Canary Wharf, to the right of where I write this, and also to the left in the City of London. Notwithstanding these and the attempted and nearly successful assassination attempts on Prime Minister Thatcher in Brighton and on later occupants of 10 Downing Street, there was no retaliatory blitz on Belfast or Dublin as there has been on Afghanistan and Iraq. Even when England was in true peril in 1940 apart from some detentions there were no wholesale derogation of habeas corpus and the like. We have to see off these latest attempts on our liberties including ID cards, which Winston Churchill decided had to go since, he said, the average Bobby on the beat could not be relied on to not be tempted to take undue advantage against the citizen going about their lawful activities (incidentally I can still remember my old ID card number). Hence it is clear that the far too great police state powers set for the statute books have to be resisted and neutered. What can I add to Mr. Forsyth's eloquently put arguments... except applause! Well done that man for standing up and being counted in the ""war against tyranny""."	politics
"The 22-year-old pipped Maurice Greene on the last leg of the 4x100m relay in Athens to take top honours for Team GB. But individually, the Birchfield Harrier has yet to build on his World Junior Championship win four years ago. ""The gold medal in Athens has made me realise that I can get to the top level and I want to get there again. It can happen, I don't see why not,"" he said. Lewis-Francis has still to decided what events will feature in his build-up to the worlds - with one exception. He has confirmed his participation in the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham on 18 February, where he will take on another member of Britain's victorious men's relay team - Jason Gardener - over 60m. He added: ""It's a bit too early to make any predictions for Helsinki, but I have my eyes open and I know I can be the best in the world."""	sport
"EastEnders' head writer Tony Jordan and music mogul Simon Fuller are involved in the project, according to reports in the Hollywood Reporter trade newspaper. It said scripts have been commissioned for a series about a community of working class people in of Chicago. The original EastEnders was pulled from BBC America last year after it proved a failure in the ratings. US versions of other British hits have proved less successful across the Atlantic. BBC comedy Coupling was remade with a US cast, but lost its primetime slot on the NBC network due to disappointing ratings. At home, EastEnders has been facing its own ratings battle, recently losing out to rival ITV soap Emmer dale. Primetime soaps on US television have made a recent comeback, following the success of ABC serial Desperate Housewives. The series takes a ""darkly comedic"" look at the goings-on of a group of characters living in the suburbs."	entertainment
"The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) had planned to include download formats in the chart from 20 March. But the date has been put back to 17 April to create a ""level playing field"" for independent labels. The BPI is concerned that independent repertoire is not adequately represented online and said they were looking at ways of rectifying it. BPI chairman Peter Jamieson said: ""The inclusion of download formats in the Official UK Singles Chart is the most significant development in the charts for 20 years. ""But for a multitude of reasons the current chart representation of independent repertoire at the major download outlets is poor. ""I am very pleased we have secured this delay on behalf of independents. We have to try and establish a realistic 'level playing field' of opportunity. The Official UK Charts are run by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) - a joint venture between the BPI and the British Association of Record Dealers (BARD). At an OCC board meeting on Wednesday, the OCC board agreed with BPI members that the 20 March start date be postponed. Download formats will now be included in the Official UK Singles Chart for the first time in the chart published on 17 April - the sales week beginning 10 April. The US has already merged downloaded singles into its Billboard Hot 100 chart."	entertainment
"Jugnot made 5.45m Euros (£3.77m) last year, according to a table drawn up by France's Le Figaro newspaper. In The Chorus (Les Choristes), Jugnot plays an inspiring music teacher at a school for troubled boys in 1949. Despite starring in five films in 2004, Depardieu made 3.35m Euros (£2.31m) putting him third place in the chart. ""His name [Depardieu] is no longer sufficient to guarantee the success of a film,"" said Le Figaro newspaper. The Chorus, which Jugnot also co-produced, has drawn an audience of nearly nine million people since its release last year. Godzilla star Jean Reno was France's second best-paid actor in 2004, earning 3.55m Euros (£2.45m) . His roles include a recent uncredited cameo in the Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda. The highest-ranking woman on Le Figaro's list was Audrey Tautou in 10th place, earning 885,000 Euros (£611,000). She starred in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement (Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles) and is also lined up to co-star with Tom Hanks in Ron Howard's The Da Vinci Code. The Chorus is nominated for best foreign film at Sunday's Oscar ceremony. On Saturday, it will compete for the title of best film against fellow nominee A Very Long Engagement in France's Cesar film awards."	entertainment
"Kenteris and fellow sprinter Katerina Thanou are set to learn if they will face criminal charges this week. Part of the investigation has centred on whether they staged the crash. Kenteris insisted: ""The accident happened. I went crazy when I found out I had supposedly missed a test and I wanted to rush to the Olympic village."" Kenteris, speaking on Greece's Alter Television station, also claimed that he asked to be tested for banned substances in hospital after the crash. ""I told the hospital, which was an Olympics-accredited hospital, to call the IOC and have me tested on the spot but no-one came."" After a drama which dominated newspaper headlines in Greece as Athens prepared for the start of the Athens Games, Kenteris and Thanou eventually withdrew. But Kenteris has continually protested his innocence - and on Sunday blamed Greek Olympic Committee officials and his former coach Christos Tzekos for failing to inform him of the test. The 31-year-old insisted he will be happy if he is charged so he can clear his name. ""If a decision is taken to have charges filed against me, I will accept it gladly. ""A prosecution means that the case will be cleared... I want to go to the end and then we'll see who's right and who isn't."" Kenteris, a Greek hero after winning gold in the 200m at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, also confirmed that he was due to light the flame at the Athens opening ceremony. ""I had even rehearsed lighting the cauldron,"" he said."	sport
"The Ugandan Media Council said the performance would not be put on as it promoted and glorified acts such as lesbianism and homosexuality. It said the production could go ahead if the organisers ""expunge all the offending parts"". But the organisers of the play say it raises awareness of sexual abuse against women. ""The play promotes illegal, unnatural sexual acts, homosexuality and prostitution, it should be and is hereby banned,"" the council's ruling said. The show, which has been a controversial sell-out around the world, explores female sexuality and strength through individual women telling their stories through monologues. Some parliamentarians and church leaders are also siding with the Media Council, Uganda's New Vision newspaper reports. ""The play is obscene and pornographic although it was under the guise of women's liberation,"" MP Kefa Ssempgani told parliament. But the work's author, US playwright Eve Ensler, says it is all about women's empowerment. ""There is obviously some fear of the vagina and saying the word vagina,"" Ms Ensler told the BBC. ""It's not a slang word or dirty word it's a biological, anatomical word."" She said the play is being produced and performed by Ugandan women and it is not being forced on them. The four Ugandan NGOs organising the play intended to raise money to campaign to stop violence against women and to raise funds for the war-torn north of the country. ""I'm extremely outraged at the hypocrisy,"" the play's organiser in Uganda, Sarah Mukasa, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. ""I'm amazed that this country Uganda gives the impression that it is progressive and supports women's rights and the notions of free speech; yet when women want to share their stories the government uses the apparatus of state to shut us up."""	entertainment
"Armed robber Robert Napier, 25, won £2,450 after he claimed he suffered an outbreak of the skin complaint, eczema, when slopping out at Barlinnie Prison. Napier said that the practice, where prisoners use buckets in their cells as toilets, breached his human rights. On Thursday, the Court of Session threw out a move by the executive to apply a more rigorous standard of proof. The executive faces more than 1,000 similar claims for damages from prisoners and former inmates. More than 310 actions have already been raised in the Court of Session and sheriff courts in Scotland. An executive spokesman said: ""We will study this judgement in detail. Much has changed to address the issues raised in the Napier case, for example, slopping out has ended at Barlinnie and work in other prisons is being accelerated. ""Today's judgement does not affect the outcome of other cases."" Napier, a remand prisoner at the time, raised a legal challenge in 2001 under the European Convention on Human Rights, in which he sought £5,000. He was awarded compensation last April after winning his case. Executive ministers raised an appeal arguing that the standard of proof to be applied in cases alleging a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights through degrading and inhumane treatment should ""be beyond reasonable doubt"". This is the standard normally applied in criminal trials in Scotland. However, civil litigation is settled on the test of ""a balance of probabilities"". Judge Lord Cullen, sitting with Lord Osborne and Lord Hamilton, ruled that alleged human rights breaches involving degrading treatment should be dealt with on the normal civil standard. Napier's lawyer Tony Kelly believes the action will soon be followed by others. Mr Kelly said: ""There are hundreds of people still undergoing slopping out, overcrowding and poor regime and those people will certainly be heartened by today's judgement."" Scottish National Party Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill said that the slopping out case had been ""a fiasco from start to finish"". He said: ""Ministers were fully aware of the state of Scotland's jails. Funds were available but they chose to ignore the problem and after this ruling I suspect we will be faced with even more claims and no doubt more payouts. ""A short term executive saving has resulted in a long term public cost."""	politics
"Beer and spirits are heavily taxed in Japan, driving breweries to search for alternatives. Japan's long economic downturn helped drive the trend, as drinkers looked for cheaper opportunities to drown their sorrows. Now, according to Asahi Breweries, the market for so-called ""beer-like"" drinks is set to grow 84% this year. Asahi is predicting profits to rise 50% in 2005 as it launches a drink based on soybean peptides rather than malt. The chosen name, ""Shinnama"" or ""new draft"", disguises its non-beer nature. But despite a record profit in 2004 of 30.6bn yen ($291m; £154m), up 31.8% on the previous year, Asahi is coming late to the market. Key rival Sapporo is already well-established with the beer-flavoured ""Draft One"". Suntory, meanwhile, is doing well with ""Super Blue"", which combines happoshu - an existing low-cost beer alternative made with malt and seawater - and shochu, a distilled alcohol derived from sweet potatoes or barley. Happoshu has been a mainstay of brewery profits for years, taking over from beer thanks to its low tax and therefore low cost. Kirin, the fourth big name, is launching its own ""third-type"" drink in April."	business
"The government has confirmed intermediate level waste (ILW) that was to have been shipped back to its home countries will now be stored in the UK. The cash raised will go towards the UK's nuclear clean-up programme. But Lib Dem Norman Baker accused ministers of turning Britain into a ""nuclear dumpsite"". Under current contracts, British Nuclear Fuels should return all but low level waste, but none has ever been sent back. In future, only highly-radioactive waste will be sent back to its country of origin, normally Germany or Japan, under armed guard. Intermediate waste from countries such as Japan, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland and Sweden will be stored permanently in the UK. At the moment, this waste is stored at Sellafield, in Cumbria, in the form of glass bricks, untreated liquid waste or solid material in drums. In a statement, the Department of Trade and Industry said the new policy meant there would be a ""sixfold reduction in the number of waste shipments to overseas countries"". And it said highly-radioactive waste would be returned to its home country sooner, ensuring there would be no overall increase in radioactivity. Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt said the new arrangements, revealed in a Commons written statement, would raise up to £680m for Britain's nuclear clean-up programme, under the new Nuclear Decommissioning Agency. But the move has been criticised by environmental groups and the Liberal Democrats. Mr Baker, the Lib Dem environment spokesman, said: ""I have been warning for months that this would happen and raised it with government several times. But now our worst fears have been confirmed. ""Once again Britain's environmental and health needs are being ignored in policies driven by the Treasury and DTI. ""This is a terrible attempt to offload some of the £48bn cost of cleaning up nuclear sites. ""The Energy Act was supposed to help Britain clean up, but in order to pay for it we are becoming a nuclear dumpsite. ""The nuclear industry is an economic, social and environmental millstone that hangs around Britain's neck."""	politics
"A Texas company is considering letting web users use a remote-controlled rifle to shoot down deer, antelope and wild pigs. For a small fee users will take control of a camera and rifle that they can use to spot and shoot the game animals as they roam around a 133-hectare Texas ranch. The Live-Shot website behind the scheme already lets people practise shooting at targets via the internet. John Underwood, the man behind the Live-Shot website, said the idea for the remote-control hunting came to him a year ago when he was watching deer via a webcam on another net site. ""We were looking at a beautiful white-tail buck and my friend said 'If you just had a gun for that'. A little light bulb went off in my head,"" Mr Underwood told the Reuters news agency. A year's work and $10,000 has resulted in a remote-controlled rig on which sits a camera and .22 calibre rifle. Mr Underwood is planning to put one of these rigs in a concealed location in a small reserve on his Texas ranch and let people shoot at a variety of game animals. Also needed is a fast net connection so remote hunters can quickly track and aim at passing game animals with the camera and rifle rig. Each remote hunting session will cost $150 with additional fees for meat processing and taxidermy work. Species that can be shot will include barbary, Corsican and mouflon sheep, blackbuck antelope and wild pigs. Already the Live-Shot site lets people shoot 10 rounds at paper and silhouette targets for $5.95 for each 20-minute shooting session. For further fees, users can get the target they shot and a DVD recording of their session. Handlers oversee each shooting session and can stop the gun being fired if it is being aimed off-range or at something it should not be. Mr Underwood said that internet hunting could be popular with disabled hunters unable to get out in the woods or distant hunters who cannot afford a trip to Texas. In a statement the RSPCA said it had ""grave concerns"" about people being allowed to go online and remotely control a rifle. ""We assume it would be extremely difficult to accurately control a gun in this way and therefore it would be difficult to ensure a 'clean kill', something the RSPCA accepts is the intention of those shooting for sport,"" it said. ""Animals hit but not killed would without doubt be caused to suffer unnecessarily,"" said the statement. Mike Berger, wildlife director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said current hunting statutes did not cover net or remote hunting. He said state laws on hunting only covered ""regulated animals"" such as native deer and bird species. As such there was nothing to stop Mr Underwood letting people hunt ""unregulated"" imported animals and wild pigs. Mr Underwood also lets people come in person to the ranch to hunt and shoot game animals."	tech
"The unnamed woman from Georgia says that a chip inside the cartridge tells the printer that it needs re-filling even when it does not. The lawsuit seeks to represent anyone in the US who has purchased an HP inkjet printer since February 2001. HP, the world's biggest printer firm, declined to comment on the lawsuit. HP ink cartridges use a chip technology to sense when they are low on ink and advise the user to make a change. But the suit claims the chips also shut down the cartridges at a predetermined date regardless of whether they are empty. ""The smart chip is dually engineered to prematurely register ink depletion and to render a cartridge unusable through the use of a built-in expiration date that is not revealed to the consumer,"" the suit said. The lawsuit is asking for restitution, damages and other compensation. The cost of printer cartridges has been a contentious issue in Europe for the last 18 months. The price of inkjet printers has come down to as little as £34 but it could cost up to £1,700 in running costs over an 18-month period due to cartridge, a study by Computeractive Magazine revealed last year. The inkjet printer market has been the subject of an investigation by the UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which concluded in a 2002 report that retailers and manufacturers needed to make pricing more transparent for consumers."	tech
The acclaimed PC title Call of Duty has been updated for console formats, building on many of the original's elements. For its part, the long-running Medal of Honor series has added Pacific Assault to its PC catalogue, adapting the console game Rising Sun. Call of Duty: Finest Hour casts you as a succession of allied soldiers fighting on World War 2 battlefronts including Russia and North Africa. It is a traditional first-person-viewed game that lets you control just one character, in the midst of a unit where cohorts constantly bark orders at you. On a near-identical note, Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault does all it can to make you feel part of a tight-knit team and plum in the middle of all-out action. Its arenas are the war's Pacific battles, including Guadalcanal and Pearl Harbour. You play one character throughout, a raw and rather talkative US soldier. Both games rely on a carefully stage-managed structure that keeps things ticking along. When this works, it is a brilliant device to make you feel part of a story. When it does not, it is tedious. A winning moment is an early scene in Pacific Assault, where you come under attack at the famous US base in Hawaii. You are first ushered into a gunboat attacking the incoming waves of Japanese planes, then made to descend into a sinking battleship to rescue crewman, before seizing the anti-aircraft guns. It is one of the finest set-pieces ever seen in a video game. This notion of shuffling the player along a studiously pre-determined path, forcibly witnessing a series of pre-set moments of action, is a perilous business which can make the whole affair feel stilted rather than organic. The genius of something like Half Life 2 is that it skilfully disguises its linear plotting by various means of misdirection. This pair of games do not really accomplish that, being more concerned with imparting a full-on atmospheric experience. Call of Duty comes with a suitably bombastic score and overblown presentation. Finest Hour has a similar determination, framing everything in moody wartime music, archive footage and lots of reflective voice-overs. Letting you play a number of different roles is an interesting ploy that adds new dimensions to the Call of Duty endeavour, even if it sacrifices the narrative flow somewhat. The game's drawback could be said to be its format; tastes differ, but these wartime shooters often do seem to work better on PC. The mouse control is a big reason why, along with the sharper graphics a top-end computer can muster and the apparent notion that PC games are allowed to get away with a bit more subtlety. Call of Duty on PC was more detailed, plot-wise and graphically, and this new adaptation feels a little rough and ready. Targeting with the PS2 controller proved tricky, not helped by unconvincing collision-detection. You can shoot an enemy repeatedly with zero question as to your aim, yet the bullets will just refuse to hit him. Checkpoints are so few and far between that when you get shot, which happens regularly, you are set harshly far back, and will find yourself covering vast tracts of scorched earth again and again. The game wants to be a challenge, and is, and many players will like it for that. It is as dynamic a battlefield simulator as you will experience and even if it is not as refined as its PC parent, the sense of being part of the action is thoroughly impressive. Both of these games feature military colleagues who are disturbingly bad shots and prone to odd behaviour. And in Pacific Assault in particular, their commands and comments are irritatingly meaningless. But the teamwork element in titles like this is superficial, designed to add atmosphere and camaraderie rather than affect the gameplay mechanics at all. Of the two games, Pacific Assault gets more things right, including little points like auto-saving intelligently and having tidier presentation. It engages you very well and also looks wonderful, making the most of the lush tropical settings that are reminiscent of the glorious Far Cry, although we had to ramp up the settings on a high-spec machine to get the most out of them. Finest Hour is by no means bad, and it is only because the PC original was so dazzling that this version sometimes feels underwhelming. Those looking for a wartime game with plenty of atmosphere and a hearty abundance of enemies to shoot will be contented. But they will also have a niggling puzzlement as to why it does not break a little more ground rather then just being competent.	tech
It was named best film while Alexander Payne won best director and best screenplay, along with writing partner Jim Taylor. It also won acting awards for stars Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen. Sideways is tipped to do well at Sunday's Oscars, with five nominations. The awards, now in their 20th year, are given to films made outside the traditional studio system, and are traditionally held the day before the Oscars. Other winners included Catalina Sandino Moreno, who took best actress for her role as a drug smuggler in the Colombian drama Maria Full of Grace. Moreno is also nominated for best actress at the Oscars. The best first screenplay award went to Joshua Marston for Maria Full of Grace. Scrubs star Zach Braff won the award for best first feature for Garden State, which he wrote, directed and starred in. Oscar-nominated euthanasia film The Sea Inside from Spain won best foreign film, while Metallica: Some Kind Of Monster was awarded best documentary. Actor Rodrigo de la Serna took the best debut performance prize for The Motorcycle Diaries. The awards are voted for by the 9,000 members of the Independent Feature Project/Los Angeles, which includes actors, directors, writers and other industry professionals. Last year's big winner, Lost In Translation, went on to win the Oscar for best original screenplay, for writer-director Sofia Coppola.	entertainment
"The Securities & Exchange Commission accused Fannie Mae of using techniques that ""did not comply in material respects"" with accounting standards. Fannie Mae last month warned that some records were incorrect. The other main US mortgage firm Freddie Mac restated earnings by $5bn (£2.6bn) last year after a probe of its books. The SEC's comments are likely to increase pressure on Congress to strengthen supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The two firms are key parts of the US financial system and effectively underwrite the mortgage market, financing nearly half of all American house purchases and dealing actively in bonds and other financial instruments. The investigation of Freddie Mac in June 2003 sparked concerns about the wider health of the industry and raised questionsmarks over the role of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), the industry's main regulator. Having been pricked into action, the OFHEO turned its attention to Fannie May and in September this year said that the firm had tweaked its books to spread earnings more smoothly across quarters and play down the amount of risk it had taken on. The SEC found similar problems. The watchdog's chief accountant Donald Nicolaisen said that ""Fannie Mae's methodology of assessing, measuring and documenting hedge ineffectiveness was inadequate and was not supported"" by generally accepted accounting principles."	business
"The Bravery, who have been compared to The Cure and New Order, were the most heavily-tipped act in the survey of 110 impartial critics and broadcasters. Rock band Keane won Sound of 2004 while US rapper 50 Cent topped Sound of 2003. Other new artists in this year's list include London indie group Bloc Party at second and UK rapper Kano third. The Bravery played their first gig in 2003 and have since supported bands including The Libertines, Interpol and Echo and the Bunnymen. They were the subject of a record company bidding war in 2004 and their debut single, Unconditional, caused a huge buzz when it was released in the UK in November. Singer Sam Endicott said he felt ""great"" about coming top of the Sound of 2005 list. ""Anyone that says they don't want a zillion screaming fans is a jackass, a liar,"" he said. One of the experts to tip The Bravery was The Times' music critic Paul Connolly, who said they were ""spiky but in love with pop"". Chris Hawkins, host of BBC 6 Music's chart show, said the band had ""great guitars and a mastery of the electro-clash sound"". ""The Bravery are proof alone that New York City is still home to hot new talent,"" he said. Nigel Harding, head of music at London rock radio station Xfm, said every track from their live set ""sounded like a potential single"". Unconditional reached the summit of the station's listeners' chart within a fortnight of its first play, which Mr Harding described as ""an unheard of achievement for a debut single"". Q magazine reviews editor Ted Kessler said they were ""pretty-boy New York clothes horses"" with ""an unusually nimble ear for concise, yearning pop in the mould of Duran Duran or The Strokes"". Other pundits to take part in the survey included BBC Radio 1 DJ Trevor Nelson, NME editor Conor McNicholas, Top of the Pops presenter Fearne Cotton, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis and BBC Radio 2 music editor Colin Martin. Elsewhere on the top 10, second-placed rock band Bloc Party began their rise after supporting Franz Ferdinand and UK garage MC Kano, in third, is signed to The Streets' record label. US rapper The Game is hip-hop great Dr Dre's latest protege while Leeds group Kaiser Chiefs came fifth with a promise to lead a Britpop revival. In last year's survey, Keane were followed by Franz Ferdinand, Razorlight and Joss Stone in the top five - all of whom were virtually unknown outside the music industry at that point. Boy band McFly were sixth while Scissor Sisters, who had the UK's best-selling album of 2004, were seventh. In the survey, the pundits were asked for tips for three acts they thought were capable of reaching the top in their chosen genre, either in terms of sales or critical acclaim. The artists could be from any country and any musical genre, but must not have had a UK top 20 single, been a contestant on a TV talent show or already be famous for doing something else, such as a soap actor. Those tips were then counted and compiled to make the top 10."	entertainment
"But Parry, speaking exclusively to BBC Sport, also admits Gerrard, who has been constantly linked with Chelsea, will have the final say on his future. He told BBC Five Live: ""Steven is above money. He is the future of Liverpool. ""It doesn't matter if it's £30m, £40m or £50m, we will not accept offers. But we are also realistic enough to know we can't keep Steven against his will."" On the subject of Liverpool's finances, Parry also revealed the club is ready to explore the possibility of a sponsorship deal for its proposed new stadium. And responding to criticism from BBC Sport pundit and former Liverpool stalwart Alan Hansen, he insisted talks on new investment are ongoing, but added the door has not closed on shareholder and lifelong fan Steve Morgan. Parry joined Liverpool as chief executive in July 1998 from a similar role at the Premier League. There have been several highs and lows during his time in charge at Anfield - and he had a busy summer, overseeing the arrival of new manager Rafael Benitez and managing to hold on to Steven Gerrard. On the subject of Liverpool's captain and prize asset, Parry revealed Real Madrid did ask for an option on the England midfield man during negotiations for striker Fernando Morientes. He said: ""They were looking for ways of saying they got more out of the deal for Fernando Morientes, but the response to Real Madrid was the same - Steven is not for sale."" But when asked if Gerrard would be a Liverpool player on the first day of next season, Parry said: ""I sincerely hope he will be. Steven knows my views. He knows Rafa's views. ""We have re-affirmed recently to Steven that we are trying to build a team around him. We crave success as much as he does. We know he's ambitious and nobody can argue with that. ""I think Steven would dearly love to win things with Liverpool more than he'd like to do anything else. ""We all want to see progress by next season. He's not alone in that. There are a lot of other players who feel the same, so we all have a common aim."" It is expected Chelsea will test Liverpool with a £30m-plus bid in the summer - but Parry claims he will be in no mood to listen. ""There have been a lot of open secrets about Steven, most of which have been complete myths. It is suggested we had a deal tied up last summer. We didn't had an offer last summer,"" Parry explained. ""We had told Chelsea that as far as we were concerned he was not for sale and we didn't want to sell him. In reality it didn't go beyond that. ""Maybe there will be an offer in the summer. Maybe there won't. ""Our position is we want Steven to stay, but we are also realistic enough and have enough respect for Steven - and he has enough respect for us - to know that it is his decision that will be crucial. ""You are not going to keep a player like Steven against his will. That just doesn't work, but any idea we are going to accept offers for Steven and then tell him 'by the way we've decided to sell you' is not on the agenda. You can forget that."" Parry is currently in the process of finalising funding for Liverpool's new stadium in Stanley Park, which is set to open in 2007. And he confessed Arsenal's £100m deal with Emirates to sponsor their new ground - complete with naming rights - has given the Anfield club serious food for thought. He said: ""I have to say historically it is something I have been against, and I have been on record as saying that, but I think the size of the Arsenal deal is a real eye-opener. ""I would say in the past deals have been done frankly far too cheaply and it just hasn't even been worth contemplating. ""But the Arsenal deal is the sort of deal that causes you to draw breath and say 'wow - that's interesting.' ""My personal point of view is that I would find it a hell of a lot more palatable than a shared stadium."" Some Liverpool fans would find such a move highly controversial, but Parry countered: ""I recognise it would be an emotive issue for many supporters, but you look at the amount of money available and it could go into the team. ""If it was the right partner how strong an issue is it? Time will tell. ""I think the stadium will always be Anfield, not least because of where it is, but do we need to investigate the possibilities of sponsorship? I think it would be remiss not to. ""That's not to say we have made a decision that we will go down that road, but I think it is clearly something we have to explore."" On the subject of possible new investment, Parry revealed Liverpool are still in negotiations with a mystery investor, with rumours of interest from the Middle East. That prompted the withdrawal of tycoon Steve Morgan, who got frustrated by failed bids and what he claimed was indecision by the board. He also accused Liverpool of using him as ""a stalking horse"" to attract other bids, but Parry explained: ""Steve has never been used as a stalking horse. There's no need, and that is not the way we do business. ""We had discussions with Steve over the course of 2004. I think we came close to concluding a deal in the summer but it didn't happen. ""Quite genuinely, the new interest did appear relatively late in the day just prior to the AGM in December, and as I have said it was of such potential magnitude, and that potential is so exciting, we felt we had to evaluate it. We are still evaluating it. ""Steve's interest was taken very much on its own merits. His enthusiasm for the club is there for all to see and who knows what the next few months will hold? ""The door isn't closed on anything. We had a perfectly sensible dialogue with Steve last year. ""We have a common interest in making Liverpool successful. That's a dream we all share, so as far as I'm concerned the door is not closed."" I would take £50m if we had no investment, but if we did, keep him. As for the stadium, if it gets us cash what difference does it make really? £50m for Gerrard? I don't care who you are, the Directors would take the money and it is the way it should be. We cannot let that sum of money go, despite Gerrard's quality. Through a cleverly worded statement, the club has effectively forced Gerrard to publicly make the decision for himself, which I think is the right thing to do. Critical time for Liverpool with regards to Gerrard. Ideally we would want to secure his future to the club for the long term. I am hoping he doesn't walk out of the club like Michael Owen did for very little cash. £50m realistically would allow Rafa to completely rebuild the squad, however, if we can afford to do this AND keep Gerrard we will be better for it. I would however be happy with Gerrard's transfer for any fee over £35m. Parry's statements are clever in that any future Gerrard transfer cannot be construed as a lack of ambition by the club to not try and keep their best players. Upping the ante is another smart move by Parry. I would keep Gerrard. No amount of money could replace his obvious love of the club and determination to succeed. The key is if Gerrard comes out and says that he is happy. Clearly, if he isn't, then we would be foolish not to sell. The worrying thing is who would you buy (or who would come) pending possible non-Champions League football."	sport
"Billboard's Hot 100 chart now incorporates data from sales of music downloads, previously only assigned to a separate download chart. Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams is currently number two in Billboard's pop chart, and tops its digital chart. Download sales are due to be incorporated into the UK singles chart later this year. Digital sales in the US are already used to compile Billboard's Hot Digital Sales chart. They will now be tallied with sales of physical singles and airplay information to make up its new Hot 100 chart. Its second new chart - the Pop 100 - also combines airplay, digital and physical sales but confines its airplay information to US radio stations which play chart music. In addition to Green Day, other artists in the current US digital sales top 10 include Kelly Clarkson, The Game and the Killers. Sales of legally downloaded songs shot up more than tenfold in 2004, with 200 million track purchased online in the US and Europe in 12 months, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported last month. In the UK sales of song downloads overtook those for physical singles for the first time at the end of last year. The last week of December 2004 saw download sales of 312,000 compared with 282,000 physical singles, according to the British Phonographic Industry. The UK's first official music download chart was launched last September, compiling the most popular tracks downloaded from legal UK sites - including iTunes, OD2, mycokemusic.com and Napster. Westlife's Flying Without Wings - a 1999 track reissued for the occasion - was the first number one of the UK download chart. A spokesman for the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said the first combined UK download and sales chart was due to be compiled ""within the first half of this year"". ""Work is going on across the music business right now to make sure the new chart works to plan,"" he said. The BPI spokesman described the UK music download chart, compiled by the Official Charts Company, as having been ""a great success"" since its launch. ""It has provided a focus for the industry and has really driven interest in downloads among music fans,"" he said."	entertainment
Why We Fight scooped the grand jury prize for documentaries at the world's leading independent film festival. British director Sean McAllister's The Liberace of Baghdad - about a pianist in war-torn Iraq - won a special prize in the world documentary category. Both Why We Fight and The Liberace of Baghdad were made for the BBC. Why We Fight is due to be screened on BBC Four in March. The Sundance festival was founded by actor Robert Redford in 1981. This year's festival - which ended on Sunday after a 11-day run - has been dominated by the themes of war and politics. In the new world cinema drama category, the Angolan film The Hero triumphed to win the grand jury prize. The film - an Angolan/French/Portuguese production - tells the story of a veteran of the country's civil war who returns home to face a new battle of survival. Twelve films competing in the new world cinema documentary category focused on countries and people under siege. Finnish film The Three Rooms of Melancholia looks at the war in Chechnya and Shake Hands With The Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire tells the story of a UN mission to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. But it was Dutch documentary Shape of the Moon - a study of an extended family in Indonesia - which took the top prize. Meanwhile, French-Israeli production Wall, which looks at Israel's controversial security wall separating it from the Palestinian territories, picked up a world cinema special jury prize for documentaries. In the main drama category, Forty Shades of Blue was named winner of the grand jury prize. The film tells the tale of a forbidden tug-of-love between a father, his Russian immigrant girlfriend and his son. During its 24-year history, the Sundance Film Festival has showcased successes such as Reservoir Dogs, The Blair Witch Project and The Full Monty. Last year's festival provided a platform for hits such as Open Water, Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State and Super-Size Me. The festival is held in the mountain resort of Park City, east of Salt Lake City, which sees its population rise from 7,500 to 45,000 during the festival.	entertainment
"""Everybody knows how much I enjoy competing in Britain. I always seem to break records there,"" said Isinbayeva. ""As Olympic champion there will be more attention on me this year, but hopefully I can respond with another record in Birmingham."" Kelly Holmes and Carolina Kluft are among other Athens winners competing. The organisers are hoping that Isinbayeva's main rival, fellow Russian Svetlana Feofanova, will also take part in the event. The pair had a thrilling battle in Athens which ended with Isinbayeva finally jumping a world record of 4.91m to claim the gold medal. Isinbayeva, 22, has set 10 world records in the pole vault, three of which have come on British soil."	sport
"The England international, 24, was hurt in an innocuous challenge with Alan Shearer during the Londoners' FA Cup defeat at Newcastle on Sunday. ""We think it's a big injury,"" said Jose Mourinho, whose Chelsea team this week meet Barcelona in the Champions League and Liverpool in the Carling Cup final. William Gallas and Damien Duff could also miss the Barcelona game. France defender Gallas and Ireland winger Duff both picked up their injuries in the closing stages of Chelsea's 1-0 defeat at St James' Park. With Bridge having gone off after Mourinho used all three substitutes, those knocks plus Carlo Cudicini's red card meant Chelsea finished the game with seven able-bodied players. Cudicini would not have played against Barcelona, but had been promised a game in the Carling Cup final, although he will now miss the Cardiff showpiece through suspension. The manager is not planning to add any new names to his squad ahead of the trip to Barcelona, even though he has few options to replace Bridge at left-back. Celestine Babayaro left the club in January, ironically to join Newcastle, and although Gallas has deputised at left-back before, he is struggling to be fit himself. It could be that Paulo Ferreira, usually a right-back, is switched to left-back with Glen Johnson, who ended the Newcastle game in goal, playing on the right. Youngsters Ben Hudell, Joe Keenan and Sam Tillen would be options should Mourinho decide to call up a replacement, but it is unlikely he would risk an untried prospect in a Champions League tie. Bridge's injury also means Mourinho, who reportedly wants to sign Ashley Cole from Arsenal, will not have a specialist, senior left-back for the run-in to the season. ""He (Bridge) has no chance of playing against Barcelona, probably will not play against Liverpool (in the Carling Cup final) and maybe not for the rest of the season,"" he said. ""The medical department will try to do everything to recover Gallas and Duff. We will have to wait and see, but I won't cry about injuries because we will have 11 players to play on Tuesday."" Shearer said he was unsure what caused Bridge's injury. ""I don't know what happened."" he said. ""It was just a shame. I don't think we even touched each other. ""By all accounts it's pretty serious. I went into the dressing-room after the game and wished him all the best."" Mourinho, whose team are chasing three trophies, has already lost winger Arjen Robben to a serious injury."	sport
"""You don't do deals over jobs like this,"" the prime minister told BBC One's Breakfast with Frost programme. According to a new book, Brown's Britain, Mr Blair went back on a pledge to make way for Mr Brown after Cabinet allies intervened in June 2004. Mr Blair said the claims were ""reheated from six months ago"" and that he was concentrating on running the country. Mr Blair said: ""I've dealt with this six months ago. I said then you don't do deals over jobs like this - you don't. ""What both of us are actually concentrating on are the issues that concern the country."" The book, by Sunday Telegraph journalist Robert Peston and serialised in the newspaper, said the pair had ""mutual animosity and contempt"" for each other. It claims Tony Blair felt by November 2003 he had lost voters' trust because of the Iraq war and that he was no longer an asset to the Labour Party. And that at a dinner hosted by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott he told Mr Brown of his intention to stand down. According to Mr Peston the prime minister said: ""Help me to get through the year and I will then stand down."" But he then changed his mind in June 2004, following intervention from allies in the Cabinet and the suspicion that the chancellor was deliberately manoeuvring against him, according to the book. Mr Peston told BBC News: ""My understanding is that they are not nearly as close or as friendly as they once were. ""What the book says is there is now a pretty profound mutual mistrust, mutual animosity. ""I think in public you see this double-act pretending everything is alright, but in private I don't think the relationship is good because Brown, understandably, feels deeply betrayed - particularly over this issue of the leadership."" But, in a wide-ranging BBC interview covering issues such as the Asian tsunami disaster, the Middle East peace process and Northern Ireland, Mr Blair said: ""When you get to the top in politics you get this huge swell around you. ""All sorts of people make all sorts of claims and counter-claims."" He admitted to a ""sense of frustration"" about the allegations which he said had been made ""countless times"". There has been fresh speculation of a rift recently, following their separate responses to the Asian tsunami. These rumours were fuelled by Mr Blair's decision to hold his monthly media conference at the same time as a long-planned speech by Mr Brown on UK plans to tackle global poverty with a new ""Marshall Plan"" for Africa. There was speculation the pair were trying to outdo each other's response to the disaster. But the prime minister said he had discussed these claims with the chancellor and dismissed them as a ""load of nonsense"". Former welfare minister Frank Field MP said the prime minister should sack Mr Brown, but did not believe Mr Blair was strong enough to do so. Tory leader Michael Howard accused the prime minister and Mr Brown of ""squabbling like schoolboys"". He told Sky News' Sunday with Adam Boulton: ""This is the politics of the playground and Britain really does deserve better."" The Liberal Democrat parliamentary chairman Matthew Taylor said the personal ambition of Mr Blair and Mr Brown was ""getting in the way of good government"". ""Either they need to grow up and put their squabbles to one side or they cannot expect the electorate to support a divided government at the next election."" During the interview Mr Blair also said the former home secretary David Blunkett would play a ""big role"" at the general election."	politics
"Jagran publishes India's top-selling daily newspaper, the Hindi-language Dainik Jagran, which has been in circulation for 62 years. News of the deal came as the group announced that its results would meet market forecasts. The company reported strong revenue growth across all its major markets. Group advertising revenues were up over 10% year-on-year, the group said, with overall circulation revenues are expected to increase almost 10% year-on-year. This was helped by the positive impact of ""compact"" newspaper editions in Ireland and the UK, it said. ""2004 has proven to be an important year for Independent News & Media,"" said chief executive Sir Anthony O'Reilly. ""Our simple aim at Independent is to be the low cost producer in every region in which we operate. I am confident that we will show a meaningful increase in earnings for 2005."" Meanwhile, the group made no comment about the future of the Independent newspaper despite recent speculation that Sir Anthony had held talks with potential buyers over a stake in the daily publication. He has consistently denied suggestions that the Independent and the Independent on Sunday are up for sale. Buy it is understood that the recent success of the smaller edition of the Independent, which has pushed circulation up by 20% to 260,000, has prompted interest from industry rivals, with Daily Mail & General Trust tipped as the most likely suitor. The loss-making newspaper is not expected to reach break-even until 2006."	business
"Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran said that there is a need to fund the fast-growing mobile market. The government hopes to increase the number of mobile users from 95 million to between 200 and 250 million by 2007. ""We need at least $20bn (£10.6bn) in investment and part of this has to come as foreign direct investment,"" said Mr Maran. The decision to raise the limit for foreign investors faced considerable opposition from the communist parties, which give crucial support to the coalition headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Potential foreign investors will however need government approval before they increase their stake beyond 49%, Mr Maran said. Key positions, such as those of chief executive, chief technology officer and chief financial officer are to be held by Indians, he added. Analysts and investors have welcomed the government decision. ""It is a positive development for carriers and the investment community, looking to take a longer-term view of the huge growth in the Indian telecoms market,"" said Gartner's principal analyst Kobita Desai. ""The FDI relaxation coupled with rapid local market growth could really ignite interest in the Indian telecommunication industry,"" added Ernst and Young's Sanjay Mehta. Investment bank Morgan Stanley has forecast that India's mobile market is likely to grow by about 40% a year until 2007. The Indian mobile market is currently dominated by four companies, Bharti Televentures which has allied itself with Singapore Telecom, Essar which is linked with Hong Kong-based Hutchison Whampoa, the Sterling group and the Tata group."	business
"Twenty-seven British films were made in the UK last year following a drop in funding, compared with 45 in 2003, according to the trade weekly. It attributed the drop to tighter tax laws and reduced funding from sources such as the National Lottery. UK and US co-productions in Britain fell from 102 in 2003 to 81 last year. Last year the government closed tax loopholes that many film investors had taken advantage of to fund films in the UK. Several projects were shelved as they faced the implications of this clampdown, coupled with the reduction in movie funding from traditional sources including the lottery and Miramax Films. Shooting on period drama Tulip Fever, which was to star Jude Law and Keira Knightley, was postponed indefinitely while shooting of The Libertine starring Johnny Depp was moved to the Isle of Man. ""There isn't anything coming in to replace (the funds),"" said The Libertine's executive producer Marc Samuelson. ""We are in a hiatus."" Films with ""medium"" budgets of up to £9m, a similar level to box office hits Vera Drake, Calendar Girls and Enduring Love, are expected to be worst hit by the tax clampdown. The strength of the pound against the dollar is expected to have resulted in a fall in the number of US films shot in the UK during 2004, Screen International added. Big budget co-productions, such as the Harry Potter series, continued to be shot in the UK, however. The UK Film Council said the drop was partly due to 2003 being an especially good year for British film production, when Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Wimbledon and Thunderbirds were all filmed in the UK. ""The drop was expected as there was no way 2003's record level of production could be bettered,"" the council's spokesperson said. ""The reduction in indigenous film production in 2004 was due to a variety of factors, including the continuing long-term trend towards co-production of films in more than one country and changes to financing arrangements."" It was ""too early"" to predict whether the downward trend in UK production would continue throughout 2005, the UK Film Council said. In September the government introduced subsidies worth up to £4m per film for medium budget films, under new Treasury measures. It is also due to announce a replacement for UK film tax relief scheme Section 48 in July."	entertainment
"Anders Igels, chief executive of Nordic operator Teliasonera, tipped it as the next big thing in mobile in a speech at the 3GSM World Congress, a mobile trade fair, in Cannes this week. Nokia, the Finnish handset maker, is planning a party in Singapore this spring to launch its TV to mobile activities in the region. Consultancy Strategy Analytics of Boston estimates that mobile broadcast networks will have acquired around 51 million users worldwide by 2009, producing around $6.6bn (£3.5bn) in revenue. SK Telecom of South Korea, which is launching a TV to mobile service (via satellite) in May plans to charge a flat fee of $12 a month for its 12 channels of video and 12 channels of audio. It will be able to offer an additional two pay TV channels using conditional access technology. Mr Shin-Bae Kim, chief executive of SK Telecom, also at 3GSM, said: ""We have plans to integrate TV with mobile internet services. ""This will enable viewers to access the mobile internet to get more information on adverts they see on TV."" There will be 12 handsets available for the launch of the Korean service. LG Electronics of South Korea was demonstrating one at 3GSM that could display video at 30 frames a second. Footage shown on the handset was clear and watchable. A speech on mobile TV by Angel Gambino of the BBC also drew a large crowd, suggesting that even those mobile operators and equipment vendors which are not particularly active in mobile TV yet are starting to look into it. But all is not simple and straightforward in the mobile TV arena. There is a battle for supremacy between two competing standards: DVB-H for Digital Video Broadcasting for Handsets and DMB for Digital Multimedia Broadcasting. Dr Chan Yeob Yeun, vice president and research fellow in charge of mobile TV at LG Electronics, said: ""DMB offers twice the number of frames a minute as DVB-H and does not drain mobile batteries as quickly."" The Japanese, Koreans and Ericsson of Sweden are backing DMB. Samsung of South Korea has a DMB phone too that will be one of those offered to users of the TU Media satellite mobile TV service to be launched in Korea in May. Nokia, by contrast, is backing DVB-H, and is involved in mobile TV trials that use its art-deco style media phone, which has a larger than usual screen for TV or visual radio (a way of accompanying a radio programme with related text and pictures). Mobile operators O2 and Vodafone are among the operators trialling mobile TV. But even if the standards battle is resolved, there is the thorny issue of broadcasting rights. Ms Gambino says the BBC now negotiates mobile rights when it is negotiating content. For those not convinced mobile users will want to watch TV on their handsets, Digital Audio Broadcasting may provide a good compromise and better sound quality than conventional radio. Developments in this area are continuing. At a DAB conference in Cannes, several makers of DAB chips for mobiles announced smaller, lower- cost chips which consume less power. Among the chip companies present were Frontier Silicon and Radioscape. The jury is still out on whether TV and digital radio on mobiles will make much money for anyone. But with many new services going live soon, it won't be long before the industry finds out."	tech
"Following the takeover of anti-spyware firm Giant, Microsoft said it would soon release a toolkit that strips machines of the irritating programs. Although initially free, Microsoft has not ruled out charging people who want to keep this toolkit up to date. Surveys show that almost every Windows PC is infested with spyware programs that do everything from bombard users with adverts to steal login data. Microsoft said that a beta version of the toolkit to clean up Windows machines should be available within 30 days. Designed for PCs running Windows 2000 and XP, the utility will clean out spyware programs, constantly monitor what happens on a PC and will be regularly updated to catch the latest variants. Before now many of Microsoft's other security boosting programs, such as the firewall in Windows XP, have been given away free. But Mike Nash, vice president in Microsoft's security business unit, said it was still working out pricing and licensing issues. Charging for future versions has not been discounted, he said. ""We'll come up with a plan and roll that out,"" he said. The plan could turn out to be a lucrative one for Microsoft. A recent survey by Earthlink and Webroot found that 90% of PCs are infested with the surreptitious software and that, on average, each one is harbouring 28 separate spyware programs. Currently users wanting protection from spyware have turned to free programs such as Spybot and Ad-Aware. Spyware comes in many forms and at its most benign exploits lazy browsing habits to install itself and subject users to unwanted adverts. Other forms hijack net browser settings to force people to view pages they would otherwise never visit. At its most malign, spyware watches everything that people do with their PC and steals login information and other personal data. Microsoft's announcement about spyware comes after it bought small New York software firm Giant Company Software. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed."	tech
"Tobacco stocks rose sharply on Wall Street after the 2-1 decision. The court in Washington found the case - filed by the Clinton administration in 1999 - could not be brought under federal anti-racketeering laws. Anti-smoking groups urge the government to fight on, but the Justice Department has not said if it will appeal. Among the accused were Altria Group, RJ Reynolds Tobacco, Lorillard Tobacco, Liggett Group and Brown and Williamson. They were delighted by the decision, which sent Reynolds shares up 4.5% and Altria shares up 5.11%. Charles A Blixt, executive vice-president of RJ Reynolds Tobacco, said the ruling ""dramatically transforms"" the government's lawsuit. Altria Group said, in a statement, the government now ""must not only prove that the companies have engaged in fraudulent behaviour in the past, but that they are likely to do so in the future."" The government had claimed tobacco firms  - manipulated nicotine levels to increase addiction   - targeted teenagers with multi-billion dollar advertising campaigns   - lied about the dangers of smoking and ignored research to the contrary.    Prosecutors wanted the cigarette firms to ""disgorge"" $280bn in profits accumulated over the past 50 years and impose tougher rules on marketing their products. They brought the case under racketeering laws, which were passed to deny mafia gangs the profits of their crimes. But the tobacco companies denied that they illegally conspired to promote smoking and defraud the public. They also said they had already met many of the government's demands in a landmark $206bn settlement reached with 46 states in 1998. The three-judge panel in the District of Columbia's Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the US government could not sue the firms under the anti-racketeering laws. Judge David Sentelle, in his ruling, said such laws were aimed at putting an end to illegal conduct going forward. ""We hold that the language of (the law) and the comprehensive remedial scheme of (the law) preclude disgorgement as a possible remedy in this case,"" he wrote. The Justice Department refused to say if it would appeal. ""All we're saying today is that we have received the ruling and are reviewing it,"" a spokeswoman said on Friday. But William Corr of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids urged the government to continue pressing its case. ""Today's ruling should not be an excuse for this administration to seek a weak settlement that lets the tobacco industry off the hook,"" he said."	business
"Vincent Cable says one in eight households already struggle with debt and that will worsen if there is a hike in interest rates or unemployment. The Lib Dems' Treasury spokesman is unveiling a policy aimed at the issue. He wants to see ""proper health checks"" when loans are marketed so people know to take out payment protection. ""Were economic conditions to deteriorate at all, large numbers of people could be affected because they have borrowed to the limit,"" Mr Cable told BBC News. ""Banks are very aggressively promoting debt in many cases there is a bigger problem ahead."" Mr Cable said the government's Consumer Credit Bill would target some of the ""extreme problems"" such as loan sharking, but ministers had been ""a bit complacent"" about the wider issue of debt levels. He said much of the payment protection currently available was ""extremely expensive"" and there were ""lots of exclusions"". Mr Cable added that the Office of Fair Trading should investigate the market. Lib Dem leader Charles Kennedy meanwhile is in the middle of a tour of the UK aimed at persuading voters his is the ""real opposition"". Mr Kennedy is visiting a mixture of rural seats, where his party is hoping to make gains from the Conservatives, and urban areas traditionally associated with Labour. Labour say a Lib Dem vote could ""let the Tories in"", while the Tories say the Lib Dems would mean ""higher taxes, soft crime laws, more power to Europe"". Mr Kennedy's tour comes as he, Labour leader Tony Blair and Conservative leader Michael Howard all step up campaigning ahead of the next General Election, widely expected to be held on 5 May. The Liberal Democrats say in the northern cities, the race is between them and Labour, while in southern seats - particularly the south west - it is between them and the Tories. Speaking to the BBC's Westminster Hour on Sunday, Mr Kennedy said the upcoming general election - widely tipped for 5 May - would be much more unpredictable than any others in ""recent experience"". And he brushed off Labour suggestions a vote for his party would mean letting the Tories in ""by the back door"". ""If you look at the four previous parliamentary by-elections, the Liberal Democrats have demonstrated that, not only can we leapfrog the Conservatives where we start in a third place position, but we can go on to defeat the government. ""That's going to be the story, I think, of this coming general election."""	politics
"Kamal Nath, Commerce and Industry Minister, announced the decision in Delhi on Thursday following a cabinet meeting. Analysts say improving India's infrastructure will boost foreign investment in other sectors too. The Indian government's decision has spread good cheer in the construction sector, according to some Indian firms. A spokesman for DLF Builders, Dr Vancheshwar, told the BBC this will mean ""better offerings"" for consumers as well as builders. He said the firm will benefit from world class ""strategic partnerships, design expertise and technology, while consumers will have better choice."" The government proposal states that foreign investment of up to 100% will be allowed on the 'automatic route' in the construction sector, on projects including housing, hotels, resorts, hospitals and educational establishments. The automatic route means that construction companies need only get one set of official approvals and do not need to gain clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board, which can be bureaucratic. The government hopes its new policy will create employment for construction workers, and benefit steel and brick-making industries. Mr Nath also announced plans to allow foreign investors to develop a smaller area of any land they acquired. ""Foreign investors can enter any construction development area, be it to build resorts, townships or commercial premises but they will have to construct at least 50,000 square meters (538,000 square feet) within a specific timeframe,"" said Mr Nath, without specifying the timeframe. Previously foreign investors had to develop a much larger area, discouraging some from entering the Indian market. This measure is designed to discourage foreign investors from buying and selling land speculatively, without developing it. Anshuman Magazine, managing director, of CB Richard Ellis - an international real estate company - told the BBC this was ""a big positive step."" However, Chittabrata Majumdar, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said allowing FDI in the country is compromising India's own ""self reliance"". He said, ""No country can develop on the basis of foreign investment alone."" Mr Majumdar also said an assessment should be made as to whether foreign investment is indeed beneficial to the country - in terms of employment and money generated - or just another way of international companies filling their deep pockets."	business
"Many extortionists are targeting net-based betting firms and threatening to cripple their websites with deluges of data unless a ransom is paid. But now deep defences are being put in place by some of the UK's biggest net firms to stop these attacks. Increasing numbers of attacks and the huge amounts of data being used to try to bump a site off the web are prompting firms to adopt the measures. ""Net firms are realising that it's not just about anti-virus and firewalls,"" said Paul King, chief security architect at Cisco. ""There are more things that can be done in the network to protect data centres."" Mr King said the only way to properly combat these so-called Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks was with intelligent net-based systems. Many of the gambling sites suffering DDoS attacks are in offshore data and hosting centres, so any large scale data flood could knock out access to many more sites than just the one the criminals were targeting, said Mr King. This overspill effect was only likely to grow as attacks grow in size and scale. Malcolm Seagrave, security expert at Energis, said the most common types of attacks hit sites with 10 megabytes of data over short periods of time. Bigger attacks sending down 200 megabytes of traffic or more were rarely seen, he said. ""It does feel like they are turning the dial because you see this traffic gradually growing,"" he said. So far there have been no attacks involving gigabytes of data, said Mr Seagrave. However, he added that it was only a matter of time before such large attacks were mounted. Maria Capella, spokeswoman for net provider Pipex, said that when DDoS attacks were at their height, customers were getting hit every four to five days. The defences being put in place constantly monitor the streams of data flowing across networks and pluck out the traffic destined for target sites. ""It's about understanding what's genuine traffic and keeping attack traffic from going to the site,"" she said. ""We study the profile of their traffic and as soon as we see an anomaly in the profile that's when we start to get the backbone engineering boys to see if we are going to sustain an attack,"" said Ms Capella. This traffic can be hard to spot because DDoS attacks typically use thousands of computers in many different countries, each participating machine only sends a small part of the entire data flood. Typically these computers have been infected by a virus or worm which reports its success and the net address of compromised machines back to the malicious hacker or hi-tech criminal that set off the virus. Hijacked computers are known as zombies or 'bots and collections of them are called 'bot nets. Many spammers rent out 'bot nets to help them anonymously send junk mail. Most of the zombies are based outside the country that hosts the target site so getting the attacking PCs shut off can be difficult. Often Pipex and other net suppliers do get advance notice that an attack is about to happen. ""The serious players tend to precede an attack with some kind of ransom e-mail,"" said Ms Capella. ""We ask, as part of the service we provide, that customers notify us of anything they have in advance that would give us forewarning."" Once an attack is spotted dedicated net hardware takes over to remove the attack traffic and ensure that sites stay up. Energis took a similar approach, said Mr Seagrave. ""We have technology out there that allows us to detect attacks in minutes rather than let network engineers spend hours pulling the information together,"" said Mr Seagrave. Also net firms were starting to work more closely together on the problem of DDoS attacks and pool information about where they are coming from. Information gathered on attacks and where they originated has led to some arrests. He said Energis also did its own intelligence work to get in insight into which sites criminal gangs plan to target. ""We have people in places where they shouldn't be, monitoring tech sites,"" he said. Sometimes though, he said, spotting the next victim was easy. ""You can see them going alphabetically through the list with the gambling sites, trying one after another,"" said Mr Seagrave."	tech
Comedy sequel Meet the Fockers, in which he stars with Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand, shot to the top of the UK chart at the weekend. It took £7.2m in three days - eight times more than the number two, Closer. Assault on Precinct 13 was in third. At the same time, US audiences were won over by his new thriller Hide and Seek. In Meet the Fockers, he picks up the role of an uptight father and ex-CIA agent from 2000 hit comedy, Meet the Parents. It is a big leap to his role in Hide and Seek, a supernatural horror in which he plays a widower whose daughter's imaginary friend turns nasty. In the UK box office chart, Meet the Fockers pushed Closer off the top spot while police action movie Assault On Precinct 13, starring rapper Ja Rule, made £750,000 in its first weekend. London Underground thriller Creep was another new entry at six while quirky comedy Sideways, which got five Oscar nominations last week, entered in eighth place. The Oscar nominations do not seem to have had an impact on fans' choices at cinemas. Leading contenders The Aviator, Million Dollar Baby and Ray all suffered substantial drops in takings compared with the previous weekend.	entertainment
"If you think of Snake when some mentions ""mobile games"" then you could be in for a bit of a surprise. This is because mobile games have come a long way in a very short time. Even before Nokia's N-Gage game phone launched in late 2003, many mobile operators were realising that there was an audience looking for something to play on their handset. And given that many more people own handsets than own portable game playing gadgets such as the GameBoy it could be a very lucrative market. That audience includes commuters wanting something to fill their time on the way home, game fans looking for a bit of variety and hard core gamers who like to play every moment they can. Life for all these types of player has got immeasurably better in the last year as the numbers of titles you can download to your phone has snowballed. Now sites such as Wireless Gaming Review list more than 200 different titles for some UK networks and the ranges suit every possible taste. There are ports of PC and arcade classics such as Space Invaders, Lunar Lander and Bejewelled. There are also versions of titles, such as Colin McRae Rally, that you typically find on PCs and consoles. There are shoot-em-ups, adventure games, strategy titles and many novel games only found on handsets. Rarely now does an action movie launch without a mobile game tie-in. Increasingly such launches are all part of the promotional campaign for a film, understandable when you realise that a good game can rack up millions of downloads. The returns can be pretty good when you consider that some games cost £5. What has also helped games on mobiles thrive is the fact that it is easier than ever to get hold of them thanks to technology known as Wap push. By sending a text message to a game maker you can have the title downloaded to your handset. Far better than having to navigate through the menus of most mobile operator portals. The number of handsets that can play games has grown hugely too. Almost half of all phones now have Java onboard meaning that they can play the increasingly sophisticated games that are available - even the ones that use 3D graphics. The minimum technology specifications that phones should adhere to are getting more sophisticated which means that games are too. Now double key presses are possible making familiar tactics such as moving and strafing a real option. The processing power on handsets means that physics on mobile games is getting more convincing and the graphics are improving too. Some game makers are also starting to take advantage of the extra capabilities in a mobile. Many titles, particularly racing games, let you upload your best time to see how you compare to others. Usually you can get hold of their best time and race against a ""ghost"" or ""shadow"" to see if you can beat them. A few games also let you take on people in real time via the network or, if you are sitting close to them, via Bluetooth short-range radio technology. With so much going on it is hard to do justice to the sheer diversity of what is happening. But these two features should help point you in the direction of the game makers and give you an idea of where to look and how to get playing.  TOO FAST TOO FURIOUS (DIGITAL BRIDGES)  As soon as I start playing this I remember why I never play driving games - because I'm rubbish at them. No matter if I drive the car via joystick or keypad I just cannot get the hang of braking for corners or timing a rush to pass other drivers. The game rewards replay because to advance you have to complete every section within a time limit. Winning gives you cash for upgrades. Graphically the rolling road is a convincing enough evocation of speed as the palm trees and cactus whip by and the city scrolls past in the background. The cars handle pretty well despite my uselessness but it was not clear if the different models of cars were appreciably different on the track. The only niggle was that the interface was a bit confusing especially when using a joystick rather than the keypad to play.  FATAL FORCE (MACROSPACE)  A futuristic shooter that lets you either play various deathmatch modes against your phone or run through a series of scenarios that involves killing aliens invading Earth. Graphics are a bit cartoon-like but only helps to make clear what is going on and levels are well laid out and encourage you to leap about exploring. Both background music and sounds effects work well. The scenarios are well scripted and you regularly get hints from the Fatal Force commanders. Weapons include flamethrowers, rocket launchers, grenades and at a couple of points you even get chance to use a mech for a short while. With the right power-up you can go into a Matrix-style bullet time to cope with the onslaught of aliens. The game lets you play via Bluetooth if others are in range. Online the game has quite a following with clans, player rankings and even new downloadable maps."	tech
"Net income for 2004 was $3.5bn (£1.87bn) - up nearly $3bn from 2003 - while turnover rose $7.2bn to $170.8bn. In the fourth quarter alone Ford reported net income of $104m, compared with a loss of $793m a year ago. But its auto unit made a loss. Fourth quarter turnover was $44.7bn, compared to $45.9bn a year ago. Though car and truck loan profits saved the day, Ford's auto unit made a pre-tax loss of $470m in the fourth quarter (compared to a profit of £13m in the year-ago period) and its US sales dipped 3.8%. Yesterday General Motor's results also showed its finance unit was a strong contributor to profits. However, Ford is working hard to revitalise its product portfolio, unveiling the Fusion and Zephyr models at the International Motor Show in Detroit. It also brought out a number of new models in the second half of 2004. ""In 2004, our company gained momentum, delivering...more new products, and more innovative breakthroughs, such as the Escape Hybrid, the industry's first full-hybrid sport utility vehicle,"" said chairman and chief executive officer Bill Ford."" ""We also confronted operating challenges with our Jaguar brand and high industry marketing costs,"" he added. But Ford declined to provide guidance for first quarter 2005. It will do so at a presentation in New York on 26 January. In addition, the company said 2004 net income was affected by a fourth-quarter pre-tax charge taken to reduce the value of a receivable owed to Ford by Visteon, a former subsidiary. Recent new models introduced by Ford include the Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans, the Ford Freestyle crossover, the Ford Mustang, the Land Rover LR3/Discovery, and Volvo S40 and V50 in North America and Europe. Total company vehicle unit sales in 2004 were 6,798,000, an increase of 62,000 units from 2003. Fourth-quarter vehicle unit sales totalled 1,751,000, a decline of 133,000 units. For the full year, Ford's worldwide automotive division earned a pre-tax profit of $850m, a $697m improvement from $153m a year ago."	business
"Mr Murray is already Sunderland's leading shareholder, holding a 37.6% stake, and now hopes to take full control of the Championship side. Mr Murray said the club would find it easier to attract more investment by having a single majority owner. Sunderland delisted its shares from the stock market in August. A lifetime Sunderland supporter and board director since 1984, Mr Murray agreed to buy BSkyB's 4.76% holding in the Wearside club on Tuesday - taking his stake to 42.3%. Under stock market rules, Mr Murray is required to make an offer for the remaining shares that he does not already own at the same price paid for the BSkyB holding of 31p a share. Should the offer be fully accepted, Mr Murray said he expected to pay a maximum of £1.53m for the remaining shares. He also stressed that fans who wanted to keep in touch with the club's financial affairs could retain a small number of shares, enabling them to attend annual meetings. ""The football sector is experiencing significant changes and uncertainty,"" Mr Murray said in a statement. ""The recent speculation surrounding Malcolm Glazer and Manchester United has shown the unsettling effect possible where there are a number of disparate interests,"" he added. ""I believe that this offer will strengthen the company and remove the potential for that type of uncertainty."" Sunderland were relegated from the Premiership in 2003 but are currently pushing for promotion. The club managed to reduce its losses last year from £20.6m to £1.2m after selling a host of leading players. However, the club's turnover dropped sharply from £42.5m to £28.5m over the same period, because of a fall in broadcast revenues. BSkyB bought its stake in Sunderland in 1999 as part of a five year media partnership deal. The deal expired last month."	business
"It said data from employment tribunals suggested 1,500 ""safety whistleblowers"" had lost their jobs since 1999. Some firms found it cheaper to sack a worker than to improve buildings or change working conditions, it said. The Health and Safety Executive said it was trying to get workers more involved in helping to make workplaces safer. The TUC figures were drawn from unfair dismissal cases at tribunals were health and safety were the main issue. Safety representatives were often ignored when raising concerns because there was no legal duty to respond, claimed the union organisation. General secretary Brendan Barber said: ""It shouldn't be a firing offence to object to unsafe work. ""Workers should not be placed in the situation where they are forced to choose between risking their job or risking their personal health and safety."" Mr Barber, who said the ""problem is far worse than official statistics show"", called for a legal system that ""protects safety whistleblowers"". He added that workers who are not in a union, as well as casual and migrant workers, ""stand little chance of redress."" Rory O' Neill, editor of union-backed Hazards magazine, which conducted the research, said: ""Giving union safety reps more rights in more workplaces is the ultimate win-win. ""Death and injuries at work increased last year, for the second time since the turn of the century. ""It would be a fatal mistake not to take full advantage of the union safety effect."" The TUC has called on the government to appoint ""roving"" safety reps and to increase spending on health and safety work inspections. The Health and Safety Executive had said that it had launched an initiative to make factories and offices safer, with more worker involvement."	politics
"The 24-year-old Reds skipper spoke out ahead of Tuesday's first leg at home to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, which he will miss through suspension. ""Let's be realistic, there are some fantastic teams left in the Champions League,"" he told BBC Radio Five Live. ""We are just going to try to stay in as long as possible but we realise that maybe it is not our year this year."" Gerrard has made no secret of his desire to be involved in Europe's premier club competition. Last season he described qualification for the Champions League as the ""be all and end all"" - and rumours persist that he will leave Anfield if the Reds fail to secure a place in the competition. He has consistently been linked with a move away from Liverpool, with Chelsea the favourites to snap up the England midfielder. And Blues boss Jose Mourinho backed Gerrard's view that Rafael Benitez's team could struggle to progress this season. ""Rafa has still time in front of him to build an even better team, maybe he's a little bit behind (right now),"" he told BBC Radio Five Live. Gerrard, who fired Liverpool into the last 16 of this season's competition with a brilliant goal in December's win over Olympiakos, insisted he was still fully focused on helping Liverpool to glory this season. The Reds are currently fifth in the Premiership table, five points off the crucial fourth spot, which brings Champions League qualification - and they face Chelsea in Sunday's Carling Cup final. ""It's big couple of months for Liverpool,"" he added. ""We're fighting for the fourth spot for the Champions League for next season but we are still involved in two cup competitions, which are very important. ""We are confident we can upset Chelsea in the Carling Cup final and get to the last eight of the Champions League because, financially, it is big for the club and, personally for myself, it is very good."""	sport
"Frank Capra's 1946 movie starring James Stewart, is being turned into a £7m musical by producer Jon Thoday. He is working with Steve Brown, who wrote the award-winning musical Spend Spend Spend. A spokeswoman said the plans were in the ""very early stages"", with no cast, opening date or theatre announced. A series of workshops have been held in London, and on Wednesday a cast of singers unveiled the musical to a select group of potential investors. Mr Thoday said the idea of turning the film into a musical had been an ambition of his for almost 20 years. It's a Wonderful Life was based on a short story, The Greatest Gift, by Philip van Doren Stern. Mr Thoday managed to buy the rights to the story from Van Doren Stern's family in 1999, following Mr Brown's success with Spend Spend Spend. He later secured the film rights from Paramount, enabling them to use the title It's A Wonderful Life."	entertainment
"The value of the deal has not been revealed, because of a confidentiality clause in the agreement. But Air Deccan's managing director Gorur Gopinath has said the price agreed was less than the catalogue price of $17.6m (£9.49m) per plane. Recently, India's first low-cost airline ordered 30 Airbus A320 planes for $1.8bn. Under the agreement, Air Deccan will buy 15 new ATR 72-500 and lease another 15. ATR will also provide six second hand airplanes. In a statement, ATR has said deliveries of the aircraft will begin in 2005 and will continue over a five-year period. Mr Gopinath said the planes will connect regional Indian cities. ""After an evaluation of both ATR and Bombardier aircraft, we have chosen the ATR aircraft as we find it most suitable for our operations and for the Indian market for short haul routes."" Filippo Bagnato, ATR's chief executive, has said that his firm will also work with Air Deccan to create a training centre in Bangalore. The potential of the Indian budget market has attracted attention from businesses at home and abroad. Air Deccan has said it will base its business model on European firms such as Ireland's Ryanair. Beer magnate Vijay Mallya recently set up Kingfisher Airlines, while UK entrepreneur Richard Branson has said he is keen to start a local operation. India's government has given its backing to cheaper and more accessible air travel."	business
"According to a survey conducted by security firm Mirapoint and market research company the Radicati Group, nearly a third of e-mail users have clicked on links in spam messages. One in ten users have bought products advertised in junk mail. Clicking on a link in a spam message can expose people to viruses and alert spammers to live e-mail accounts. The fact that one in ten e-mail users are buying things advertised in spam continues to make it an attractive business, especially given that sending out huge amounts of spam costs very little, the report concludes. ""This preliminary data is surprising and somewhat shocking to us,"" said Marcel Nienhuis, market analyst at the Radicati Group. ""It explains why e-mail security threats including spam, viruses and phishing scams continue to proliferate,"" he said, accusing users of ""bad e-mail behaviour"". Spammers are increasingly hooking into whatever happens to be flavour of the month, according to security firm Clearswift. It has recently seen a rise in the number of spam messages offering phoney Sony PSP giveaways. And, in perhaps a nod to the popularity of the American drama series Desperate Housewives, it has also seen a dramatic rise in junk mails purporting to give details of women looking for casual sex. But rather than finding a companion, users who click on such mail will find themselves redirected to porn sites, where they run the risk of downloading spyware on to their PC. Clearswift has seen a 180% rise in sex-related spam over the course of the last month. ""Without casting aspersions, those likely to respond to these kind of adverts will be invariably hoping that 'one thing leads to another' but aside from the fact that these mails are bogus, clicking on any link within a spam mail can lead to a whole host of unwanted problems,"" said Alyn Hockey, Clearswift's director of research. Sexually explicit terms make up 14% of security firm Sophos' top 50 word that spammers most commonly try to disguise in order to beat anti-spam filters. Spammers will deliberately misspell a word or use digits instead of letters in an attempt to by-pass anti-spam software, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for security firm Sophos. ""The list of words most commonly hidden by the spammers from anti-spam software reveals that most spam is about the old favourites: money, drugs and sex,"" said Mr Cluley. But anti-spam filters can only be part of the solution to the menace of junk e-mail. ""People must resist their basic instincts to buy from spam mails. Spammers are criminals, plain and simple. If no-one responded to junk e-mail and didn't buy products sold in this way, then spam would be as extinct as the dinosaurs,"" he said."	tech
"""Info cards"" will help people manage personal details on their PCs to make online services safer, said Microsoft. Microsoft's two previous programs, Passport and Hailstorm, aimed to protect users but were criticised. ID fraud is one of the UK's fastest-growing crimes, with criminals netting an estimated £1.3bn last year. A quarter of UK adults has either had their ID stolen, via hi-tech or other means, or knows someone who has, a recent report by Which? magazine found. Microsoft is developing a new version of Internet Explorer browser and its operating system, Windows, which has been code-named Longhorn. Michael Stephenson, director in Microsoft's Windows Server division, would not confirm however whether the new info cards ID system will be built into the current Windows XP version or Longhorn. ""We're trying to make the end-user experience as simple as possible,"" Mr Stephenson said. The system would differ from its previous attempts to make online transactions more secure, said Microsoft. While Passport and Hailstorm stored user information centrally on the net, the latest system will store data on a user's PC. ""It's going to put control of digital IDs into the hands of an end-user, the end-user will be in full control,"" said Mr Stephenson. Hailstorm was criticised by privacy campaigners for putting too much sensitive information into the hands of a single company. Passport provides a single log-in for more than one website and stores basic personal information. But its popularity suffered after security scares. Up to 200 million Passport accounts were left vulnerable to online theft and malicious hackers after a flaw in the system was exploited in 2003. Online auction site, eBay, stopped supporting it in January 2005. Although the flaw was fixed, Microsoft has come under regular criticism for the number of security loopholes in Internet Explorer. Last year, it released a major security update for Windows, Service Pack 2, to combat some of the security concerns. Longhorn is due to be released commercially in late 2006, but an updated version of Internet Explorer is due for release later this year."	tech
"The 31-year-old World Cup winning scrum-half has impressed since joining the London side from Northampton this summer on a one-year contract. Wasps coach Warren Gatland told the Daily Mirror: ""We have not yet offered Matt a new contract but we will be doing so. ""I'm very happy with his contribution and I think he's good enough to play for another couple of years."" Dawson played a vital part in England's World Cup win last year but has fallen out of favour with new coach Andy Robinson after missing a training session in September. However he hopes the new deal will help him regain his England place. ""Rugby is still my priority and there's still a burning desire within me to play the best rugby I possibly can,"" he said. ""I know within myself, if I was given the chance I could play for England again. ""I know I'm fit enough, I'm strong enough, I'm skilful enough."""	sport
"The 31-year-old was third behind Hayley Yelling and Justyna Bak in last week's European Cross Country Championships but she prefers to race on the track. ""It was great winning bronze but I'm wary of injuries and must concentrate on the indoor season,"" she said. ""Because of previous injuries I don't even run up hills in training."" Pavey, who came fifth in the 5,000m at the Athens Olympics, helped the British cross country team win the team silver medal in Heringsdorf last week. She is likely to start her 3,000m season with a race in either Boston or Stuttgart at the end of January."	sport
"The actress and singer dropped out at the last minute and has now cancelled all European promotion of the film Shall We Dance? and her new album. She said: ""I very much wanted to be in London but unfortunately I'm not well. At the advice of my doctors I'm unable to travel."" Co-star Richard Gere attended the event held in aid of the tsunami appeal. Thousands braved the cold weather to see the stars in London's Leicester Square. The red carpet boasted waltzing dancers in honour of the film's ballroom dancing theme. The film's director Peter Chelsom said he was disappointed that Lopez did not attend. ""It's a shame. I know it's true that she's not well because she has also cancelled her promotional tour. I've heard she has swollen glands."" Gere, 55, greeted the crowd and signed autographs, accompanied by his wife Carey Lowell. Other stars who turned out on the night included Honor Blackman, Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly and actress Anita Dobson. Lopez issues a statement apologising for her absence. ""I'm so proud of Shall We Dance and was looking forward to visiting London,"" she said. ""This film was a labour of love for me, and I want to thank everyone involved in bringing it to you, from the cast, to the film director, to the crew."" Lopez appeared at the Grammy awards on Sunday, singing a duet with her third husband Marc Anthony."	entertainment
"The club, which has posted record losses and racked up debts, said last week that it was in ""a life-threatening profitability and financial situation"". Creditors agreed on Friday to suspend interest payments until 2007. News of the deal had boosted shares in the club on Friday, but the stock slipped back 7% during Monday morning. In addition to the interest-payment freeze, Borussia Dortmund also will get short-term loans to help pay salaries. It estimated that it needs almost 30m euros ($39m; £21m) until the end of June if it is to pay its bills. The football club is hoping that all its creditors will agree to defer rent payments on its Westfalen stadium. Borussia officials met with almost all the banks involved in its financing on Friday and over the weekend. Three creditors have yet to agree to the deal struck last week. On 14 March, one of these creditors - property investment fund Molsiris which owns the club's stadium - holds its AGM at which it will discuss the rescue plan. Chief executive Gerd Niebaum stepped down last week and creditors have been pushing for a greater say in how the club is run. Borussia Dortmund also is facing calls to appoint executives from outside the club. The club posted a record loss of 68m euros in the 12 months through June. Adding to its woes, Borussia Dortmund was beaten 5-0 by Bayern Munich on Saturday."	business
Will Smith co-stars alongside more CGI robots than you can count and as a thrill-a-minute kind of action film, it's perfectly adequate. You'll have forgotten it all tomorrow but you'll have a fun night with the film and all the extras. There is a one-disc version that has commentaries and a Making Of but the two-disc adds more. Unusually for this kind of film, the extras don't solely concentrate on the special effects. They're covered but there's also a general Production Diary and a Post-Production feature. Remember the National Lottery's draw machines Arthur and Guinevere? They were more accurate than this glossy Hollywood version of the tale. But as long as you're not expecting a documentary, live with it: King Arthur is a fun, exciting, totally shallow experience and looks excellent. Clive Owen is the brooding king, Keira Knightly rises above her costume and Ray Winstone gives it all some grit. It's at its best in its battle scenes which are well done and are also the best part of the Making Of extra. Less flashy than a David Attenborough show and less detailed than a Simon Schama one, the BBC series British Isles nevertheless turned out to be quite engrossing. Admit it, the fact that this is one of the shows Alan Titchmarsh left Ground Force to present did mean that you expected something equally frothy. But Titchmarsh turns out to know his subject and the sight of our present-day landscape being peeled back to reveal the past was fascinating. He's now written an accompanying book, too.	entertainment
"That was one of the messages from the mobile industry at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes last week. Fast 3G networks are here but the focus has shifted to their evolution into a higher bandwidth service, says the Global Mobile Suppliers Association. At 3GSM, Siemens showed off a system that transmits faster mobile data. The German company said data could be transmitted at one gigabit a second - up to 20 times faster than current 3G networks. The system is not available commercially yet, but Motorola, the US mobile handset and infrastructure maker, held a clinic for mobile operators on HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), a high-speed, high bandwidth technology available now. Early HSDPA systems typically offer around two megabits per second (Mbps) compared with less than 384 kilobits per second (Kbps) on standard 3G networks. ""High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) - sometimes called Super 3G - will be vital for profitable services like mobile internet browsing and mobile video clips,"" according to a report published by UK-based research consultancy Analysys. A number of companies are developing the technology. Nokia and Canada-based wireless communication products company Sierra Wireless recently agreed to work together on High Speed Downlink Packet Access. The two companies aim to jointly market the HSDPA solution to global network operator customers. ""While HSDPA theoretically enables data rates up to a maximum of 14Mbps, practical throughputs will be lower than this in wide-area networks,"" said Dr Alastair Brydon, author of the Analysys report: Pushing Beyond the Limits of 3G with HSDPA and Other Enhancements. ""The typical average user rate in a real implementation is likely to be in the region of one megabit per second which, even at this lower rate, will more than double the capacity... when compared to basic WCDMA [3G],"" he added. Motorola has conducted five trials of its technology and says speeds of 2.9Mbps have been recorded at the edge of an outdoor 3G cell using a single HSDPA device. But some mobile operators are opting for a technology called Evolution, Data Optimised (EV-DO). US operator Sprint ordered a broadband data upgrade to its 3G network at the end of last year. We are ""expanding our network and deploying EV-DO technology to meet customer demand for faster wireless speeds,"" said Oliver Valente, Sprint's vice president for technology development, when the contract was announced. As part of $3bn in multi-year contracts announced late last year, Sprint will spend around $1bn on EV-DO technology from Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks and Motorola that provides average data speeds of 0.3-0.5 megabits a second, and peak download rates of 2.4Mbps. MMO2, the UK-based operator with services in the UK, Ireland and Germany, has opted for technology based on the High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) standard. Using technology from Lucent, it will offer data speeds of 3.6Mbps from next summer on its Isle of Man 3G network, and will eventually support speeds of up to 14.4Mbps. US operator Cingular Wireless is also adopting HSDPA, using technology from Lucent alongside equipment from Siemens and Ericsson. Siemens' plans for a one gigabit network may be more than a user needs today, but Christoph Caselitz, president of the mobile networks division at the firm says that: ""By the time the next generation of mobile communication debuts in 2015, the need for transmission capacities for voice, data, image and multimedia is conservatively anticipated to rise by a factor of 10."" Siemens - in collaboration with the Fraunhofer German-Sino Lab for Mobile Communications and the Institute for Applied Radio System Technology - has souped up mobile communications by using three transmitting and four receiving antennae, instead of the usual one. This enables a data transmission, such as sending a big file or video, to be broken up into different flows of data that can be sent simultaneously over one radio frequency band. The speeds offered by3G mobile seemed fast at the time mobile operators were paying huge sums for 3G licences. But today, instead of connecting to the internet by slow, dial-up phone connection, many people are used to broadband networks that offer speeds of 0.5 megabits a second - must faster than 3G. This means users are likely to find 3G disappointing unless the networks are souped up. If they aren't, those lucrative ""power users"", such as computer geeks and busy business people will avoid them for all but the most urgent tasks, reducing the potential revenues available to mobile operators. But one gigabit a second systems will not be available immediately. Siemens says that though the system works in the laboratory, it still has to assess the mobility of multiple-antennae devices and conduct field trials. A commercial system could be as far away as 2012, though Siemens did not rule out an earlier date."	tech
"The award was voted for by listeners of Virgin Radio, which compiled a top 10 which was mostly dominated by newcomers on the music scene this year. The quirky disco-rock band beat The Red Hot Chili Peppers who came second for their Hyde Park performance in June. Virgin Radio DJ Pete Mitchell said: ""This year has seen an amazing array of talent come into the mainstream."" He added: ""The Scissor Sisters are one of the most original, eccentric bands to come through and it's no surprise the British public are lapping up their performances."" Newcomers Keane came in third place for their August gig at the V Festival, followed by Maroon 5 and Snow Patrol. Music veterans The Who and David Bowie, both earned places on the list, at number eight and 10 respectively. At number seven was Oxfam's Make Fair Trade gig at London's Hammersmith Apollo in October, which featured performances by REM, Razorlight and Coldplay's Chris Martin. Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand earned a place at number nine for their home-town performance in April. The annual survey was voted for by nearly 4,000 listeners."	entertainment
Stanley Fischer, vice chairman of banking giant Citigroup, has agreed to take the Bank of Israel job subject to approval from parliament and cabinet. His nomination by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came as a surprise, and led to gains on the Tel Aviv stock market. Mr Fischer, who speaks fluent Hebrew, will have to become an Israeli citizen to take the job. The US says he will not have to give up US citizenship to do so. Previous incumbent David Klein, who often argued with the Finance Ministry, steps down on 16 January. Mr Fischer will face a delicate balancing act - both in political and economic terms - between Mr Sharon and finance minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who also backed his nomination. But his appointment has also raised hopes that it could bring in fresh investment - and perhaps even an improvement in the country's credit rating Mr Fischer first went to Israel for six months in 1973, and almost emigrated there before deciding finally to return to the US. While teaching at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology he spent a month seconded to the Bank of Israel in 1979, beginning a long-time involvement in studying Israel's economy. In 1983 Mr Fischer became adviser on Israel's economy to then-US secretary of state George Shultz. At the World Bank in 1985, he participated in drawing up an economic stabilisation package for Israel.	business
"From next month anyone will have the power to demand information from a range of public bodies - from Whitehall departments to doctors' surgeries. But an all-party committee said it was ""not confident"" many would be ready. It blamed the Department for Constitutional Affairs for a ""lack of consistent leadership"". The Act comes into effect in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, on 1 January while similar measures are being brought in at the same time in Scotland. It provides the public with a right of access to information held by about 100,000 public bodies, subject to various exemptions. But the government department responsible for implementing the change suffered from an ""unusually high turnover"" of staff within the department, which had ""seriously interfered"" with its work, said the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee. It said, despite four years of preparations, some local authorities and parts of the health sector were still not ready. The DCA had ""failed"" to provide early guidance on technical matters and shown a ""lack of consistent leadership"", the MPs found. Committee chairman Alan Beith said: ""The DCA has had four years to prepare for freedom of information, but with less than a month to go it appears that some bodies may not be well enough prepared. ""Our report shows that in the past support and guidance from the DCA, which has overall responsibility for guiding the public sector through the process of implementation for the freedom of information regime, has been lacking."" A spokesman for the DCA said: ""The DCA has provided - and will continue to provide - strong, clear leadership. ""It has delivered a simple, liberal fees regime, guidance on the Act which has been widely praised, and expert networks of staff working on freedom of information implementation."""	politics
"The veteran games developer has taken over the Cambridge-based Just Add Monsters studios and the London subsidiary Morpheme. The Argonaut group went into administration due to a severe cash crisis, firing about half of its staff. In August it had warned of annual losses of £6m for the year to 31 July. Jez San is one of the key figures in the UK's games industry. The developer, who received an OBE in 2002, was estimated to have been worth more than £200m at the peak of the dotcom boom. He founded Argonaut in 1982 and has been behind titles such as 1993 Starfox game. More recently it was behind the Harry Potter games for the PlayStation. But, like all software developers, Argonaut needed a constant flow of deals with publishers. In August it warned of annual losses of £6m, blaming delays in signing new contracts and tough conditions in the software industry. The group's three subsidiaries were placed in administration a week ago, with Mr Sans resigning as the company's CEO and some 100 staff being fired. After the latest round of cuts, there were 80 workers at Argonaut headquarters in Edgware in north London, with 17 at its Morpheme offices in Kentish Town, London, and 22 at the Just Add Monsters base in Cambridge. Mr San has re-emerged, buying back Morpheme and Just Add Monsters. ""We are pleased to announce the sale of these two businesses as going concerns,"" said David Rubin of administrators David Rubin & Partners. ""This has saved over 40 jobs as well as the substantial employment claims that would have arisen had the sales not been achieved."" Mr Rubin said the administrators were in talks over the sale of the Argonaut software division in Edgware and were hopeful of finding a buyer. ""This is a very difficult time for all the employees there, but I salute their commitment to the business while we work towards a solution,"" he said. Some former employees are angry at the way cash crisis was handled. One told BBC News Online that the staff who had been fired had been ""financially ruined in the space of a day""."	tech
"The singer grabbed an intruder who then jumped 30ft (10m) from a first floor window as the star gave chase at his Buckinghamshire home on Monday. ""I acted on impulse,"" Osbourne said. ""In hindsight, it could have been a lot worse. It could've got really ugly."" A £100,000 reward has been offered for information leading to a conviction. His wife Sharon, who called the police, said her wedding rings were taken from her bedside table as she slept. The heavy metal star said he could have met the same fate as late Beatle George Harrison, who was repeatedly stabbed in a break-in in 1999. ""I could have been badly injured or shot or anything,"" Osbourne said. ""I just thank God that no-one got injured."" He added he was glad the intruders were not hurt. ""I wouldn't want anyone to get injured."" The singer did not want to talk in detail about his actions but when asked whether he would do the same again replied: ""Is the Pope a Catholic?"" The incident happened at 0400 GMT on Monday in Chalfont St Peter. Detective Inspector Paul Miller of Thames Valley Police said it appeared a man used a ladder to get into the house through a first floor bedroom window. ""Whilst selecting items of jewellery, the burglar was disturbed by Ozzy who very courageously tackled this burglar and pursued him from the house,"" he said. Ozzy said he was ""just coming to grips"" with what had happened and his opinion of the UK had been lowered after 12 relatively trouble-free years in the US. ""We lived in Los Angeles where people get shot every day and have been trailed by lots of different stalkers - and yet we come back to England and I'm very disappointed."" At a press conference on Tuesday, Sharon Osbourne gave details of nine stolen items. They included a diamond wedding ring and two handmade wedding bands Ozzy gave her when they renewed their vows two years ago. She said she wished she had worn them at night. ""I always take them off and put them beside my bed and that's where they were, right beside me on my bedside table."" Also taken were a pearl necklace and a sapphire bought as an investment for their daughters described by Sharon as ""one of the only 24-carat sapphires that is absolutely pure"". A daisy chain necklace that was a 20th anniversary present and a Franck Muller watch Sharon said was one of only 10 made were also stolen. She expressed her anger at the person who ""hasn't worked and wants to take what's yours"". ""But the thing is, we worked for everything. I came from Brixton. Ozzy came from not a very nice part of Birmingham and everything we've got we have worked our arses off for."" ""If I choose to make an investment for my kids in whatever way I choose to make it, that's my business and I worked for every God damn penny."" Ozzy also lamented two years in which the family has been plagued by problems, including his critical injury in a quad bike accident, his wife's colon cancer, their childrens' drug problems and now the burglary. On Sunday night, the Osbournes had been celebrating the birthday of singer Sir Elton John's partner David Furnish. Police described the intruder as well-built, about 5' 10"" tall and said he was wearing a ski-mask, a light-coloured jacket and trainers. They believe he may have injured himself when he jumped from the window. There is no description of his accomplice. Police think the pair were driving a large vehicle, possibly a van, and are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen one leaving Chalfont St Peter at speed. Police appealed for public help to find the perpetrators and stolen items on 0845 8 505 505 or 0800 555 111."	entertainment
"The new President, Viktor Yushchenko, has said a ""limited"" list of companies is being drawn up. But on Wednesday Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said the government was planning to renationalise 3,000 firms. The government says many privatised firms were sold to allies of the last administration at rock-bottom prices. More than 90,000 businesses in all, from massive corporations to tiny shopfronts, have been sold off since 1992, as the command economy built up when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union was dismantled. Ms Tymoshenko said prosecutors had drawn up a list of more than 3,000 businesses which were to be reviewed. ""We will return to the state that which was illegally put into private hands."" A day earlier, Mr Yushchenko - keen to reassure potential investors - had said only 30 to 40 top firms would be targeted. The list ""will be limited and final, and will not be extended after its completion"", he said. An open-ended list could further damage outside investors' fragile faith in Ukraine, said Stuart Hensel of the Economist Intelligence Unit. But the government seemed keen not to make the review look like the kind of wholesale renationalisation which many fear in Russia, Mr Hensel said. As a result, it was planning to resell rather than keep firms in state hands. ""They're aware of the need not to scare investors, and to be careful of internal divides within Ukraine,"" he said. ""They don't want to be seen to be transferring assets from one set of oligarchs to a new set."" Foreign investment in Ukraine, at about $40 a head in 2004, is one of the lowest among ex-Soviet states. Mr Yushchenko became president after two elections in December, the first of which was annulled amid allegations of voting irregularities and massive street protests. His opponent, Viktor Yanukovich, still has huge support in the country's eastern industrial heartland. Mr Yushchenko's administration has accused its predecessor, led by ex-President Leonid Kuchma, of corruption. The privatisation review's number one target is a steel mill sold to a consortium which included Viktor Pinchuk, Mr Kuchma's son-in-law, for $800m (£424m) despite higher bids from several foreign groups. The mill, Krivorizhstal, is one of the world's most profitable. ""We say Krivorizhstal was stolen, and at any cost we will return it to the state,"" Mr Yushchenko told an investors' conference in Kiev. One of the jilted bidders, Netherlands-based group LNM, said it welcomed the possibility that the mill might be back on the market. ""If the original privatisation is annulled and a new tender issued, then we would look at it with great interest,"" a spokesman told BBC News. A resale of Krivorizhstal could potentially triple the price, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's Mr Hensel. But he warned that the government could decide to take the easy route of revaluing the company and charging the existing owners the revised price rather than undertaking a fresh sale. ""That way, Mr Yushchenko can go to the public and say he has forced the oligarchs to play by the rules,"" he told BBC News."	business
"With Apple's iPod topping wish lists again, there may not be enough iPod minis to go round, predicts Oliver Irish, editor of gadget magazine Stuff. ""The iPod mini is likely to be this year's Tracey Island,"" said Mr Irish. Stuff has compiled a list of the top 10 gadgets for 2004 and the iPod is at number one. For anyone bewildered by the choice of gadgets on the market, Stuff and What Hi-Fi? are hosting a best-of gadget show in London this weekend. Star of the show will be Sony's Qrio Robot, an all-singing, all-dancing, football-playing man-machine who can even hold intelligent conversations. But he is not for sale and Sony has no commercial plans for the robot. ""He will greet visitors and is flying in from Japan. He probably has his own airplane seat, that is how highly Sony prize him,"" said Mr Irish. Also on display will be a virtual keyboard which projects itself onto any flat surface. The event will play host to a large collection of digital music players, from companies such as Creative, Sony and Philips as well as the ubiquitously fashionable iPod from Apple. Suggestions that it could be a gaming or wireless Christmas are unlikely to come true as MP3 players remain the most popular stocking filler, said Mr Irish. ""Demand is huge and Apple has promised that it can supply enough but people might struggle to get their hands on iPod minis,"" said Mr Irish. For those who like their gadgets to be multi-talented, the Gizmondo, a powerful gaming console with GPS and GPRS, that also doubles up as an MP3 player, movie player and camera, could be a must-have. ""What is impressive is how much it can do and how well it can do them,"" said Mr Irish. This Christmas, gadgets will not be an all-male preserve. ""Women will be getting gadgets from husbands and boyfriends as well as buying them for themselves,"" said Mr Irish. ""Gadgets nowadays are lifestyle products rather than just for geeks."""	tech
"The site looks plausible because it uses an old version of the official Disasters Emergency Committee webpage. However, DEC has no connection with the fake site and says it has contacted the police about it. The site is just the latest in a long list of scams that try to cash in on the goodwill generated by the tsunami disaster. The link to the website is contained in a spam e-mail that is currently circulating. The message's subject line reads ""Urgent Tsunami Earthquake Appeal"" and its text bears all the poor grammar and bad spelling that characterises many other phishing attempts. The web address of the fake site is decuk.org which could be close enough to the official www.dec.org.uk address to confuse some people keen to donate. Patricia Sanders, spokeswoman for the Disaster Emergency Committee said it was aware of the site and had contacted the Computer Crime Unit at Scotland Yard to help get it shut down. She said the spam e-mails directing people to the site started circulating two days ago shortly after the domain name of the site was registered. It is thought that the fake site is being run from Romania. Ms Sanders said DEC had contacted US net registrars who handle domain ownership and the net hosting firm that is keeping the site on the web. DEC was going to push for all cash donated via the site to be handed over to the official organisation. BT and DEC's hosting company were also making efforts to get the site shut down, she said. Ms Sanders said sending out spam e-mail to solicit donations was not DEC's style and that it would never canvass support in this way. She said that DEC hoped to get the fake site shut down as soon as possible. All attempts by the BBC News website to contact the people behind the site have failed. None of the e-mail addresses supplied on the site work and the real owner of the domain is obscured in publicly available net records. This is not the first attempt to cash in on the outpouring of goodwill that has accompanied appeals for tsunami aid. One e-mail sent out in early January came from someone who claimed that he had lost his parents in the disaster and was asking for help moving an inheritance from a bank account in the Netherlands. The con was very similar to the familiar Nigerian forward fee fraud e-mails that milk money out of people by promising them a cut of a much larger cash pile. Other scam e-mails included a link to a website that supposedly let people donate money but instead loaded spyware on their computers that grabbed confidential information. In a monthly report anti-virus firm Sophos said that two e-mail messages about the tsunami made it to the top 10 hoax list during January. Another tsunami-related e-mail is also circulating that carries the Zar worm which tries to spread via the familiar route of Microsoft's Outlook e-mail program. Anyone opening the attachment of the mail will have their contact list plundered by the worm keen to find new addresses to send itself to."	tech
"The Tate Gallery unsuccessfully tried to buy the picture from its anonymous owner after a ban was issued preventing the painting from leaving the UK. The 18th Century painting has remained in storage but the owner has agreed to allow it to be part of an exhibition. The exhibition of Reynolds' work will be shown at Tate Britain from May. Joshua Reynolds: The Creation of Celebrity will feature prints, caricatures, and sculpture by the 18th Century artist, who painted some of the most famous personalities of his day. Portrait of Omai fetched the second highest amount for a British painting when it was sold at auction for £10.3m in 2001. It was bought by a London dealer who sold it on to a collector. The unnamed collector wanted to take it out of the country, but was barred from doing so by the government because of its historical significance. In March 2004, the Tate managed to raise £12.5m funding to buy the portrait but the owner refused to sell and it has been held in storage since. The portrait is of a young man who was dubbed ""the noble savage"" when he arrived in London from Polynesia. He became a darling of London society and was invited to all the best parties by people who were fascinated by such an exotic character. Sir Joshua painted him after his arrival in 1774, and it became the artist's most famous work after it was first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1776."	entertainment
"Mr Howard said his time at Jack's Snooker Hall in Llanelli in the 1950s had not done him ""any lasting damage"". But he told the Times Educational Supplement that truancy was ""very bad"" and said ""firm action"" was needed. Mr Howard also called for a return to O-levels and more classroom discipline. Mr Howard eventually left Llanelli Grammar School - and the snooker hall - to go to Cambridge University. He said: ""I don't think it's done me any lasting damage. Nor has it made me a snooker world champion. ""There might have been some occasions when we left early of an afternoon. ""I'm just being honest. I think truancy is a very bad thing and that firm action should be taken to deal with it."" Another player who has failed to win snooker's world championship - Jimmy ""the Whirlwind "" White - has previously admitted missing lessons, instead spending his days in smoky halls. ""Tony Meo [another player] and me used to spend all of our spare time there,"" Mr White said, ""We loved the game and the atmosphere. ""School went out of the window. I went for a while and then started taking time off."" Mr Howard's fellow Welshman Ray Reardon - known by his fellow professionals as ""Dracula"" - won the snooker world championship six times, having left school at 14 to work as a miner. And Terry Griffiths, like Mr Howard from Llanelli, won the tournament in 1979. It is not known whether the two of them ever clashed cues at Jack's."	politics
"Daniela Hantuchova defeated Michaella Krajicek 6-4 6-2 to give the Slovaks the perfect start before Dutchman Peter Wessels retired against Dominik Hrbaty. Wessels was unable to compete in the mixed doubles but Slovakia had already booked their place in the final for the second year running. Argentina claimed top spot in Group A with three wins from three matches. In the other Group B match, the United States defeated Australia 2-1. Meghann Shaughnessy lost the opening match against Alicia Molik but James Blake levelled the tie with a 6-3 6-4 win over Paul Baccanello, who came in as a replacement for the injured Mark Philippoussis. Blake and Shaughnessy then beat Molik and Baccanello in a tense mixed doubles contest to take the win. Hantuchova, who did not win a Hopman Cup singles match in 2004, has been in good form during this year's event and has won two of her three matches. ""I feel like it's really deserved this time as I've helped Dominik to get through,"" she said. ""I think if I keep going the way I have been in the past few matches then I will be okay. ""I was really pleased with my last two singles, even the first one, which was a really high standard. ""You can't ask for a better preparation than to play a few matches here for the Australian Open."""	sport
"Queen of the Sky, otherwise known as Ellen Simonetti, evolved into an anonymous semi-fictional account of life in the sky. But after she posted pictures of herself in uniform, Delta Airlines suspended her indefinitely without pay. Ms Simonetti was told her suspension was a result of ""inappropriate"" images. Delta Airlines declined to comment. ""I was really shocked, I had no warning,"" Ms Simonetti told BBC News Online. ""I never thought I would get in trouble because of the blog. I thought if they had a problem, someone would have said something before taking action."" The issue has highlighted concerns amongst the growing blogging community about conflicts of interest, employment law and free speech on personal websites. Ms Simonetti was suspended on 25 September pending an investigation and has since lodged a complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). A spokesperson for Delta Airlines told BBC News Online: ""All I can tell you is we do not discuss internal employee issues with the media."" She added she could not say whether a similar situation over personal websites had occurred in the past. Ms Simonetti started her personal blog in January to help her get over her mother's death. She had ensured she made no mention of which airline she worked for, and created fictional names for cities and companies. The airline's name was changed to Anonymous Airline and the city in which she was based was called Quirksville. A large part of the blog contained fictional stories because Queen of the Sky developed over the months as a character in her own right, according to Ms Simonetti. The images were taken from a digital camera she had inherited from her mother. ""We often take pictures on flight or on layovers. I just though why not include them on my blog for fun. ""I never meant it as something to harm my company and don't understand how they think it did harm them,"" Ms Simonetti said. She has also claimed that pictures of male Delta Airline employees in uniform are freely available on the web. Of the 10 or so images on the site, only one showed Ms Simonetti's flight ""wings"". ""They did not tell me which pictures they had a problem with. I am just assuming it was the one of me posing on seats where my skirt rode up,"" she said. The images were removed as soon as she learned she had been suspended. As far as Ms Simonetti knows, there is no company anti-blogging policy. There is guidance which suggests the company uniform cannot be used without approval from management, but use in personal pictures on websites is unclear. Jeffrey Matsuura, director of the law and technology programme at the University of Dayton, said personal websites can be hazardous for both employers and their employees. ""There are many examples of employees who have presented some kind of material online that have gotten them in trouble with employers,"" he said. It was crucial that any policy about what was and what was not acceptable was expressed clearly, was reasonable, and enforced fairly in company policy. ""You have to remember that as an employee, you don't have total free speech anymore,"" he said. Mr Matsuura added that some companies actively encouraged employees to blog. ""One of the areas where it does become a problem is that they encourage this when it suits them, but they may not be particularly clear when they [employees] do cross the line."" He speculated that Delta might be concerned that the fictional content on the blog may be linked back to the airline after the images of Ms Simonetti in uniform were posted. ""Whether or not that is successful will depend on what exactly is prohibited, and whether you can reasonably say this content now crosses that line,"" he said. Ms Simonetti said her suspension has caused two of her friends to discontinue their blogs. One of them was asked to stop blogging by his company before any action was taken. ""If they had asked me just take down the blog, I would have done it, but that was not been given to me as an option,"" she said. ""This blogging thing is obviously a new problem for employers and they need to get a policy about it. If I had known it would cost me my job, I would not have done that."""	tech
Charles Evans Jr battled over his role with the people who eventually made the film, and won a producer's credit. But he is not on the list of producers who can win a best film Oscar due to a limit on the number of nominees. The Oscars organisers have picked two of The Aviator's four producers to be nominated for best film. Up to three producers can be named per film but the studios behind The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby failed to trim their credits - so the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has done it for them. The Aviator's nominated producers are Michael Mann and Graham King - with Mr Evans and Sandy Climan, Mr Mann's former deputy, left off. Mr Evans sued Mr Mann in 2001, claiming he came up with the idea, spent years developing it and persuaded DiCaprio to play Hughes - but said he was later excluded from the project. The two sides settled out of court in a deal that has remained secret apart from the fact Mr Evans' name has appeared as a producer when the film's credits roll. At the Golden Globes, Mr Evans - who was named among the winners when the film won best drama film - evaded a security guard to have his photo taken with DiCaprio, director Martin Scorsese, Mr Mann and Mr King. Ampas decided to limit the number of producers who could be nominated after Shakespeare in Love's victory in 1999 saw five producers collect awards. The eligible names for The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby were decided by Ampas' producers branch executive committee on Wednesday. The decision also saw Clint Eastwood get his third personal nomination for Million Dollar Baby. He is now named in the best film category as well as being nominated for best director and best lead actor. The Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Hollywood on 27 February. Chinese actress Ziyi Zhang, star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero and House of Flying Daggers, is the latest name to be added to the list of presenters on the night.	entertainment
"Kevin Morgan takes over from his injured Newport-Gwent Dragons colleague Hal Luscombe on the right wing. And in the pack Neath-Swansea Ospreys forward Ryan Jones is preferred at blindside flanker to Jonathan Thomas. Thomas, a try-scorer in Rome, drops down to the bench instead of Ian Gough, while Cardiff back Rhys Williams steps up in place of Morgan. Luscombe is sidelined by a hamstring problem sustained during the Six Nations game against Italy last weekend. However, the experienced and in-form Morgan was already pushing hard for a start at Stade de France. ""Due to his impressive performances from the bench, Kevin was very much in the selection mix anyway, and the unfortunate injury to Hal gives him the chance to start,"" said Ruddock. ""Now that Ryan Jones has recovered from injury, we have increased the options in the back row. ""Jonathan Thomas is unlucky to lose his spot after performing well against Italy and scoring a try, but such is the competition for places that every position is debated in detail. ""For this particular game, we felt we might not always be afforded the open spaces out wide we were able to exploit against Italy, so an extra big ball-carrier in the back-row is thought to be necessary on this occasion. ""Obviously, it's a 22-man game these days, and there is every chance that Jonathan will be making an impact from the bench."" Wales have beaten France on two of their last three visits to Paris, and another victory this time around would keep them firmly on course for a first Five or Six Nations title triumph since 1994. ""Graham Henry (former Wales coach) said a couple of years ago that we should 'be bold' when going to France, and he was proved right,"" said Ruddock. ""That is a great way to approach the game, and something we will further endorse with the players this week."" G Thomas (Toulouse, capt); K Morgan (Newport-Gwent), T Shanklin (Cardiff), G Henson (Neath-Swansea), S Williams (Neath-Swansea); S Jones (Clermont Auvergne), D Peel (Llanelli); G Jenkins (Cardiff), M Davies (Gloucester), A Jones; (Neath-Swansea), B Cockbain (Neath-Swansea), R Sidoli (Cardiff); R Jones (Neath-Swansea), M Williams (Cardiff), M Owen (Newport-Gwent). Replacements: R McBryde (Llanelli), J Yapp (Cardiff), J Thomas (Neath-Swansea), R Sowden-Taylor (Cardiff), G Cooper (Newport-Gwent), C Sweeney Newport-Gwent), R Williams (Cardiff)."	sport
"The e-mails show that they have come from an fbi.gov address and tell recipients that they have accessed illegal websites. The messages warn that their internet use has been monitored by the FBI's Internet Fraud Complaint Center. An attachment in the e-mail contains the virus, the FBI said. The message asks recipients to click on the attachment and answer some questions about their internet use. But rather than being a questionnaire, the attachment contains a virus that infects the recipient's computer, according to the agency. It is not clear what the virus does once it has infected a computer. Users are warned never to open attachment from unsolicited e-mails or from people they do not know. ""Recipients of this or similar solicitations should know that the FBI does not engage in the practice of sending unsolicited e-mails to the public in this manner,"" the FBI said in a statement. The bureau is investigating the phoney e-mails. The agency earlier this month shut down fbi.gov accounts, used to communicate with the public, because of a security breach. A spokeswoman said the two incidents appear to be unrelated."	tech
"However, Lifelong Learning Minister Jim Wallace said that this would not result in Scottish students missing out. Applications from England and Wales rose by 17% between January 2005 and the previous year, up 23,600 to 27,700. Fears had been expressed that a flood of ""fee refugees"" would try to avoid top-up fees of up to £3,000 a year being introduced in England. In June last year, Mr Wallace announced proposals to increase tuition fees for English students studying in Scotland by £2,000 in an attempt to prevent a cross-border flood, although no figure has yet been agreed. Legislation to introduce the top-up fees in England is not due to take effect until autumn 2006 and students who start before then will not have to pay additional fees at all. The figures were made public on Thursday by admissions service Ucas. Universities Scotland, which represents university principals, claimed that an increase in applications did not amount to Scottish students being squeezed out. Director, David Caldwell, said some students could be applying in an attempt to avoid the possible increase in annual fees at English universities, but this was not a major factor. He told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme: ""The reason people are opting for Scottish universities is that they are perceived as being of very high quality, they offer very attractive courses and Scotland is seen as a very attractive place to study. ""They know that when they take up their studies in 2006 they will be hit by top-up fees if they are going to a university in England and that may be part of the reason why the numbers coming to Scotland are so inflated. ""However, it does not mean that we will see thousands of additional students from England studying here."" Mr Wallace agreed and said the figures had to be looked at in context. He explained that when applications were translated into acceptances, the number was not huge - an additional figure of about 200. Also, the picture was further blurred by the fact that applications from Wales, where there are no plans for top-up fees, have also risen, by 19%. Mr Wallace said: ""Accepting students from all parts of the world does show the high regard in which Scottish higher education is held, not just in Britain. ""We want to make sure that when students are making their choice, they do so on the nature of the course and not because they are under some sort of financial pressure to go to Scotland. ""We do not want to have a situation where it becomes impossible for Scottish students to get places at Scottish universities because we are seen as the cheap option. ""Very often the quality of the university experience is enhanced by the fact there are students coming from a wide range of backgrounds so it would be wrong to go the other way and start excluding students."""	politics
"The prime minister said Mr Bush had learned military force was not the only way to fight terrorism. He understood that ""the best prospect of peaceful co-existence lies in the spread of democracy and human rights"", Mr Blair told the Guardian newspaper. Mr Bush was sworn in at a ceremony in Washington DC on Thursday. Echoing the new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the prime minister said there has been a clear evolution of US policy since the war in Afghanistan in 2001. Mr Blair had personally seen the change over time in conversations with Mr Bush. The president understood that while military and security measures were important, there also needed to be a multilateral approach to solving the world's problems. Turning to critics' fears that the US was poised for further military action, Mr Blair refused to give succour to suggestions it was preparing for strikes against Iran. The prime minister conceded that the US had ""what appears to be a harder position"" towards the state than Europe. But the prime minister pointed out that until now the US had allowed Britain, France and Germany to take the lead in trying to halt the Iranian nuclear programme. Following claims that US forces had worked inside Iran to identify potential targets, Mr Blair was asked if the SAS had also been in the country. ""We never answer questions about special forces, but do not take that as indicating an affirmative,"" said Mr Blair. Mr Blair said he believed the president was keen to work with other countries while trying to spread democracy and human rights. ""It is significant, in my view, that he is coming to Europe as his first foreign visit,"" said Mr Blair. Following his inauguration, Mr Bush is due in Europe at the end of January."	politics
"Sales totalled 3.9 million units worldwide during 2004, the company said at the Detroit Motor Show. A switch to new models hit luxury marque Mercedes-Benz, with sales down 3.1% at 1.06 million. Chrysler avoided the fate of US rivals Ford and General Motors, both of whom lost ground to Japanese firms. Its sales rose 3.5% to 2.7 million units. Similarly on the up was the Smart brand of compact cars, with the division's sales jumping by 21.1% during 2004 to 136,000. The future of the brand - which is controlled by the Mercedes group within DaimlerChrysler - remains in question, however. Smart has consistently lost money since it started trading in 1998, and new model launches are now ""on hold"", said Mercedes chief executive Eckhard Cordes. In Europe, the Smart will now go on sale through regular Mercedes dealerships as well as its own dealer network, Mr Cordes said."	business
"He says so himself in a matter-of-fact way as he recalls the car accident which occurred nine days before he was scheduled to step out into the Olympic Stadium in Athens for the 50K Walk. There is an ironic chuckle as he talks of his immediate thoughts after a lorry, driving on the wrong side of the road, had ploughed into his rental car. ""I was in a lot of pain and I guessed that one of my toes was broken,"" says the Waterford man. ""But I was thinking maybe with a cortisone injection you never know. ""In my back, it felt as though all the muscles had been ripped off my pelvis but I was thinking maybe we could do something with laser therapy and ultra sound and hopefully I'd be able to race."" It took over 10 hours before Jamie knew with certainty that he would not be competing in his second Olympics. ""My back had been broken in two places and with one of my vertebrae, the bottom part had exploded so I'm fierce lucky not be paralysed. ""I'd fractured my big toe as well which was on the brake."" Jamie didn't finally arrive at hospital in Athens until some nine and a half hours after the accident. ""For the first nine hours, I had no pain killers which was ridiculous in 35 degrees heat. ""But once I got the scans and saw them it was a case of moving on and thinking:'OK, I've got a different set of circumstances now'."" Within three days he was arriving back in Ireland by air ambulance. Doctors in Athens had wanted to operate on Jamie's back immediately but he insisted on delaying any surgery until he arrived back home - something he is now very relieved about. ""The Greek doctors were going to put three or four inch titanium rods either side of my spinal cord up through my vertebrae. ""That would have fused all my lower back and I would never have been able to race again. They were really putting a lot of pressure on me to agree to the surgery. ""But when I got to the Mater in Dublin they said it was possible for it to heal totally naturally which is giving me the chance to get back into competition which is very important to me. The people at the Mater have been absolutely fantastic."" Jamie had to wear a body cast for three and a half months after the accident and spent most of that time flat on his back. He then progressed to crutches for six weeks until he was finally able to walk unaided on 10 January. ""Walking without the crutches seemed like something finally really measurable in terms of my recovery."" Physio sessions with Johnston McEvoy in Limerick have been a vital part of his recovery. ""Johnston uses an advanced type of acupuncture and it's very effective. ""Needles get put right close up to my spine. A two and a half inch needle went in yesterday and I'm fairly incapacitated today as a result."" Jamie has also travelled to receive treatment at the Polish training centre in Spala where he has trained with triple Olympic champion Robert Korzeniowski over the past five years. ""I was there for over a fortnight earlier this month and underwent a fair extreme treatment called cryotherapy. ""Basically, there's a small room which is cooled by liquid nitrogen to minus 160 degrees centigrade and it promotes deep healing."" Jamie heads to Poland again on Sunday where he will be having daily cryotherapy in addition to twice-daily physio sessions and pool-work. All these sessions are small steps on the way to what Jamie hopes will be a return to racing in 2006. ""It's all about trying to get mobility in my back. Lying down for three and a half months didn't really help with the strength. ""There's a lot of work involved in my recovery. I'm doing about six hours a day between physio and pool work. ""I'm also going to the gym to lift very light weights to try and build up my muscles. I'm fairly full on with everything I do. ""I'd hope to be training regularly by March. But training is just part of the process of getting back. ""At the moment, every time I go and do a big bit of movement, my whole pelvic area all down my lower back just tightens up. ""It's a case of waiting and seeing how it reacts. Hopefully, after four or five months my back won't tighten up as much."""	sport
"John Houston, 54, was due to stand in the East Kilbride seat in Lanarkshire at the next election. But he was suspended after his reported views, including the return of the British Empire, were sent to two Scottish newspapers. UKIP spokesman Mark Croucher said those who selected Mr Houston knew nothing of his views. The episode comes at a difficult time for UKIP, soon after the high-profile departure of MEP Robert Kilroy-Silk. Mr Houston is alleged to have said that the organs of the criminally insane should be ""made available to law-abiding members of the community"" and proposed the legalisation of drugs and the sex trade. The document reportedly said: ""We're looking for the resurrection of the British Empire. ""The problems for the human race - environmental and others - can only be dealt with on a global scale, and that calls for a radical alliance of the English-speaking nations, which they are uniquely able to do."" Mr Croucher said the main issue would be that Mr Houston's reported views had been presented as UKIP policy, which they were not. He said they might have been submissions to a committee working on the party's manifesto, but would not have been matched to Mr Houston when he was standing to become a candidate. He told BBC News: ""He appears to have said these things. We have suspended him as a member and as a candidate. ""By all accounts none of this was mentioned at his selection meeting. ""It is simply a distraction from the task in hand, the EU constitution, not individual idiocies."" Mr Houston was quoted in the Herald newspaper saying: ""I feel UKIP have over-reacted and overshot the runway."" Peter Nielson, who is UKIP Scotland chairman, said he had suspended Mr Houston on Friday night. ""He will remain suspended while the matter is being investigated and then we will decide if and what further action will be taken."" He said that any evidence would be looked into and Mr Houston may be interviewed by the party. He added: ""I can't comment too much at the moment, I have one version from him but I haven't seen the papers yet."""	politics
"The former France manager moved to White Hart Lane this summer but now wants to return to France. Santini said: ""My time at Tottenham has been memorable and it is with deep regret that I take my leave. I wish the club and the supporters all the best. ""Private issues in my personal life have arisen which caused my decision. I very much hope that the wonderful fans will respect my decision."" He added: ""I should like to thank (sporting director) Frank Arnesen and (chairman) Daniel Levy for their understanding."" Assistant coach Martin Jol has been put in temporary charge and will take care of team affairs for Saturday's Premiership match against Charlton. Arnesen said the club were sad to see Santini go: ""We are obviously disappointed that Jacques is leaving us. We fully respect his decision. ""I can assure you that the club will act swiftly to minimise the impact of Jacques' departure. ""Our priority is to ensure that this season's performance remains unaffected by this move. ""I shall make a further statement on Monday, clarifying our position. We wish Jacques well."""	sport
"Bids have been invited from local, Arab and foreign companies, Iraq's Ministry of Communications said. The winner will work in partnership with the Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company (ITPC). The firms will install and operate a fixed phone network, providing voice, fax and internet services. The ministry said that it wanted to increase Iraq's ""very low telephone service penetration rate from about 4.5% today to about 25% within 10 years."" It also hopes to develop a ""highly visible and changeable telecommunication sector"". Details of the bidding and tender process will be published on the ministry's website on 9 February. It also is planning a road-show for investors in Amman, Jordan. The ministry said it would base its selection on criteria including the speed of implementation, tariff rates, coverage, and the firm's experience and financial strength."	business
"Lord Falconer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he hoped voluntary mediation could help solve disputes before they reached court. But he opposed compulsory mediation, saying that it would lead to many people taking part with the wrong attitude. Other plans include:  - Parenting plans to give advice on access arrangements, based on real-life examples that have worked in the past   - Extending in-court conciliation - more informal hearings before contested court cases   - Better access to legal, emotional and practical advice by telephone and internet   - Legal aid changes to give incentives for early resolution of disputes.    Judges can already jail parents who breach contact orders but that was a ""nuclear option"" which was rarely used as it was not seen as being in the child's interests, a spokesman said. The aim of the new legislation was to provide a ""medium range"" of penalties, such as fines, community service orders, compulsory anger management or parenting classes or curfews. Failure to comply with these measures could result in offenders being electronically tagged. On the possibility of tagging uncooperative parents, Lord Falconer said: ""Tagging may be going too far, but let's have a debate about that."" Full details of the new powers will not be revealed until a bill is published ""in the next two weeks,"" a spokesman said. The government's proposals have met with disapproval from fathers' rights groups. John Ison, from the controversial group Fathers 4 Justice, said: ""It is very disappointing. What we have got is a cynical case of recycling existing legislation."" Jim Parton, from Families Need Fathers, said the new proposals ""lacked compulsion"". ""We would like to see couples develop a plan and then have it as a source of a court order - then you know where you stand, you know what the minimum access is. ""Otherwise, you see people make agreements which then fall apart."" Mr Parton said he had been told by Children's Minister Margaret Hodge there was not enough time to pass the bill through parliament before the general election, which is likely to take place in May. The Conservatives have called for an equal split between parents on access to be made law. Theresa May, shadow secretary for the family, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the government's plans were ""inadequate"" and were ""papering over the cracks of the current system"". She said a Conservative government would bring a ""radical reform"" of the family courts, as well as enforcing a ""legal presumption of co-parenting and compulsory mediation"". ""We want to make courts the last resort, rather than the first resort,"" she added. The government says children cannot simply be divided up ""like property"" when a marriage collapses. The Liberal Democrats have argued for flexibility in deciding access rules, rather than having ""rigid targets""."	politics
The Financial Services Authority has warned banks and other financial institutions that members of criminal gangs may be applying for jobs which give them access to confidential customer data. The fear is not that they will steal money from our bank accounts but that they will instead steal something far more valuable in our digital society - our identities. Armed with the personal details that a bank holds, plus a fake letter or two, it is apparently easy to get a loan, open a bank account with an overdraft or get a credit card in someone else's name. And it is then a simple matter to move the money into another account and leave the unwitting victim to sort out the mess when statements and demands for payment start arriving. Identity theft is an increasingly significant economic crime, and we are all becoming more aware of the dangers of leaving bills, receipts and bank statements unshredded in our rubbish. But, however careful you may be, if the organisations you trust with your personal data, bank accounts and credit cards are not able to look after their databases properly then you are in trouble. It is surprising that it has taken the gangs so long to realise that a well-placed insider is by far the simplest way to break the security of a computer system. In fact, I suspect that the FSA is probably very late to this particular party and that this sort of thing has been going on for rather a long time. Has anyone checked Bob Cratchit's family links to the criminal underworld, I wonder? And it is hardly likely to be only banks that are being targeted. Health authorities, government agencies and of course the big e-commerce sites like Amazon must also offer rich pickings for the fraudsters. The good news is that better auditing is likely to catch out those who access account details that they are not supposed to. And as we all become aware of the danger of identity theft and look more carefully for unexpected transactions on our statements, banks should have good enough records and logs to trace the people who might have accessed the account details. Fortunately there are now ways to keep bank systems more secure from the sort of data theft that involves taking a portable hard drive or flash memory card into the office, plugging it into a USB slot and sucking down customer files. Companies like SecureWave, for example, can restrict the use of USB ports just to authorised devices or even to an individual's personal memory card. These solutions are not perfect, but it does not feel like a wave of fraud is about to wash away the entire financial system. However the warning does highlight one of the major issues with e-commerce and online trading - the security or otherwise of the servers and other systems that make up the 'back office'. It has been clear for years that the real danger in paying for goods online with a credit card is not that the number will be intercepted in transit but that the shop you are dealing with will be hacked. In fact I do not know of a single case where an e-mail containing payment details has led to card fraud. There are simply too many e-mails passing over the net for interception to be a sensible tool for anyone out to commit fraud. CD Universe, Powergen and many other companies have left their databases open and suffered the consequences. And just last week the online bank Cahoot admitted that its customer account details could be read by anyone who could guess a login name. Whether it is external hackers breaking in because of poor system security or internal staff abusing the access they get as part of their job, the issue is the same: how do we make sure that our personal data is not abused? Any organisation that processes personal data is, of course, bound by the Data Protection Act and must take proper care of it. Unauthorised disclosure is not allowed, but the penalties are small and the process of prosecuting under the Act so convoluted as to be worthless in practice. This is not something we can just leave it to the market. The consequences of having one's identity stolen are too serious, and markets respond too slowly. After all, I bank with Cahoot but it would be so much hassle to move my accounts that I did not even consider it when I heard about their security problems. I doubt many others have closed their accounts, especially when there is little guarantee that other banks are not going to make the same sort of mistake in future. The two options would seem to be more stringent data protection law, so that companies really feel the pressure to improve their internal processes, or a wave of civil lawsuits against financial institutions with sloppy practices whose customers suffer from identity theft. I have never felt comfortable with the US practice of suing everything that moves, partly because it seems to make lawyers richer than their clients, so I know which I'd prefer. Bill Thompson is a regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Go Digital.	tech
"It is thought Blackburn want £6m for the midfielder but chief executive John Williams has confirmed the club are still ""in dialogue"" with Rangers. The 26-year-old has already handed in a transfer request at Ewood Park as he seeks a return to Ibrox. But the clubs have been unable to reach agreement over a fee for Ferguson, who moved to Lancashire in 2003 for £6.5m. On Thursday Rangers said they would not be increasing their offer of £4m. Blackburn have said all along that they want £6m for the midfielder and Williams has rejected proposals from Rangers over a player-swap deal. Williams said: ""We are in dialogue with Glasgow Rangers but we have no agreement."" The negotiations will have to be concluded by midnight on Monday, when the winter transfer window shuts. Williams conceded any deal for Ferguson was looking ""unlikely"" before the close of the transfer window but Rangers still had a chance to seal the deal. ""We have no comment to make other than we have not got an agreement with Glasgow Rangers,"" he added. ""The way things are looking, I think it is unlikely we are going to. ""The ball is in their court but we have not got an offer that is acceptable at this moment."" It is understood that Blackburn accepted a £5m offer for Ferguson from Everton at the weekend. But the player is determined to return to Scotland and rejected a move to Goodison Park. Ferguson did not play in the FA Cup win over Colchester on Saturday despite recovering from a groin injury with Rovers boss Mark Hughes claiming it had been an ""emotional and difficult time"" for the player."	sport
Do They Know It's Christmas, featuring artists including Chris Martin and Jamelia, held off Kylie Minogue to remain the week's biggest single. Next week's chart will reveal who will have the festive chart-topper Minogue's latest release I Believe in You went in at number two, pushing down Ice Cube's You Can Do It to three. Destiny's Child also slipped one place to four with Lose My Breath, followed by Girls Aloud at five with the Children in Need record I'll Stand By You. The only other new entry in the top 10 came from Robbie Williams track Misunderstood, a new track written for his Greatest Hits album. There were no new releases in the entire top 40 album charts as record companies put out all the big releases early hoping to cash in on the lucrative Christmas market. U2's How to Dismantle a Bomb remains at number one for a third week in a row, followed by Williams' Greatest Hits. Opera band Il Divo have moved up one place with their eponymous album to number three. Maroon 5's album Songs About Jane has moved up to number seven despite being released 47 weeks ago. And the Abba Gold greatest hits album has crept back into the top 40 more than nine years after it was first released.	entertainment
Alan Archibald prodded United ahead in 19 minutes and James Grady made it two from close range 10 minutes later. Richie Byrne's header gave Aberdeen a way back into the game, but Stevie Crawford restored United's lead from 18 yards before half time. The scoring was completed by Grady just after the break - a superb shot on the turn making it 4-1. Tony Bullock in the United goal was called into action for the first time with just over a quarter-of-an-hour on the clock. Noel Whelan laid the ball off to Jamie Winter on the edge of the box, but his first-time effort was gathered by the United keeper. Moments later though, the home side took the lead. Barry Robson whipped in a free kick from the right, which Stevie Crawford caught on the volley. Russell Anderson failed to deal with it and Whelan's clearance off the line landed kindly at the feet of Archibald, who poked the ball into the net. United doubled their lead after 29 minutes when Grady tapped the ball into an empty net after Robson had headed Mark Wilson's cross off the angle of post and bar. But only three minutes later Aberdeen clawed their way back into the match. A free kick from the left by Winter was met powerfully by the head of Byrne at the back post, leaving Bullock helpless. United restored their two-goal lead four minutes before the end of a highly entertaining first half. Jason Scotland played a perfectly-weighted pass into the path of the onrushing Crawford and he coolly beat Ryan Esson from 18 yards. United ended the game as a contest just two minutes after the interval. Grady received a pass from Crawford with his back to goal on the edge of the box and after taking one touch, he spun to volley the ball past the despairing dive of Esson. The home side were in complete control and it required a good stop from Esson to keep out Robson's drive after 62 minutes. The keeper denied the same player again 10 minutes later, beating away his fierce shot from the left of the penalty area. Robson saw another long-range effort tipped round the post before a cute lob was headed off the line. Bullock, Duff, Wilson, Ritchie, Archibald, Scotland (Samuel 63), Brebner, Kerr (Cameron 87), Robson, Crawford, Grady. Colgan, Dodds, Kenneth. Brebner. Archibald 19, Grady 29, Crawford 41, Grady 47. Esson, Hart, Anderson, Diamond, Byrne (Morrison 75), McNaughton, Heikkinen (Foster 27), Winter, Clark (Stewart 51), Mackie, Whelan. Blanchard, McGuire. : Anderson, Diamond. Byrne 33. 8,661 K Clark	sport
"The Bloglines site has become hugely popular as it gives users one place in which to read, search and share all the blogs they are interested in. Ask Jeeves said it was not planning to change Bloglines but would use the 300 million articles it has archived to round out its index of the web. How much Ask Jeeves paid for Bloglines was not revealed. Bloglines has become popular because it lets users build a list of the blogs they want to follow without having to visit each journal site individually. To do this it makes use of a technology known as Really Simple Syndication (RSS) that many blogs have adopted to let other sites know when new entries are made on their journals. The acquisition follows similar moves by other search sites. Google acquired Pyra Labs, makers of the Blogger software, in 2003. In 2004 MSN introduced its own blog system and Yahoo has tweaked its technology to do a better job of handling blog entries. Jim Lanzone, vice president of search properties at Ask Jeeves in the US, said it did not acquire Bloglines just to get a foothold in the blog publishing world. He said Ask Jeeves was much more interested in helping people find information they were looking for rather than helping them write it. ""The universe of readers is vastly larger than the universe of writers,"" he said. Mr Lanzone said the acquisition would sit well with Ask's My Jeeves service which lets people customise their own web experience and build up a personal collection of useful links. ""Search engines are about discovering information for the first time and RSS is the ideal way to keep track of and monitor those sites,"" he said. It would also help drive information and entries from blogs to the portals that Ask Jeeves operates. There would be no instant sweeping changes to Bloglines, said Mr Lanzone. ""Our intent is to take our time to figure out the right business model not to try to monetise it right away,"" he said. Though Mr Lanzone added that Ask Jeeves would be helping organise the database of 300m blog entries Bloglines holds with its own net indexing technology. ""Being able to search the blogosphere as one corpus of information will be very useful in its own right,"" said Mr Lanzone. Rumours about the acquisition were broken by the Napsterization weblog which said it got the hint from Ask Jeeves insiders."	tech
"He will present an ""Action Plan for the Development of Italy"" in a meeting with industrialists and trade union leaders. Mr Berlusconi is expected to table reforms aimed at boosting research and development (R&D) spending, and the competitiveness of small firms. Also in focus will be bankruptcy laws and the slow pace of the legal system. The prime minister is scheduled to start the meeting at 1830 GMT. The government has been accused of underfunding R&D, making it harder for Italy to compete with other European nations and leading to a ""brain-drain"" of the country's brightest talents. Analysts say that hiring and firing staff is still too difficult and expensive, hampering the development of small- and medium-sized businesses. As a result, they say, Italy's corporate landscape is filled with numerous smaller companies that are often reluctant to become bigger because of all the extra hassle that would accompany the running of a larger firm. At the same time, bankruptcy laws make it difficult for failed company directors to set up new businesses and emerge from their debts, a situation that is hampering Italy's entrepreneurial spirit. The government says that it has set about tackling the problems, adding that getting growth going was the responsibility of all of Italy's 60 million population. According to Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy's business newspaper, the government will focus on ""opening up markets, infrastructure, research, making more incentives available, bankruptcy law, the slow pace of the justice system"". Mr Berlusconi has previously promised to cut taxes by 6.5bn euros ($8.6bn; £4.5bn) this year in an effort to get people and companies to spend. He has also promised to cap spending on transport, education and health so as to trim the ballooning budget deficit. Italy plans to raise as much as 25bn euros from privatisations in 2005, including a partial flotation of the post office and utility Enel. Critics argue that these moves do not go far enough and could make Italy's problems worse. Limiting government spending will lead to job losses, they counter, while the income tax cuts will have a negligible effect on sentiment and ultimately favour the wealthy. The country has been one of the eurozone's worst economic performers in recent years. Growth was 1.1% in 2004, up from just 0.3% in 2003 and 0.4% in 2002 - an improvement but still a long way from ideal. At the same time, business and consumer confidence has dipped and analysts have raised concerns that what little spending there is stems from Italians dipping into their savings accounts or using credit cards. Without a pick up in national growth, they say, the money could eventually run out, bringing Italy's economy to a juddering halt. Consumer spending accounts for about two-thirds of Italy's economy."	business
"US light sweet crude futures jumped to $53.09 a barrel in New York before closing at $53.03. The gains tracked a surge in US gasoline futures to a record high of $1.4850 a gallon. The jump followed a fire at Western Refining Company's refinery in Texas, which shut down petrol production. A spokesman for the group was unable to say when the production unit would be back up and running. ""This market simply wants to go up,"" Citigroup Global Markets analyst Kyle Cooper told Reuters news agency. Ed Silliere, analyst at Energy Merchant, added: ""Gasoline is up because of the refinery issues in Texas, which means there will be a scramble for product in the (US) Gulf Coast."" Elsewhere, a refinery in Houston was closed due to mechanical problems, while on Tuesday production at BP's Texas City refinery was taken down for a short time. In the approach to Spring, the market becomes much more sensitive to problems with petrol production as dealers anticipate rising demand for fuel ahead of the holiday season. The rise in prices came despite a US government report that showed domestic supplies of fuel oil and fuel were rising. Meanwhile, oil production cartel Opec's recent announcement that it was now unlikely to cut production levels has also failed to calm fears on the market. Oil prices are roughly 45% higher than a year ago and have risen sharply in recent weeks due to a combination of colder weather, the declining value of the dollar and fears that Opec could rein in production to head off a seasonal drop in demand. Instability in Iraq and underlying fears about terrorism have also played a part in the rally."	business
"The Greek pair appeared at a hearing on Saturday which will determine whether their provisional bans from athletics' ruling body the IAAF should stand. ""After five months we finally had the chance to give explanations. I am confident and optimistic,"" said Thanou. ""We presented new evidence to the committee that they were not aware of."" The athletes' lawyer Grigoris Ioanidis said he believed the independent disciplinary committee set up by the Greek Athletics Federation (SEGAS) would find them innocent. ""We are almost certain that the charges will be dropped,"" said Ioanidis. ""We believe that we have presented [a case] that the charges are unreasonable."" Thanou, the 2000 Olympic women's 100m silver medallist, and Sydney 200m champion Kenteris were suspended by the IAAF for missing three drugs tests. The third was supposed to take place on the eve of the Athens Games last August, but the pair could not be found in the athletes' village. They were later taken to hospital after claiming to have been involved in a motorcycle accident. Thanou's coach Christos Tzekos was also suspended by the IAAF. ""We were asked [by the disciplinary committee] all kinds of questions about the night of 12 August,"" said Tzekos. ""We did not leave any gaps. As far as I am concerned there is no such issue [of refusing to be tested], and I am very optimistic."" Tzekos, Thanou and Kenteris, who have all denied the charges, can expect a decision within a month. ""Deliberations will start after some additional documents are brought in by Thursday,"" said committee chairman Kostas Panagopoulos. ""I estimate that the final ruling will be issued by the end of February."""	sport
"Sir Alan received his decoration in Paris on Wednesday from French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres. ""You have explored the possibilities of film with an immense talent,"" Mr de Vabres said as he presented the award. Parker praised French films, saying: ""Hollywood, which created modern cinema, uses it only as a commodity."" He told the minister: ""I am honoured to be thus distinguished by France, the flag carrier of cinema throughout the world."" Sir Alan's films include Oscar-winning Fame plus Midnight Express and The Commitments. A founding member of the Director's Guild of Great Britain, he is a former chairman of the UK Film Council and on the board of the British Film Institute. ""Through your work and your campaigns, you have shown us how the artist occupies an essential place in our contemporary society,"" Mr de Vabres said. ""Through your dreams which you show us, through the links that you weave, you question the world through the mirror of your work."" He also cited the director's 2003 film The Life of David Gale, in which Kevin Spacey played a man on Death Row, as proof of his ""veritable artistic commitment against the death sentence""."	entertainment
"From May, dial-up net users will be able to download free software to stop computers using numbers not on a user's ""pre-approved list"". Inadvertently downloaded by surfers, rogue diallers are programs which hijack modems and dial up a premium rate number when users log on. Thousands of UK dial-up users are believed to have been hit by the scam. Some people have faced phone bills of up to £2,000. BT's Modem Protection program will check numbers that are dialled by a computer and will block them if they have not been pre-approved, such as national and net service provider numbers. Icstis, the UK's premium rate services watchdog, said it had been looking for companies to take the lead in initiatives. ""The initiatives are very welcome,"" a spokesperson from Icstis told the BBC News website. ""We are very pleased to see they are putting into place new measures to protect consumers."" The second initiative BT announced is an early warning system which will alert BT customers if there is unusual activity on their phone bills. If a bill rises substantially above its usual daily average, or if a call is made to a suspect number, a text or voice alert will be sent to the user's landline phone. As part of the clamp-down on rogue diallers, companies must now satisfy stringent conditions, including clear terms and conditions, information about how to delete diallers and responsibility for customer refunds. Any firm running a dialler without permission can now be closed down by Icstis. The watchdog brought in the action last October following a decision to license all companies which wanted to operate legitimate premium rate dialler services. There are legitimate companies who offer services such as adult content, sports results and music downloads by charging a premium rate rather than by credit card BT said it had ploughed an enormous amount of effort into protecting people from the problem. It has already barred more than 1,000 premium rate numbers and has tried to raise public awareness about the scams. ""We now want to ensure there are even stronger safeguards for our customers, who we would urge to make use of these new options to protect themselves,"" said Gavin Patterson, group managing director for consumer the arm of BT. Both schemes have been undergoing trials in Ireland, and will be made available to 20 million BT customers from May."	tech
"Some lucky Britons can already take advantage of UK Online's 8 megabits per second service, which was launched in November 2004. BT Retail has announced that it will trial the same speed service, with a national rollout by year end. Other service providers are expected to follow suit and a glut of new voice and video services will follow. ""If the bandwidth is there then ISPs will buy it,"" said Jill Finger, a research director at analyst firm IDC. Others will be watching BT Retail's trials, which is initially for employees and later in the summer for customers, with interest. For BT Retail, she said, the super-fast service could be a way of differentiating it from other players. ""It has been losing market share and this could be one way of gaining some of that back,"" said Ms Finger. Wanadoo is set to trial an 8Mbps service in the summer and also plans to roll out unbundled services - which means it takes over the network from BT - which will provide speeds of up to 15Mbps. There is no timetable for this at the moment. Cable firms ntl and Telewest are also bound to increase bandwidth at some time in the future and, according to an ntl spokesman, are in a better position than BT in the long term. ""BT's network is limited compared to that of cable. With all the other services coming on stream such as video on demand, the question is will 8Mbps be enough?"" he asked."	tech
"Lawyers for news organisations said it was ""really vital"" for the responses of 250 potential jurors to be made public ""to serve as a check on the process"". Santa Barbara County Superior Court is due to consider the request on Monday. Mr Jackson denies child molestation. It is estimated his trial will cost Santa Barbara county up to $4m (£2.13m). Meanwhile Michael Jackson's mother has said she is ""100% certain"" her son did not commit the child abuse charges he faces. The court is currently selecting 12 jurors and eight stand-by jurors for the trial, a process delayed until at least Thursday after a member of the star's legal team was hit by family illness. Defence lawyers argued against the bid by Associated Press and other news organisations to have potential jurors' responses made public. ""The release of the completed jury questionnaires does not serve any purpose other than to add to the sensationalist coverage of this case,"" a motion by Mr Jackson's lawyers stated. The estimated total costs of the trial, expected to last five months, range from $2.5m (£1.33m) to $4m (£2.13m) of local taxpayers' money. Those estimates do not include costs to the city of Santa Maria, the Superior Court or for the investigation and prosecution of the case. The cost of security and other needs around the courthouse has been estimated at $40,000 (£21,000) per day, said Jason Stilwell, a special projects manager at the county administrator's office. Mr Jackson, 46, denies plying a boy with alcohol and molesting him. His mother Katherine Jackson told US TV network Fox News on Sunday that her pop star son told her he was innocent. ""I believe that for one reason - I know his character,"" she said. ""He loves children. You don't molest anything that you love."" Describing Mr Jackson as ""a good person"", the mother-of-nine said she feared he would not be given a fair trial. ""I can't sleep thinking about what these wicked people might try to do to him,"" she said."	entertainment
"The prime minister has told a Labour Party gathering that the Tory policies would cause economic failure. Tory leader Michael Howard has said his party would cut £35bn in ""wasteful"" spending to allow £4bn in tax cuts. On Saturday, Tory shadow home secretary David Davis said the Tories would fund the cuts by removing ""inefficiencies"" which had ""burgeoned"" under Labour. In his speech, Mr Blair contrasted a reformed Labour party, which had learned to occupy the political centre ground, with a hidebound Tory party, which he said would turn the clock back with spending cuts. Mr Blair said: ""The Conservative tax and spending proposals would put at risk, both Britain's hard-won economic stability - the lowest mortgages, inflation, unemployment, for decades - and the key investment in public services. ""I believe that the Tory plans are as plain a call to return to the past as it's possible to imagine,"" he said. ""It's a recipe for exactly the same boom and bust economics and cuts in public services that were their hallmark in 18 years of Conservative government."" Mr Blair added: ""They, the Conservatives have learned nothing."" By contrast, he said, New Labour had listened to its electorate and changed. Mr Blair went on to list his government's achievements and to issue a rallying call to the party. ""So now we have a choice, we can defend this record and we can build on it and go on and fulfil the promise or give up and go back. And I say we have to fight."" In response, David Davis said the Tories would make cuts, such as removing regional assemblies, but would bring in more police officers and match Labour's spending on health and education. ""Everybody knows, having lived through this government the last seven years, that they faced lots of stealth tactics, lots of increases in taxes, but no improvement in public services,"" he said. Mr Davis said Labour had been responsible for ""huge waste, huge overspending, not on the frontline at all but on bureaucracy"". ""The public face a choice between more waste and more taxes with this government, less waste and lower taxes with a Tory government,"" he concluded. Gordon Brown has addressed the conference behind closed doors. The Chancellor said the Conservatives' plans would see some £50bn in spending cuts by 2011, which the Tories deny. Mr Brown also issued call for party unity and warn of the dangers of allowing themselves to be ""distracted or diverted"". According to an advance text released by officials, he told delegates: ""We must all show the strength and unity of purpose to take the long-term decisions necessary to meet them."" Mr Brown warned that the Tories were planning ""the biggest cuts ever in the history of any election manifesto"". Meanwhile, Tory shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin accused Mr Blair of ""misrepresenting"" the party's proposals and questioned how Labour would fund its own plans. ""He still cannot accept the simple truth, which is that we will spend more on what matters to people - schools, hospitals and police - and that we will offer value for money and lower taxes,"" Mr Letwin said. ""Once again Mr Blair and his Chancellor have failed to answer the question that lies at the heart of this election - which taxes will they put up to fill the £8bn shortfall in their plans?"""	politics
"The bill would give legal force to ""living wills"", where people say they want medical treatment withheld if they become severely incapacitated. The Mental Capacity Bill has broad support from charities who say it would give better safeguards over treatment. But Christian groups say it could mean doctors withholding food and fluids even if they think it inappropriate. Ministers insist the Mental Capacity Bill - for England and Wales - would not change laws on assisted suicide and contains a presumption in favour of preserving life. The bill would establish a legal presumption that everybody can make decisions about their own treatment unless proved otherwise. It would allow people to give somebody the power of attorney to make decisions on their behalf, which could be challenged by doctors. Critics fear it could allow ""killing by omission"" through withdrawing treatment. An amendment to the bill - specifically preventing decisions that would bring about death - has been tabled by former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith. Ninety one MPs have signed a petition backing the amendment. MPs could vote on it later on Tuesday, during the bill's report stage debate. The Bill will then go to a third reading and be debated in the Lords, before becoming law. The Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) and Lawyers' Christian Fellowship (LCF) said the Mental Capacity Bill would allow euthanasia by the ""back door"". Peter Saunders of the CMF said it believed advance refusals should be only advisory, not legally binding. ""CMF is concerned that patients will make unwise and hasty advance decisions to refuse food and fluids without being properly informed about the diagnosis and the expected course their illness will take,"" he said. The LCF's Andrea Williams said there were ""too many loopholes that could be abused by unscrupulous doctors"". Ex-Labour minister Frank Field told BBC Two's Newsnight programme there was a danger people would feel under pressure to ""do away"" with themselves so relatives could inherit their assets. Constitutional Affairs Minister David Lammy said laws affecting 750,000 people with dementia needed updating. Mr Lammy told BBC News Labour MPs would not get a free vote as the law was being strengthened, not changed. ""We are against euthanasia, we are against assisted suicide but we are in a situation now where people can make living wills and that has the force of the common law,"" he said. ""Doctors are saying they want more clarity. Patients are saying they want more clarity."" The Making Decisions Alliance, which includes the Alzheimer's Society, Age Concern, Mencap and the National Autistic Society, said misunderstandings over the bill had to be cleared up. ""It will not change the current law on euthanasia and will actually provide a series of better safeguards when decisions are made for people who lack capacity,"" the alliance said in a statement. The British Medical Association also backs the bill, saying it just gives incapacitated people the same rights as others. Debate on legalising euthanasia has intensified in the UK because of cases like that of motor neurone patient Diane Pretty. She died two years ago after losing a legal battle to allow her husband to help her commit suicide."	politics
Chelsea's John Terry and Wayne Bridge are also out, leaving coach Sven-Goran Eriksson with a real problem for Wednesday's match at Villa Park. Injured Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell were both left out of the squad, and Matthew Upson has already pulled out. Wes Brown and Jamie Carragher are likely to be the makeshift partnership. Terry, the captain of Chelsea as they push for the Premiership title, would have been a certain starter in the absence of Campbell and Ferdinand. But now he has pulled out with a bruised knee and is likely to be replaced by Carragher, alongside Brown. Manchester United's Brown last played for England in the defeat by Australia at Upton Park in February 2003. The 25-year-old was only called into the squad on Sunday night as cover following the enforced withdrawal of Upson, who has a hamstring injury. And Brown now looks certain to add to his tally of seven senior appearances for England. King was forced to pull out after his groin injury was assessed by England's medical staff. Eriksson has still not decided whether to call up any further back-up, having already summoned Phil Neville after Bridge pulled out with a foot injury.	sport
"China's net users number 100m but this represents less than 8% of the country's 1.3 billion people. Market analysts Panlogic predicts that net users in China will exceed the 137 million US users of the net by 2008. The report says that the country's culture will mean that Chinese people will use the net for very different ends than in many other nations. Already net use in China has a very different character than in many Western nations, said William Makower, chief executive of Panlogic. In many Western nations desktop computers that can access the net are hard to escape at work. By contrast in China workplace machines are relatively rare. This, combined with the relatively high cost of PCs in China and the time it takes to get phone lines installed, helps to explains the huge number of net cafes in China. Only 36% of Chinese homes have telephones according to reports. ""Net usage tends to happen in the evening,"" said Mr Makower, ""they get access only when they go home and go off to the internet café."" ""Its fundamentally different usage to what we have here,"" he said. Net use in China was still very much an urban phenomenon with most users living on the country's eastern seaboard or in its three biggest cities. The net is key to helping Chinese people keep in touch with friends, said Mr Makower. Many people use it in preference to the phone or arrange to meet up with friends at net cafes. What people can do on the net is also limited by aspects of Chinese life. For instance, said Mr Makower, credit cards are rare in China partly because of fears people have about getting in to debt. ""The most popular way to pay is Cash-On-Delivery,"" he said, ""and that's quite a brake to the development of e-commerce."" The arrival of foreign banks in China, due in 2006, could mean greater use of credit cards but for the moment they are rare, said Mr Makower. But if Chinese people are not spending cash online they are interested in the news they can get via the net and the view it gives them on Western ways of living. ""A large part of the attraction of the internet is that it goes below the radar,"" he said. ""Generally it's more difficult for the government to be able to control it."" ""Its real value is as an open window onto what's happening elsewhere in the world,"" he said. Government restrictions on how much advertising can appear on television means that the net is a source of many commercial messages Chinese people would not see anywhere else. Familiarity with the net also has a certain social cachet. ""It's a sign of them having made it that they can use the internet and navigate around it,"" said Mr Makower."	tech
"Both will be in action on Friday in the 60m hurdles and long jump ahead of the European Indoor Championships later this month in Madrid. Sotherton finished third behind the Swede in Athens, and Kluft said: ""I knew about her, she's a great girl. ""She looked very good early in the season and was competing really well."" Kluft showed impressive early-season form on Tuesday in Stockholm's GE Galan meeting, winning the sprint hurdles, the long jump and the 400m. Sotherton has also displayed promise, with a new high jump personal best in Sheffield at the combined Norwich Union European trials and AAA Championships, and a second place in the long jump behind Jade Johnson."	sport
Sir Cameron Mackintosh's lavish production, which has cost £9m to bring to the stage, was given a 10-minute standing ovation. Lead actress Laura Michelle Kelly soared over the heads of the audience holding the nanny's trademark umbrella. Technical hitches had prevented Mary Poppins' flight into the auditorium during preview performances. A number of celebrities turned out for the musical's premiere, including actress Barbara Windsor, comic Graham Norton and Sir Richard Attenborough. The show's director Richard Eyre issued a warning earlier in the week that the show was unsuitable for children under seven, while under-threes are barred. Mary Poppins was originally created by author Pamela Travers, who is said to have cried when she saw Disney's 1964 film starring Julie Andrews. Travers had intended the story to be a lot darker than the perennial family favourite. Theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh has said he hopes the musical is a blend of the sweet-natured film and the original book.	entertainment
"Several members of the US Senate are among those affected, who could now be vulnerable to identity theft. Senate sources say the missing tapes may have been stolen from a plane by baggage handlers. The bank gave no details of how the records disappeared, but said they had probably not been misused. Customers' accounts were being monitoring and account holders would be notified if any ""unusual activity"" was detected, bank officials said. Bank of America said the tapes went missing in December while being shipped to a back-up data centre. ""We, with federal law authorities, have done a very robust, thorough investigation on this and neither we nor they would make the statement lightly that we believe those tapes to be lost,"" Alexandra Tower, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina-based bank, told Time magazine. But although there was no evidence of criminal activity, the bank said, the Secret Service - a federal agency whose brief includes investigations of serious financial crime - is said to be looking into the loss. New York Senator Charles Schumer said he was told by the Senate Rules Committee that the tapes were probably stolen from a commercial plane. ""Whether it is identity theft, terrorism, or other theft, in this new complicated world baggage handlers should have background checks and more care should be taken for who is hired for these increasingly sensitive positions,"" the Democrat senator said. Details of his Vermont colleague Pat Leahy's credit card account are among those missing, Senator Leahy's spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said. About 900,000 military and civilian staff at the defence department are among the 1.2 million affected, according to a Pentagon spokesman."	business
Geared towards online gamers, it is based around little more than a series of all-out gunfights, set in an array of locations all featured in, or hinted at during, the two blockbusting film trilogies. Previous Star Wars titles like the acclaimed Knights Of The Old Republic and Jedi Knight have regularly impressed with their imaginative forays into the far corners of the franchise's extensive universe, and their use of weird and wonderful new characters. Battlefront on the other hand wholeheartedly revisits the most recognisable elements of the hit movies themselves. The sights, sounds and protagonists on show here will all be instantly familiar to fans, who may well feel that the opportunity to relive Star Wars' most memorable screen skirmishes makes this the game they have always waited for. The mayhem can be viewed from either a third or first-person perspective, and you can either fight for the forces of freedom or join Darth Vader on the Dark Side, depending on the episode and type of campaign as well as the player's personal propensity for good or evil. There is ample chance to be a Wookie, shoot Ewoks and rush into battle alongside a fired-up Luke Skywalker. In each section, the task is simply to wipe out enemy troops, seize strategic waypoints and move on to the next planet. It really is no more complicated than that. Locations include the frozen wastes of Hoth, the ice planet from The Empire Strikes Back, complete with massive mechanical AT-ATs on the march. There are also the dusty, sinister deserts of Tatooine and Geonosis, as well as the forest moon of Endor, where Return Of The Jedi's much-maligned Ewoks lived. The feel of those places is well and truly captured, with both backdrops and characters looking good and very authentic. It is worth noting though that on the PlayStation 2, the game's graphics are a curiously long way behind those of the Xbox version. The pivotal element behind Battlefront's success is that it successfully gives you the feel of being of being plunged into the midst of large-scale war. The number of combatants, noise and abundance of laser fire see to that, and the sense of chaos really comes over. Speaking of noise, Battlefront is a real testament to the strength of the Star Wars galaxy's audio motifs. The multitude of distinctive weapon and vehicle noises are immensely familiar, as are the stirring John Williams symphonies that never let up. There is also a particularly snazzy remix of one of his themes in the menu section. It has to be said if the game did not have the boon of being Star Wars, it would not stand up for long. The gameplay is reliable, bog-standard stuff, short on originality. There are also odd annoyances, like the game's insistence on re-spawning you miles away from the action, an irritating price to pay for not getting blown up the second you appear. And some of the weapons and vehicles are not as responsive and fluid to operate as they might be. That said, it is still great fun to pilot a Scout Walker or Speeder Bike, however non user-friendly they prove. Whilst it is firmly designed with multiplayer action in mind, Battlefront is actually perfectly good fun as an offline game. The above-average AI of the enemy sees to that, although given the frenetic environments they operate in, their strategic behaviour does not need to be all that sophisticated. Battlefront's novelty value will doubtless wear off relatively fast, leaving behind a slightly empty one-trick-pony of a game. But for a while, it is an absolute blast, and one of the most immediately satisfying video game offerings yet from George Lucas' stable.	tech
"Paul Tellier, who was also Bombardier's president, left the company amid an ongoing restructuring. Laurent Beaudoin, part of the family that controls the Montreal-based firm, will take on the role of CEO under a newly created management structure. Analysts said the resignations seem to have stemmed from a boardroom dispute. Under Mr Tellier's tenure at the company, which began in January 2003, plans to cut the worldwide workforce of 75,000 by almost a third by 2006 were announced. The firm's snowmobile division and defence services unit were also sold and Bombardier started the development of a new aircraft seating 110 to 135 passengers. Mr Tellier had indicated he wanted to stay at the world's top train maker and third largest manufacturer of civil aircraft until the restructuring was complete. But Bombardier has been faced with a declining share price and profits. Earlier this month the firm said it earned $10m (£19.2m) in the third quarter, down from a profit of $133m a year ago. ""I understand the board's concern that I would not be there for the long-term and the need to develop and execute strategies, and the need to reshape the management structure at this time,"" Mr Tellier said in a statement on Monday. Bombardier said restructuring plans drawn up by Mr Tellier's would continue to be implemented. Shares in Bombardier lost 65 Canadian cents or 25% on the news to 1.90 Canadian dollars before rallying to 2.20 Canadian dollars."	business
"The chancellor also unveiled a one-off £200 council tax refund for pensioners and a rise in child tax credit. Mr Brown put 1p a pint on beer, 4p on a bottle of wine and 7p on 20 cigarettes but froze petrol duty until September. The Tories called it a ""vote now, pay later"" Budget. The Lib Dems branded it a ""sticking plaster"" for the election. Tory leader Michael Howard predicted the Budget would do nothing to help Labour's ""faltering"" election campaign. ""This government and this chancellor have run out of solutions to the problems Britain faces,"" Mr Howard told MPs. ""Their only answer is to tax, to spend and to waste - to get people to vote now and pay later."" He ended his response with an election challenge to Labour, saying ""bring it on"". Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy attacked Mr Brown for failing to mention the environment and for his record on social justice. ""How can it be right in Britain today that the poorest 20% pay more in tax, as a proportion of their income, than the richest 20%?"" he asked. Mr Kennedy criticised Mr Brown for failing to mention the ""ticking bomb"" of council tax revaluation, saying it was ""high time"" the system was replaced by a ""local tax based on the ability to pay"". During his 49 minute speech Mr Brown told MPs he had defied the pundits by hitting his growth target of 3.1% for 2004. He said his Budget struck a balance ""between tax cuts that are affordable, investments that are essential and stability that is paramount"". He rejected across-the-board tax cuts in favour of targeted help for families. The child tax credit will rise in line with earnings, giving families an extra £5 a week. In contrast, the personal income tax allowance will rise only in line with inflation from £4,745 to £4,895 next month. Mr Brown told MPs child benefit would rise to a maximum of £63 a week for the first child and £111 for two children. Despite his giveaways, Budget documents show Mr Brown clawed back £265m through a clampdown on tax avoidance and increased revenue from a windfall tax on oil companies. He also scrapped stamp duty relief for commercial property in disadvantaged areas - a measure brought in just over three years ago. BBC political editor Andrew Marr suggested the sweeteners were not big enough to have a transforming effect on voters. But trust in Mr Brown's economic stewardship would be a central election issue, he said. Mr Brown also unveiled plans for a memorial to the Queen Mother, funded through a special coin to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday. Other measures include equal tax status for same-sex couples and a deal with the Council of Mortgage Lenders to boost low cost home ownership. The level where people start paying inheritance tax will also rise from £263,000 to £275,000 from April. Mr Brown said he had met his financial ""golden rule"" with a £6bn surplus and he said public borrowing would continue to fall over the next five years. The economy had grown for 50 consecutive quarters, he said, and was forecast to continue doing so over the next year, with a forecast of 3% to 3.5% in 2005 and 2.5% to 3% in 2006. The first £2bn of value-for-money savings identified in the Gershon Review have been achieved, the chancellor said. Some 12,500 civil servant posts have been axed, and 7,800 relocated out of the south east of England, he added. SNP leader Alex Salmond said Mr Brown had failed the ""tartan test"" as there were no measures to boost the Scottish economy. Simon Thomas, of Plaid Cymru, called it a budget for Middle England. UK Independence Party leader Roger Knapman attacked the plans for pensioners saying they needed ""more money and the dignity of being allowed to spend it how they want,"" not ""free bus rides"". The Green Party said the Budget was a ""wasted opportunity"" for environmental protection, adding: ""Brown obviously has an eye on the coming election, and has taken his eye off the needs of the planet."""	politics
"""At the moment, the biggest factor on the mind of British sprinters is to be number one in Britain,"" the world 200m and 400m record holder told Five Live. ""Athletics at the moment is all about international competitions and they need to show a little more pride."" However, Linford Christie countered: ""It's easy to criticise when you haven't gone through the system here."" Johnson was involved in a verbal spat with Britain's Darren Campbell earlier this year. The American had cast doubt on Campbell's claims he had torn a hamstring in the wake of his failure to reach the Olympic 100m and 200m finals. And the American remains highly critical of aspects of British sprinting. ""The only time you see British sprinters getting upset or riled is when there is a debate as to which one is better than the other,"" he claimed. ""Athletes here have to compete more outside the UK. Their focus has to be on being the best in the world and not just on being the top British sprinter."" Speaking at an elite coaches' conference in Birmingham, Johnson also argued that although there has been more investment in the sport in Britain, it had not necessarily reaped the rewards. ""You can't fix everything with money,"" he admitted. ""You contrast the situation here to that of some US athletes who have no funding. ""Those who aren't funded might be hungrier and more motivated because their road to success is a lot more difficult and challenging. ""So when they get to the top they are more appreciative."""	sport
"The shadow cabinet revealed its support ahead of next week's Commons vote on a bill to introduce compulsory ID. The decision follows a ""tough meeting"" where some senior Tories argued vociferously against the move, party sources told the BBC. The bill, which ministers claim will tackle crime, terrorism and illegal immigration, is expected to be opposed by the Liberal Democrats. They have said the scheme is ""deeply flawed"" and a waste of money. Sources within the Conservative Party told the BBC Michael Howard has always been in favour of ID cards, and tried to introduce them when he was Home Secretary. The party has been ""agnostic"" on the issue until now but had now decided to come off the fence, the Tory source said. Despite giving their backing to ID cards, the Conservatives insisted they would hold ministers to account over the precise purpose of the scheme. They said they would also press Labour over whether objectives could be met and whether the Home Office would deliver them. And they pledged to assess the cost effectiveness of ID cards and whether people's privacy would be properly protected. ""It is important to remember that this bill will take a decade to come into full effect,"" a spokesman said. ""It will do nothing to solve the immediate problems of rising crime and uncontrolled immigration."" Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: ""This has all the signs of Michael Howard overruling colleagues' concerns over ID cards. ""The Tories should have the courage to try and change public opinion not follow it."" The new chairman of the Bar Council, Guy Mansfield QC warned there was a real risk that people on the ""margins of society"" would be driven into the hands of extremists. ""What is going to happen to young Asian men when there has been a bomb gone off somewhere? They are going to be stopped. If they haven't [ID cards] they are going to be detained."""	politics
"Double Olympic gold medallist Holmes has strongly hinted she will not run in this year's Worlds and is undecided about next month's European Indoors. But World Indoor 800m record holder Ceplak said: ""There is never an easy race when she is in the field. There is only excitement at what might happen. ""It is good for the sport. She always fetches the best out of everyone."" Ceplak has been a great rival of Holmes' during the Briton's career and the pair fell out when Holmes questioned the manner of the Slovenian's runaway 800m victory at the 2002 European Championships. But the controversy has since been forgotten, with Ceplak acting as pacemaker for Holmes' failed attempt on the British Indoor 1500m record at the Norwich Union Grand Prix in Birmingham in 2003. Ceplak added: ""I like running against her - you know the race is always going to be fast. ""That is the sort of competition that I like. She is special to me. She was like my idol from the beginning of my career."" Meanwhile, Ceplak will be looking to follow up last Saturday's win in Boston with a fast time and victory in Friday's Night of Athletics in Erfurt, Germany. Britain's Jason Gardener had been expected to defend his 60m title in Erfurt but instead he will save himself for a competition in Leipzig on Sunday. Gardener's decision means Scotland's 400m man Ian Mackie will carry British hopes in what looks sure to be a tough preparation for next weekend's Norwich Union European trials in Sheffield."	sport
"Top seed Federer looked to be on course for a easy victory when he thumped the eighth seed 6-1 in the first set. But Ljubicic, who beat Tim Henman in the last eight, dug deep to secure the second set after a tense tiebreak. Swiss star Federer was not about to lose his cool, though, turning on the style to win the deciding set 6-3. The match was a re-run of last week's final at the World Indoor Tournament in Rotterdam, where Federer triumphed, but not until Ljubicic had stretched him for five sets. ""I really wanted to get off to a good start this time, and I did, and I could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm,"" Federer said. ""That took me all the way through to 6-1 3-1 0-30 on his serve and I almost ran away with it. But he came back, and that was a good effort on his side."" Ljubicic was at a loss to explain his poor showing in the first set. ""I didn't start badly, but then suddenly I felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying a little bit too much. And with Roger, if you relax for a second it just goes very quick,"" he said. ""After those first three games it was no match at all. I don't know, it was really weird. I was playing really well the whole year, and then suddenly I found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court."" But despite his defeat, the world number 14 was pleased with his overall performance. ""I had a chance in the third, and for me it's really positive to twice in two weeks have a chance against Roger to win the match. ""It's an absolutely great boost to my confidence that I'm up there and belong with top-class players."""	sport
"Mourinho, who was sent from the touchline for appearing to taunt Liverpool fans, has been ""reminded of his responsibilities to the game"". But the FA confirmed: ""There will be no further action taken in this matter."" Mourinho claimed his 'silence' gesture was aimed at the media, although they were on the other side of the ground. The former Porto coach was forced to watch the climax of his side's 3-2 victory over Liverpool on television after being ushered away from the touchline by fourth official Phil Crossley. His gesture came after Chelsea's equaliser on 79 minutes courtesy of a Steven Gerrard own goal. Mourinho still faces an FA investigation into his allegation that Manchester United's players 'cheated' during January's Carling Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge. And Uefa could also launch disciplinary action following Mourinho's failure to attend a compulsory post-match press conference after Chelsea's Champions League defeat at Barcelona last week. In addition, some time this month, Chelsea must also answer a charge of failing to control their players during the Premiership win at Blackburn in February. And a charge of failing to control their supporters following a Carling Cup meeting with West Ham earlier this season is still to be heard. The Premier League is also continuing investigations into allegations Chelsea officials tapped up Arsenal defender Ashley Cole in January."	sport
"A government-commissioned study ranked the UK third in its world index of use of information and communication technology (ICT). The report suggests 69% of UK firms are now using broadband and that 30% of micro businesses are trading online. Mr O'Brien said UK businesses were sprinting forward in ICT use, but that there were more challenges ahead. The report, carried out independently by consultants Booz Allen Hamilton and HI Europe, placed the UK third behind Sweden and Ireland for business use of ICT. It showed British business brought greater maturity to their ICT use, by using broadband in increased numbers, bringing ICT into their business plans and using new technologies such as voice activated programmes and desktop video conferences. Mr O'Brien said: ""The increase in the proportion of business connected by broadband shows that UK companies are embracing the opportunities that ICT can bring. ""It is particularly encouraging to see that small businesses are beginning to narrow the digital divide that appeared to have opened up in recent years."" The government would play its part in ""cultivating an environment where information and communication technologies can flourish"", Mr O'Brien said. The ""clear message"" the report sends is that effective use of ICT can bring real improvements in business performance for all business. ""However, we are not at the finishing line yet and many challenges remain if the UK is to reach its aim of becoming a world-leading e-economy,"" he added. The International Benchmarking Study was based on 8,000 telephone interviews with businesses, of which more than 2,700 were UK businesses. It is the eighth in a series of examining the adoption and deployment of ICT in the world's most industrialised nations."	politics
"It is called high-definition - HD for short - and it is already hugely popular in Japan and the US. It is set, according to analysts, to do for images what CDs did for sound. Different equipment able to receive HD signals is needed though and is expensive. But Europe's gamers may be the early adopters to drive demand. Europeans will have to wait until at least 2006 until they see mainstream HDTV. To view it, it needs to be transmitted in HD format, and people need special receivers and displays that can handle the high-quality resolution. The next generation of consoles, however, are expected to start appearing at the end of 2005, start of 2006. And most new computer displays and plasma sets are already capable of handling such high-resolution pictures. ""In the next generation [of consoles] HD support is mandatory,"" Dr Mark Tuffy games systems director at digital content firm THX told the BBC News website. ""Every game is going to be playable in HD. ""So consumers who have gone out and spent all this money on HDTVs, and who have no content to watch, are going to be blown away by these really high-detail pictures. ""It's going to change really the way they look at gaming."" At the end of last year, Chris Deering, Sony's European president, made a prediction that 20 million European households would have HDTV sets by 2008. A previous prediction from analysts Datamonitor put the figure at 4.6 million by 2008, an increase from an estimated 50,000 sets at the end of 2003. But those in Europe may see little point in buying what is quite an expensive bit of technology - about £2,000 - if there are few programmes or films to watch on them. Satellite broadcaster BSkyB is planning HDTV services in 2006 and the BBC intends to produce all of its content in HD by 2010. Until broadcast rights, format standards - and the practicalities of updating equipment - are agreed, TV content will be limited. All TV images are made up of pixels which go across the screen, and scan lines which go down the screen. Most standard UK TV pictures are made up of 625 lines and about 700 pixels. HD offers up to 1,080 active lines, with each line made up of 1,920 pixels. This means the picture is up to six times as sharp as standard TV. ""Probably, in the UK [gaming] is going to be the only thing you are going to really be able to show off, as in 'look what this TV can do', until HD is really adopted by broadcasters,"" explains Dr Tuffy. But gamers are also the ideal target audience for HD because they always crave better quality graphics, and more immersive gaming experiences. They are used to spending money on hardware to match a game's requirements. Demographics have changed too and the ""sweet spot"" for the games industry is the gamer in his or her late 20s. This means they are likely to have higher disposable incomes and can afford the price of big-screen, high-definition display technologies and HD projectors, earlier than others. Higher capacity storage discs, such as HD-DVD and blue-ray , are set to be standard in the next round of games consoles - allowing developers more room for detailed graphics. For console developers though, HD offers some production changes. It could make games production slightly more expensive, thinks Dr Tuffy. ""But we may see the cross-platform development of games becoming more common because they will more easily be able to take a PC game and apply it to a console,"" he says. ""You are literally going to get to the point, with a Lord of the Rings game for example, is going to be closer and closer to the actual film, especially the CGI stuff from the DVD. ""And the transition when they move from a cut scene to the game, just now they have almost got it seamless."" With HD, he says, the transition will be completely seamless and the same quality as the big-screen cinema release. This could herald an increasing convergence between the film and gaming industry. But it may not be until the generation after the next games consoles where the two industries really collide. At that point, says Dr Tuffy, games could become more or less interactive movies."	tech
"The trio of rock heavyweights will top the bill for the three-day events at Bramham Park, near Wetherby, and at Richfield Avenue, Reading. They are the Pixies' and Iron Maiden's only UK festival gigs, while Foo Fighters are also at T In The Park. The Killers, Razorlight and Queens of the Stone Age are also playing the twin festivals, to be held on 26-28 August. Other acts in this year's line-up include The Charlatans, Marilyn Manson and Kings of Leon. Pete Doherty's band Babyshamblers will appear on the NME/Radio One stage along with Kasabian, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Bloc Party. Organiser Mean Fiddler said more acts were still to be confirmed for the summer event. ""We are all very excited to be going back to Reading and intend to have a fantastic time,"" said Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. ""We're sure fans will too."" It will the first time the veteran British metal band have played Reading in 23 years. At Leeds, Iron Maiden will headline the first day of the festival on the Friday, Pixies will follow on Saturday and the Foo Fighters will close the event on Sunday. The Pixies will headline the first day of Reading, while Foo Fighters will play on Sunday and Iron Maiden will close the event. Weekend tickets are now on sale priced at £125 each."	entertainment
"Arsenal's Patrick Vieira had earlier denied accusations that he threatened Gary Neville before the 4-2 defeat. Vieira also clashed with opposing skipper Roy Keane and referee Graham Poll had to separate them. ""The referee has confirmed that he is satisfied he dealt with the incident at the time,"" said an FA statement. It means United's win will pass off without further intervention from the governing body, whose new chief executive Brian Barwick was in the Highbury stands. ""I didn't threaten anybody. They are big enough players to handle themselves,"" said Vieira. ""I had a talk with Roy Keane and that's it. Gary Neville is a big lad, he can handle himself. ""They just played better than us and deserved to win."" Neville admitted there had been incidents before the game, but insisted it had not distracted his focus. ""There were a couple of things that did happen before the game which disappoint you,"" he said. ""Especially from players of that calibre, but it's a tough game and we've been around a long time."" Neville admitted that he had not enjoyed the match, which was punctuated by fouls and the sending off of Mikael Silvestre for head-butting Freddie Ljungberg . ""I thought it was a horrible game in the first half, and it was not much better in the second,"" he said. ""There is no way that should have happened in a football match."" After the match, Keane accused Vieira of starting the row. ""Patrick Vieira is 6ft 4in and having a go at Gary Neville. So I said, 'have a go at me',"" he said. ""If he wants to intimidate our players and thinks that Gary Neville is an easy target, I'm not having it."" Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson added: ""Vieira was well wound up for it. ""I've heard different stories. Patrick Vieira has apparently threatened some of our players and things like that."""	sport
"Mr Blair was speaking to MPs amid fresh rumours of a rift with Gordon Brown. A new book says the prime minister went back on a pledge to Mr Brown to stand down before the next general election. The chancellor has said he is focused on winning the poll and is due to join election supremo Alan Milburn for a Labour poster launch this week. Mr Blair told the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) on Monday: ""I know from everyone here, in Cabinet and government, nothing is going to get in the way of a unified Labour Party with a unified position and winning the third term people desperately need."" The prime minister and his chancellor arrived within seconds of each other and seemingly in good spirits at the start of the meeting which lasted around an hour. A new book, Brown's Britain by Sunday Telegraph journalist Robert Peston, says Mr Blair went back on a pledge to make way for Mr Brown after Cabinet allies intervened in June 2004. It has caused a new wave of concern among Labour MPs gearing up to defend their seats in an election, widely expected to be held in May, and several members are understood to have lined up to express their discontent at the PLP meeting. Health Secretary John Reid earlier warned that Labour members would not easily forgive anybody fuelling damaging speculation. He told BBC News: ""Those who co-operate or inspire these books, in my view, have to know that, whatever the short-term political or personal advantage that they think they might secure, they always do it by damaging the record, the unity and the re-election chances of the Labour Party and the government."" Mr Blair on Sunday dismissed claims of broken promises, saying: ""I've dealt with this six months ago. I said then you don't do deals over jobs like this - you don't."" In a separate BBC interview, Mr Brown said he and the prime minister would not be distracted by ""gossip"". ""It's very important that we all do what we can in a unified way to ensure the election of a Labour government,"" he said. On Monday, Mr Blair's spokesman said: ""The prime minister is determined that he will get on with the business of government because he believes that what people want."" Mr Brown says he discussed the election campaign with Mr Blair on Saturday and promised to play his part. Mr Peston said the pair had ""mutual animosity and contempt"". Mr Blair had decided in November 2003 he would quit because he felt he had lost voters' trust because of the Iraq war. He had then changed his mind in June 2004, following intervention from Cabinet allies and suspicion that the chancellor was manoeuvring against him. Mr Brown allegedly said he could no longer believe anything Mr Blair told him. Conservative co-chairman Liam Fox likened the two men to ""self-obsessed schoolboys"". Liberal Democrat parliamentary chairman Matthew Taylor said their personal ambition was ""getting in the way of good government"". Ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock said Mr Blair and Mr Brown could only deal with the media frenzy by continuing to say they would not allow a row to damage Labour or British interests. He told BBC Radio Five Live that Mr Brown would never encourage any kind of insurrection or coup."	politics
"The number of phishing e-mail messages stopped by security firm MessageLabs has risen more than tenfold in less than 12 months. In 2004 it detected more than 18 million phishing e-mail messages. Other statistics show that in 2004 73% of all e-mail was spam and one in 16 messages were infected with a virus. In its end-of-year report, MessageLabs said that phishing had become the top security threat and most popular form of attack among cyber criminals. In September 2003, MessageLabs caught only 273 phishing e-mails that tried to make people visit fake versions of the websites run by real banks and financial organisations. But by September 2004 it was stopping more than two million phishing related e-mail messages per month. Worryingly, said the firm, phishing gangs were using increasingly sophisticated techniques to harvest useful information such as login details or personal data. Older attacks relied on users not spotting the fact that the site they were visiting was fake, but more recent phishing e-mails simply try to steal details as soon as a message is opened. Other phishing scams try to recruit innocent people into acting as middlemen for laundering money or goods bought with stolen credit cards. ""E-mail security attacks remain unabated in their persistence and ferocity,"" said Mark Sunner, chief technology officer at MessageLabs. ""In just 12 months phishing has firmly established itself as a threat to any organisation or individual conducting business online,"" he said. Mr Sunner said MessageLabs was starting to see some phishing attacks become very focused on one company or organisation. ""Already particular businesses are threatened and blackmailed, indicating a shift from the random, scattergun approach, to customised attacks designed to take advantage of the perceived weaknesses of some businesses,"" he said. Although phishing attacks grew substantially throughout 2004, viruses and spam remain popular with cyber-criminals and vandals. One of the biggest outbreaks took place in January when the MyDoom virus started circulating. To date the company has caught more than 60 million copies of the virus. Also up this year was the amount of spam in circulation. In 2003 only 40% of messages were spam. But by the end of 2004, almost three-quarters of messages were junk."	tech
"The report by the US Pew Research Center reveals that 87% of searchers usually find what they were looking for when using a search engine. It also shows that few can spot the difference between paid-for results and organic ones. The report reveals that 84% of net users say they regularly use Google, Ask Jeeves, MSN and Yahoo when online. Almost 50% of those questioned said they would trust search engines much less, if they knew information about who paid for results was being hidden. According to figures gathered by the Pew researchers the average users spends about 43 minutes per month carrying out 34 separate searches and looks at 1.9 webpages for each hunt. A significant chunk of net users, 36%, carry out a search at least weekly and 29% of those asked only look every few weeks. For 44% of those questioned, the information they are looking for is critical to what they are doing and is information they simply have to find. Search engine users also tend to be very loyal and once they have found a site they feel they can trust tend to stick with it. According to Pew Research 44% of searchers use just a single search engine, 48% use two or three and a small number, 7%, consult more than three sites. Tony Macklin, spokesman for Ask Jeeves, said the results reflected its own research which showed that people use different search engines because the way the sites gather information means they can provide different results for the same query. Despite this liking for search sites half of those questioned said they could get the same information via other routes. A small number, 17%, said they wouldn't really miss search engines if they did not exist. The remaining 33% said they could not live without search sites. More than two-thirds of those questioned, 68%, said they thought that the results they were presented with were a fair and unbiased selection of the information on a topic that can be found on the net. Alongside the growing sophistication of net users is a lack of awareness about paid-for results that many search engines provide alongside lists of websites found by indexing the web. Of those asked, 62% were unaware that someone has paid for some of the results they see when they carry out a search. Only 18% of all searchers say they can tell which results are paid for and which are not. Said the Pew report: ""This finding is ironic, since nearly half of all users say they would stop using search engines if they thought engines were not being clear about how they presented paid results."" Commenting Mr Macklin said sponsored results must be clearly marked and though they might help with some queries user testing showed that people need to be able to spot the difference."	tech
"Thailand's economy is now expected to grow by 5.7% in 2005, rather than 6% as forecast before tsunamis hit six tourist provinces. The full economic costs of the disaster remain unclear. In part, this is because of its scale, and because delivering aid and recovering the dead remain priorities. But Indonesian, Indian and Hong Kong stock markets reached record highs on Wednesday, suggesting that investors do not fear a major economic impact. The highs showed the gap in outlook between investors in large firms and individuals who have lost their livelihoods. Investors seemed to feel that some of the worst-affected areas - such as Aceh in Indonesia - were so under-developed that the tragedy would little impact on Asia's listed companies, according to analysts. ""Obviously with a lot of loss of life, a lot of time is needed to clean up the mess, bury the people and find the missing. But it's not necessarily a really big thing in the economic sense,"" said ABN Amro chief Asian strategist Eddie Wong. India's Bombay Stock Exchange inched slightly above its previous record close on Wednesday. Expectations of strong corporate earnings in 2005 drove the Indonesian stock exchange in Jakarta to a record high on Wednesday. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index may be benefiting in part from the potential for its listed property companies to gain from rebuilding contracts in the tsunami-affected regions of South East Asia. In Sri Lanka, some economists have said that as much as 1% of annual growth may be lost. Sri Lanka's stock market has fallen about 5% since the weekend, but it is still 40% higher than at the start of 2004. Thailand may lose 30bn baht (£398m; $768m) in earnings from tourism over the next three months, according to tourism minister Sontaya Kunplome. In the affected provinces, he expects the loss of tourism revenue to be offset by government reconstruction spending. Thailand intends to spend a similar sum - around 30bn baht - on the rebuilding work. ""It will take until the fourth quarter of next year before tourist visitors in Phuket and five other provinces return to their normal level,"" said Naris Chaiyasoot, director general at the ministry's fiscal policy office. In the Maldives the cost of reconstruction could wipe out economic growth, according to a government spokesman. ""Our nation is in peril here,"" said Ahmed Shaheed, the chief government spokesman. He estimated the economic cost of the disaster at hundreds of millions of dollars. The Maldives has gross domestic product of $660m. ""It won't be surprising if the cost exceeds our GDP,"" he said. ""In the last few years, we made great progress in our standard of living - the United Nations recognised this. Now we see this can disappear in a few days, a few minutes."" Shaheed noted that investment in a single tourist resort - the economic mainstay - could run to $40m. Between 10 and 12 of the 80-odd resorts have been severely damaged, and a similar number have suffered significant damage. However, many experts, including the World Bank, have pointed out that it is still difficult to assess the magnitude of the disaster and its likely economic impact."	business
"The finished image is 2.5 billion pixels in size - making it about 500 times the resolution of images produced by good consumer digital cameras. The huge image of Delft was created by stitching together 600 single snaps of the Dutch city taken at a fixed spot. If printed out in standard 300 dots per inch resolution, the picture would be 2.5m high and 6m long. The researchers have put the image on a website which lets viewers explore the wealth of detail that it captures. Tools on the page let viewers zoom in on the city and its surroundings in great detail. The website is already proving popular and currently has more than 200,000 visitors every day. The image was created by imaging experts from the Dutch research and technology laboratory TNO which created the 2.5 gigapixel photo as a summer time challenge. The goal of the project was to be one of the first groups to make gigapixel images. The first image of such a size was manually constructed by US photographer Max Lyons in November 2003. That image portrayed Bryce Canyon National Park, in Utah, and was made up of 196 separate photographs. The panorama of Delft is a little staid in contrast to the dramatic rockscape captured in Mr Lyons' image. ""He did it all by hand, which was an enormous effort, and we got the idea that if you use automatic techniques, it would be feasible to build a larger image,"" said Jurgen den Hartog, one of the TNO researchers behind the project. ""We were not competing with Mr Lyons, but it started as a lunchtime bet."" The Dutch team used already available technologies, although it had to upgrade them to be able to handle the high-resolution image. ""We had to rewrite almost all the tools,"" Me den Hartog told the BBC News website. ""All standard Windows viewers available would not be able to load such a large image, so we had to develop one ourselves."" The 600 component pictures were taken on July 2004 by a computer-controlled camera with a 400 mm lens. Each image was made to slightly overlap so they could be accurately arranged into a composite. The stitching process was also done automatically using five powerful PCs over three days. Following the success of this project, and with promises of help from others, the TNO team is considering creating a full 360-degree panoramic view of another Dutch city, with even higher resolution."	tech
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said the largest recall involves 155,465 pickups, vans and sports utility vehicles (SUVs). This is because of possible malfunctions with the braking systems. The affected vehicles in the product recall are from the 2004 and 2005 model years, GM said. Those vehicles with potential faults are the Chevrolet Avalanche, Express, Kodiak, Silverade and Suburban; the GMC Savana, Sierra and Yukon. The NHTSA said a pressure accumulator in the braking system could crack during normal driving and fragments could injure people if the hood was open. This could allow hydraulic fluid to leak, which could make it harder to brake or steer and could cause a crash, it warned. GM is also recalling 19,924 Cadillac XLR coupes, SRX SUVs and Pontiac Grand Prix sedans from the 2004 model year. This is because the accelerator pedal may not work properly in extremely cold temperatures, requiring more braking. In addition, the car giant is calling back 17,815 Buick Raniers, Chevrolet Trailblazers, GMC Envoys and Isuzu Ascenders from the 2005 model years because the windshield is not properly fitted and could fall out in a crash. However, GM stressed that it did not know of any injuries related to the problems. News of the recall follows an announcement last month that GM expects earnings this year be lower than in 2004. The world's biggest car maker is grappling with losses in its European business, weak US sales and now a product recall. In January, GM said higher healthcare costs in North America, and lower profits at its financial services subsidiary would hurt its performance in 2005.	business
"The Pensions Policy Institute (PPI) said replacing the state pension with a ""citizen's pension"" would help tackle inequality and complexity. The change would see pensions being calculated on length of residency in the UK rather than National Insurance (NI) contributions. Reform could reduce poverty by aiding people with broken employment records. The PPI added that once the state system was reformed the government should look at options to overhaul private and workplace pensions. The think tank's proposals were made in response to the recent publication of the Pensions Commission's initial report into UK retirement savings. According to the Pensions Commission's report 12 million working people are not saving enough for their retirement. As a result, living standards could fall for the next generation of UK pensioners. The report added that a combination of higher taxes, higher savings and/or a higher average retirement age was needed to solve the UK pension crisis."	business
"While it predicts this fall from the current 2.1% level, it said it was making progress on ending deflation. The figures were given by economics minister Heizo Takenaka who said the economy would grow by 2% in 2006/07. He said the consumer price index (CPI) would rise 0.1% in the next fiscal year, the first gain since 2000/01. ""We are attempting to make real economic conditions better and to overcome deflation. I think we are on track,"" said Mr Takenaka. Deflation - or falling consumer prices - has plagued Japan for more than five years. To ease the problem the Bank of Japan has regularly flooded the money market with excess cash to keep short term interest rates at 0% in an attempt to spur economic activity."	business
The movie version of Dan Brown's best-selling novel is being directed by Ron Howard and also stars Tom Hanks. Tautou will play Hanks' code-cracking partner, according to various newspapers. She is currently starring in A Very Long Engagement, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Jeunet was also responsible for directing Tautou in Amelie in 2001, which launched the actress into the mainstream. She also starred as the lead role in critically-acclaimed film Dirty Pretty Things in 2002. Oscar-winning director Ron Howard chose Tautou for the part, preferring a French actress to a big name Hollywood star. UK actress Kate Beckinsale had been widely tipped as a possibility for the role alongside Vanessa Paradis and Juliette Binoche. The thriller upon which the movie is based has sold more than 17 million copies and is centred on a global conspiracy surrounding the Holy Grail mythology. The Louvre Museum, scene of the gruesome murder at the beginning of the novel, recently gave permission for filming to take place there, showbusiness newspaper Variety reported. The $100m movie will be produced by Columbia/Sony Pictures and is due for release on May 19, 2006 in the United States and France.	entertainment
"The Lib Dem leader said David Blunkett's resignation was a ""good opportunity"" to question whether the legislation was necessary. But Mr Clarke said he had supported the plans when Mr Blunkett argued for them in Cabinet and he supported them now. ""ID cards are a means to creating a more secure society,"" he said. Mr Clarke acknowledged how the measure was introduced remained a matter for debate but he said legislation had already been ""significantly influenced"" by the recommendations of the Commons' home affairs committee. The issue would be debated in Parliament next Monday as scheduled he insisted. Earlier Mr Kennedy, whose party opposes the ID cards plan as ""deeply flawed"" said with Christmas coming up the new home secretary had time to think again. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Mr Clarke had been reported to be less enthusiastic about ID cards than his predecessors. ""Wouldn't this be a good opportunity for a new home secretary, a new broom, to sweep clean in this respect and why do we need this legislation in the first place?"" he asked. Earlier this week the Tories announced they would back the government's plans although Michael Howard was forced to deny the shadow cabinet was split over its decision. They had decided to support the plans as the police said they would help fight terror, crime and illegal immigration. Among those reported to have serious reservations over the strategy were senior shadow cabinet members David Davis, Oliver Letwin and Tim Yeo. The chairman of the Bar Council, Guy Mansfield QC has warned there is a real risk that people on the ""margins of society"" would be driven into the hands of extremists. ""What is going to happen to young Asian men when there has been a bomb gone off somewhere? They are going to be stopped. If they haven't [ID cards] they are going to be detained."" The Home Office says people will pay £85 for a passport and ID card together or a undecided fee for a separate ID card. The first cards would be issued in 2008 and when he was introducing the bill, Mr Blunkett suggested Parliament could decide in 2011 or 2012 whether to make it compulsory for everybody to own the cards, although not to carry them. The new bill will also create new criminal offences on the possession of false identity documents. And there will be civil penalties including a fine of up to £1,000 fine for people who fail to say they have moved house or changed other details and of up to £2,500 for failing to sign up if the cards become compulsory. The scheme will be overseen by a new independent watchdog."	politics
"Mrs Parker Bowles will take the title HRH Duchess of Cornwall after a civil ceremony to be held at Windsor Castle. A Daily Telegraph poll of 1,313 people suggests two-thirds of Britons support the couple's decision to marry. But only 40% think Mrs Parker Bowles should become Princess Consort as planned after Charles becomes king. Some 47% believe she should have no title, while 7% think she should become queen. The poll also found that the majority of Britons would prefer the monarchy to miss a generation, with the Queen handing the throne to her grandson Prince William, 22, on her death or abdication. On Thursday night, Prince Charles, 56, and Mrs Parker Bowles, 57, hosted a dinner at Windsor Castle, their first public appearance since announcing their engagement. Mrs Parker Bowles said the prince went down on one knee to propose and added: ""I'm just coming down to earth."" She displayed her diamond engagement ring - a Royal Family heirloom - to reporters. Charles said he and his wife-to-be were ""absolutely delighted"". Their marriage will end years of speculation on a relationship which dates back to 1970. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh said the news had made them ""very happy"". Princes William and Harry said they are ""very happy"" and wish the couple ""all the luck in the future"". The wedding will be a civil ceremony followed by a service of prayer and dedication in St George's Chapel at which the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, will preside. The marriage is likely to be a sensitive issue because Mrs Parker Bowles is divorced and her former husband is still alive. If he became king, Charles would be the supreme governor of the Church of England and some Anglicans remain opposed to the remarriage of divorcees. ""His divorce from Diana and the disappointment the country felt over how Diana had been treated... opened up a sense of disillusionment with [Prince Charles],"" said Ros Coward, who wrote the authorised biography of Diana, princess of Wales. The Archbishop of Canterbury said: ""I am pleased that Prince Charles and Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles have decided to take this important step."" Tony Blair said he was ""delighted"" for the couple and offered his congratulations, as did Conservative leader Michael Howard and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy. Australia's Prime Minister John Howard also offered his congratulations, adding that their decision to marry was a ""sensible and a good thing"". Mrs Parker Bowles has joined the prince at numerous engagements in recent years - mostly at evening events for The Prince's Trust. Clarence House staff were at pains to point out that she attended these events in a private capacity."	politics
"Mr Blair held talks with his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, and the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas. He confirmed that a renewed drive to reform the Palestinian Authority and address security issues would come at a London conference in March. Mr Blair also made a surprise trip to Iraq this week. The Israelis described the meeting as important but said they would not need to attend. Mr Blair briefly visited the tomb of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah - the first world leader to do so. He nodded briefly towards the tomb, rather than lay a wreath, in what Palestinian officials said was a compromise gesture agreed at the last minute. The BBC's Paul Reynolds says the London conference will be a limited measure to shore up the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, who is expected to win the Palestinian presidential election on 9 January. At a news conference following talks with Mr Blair, Mr Abbas said the British prime minister was ""in a unique position to help us progress in our peaceful pursuit"". He added: ""Your endeavour to hold a conference in London is another example of your deep commitment to this purpose."" In an interview with the BBC's political editor Andrew Marr, Mr Blair said getting progress between Israelis and Palestinians would be ""tough, but at least we have got the first step"". Mr Blair acknowledged some people believed he was too close to the Israelis, but said the Israelis were entitled to expect Palestinians to give up terrorism. He argued that Mr Sharon was committed to the internationally-agreed roadmap peace plan and said his bid to disengage from Gaza had to be part of the peace process, not the end of it. Earlier, Mr Sharon again said he had not seen ""the slightest step"" the Palestinians were working to end terror attacks - though he acknowledged Palestinian leaders were in the middle of an election campaign that could be hampering their efforts. Before visiting Israel, Mr Blair made a surprise visit to Iraq, where he met leaders in Baghdad during his first trip to the city. He was briefed on preparations for the national poll, which is scheduled for next month but is threatened by a deadly campaign of insurgent violence. He also flew to Basra in southern Iraq where British forces are stationed."	politics
"The Tory leader said English local authorities have spent more than £3bn - or £140 per household - on asylum since Labour won power in 1997. Mr Howard is expected to tell activists in Kent that voters' tolerance and desire to help others are being abused. Other parties and refugee agencies have already attacked Tory plans for annual limits on numbers. Mr Howard said Britain should take its fair share of the world's ""genuine refugees"". ""The anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz - where my grandmother was murdered along with over a million others - has reminded all of us that we have a moral responsibility to those fleeing persecution,"" he was due to say. ""But if we are to fulfil responsibility, we have to get a grip of the system. ""Fair play matters. People want a government that upholds the rules - not one that turns a blind eye when they are bent and abused,"" he said. ""And let's be clear. Our asylum system is being abused - and with it Britain's generosity."" Earlier this week, Mr Howard said his party's plans to cut immigration were not racist, arguing they would make the asylum system fairer for genuine refugees. If elected, his party would institute an annual limit on asylum and all claims would be processed overseas. That prompted some charities to say the plans would put refugees' lives at risk if they were turned away once quotas were filled. ""If we have a moral responsibility towards people fleeing persecution, then these policies will not provide a safe haven,"" said Hannah Ward of the Refugee Council. ""If people turn up in the UK asking for help they will be turned away. Michael Howard's policy effectively means there is no safe haven in the UK. ""When it comes to costs, then perhaps we should start with how decisions are made on asylum seekers. So many of them are shown to be wrong - one in five decisions that are appealed are successfully overturned, rising to half for some nationalities. ""We need good quality decision-making on asylum applications because it is delays in the system which cost so much."" Tony Blair said Labour would set out workable plans for tackling immigration abuse in the next few weeks and attacked the Tory plans. ""By cutting the number of front-line immigration staff at our borders, they will actually make the problem worse,"" said Mr Blair. Liberal Democrat chairman Matthew Taylor said there needed to be a quick, fair and firm asylum system. But he said it was ""absolutely disgusting"" to propose a system which could turn away genuine refugees. The Conservatives say there is little risk of this happening as demand for asylum will be considered when quotas are set. On Monday, Mr Howard said: ""It's not racist, as some people to claim, to talk about controlling immigration far from it."""	politics
"Sergio Marchionne has replaced Herbert Demel as chief executive of Fiat Auto, with Mr Demel leaving the company. Mr Marchionne becomes the fourth head of the business - which is expected to make a 800m euro ($1bn) loss in 2004 - in as many years. Fiat underperformed the market in Europe last year, seeing flat sales. The car business has made an operating loss in five of the last six years and was forced to push back its break-even target from 2005 to 2006. The management changes are part of a wider shake-up of the business following Fiat's resolution of its dispute with General Motors. As part of a major restructuring, Fiat is to integrate the Maserati car company - currently owned by Ferrari - within its own operations. Ferrari, in which Fiat owns a majority stake, could be separately floated on the stock market in either 2006 or 2007. Mr Marchionne, who only joined the company last year, said Fiat Auto was now the ""principal focus"" of his attention. ""I have made the decision to take on the post of chief executive of the auto unit to speed up the company's recovery,"" he said. ""A profound cultural transformation is underway following a management reorganisation that has delivered a more agile and efficient structure,"" he added. Although Mr Marchionne does not have a background in the car industry, he has been playing an increasing role in the group's activities. Last year, he said that a series of new models, launched as part of the group's recovery plan, had not boosted revenues as much as hoped. The car business, best known for its Alfa Romeo marque, is expected to make a loss of about 800m euros in 2004. Sales are expected to fall in 2005, Fiat said this week, as it exits unprofitable areas such as the rental car market. Mr Demel, a car industry veteran, took the helm in November 2003 after being recruited by former Fiat chief executive Giuseppe Morchio. Mr Morchio made a bid last year to become chairman after the death of president Umberto Agnelli. However, this was rejected by the founding Agnelli family and Mr Morchio subsequently resigned. Earlier this week, Fiat reached an agreement with GM to dissolve an alliance which could have obliged GM to buy the Italian firm outright. GM will pay Fiat $2bn as part of the settlement."	business
"The Muslim Council of Britain has complained to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom. It says the programme breaches editorial guidelines. The group's members met with Sky executives on Tuesday after viewing previews of the first five episodes. The drama, now in its fourth series, begins on Sunday evening. The new series portrays a Muslim family as a sleeper terrorist cell. The Muslim Council of Britain said in a statement: ""We are greatly concerned by the unremittingly hostile and unbalanced portrayal of Muslims in this series of 24 based upon a preview of the first five episodes that we have seen."" ""There is not a single positive Muslim character in the storyline to date. At a time when negative stereotypes of Muslims are on the increase we feel that Sky - as a major UK broadcaster - has a responsibility to challenge these insidious views, not help to reinforce them."" But Sky denied the programme breached broadcasting guidelines. A spokesperson said: ""During a useful meeting yesterday, Sky listened to the concerns raised by representatives of the council. Sky does not believe that the episodes that it has reviewed to date breach Ofcom's programme code."" Fox TV, which shows the series in the US, is broadcasting public service announcements showing Muslims in a positive light after complaints about the series."	entertainment
"The 21-year-old Blues prop is the only uncapped player in Wales' Six Nations squad, gaining a chance in the absence of Ospreys loose-head Duncan Jones. ""John is a young man with a big future. He has been playing with the Blues for two years and has racked up mileage on his playing clock,"" said Ruddock. ""He has international size, is a big, physical lad and a good ball-carrier with a high tackle-count."" Ruddock's assessment was backed up by Yapp's coach at the Blues, former Wales and Lions prop Dai Young. ""John's been on an upward curve all season and is going from strength to strength,"" Young told BBC Sport Wales. ""His ball carrying gives us good go-forward, he impresses in defence and his work-rate is excellent. ""He's working hard on his scrummaging technique, which he is keen to improve to become a destroyer on the loose-head. ""To be fair to him he's not quite there with the scrummaging yet, but nobody can fault his effort, commitment and attitude. ""John's a very strong man and is eager for the challenge, if he's pitched in he won't let anyone down. ""He's developing quickly, but I hope he isn't pushed too quickly in a way that would hurt his development."" Ruddock hopes that the selection of Yapp and Dragons lock Ian Gough - out of the international reckoning since falling out with former coach Steve Hansen - will send a message to other players in Wales. ""John and Ian have been rewarded for impressing during the Heineken Cup competition,"" said Ruddock. ""Both of them have played well, and we want to send a message out that consistently playing well gets you in the squad. ""We believe this is an exciting squad representing traditional values of Welsh rugby, and based on the performances in the November internationals. ""We have strength and experience up front, and well-recognised talent, pace and skill behind. ""The management team just want to get hold of the players and get out on the training pitch at the moment. ""They are all due in on Sunday, and that's when the hard work starts."""	sport
"Mourinho intimated that United boss Sir Alex Ferguson influenced referee Neale Barry after the duo walked down the tunnel together at half-time. But an FA spokesman told BBC Sport: ""We are not taking action over Mourinho. ""We have looked at the comments and we have decided that no further action is required. That is the end of it."" Mourinho was concerned that Ferguson's conversation with Barry was followed by an inconsistent display by the official. ""I see one referee in the first half and another in the second,"" said Mourinho. ""If the FA ask me what happened, I will tell them. What I saw and felt made it easier to understand a few things. ""Maybe when I turn 60 and have been managing in the same league for 20 years and have the respect of everybody I will have the power to speak to people and make them tremble a little bit. ""The referee controlled the game in one way during the first half but in the second they had dozens of free-kicks. It was fault after fault, dive after dive. ""But I know the referee did not walk to the dressing rooms alone at half-time. He should only have had his two assistants and the fourth official with him, but there was also someone else."" Referees chief Keith Hackett believes Mourinho should retract his comments about Ferguson and Barry as he believes the Blues boss has questioned their integrity. ""I'm hoping he might reconsider his comments, unfortunately this is the nature of the game,"" said Hackett. ""I don't want referees or myself getting in the psychological warfare between two managers. For the second leg we have an experienced referee, and we should be talking about the quality of that game rather than the refereeing. ""Sometimes managers have grounds for comments, and I note that, but a referees integrity has been questioned, that is offensive and should be avoided. Mr Mourinho should look at the facts."" Mourinho added that the match was entertaining for a goalless draw and insisted his team could still reach the final. ""It's 0-0, so if we win we go through and if we get a draw we go to extra time,"" he said. ""We have exactly the same chance we had before this game. ""We are confident of getting a result but we know what Manchester United is, a footballing power. It'll be difficult for us, but also for them."""	sport
"The event, which is in its 10th year, will be held at two venues - Hylands Park in Essex and Weston Park in Staffordshire on 20 and 21 August. Meanwhile, rock veterans New Order have joined the T in the Park line-up alongside Athlete and Green Day. The Manchester band will play on 9 July at Scotland's biggest festival. It will be their debut performance at the music event which is held over the weekend of 9 and 10 July in Balado near Kinross. Other bands at the sold-out festival include Queens of the Stone Age, The Killers, Keane, The Streets and Foo Fighters. A month later at the V Festival, Prodigy will play at Weston Park on Saturday 20 August and Hylands Park on Sunday 21 August and the Chemical Brothers vice versa. It will be the Chemical Brothers' only UK festival performance of the year. V festival director Bob Angus said: ""With the Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers now confirmed to headline the second stage, we are headed for a really stellar line-up. ""We pride ourselves on putting on an unbeatable live music experience and V Festival 2005 will not disappoint."" Tickets for the V festival go on sale on Friday 11 March."	entertainment
"Mr Brown told the House that government policy is to raise fuel duty at least in line with inflation each year to fulfil environmental commitments. But this financial year, because of ""volatility in the oil market"", he said the duty would be frozen. During 2000 many motorists campaigned against the rises but environmentalists believe less duty means more pollution. He said: ""It is our policy that each year fuel duties should rise at least in line with inflation as we seek to meet our targets for reducing polluting emmissions and fund our public services. ""But this financial year because of the sustained volatility in the oil market I propose to match the freeze in car vehicle licence duty with a continuation on the freeze on the main road fuel duties."" The RAC welcomed the news, calling it an ""early Christmas present"" for motorists. But the organisation urged drivers to continue to shop around to get the best price for petrol. Environmental group Transport 2000 said the freeze sends the wrong message to motorists. ""We are concerned that although Britain leads the world in rhetoric about climate change it often fails in practical action,"" said a spokesman. In 2000 the People's Fuel Lobby caused chaos by blocking roads with slow-moving convoys after Mr Brown threatened to raise fuel taxes. The chancellor did not raise duty that year, but despite threats of more protests in 2003, he added 1.28p per litre."	politics
"The system creates digital fingerprints of ongoing incidents that are sent to every network affected. Firms involved in the smart sensing system believe it will help trace attacks back to their source. Data gathered will be passed to police to help build up intelligence about who is behind worm outbreaks and denial of service attacks. Firms signing up for the sensing system include MCI, BT, Deutsche Telekom, Energis, NTT, Bell Canada and many others. The creation of the fingerprinting system has been brokered by US firm Arbor Networks and signatures of attacks will be passed to anyone suffering under the weight of an attack. Increasingly computer criminals are using swarms of remotely controlled computers to carry out denial of service attacks on websites, launch worms and relay spam around the net. ""We have seen attacks involving five and ten gigabytes of traffic,"" said Rob Pollard, sales director for Arbor Networks which is behind the fingerprinting system. ""Attacks of that size cause collateral damage as they cross the internet before they get to their destination,"" he said. Once an attack is spotted and its signature defined the information will be passed back down the chain of networks affected to help every unwitting player tackle the problem. Mr Pollard said Arbor was not charging for the service and it would pass on fingerprint data to every network affected. ""What we want to do is help net service firms communicate with each other and then push the attacks further and further back around the world to their source,"" said Mr Pollard. Arbor Network's technology works by building up a detailed history of traffic on a network. It spots which computers or groups of users regularly talk to each other and what types of traffic passes between machines or workgroups. Any anomaly to this usual pattern is spotted and flagged to network administrators who can take action if the traffic is due to a net-based attack of some kind. This type of close analysis has become very useful as net attacks are increasingly launched using several hundred or thousand different machines. Anyone looking at the traffic on a machine by machine basis would be unlikely to spot that they were all part of a concerted attack. ""Attacks are getting more diffuse and more sophisticated,"" said Malcolm Seagrave, security expert at Energis. ""In the last 12 months it started getting noticeable that criminals were taking to it and we've seen massive growth."" He said that although informal systems exist to pass on information about attacks, often commercial confidentiality got in the way of sharing enough information to properly combat attacks."	tech
"Masters Cup champions Mike and Bob Bryan thrashed Juan Carlos Ferrero and Tommy Robredo 6-0 6-3 6-2 in front of a partisan crowd in Seville. Victory would have given Spain the title but they were outclassed. In Sunday's reverse singles, Carlos Moya takes on Andy Roddick before Rafael Nadal faces Mardy Fish. ""It feels good, but it's not going to be as good if we don't win two tomorrow,"" said Mike Bryan. ""It feels good to give those guys another shot, and Spain has to go to sleep on that."" Bob Bryan added: ""I'm really confident in Andy winning that first match, and then anything can happen."" Spain coach Jordi Arrese chose to rest 18-year-old Nadal in the doubles after his epic singles win over Roddick on Friday. He was replaced by former world number one Ferrero, but the Spanish pair were out of their depth against one of the world's best doubles teams. The 26-year-old Bryan twins have won all four of their Davis Cup matches this year. And they quickly silenced the huge crowd at the Olympic Stadium, racing through the opening set to love. The Spaniards then twice surrendered breaks of serve at the start of the second before the Bryans broke to go 5-3 ahead and served out. When Robredo dropped serve in the opening game of the third set the match was all but over, and the unflappable Bryan brothers powered on to an impressive win. Ferrero, who was upset to be dropped for Friday's singles, hinted at further dissatisfaction after the defeat. ""It was a difficult game against the best doubles players,"" he said. ""They have everything calculated and we had very little to do. ""I was a bit surprised that I was named to play the doubles match because I hardly play doubles."" Arrese said: ""Juan Carlos hasn't played at all badly. He played the right way but the Bryans are great doubles players."""	sport
"The comedian, who recently got into trouble for poking fun at the ceremony, is renowned for his heavy use of expletives during his stand-up routine. The live ceremony will be broadcast with a transmission delay on US network ABC to ensure swear words are removed. ""I've been on TV and been funny not cursing,"" he said during an interview for CBS network's 60 Minutes show. ""As far as content is concerned, I will talk about the movies. I'm not really worried about it. I'm sure ABC might be more worried about it than me,"" he added. The 40-year-old comedian caused a furore when he said in an interview with US magazine Entertainment Weekly recently that he hardly ever watched the Oscars and labelled awards ceremonies ""idiotic"". The show's producers defended Rock and confirmed that he would still be presenting the Oscar ceremony, saying his comments were ""humorous digs"". Meanwhile, the Academy has announced that Oscar-nominated actress Natalie Portman will present an award at the ceremony. Portman, who has been nominated for a best supporting actress gong for her role in Mike Nichols' Closer, joins a growing list of stars set to bestow an award at the ceremony including Dustin Hoffman, Drew Barrymore, Renee Zellweger and British-born actress Kate Winslet."	entertainment
"Some 200 new jobs are to be created at the Oxford factory, including modernised machinery and a new body shell production building. The result of the investment could be to raise output to more than 200,000 cars from 2007. The rise, from 189,000 last year, is a response to rapidly-rising demand and could help wipe out waiting lists. Before Wednesday's announcement, BMW had invested some £280m in Mini production. Since its launch during summer 2001, the new Mini has gone from strength to strength. Last year, almost one in six cars sold by the BMW group was a Mini. The company admits that the success of the brand came despite scepticism from many in the industry. ""Our decision to produce a new Mini was not received well right away,"" said Norbert Reithofer, a member of the BMW management board. Initially, BMW said it would produce 100,000 Mini models a year at its vast Cowley factory on the outskirts of Oxford, but the target was quickly reached, then raised, time and time again. Not everyone is convinced that the boom can continue. ""The risk is that after they've invested massively in the brand, demand tapers off like it did with the new VW Beetle,"" said Brad Wernle, from Automotive News Europe. The price of the car has also gone up. When it was launched, the cheapest Mini cost just more than £10,000. These days, buyers will have to fork out almost £11,500 to own a new Mini One, or even more for the Cooper S which costs up to £17,730. The Mini Convertible, which was launched last spring, costs up to £15,690 for the top model, and there is even a waiting list. Second-hand Minis are not cheap either. A Mini One bought when the model was launched should still fetch at least £8,000 for the cheapest model, while a used Cooper S is likely to be priced from £12,556, according to the-car buying website Parker's. The consumers' association Which operates with slightly different numbers, yet it confirms that the Mini Cooper 1.6 depreciates slower than any other car, other than the Mercedes Benz C180 SE and the BMW 1 Series 116i SE. The Cowley factory, which initially seemed far too large a production plant for just 100,000 Minis, is increasingly being put to good use. There are plans to tear down old buildings and build new ones and there are rumours that a new paint shop could be included in the plans. BMW's Mini adventure has made good much of what went wrong during its stewardship of the UK car maker Rover which it sold for £10 five years ago to the Phoenix consortium. In 1999, when BMW still owned Rover, the Oxford factory was producing the award-winning Rover 75. During that year, 3,500 people produced 56,000 cars. Last year, in the same factory, almost four times as many vehicles were produced by just 4,500 Mini-workers. The Mini factory's current output is equally impressive when compared with the main Rover factory in Longbridge, which in 1999 produced 180,000 Rover cars. Last year, MG Rover, which employs more than 6,000 people, produced just 110,000 cars, though it hopes to land a deal with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) that could help double the number of cars produced at Longbridge. Indeed, Mini is not only producing more cars than MG Rover does; it remains ahead even when the current sales of Land Rovers and Range Rovers (which are made by the former Rover unit that BMW sold to Ford) are taken into account."	business
"The beta program only works on PCs running Windows XP or Windows 2000. The desktop search market is becoming increasingly crowded with firms touting programs that help people find files. Search giant Google launched its desktop search tool in October, while Yahoo is planning to release similar software in January. ""Our ambition for search is to provide the ultimate information tool that can find anything you're looking for,"" said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president at Microsoft's MSN internet division. Microsoft's program can be used as a toolbar on the Windows desktop, the Internet Explorer browser and within the Outlook e-mail program. The software giant is coming late to the desktop search arena, competing with a large number of rivals. Google has already released a desktop tool. Yahoo is planning to get into the game in January and AOL is expected to offer desktop searching early next year. Small firms such as Blinkx, Copernic, Enfish X1 Technologies and X-Friend offer tools that catalogue the huge amounts of information that people increasingly store on their desktop or home computer. Apple will release a similar search system for its computers called Spotlight that is due to be released with the Tiger operating system."	tech
"The move comes after telecom regulator Ofcom said in November that the firm must offer competitors ""real equality of access to its phone lines"". At the time, Ofcom offered BT the choice of change or splitting into two. Ofcom is carrying out a strategic review aimed at promoting greater competition in the UK telecom sector. BT's competitors have frequently accused it of misusing its status as the former telecoms monopoly and controller of access to many customers to favour its own retail arm. This latest submission was delivered to the watchdog ahead of a deadline for the second phase of its review. ""Central to the proposals are plans by BT to offer operators lower wholesale prices, faster broadband services and transparent, highly-regulated access to BT's local network,"" the former monopoly said in a statement. ""The United Kingdom has the opportunity to create the most exciting and innovative telecoms market in the world,"" BT chief executive Ben Verwaayen said. ""BT has a critical role to play, and today we are making a set of far-reaching proposals towards that framework,"" he said. BT wants lighter regulation in exchange for the changes, as well as the removal of the break-up threat. The group is to set up a new Access Services division - with a separate board which would include independent members - to ensure equal access for rivals to the ""local loop"", the copper wires that run between telephone exchanges and households. The company also unveiled plans to cut the wholesale prices of its most popular broadband product by about 8% from April in areas of high customer demand. It added that it plans to invest £10bn in the next five years to create a ""21st Century network"". To meet the growing demand for greater bandwidth, BT said it would begin trials in April with a view to launching higher-speed services nationally from the autumn. Telecom analysts Ovum welcomed the move, saying BT had ""given a lot of ground"". ""The big question now is whether the industry, and particularly Ofcom feels BT's proposals go far enough ...Now the real negotiation begins,"" director of telecoms research Tony Lavender said. Internet service provider (ISP) Plus.net also backed the proposals saying ""we will be entirely happy if Ofcom accepts them"". ""BT has been challenged to play fair and its plans will introduce a level playing field. The scenario now is how well people execute their business plans as a service provider,"" chief executive Lee Strafford said. Chris Panayis, managing director of ISP Freedom2surf said that it would make the situation clearer for business. ""I think it's the first productive thing we've had from BT,"" he said. AOL backed the price cuts but said regulation was still needed to ensure a level playing field. ""This is a reminder to Ofcom that as long as BT can change the dynamics of the whole broadband market at will, the process of opening up the UK's local telephone network to infrastructure investment and competition remains fragile,"" a spokesman said. ""Ofcom needs to return to regulation of the wholesale broadband service [IPStream] and provide more robust rules for local loop unbundling if consumers are to see the benefits of increased competition and infrastructure investment."" More than 100 telecom firms, consumer groups and other interested parties are expected to make submissions to the regulator during this consultation phase. Ofcom is expected to spend the next few weeks examining the proposals before making an announcement within the next few months."	business
"Open chief Paul McNamee had said: ""Kim's wrist obviously isn't going to be rehabilitated."" But her spokesman insisted she had simply delayed submitting her entry. ""The doctors are assessing her injury on a weekly basis and if there is no risk she could play. But if there's the least risk she will stay away."" Despite being absent from the WTA entry list for the tournament, which begins on 17 January, Clijsters would be certain to get a wild card if she requested one. Clijsters is still ranked 22nd in the world despite only playing a handful of matches last season. The Belgian had an operation on her left wrist early in the season but injured it again on her return to the tour. Meanwhile, Jelena Dokic, who used to compete for Australia, has opted out of the first Grand Slam of the season. Dokic has not played in the Australian Open since 2001 when she lost in the first round. But the 21-year-old would have had to rely on a wild card next season because her ranking has tumbled to 127th. Four-time champion Monica Seles, who has not played since last year's French Open, is another absentee because of an injured left foot."	sport
"Richard Scrushy, 52, is accused of ""directing"" a $2.7bn (£1.4bn) accounting fraud at the company he co-founded in Alabama in 1984. Prosecutors said he was motivated by wealth - spending about $200m between 1996 and 2002 while earning much less. Defence lawyers said Mr Scrushy had been deceived by other executives. Several former HealthSouth employees have already pleaded guilty to fraud and are expected to give evidence against Mr Scrushy. ""We will present evidence that Richard Scrushy knew about the conspiracy, that he participated in the conspiracy and that he profited,"" prosecutor Alice Martin told the court. Mr Scrushy is the first chief executive to be tried for breaching the Sarbanes Oxley Act - a law introduced in the wake of the Enron and WorldCom frauds which obliges corporate bosses to vouch for the accuracy of their companies' results. Among the charges he faces are conspiracy to commit fraud, filing false statements and money laundering. After federal agents raided HealthSouth's offices in March 2003, the company said none of its past financial statements could be relied on. The firm has since reorganised its board and management team and currently operates about 1,400 health clinics."	business
"Those are some of the mistakes found under the current system, where one person in each household applies for voting forms for the other occupants. The Electoral Commission says enabling people to register individually could cut some errors and combat fraud. Voters need to register by 11 March if the next poll is on 5 May as expected. But any individual registration scheme would not be introduced in Britain before that general election. The proposed scheme would mean voters using individual ""identifiers"" when they vote - such as their own voting number, date of birth and signature. The Electoral Commission says having voters register individually rather than the head of household do it for them fits better with human rights laws. Chairman Sam Younger told MPs on Tuesday care was needed to ensure that people were not lost off the register in the process - which happened when Northern Ireland switched to a similar system. There have been rare cases when household pets have been put on the electoral roll, the MPs heard. And some people have registered all their family, regardless of their age - birth dates are not included on the forms so election officers cannot easily check. Non-British citizens who are not entitled to vote have also been registered in some cases. Mr Younger said there was anecdotal evidence of inaccuracies in the register, the vast majority of which were caused by genuine mistakes. He argued local councils could look harder at promoting targeted campaigns at ""hard to reach"" voters, for example. Some authorities already run such programmes but in others councillors worry about the party political impact of encouraging particular areas to turn out. Mr Younger said using the Royal Mail's postal redirection service had already helped election officers retrace about 50,000 voters. He argued individual registration would also increase security for postal ballots and other new ways of voting. There have been fears there are too few checks to ensure current postal votes are cast by the person on the voting form. He said it might also help register students in halls of residences, where the hall warden often has to do the job for everybody. The MPs on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Constitutional Affairs select committees pressed Mr Younger on how to avoid losing voters in any changeover. He said the Northern Ireland example illustrated real difficulties to be confronted. Currently, British voters have to re-register to vote every year or face being removed from the electoral rolls if they fail to do so two years running. Mr Younger suggested the re-registration could happen less frequently but argued efforts were needed to check the electoral rolls were up-to-date."	politics
"Souness is bidding to bolster his defence and, according to reports, contract negotiations are at an advanced stage with the player. Babayaro has been in the Premiership since 1997 when he moved to Chelsea for £2.25m from Anderlecht. But the 26-year-old has been surplus to requirements this season. Souness would not be drawn on specifics over individual players. But he said: ""All I can tell you is that the chairman has worked really hard in the last couple of months to try to do deals. ""We have said from day one we want to strengthen, and that is what we are hoping to do in the coming weeks."""	sport
"The Federal Reserve has raised its key federal funds rate by a quarter percentage point to 2% in light of mounting evidence that the US economy is regaining steam. US companies created twice as many jobs as expected in October while exports hit record levels in September. Analysts said a clear-cut victory for President Bush in last week's election paved the way for a rise. Another rise could be in store for December, some economists warned. The Fed's Open Market Committee - which sets interest rate policy in the US - voted unanimously in favour of a quarter point rise. The Fed has been gradually easing rates up since the summer, with quarter percentage point rises in June, August and September. The Central Bank has been acting to restrain inflationary pressures while being careful not to obstruct economic growth. The Fed did not rule out raising rates once again in December but noted that any future increases would take place at a ""measured"" pace. In a statement, the Fed said that long-term inflation pressures remained ""well contained"" while the US economy appeared to be ""growing at a moderate pace despite the rise in energy prices"". Financial analysts broadly welcomed the Fed's move and shares traded largely flat. The Dow Jones Industrial average closed down 0.89 points, or 0.01%, at 10,385.48. Recent evidence has pointed to an upturn in the US economy. US firms created 337,000 jobs last month, twice the amount expected, while exports reached record levels in September. The economy grew 3.7% in the third quarter, slower than forecast, but an improvement on the 3.3% growth seen in the second quarter. Analysts claimed the Fed's assessment of future economic growth was a positive one but stressed that the jury was still out on the prospect of a further rise in December. ""Let's wait until we see how growth and employment bear up under the fourth quarter's energy price drag before concluding that the Fed has more work to do in 2005,"" said Avery Shenfeld, senior economist at CIBC World Markets. ""I think the Federal Reserve does not want to rock the boat and is using a gradual approach in raising the interest rate,"" said Sung Won Sohn, chief US economist for Wells Fargo Bank. ""The economy is doing a bit better right now but there are still some concerns about geopolitics, employment and the price of oil,"" he added. The further rise in US rates is unlikely to have a direct bearing on UK monetary policy. The Bank of England (BoE) has kept interest rates on hold at 4.75% for the past three months, leading some commentators to argue that rates may have peaked. In a report published on Wednesday, the Bank said that with rates at their current level, inflation would rise to its 2% target within two years. However, BoE governor Mervyn King warned only last month that the era of consistently low inflation and low unemployment may be coming to an end."	business
"Rates went up five times from November 2003 - as the bank sought to cool the housing market and consumer debt - but have remained unchanged since August. Recent data has indicated a slowdown in manufacturing and consumer spending, as well as in mortgage approvals. And retail sales disappointed over Christmas, with analysts putting the drop down to less consumer confidence. Rising interest rates and the accompanying slowdown in the housing market have knocked consumers' optimism, causing a sharp fall in demand for expensive goods, according to a report earlier this week from the British Retail Consortium. The BRC said Britain's retailers had endured their worst Christmas in a decade. ""Today's no change decision is correct,"" said David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). ""But, if there are clear signs that the economy slows, the MPC should be ready to take quick corrective action and cut rates. ""Dismal reports from the retail trade about Christmas sales are worrying, if they indicate a more general weakening in consumer spending."" Mr Frost added: ""The housing market outlook remains highly uncertain. ""It is widely accepted that, if house prices start falling more sharply, the risks facing the economy will worsen considerably."" CBI chief economist Ian McCafferty said the economy had ""slowed in recent months in response to rate rises"" but that it was difficult to gauge from the Christmas period the likely pace of activity through the summer. ""The Bank is having to juggle the emergence of inflationary pressures, driven by a tight labour market and buoyant commodity prices, against the risk of an over-abrupt slowdown in consumer activity,"" he said. ""Interest rates are likely to remain on hold for some time."" On Thursday there was more gloomy news on the manufacturing front, as the Office for National (ONS) statistics revealed British manufacturing output unexpectedly fell in November - for the fifth month in the past six. The ONS said manufacturing output dropped 0.1% in November, matching a similar unrevised fall in October and confounding economists' expectations of a 0.3% rise. Manufacturers' organisation, the EEF, said it expected the hold in interest rates to continue in the near future. It also said there was evidence that manufacturers' confidence may be waning as the outlook for the world economy becomes more uncertain. ""So far the evidence suggests that last year's rate increases have helped to rebalance the economy without damaging the recovery in manufacturing,"" said EEF chief economist, Steve Radley. ""However, should the business outlook start to deteriorate, the Bank should stand ready to cut rates."" Some economists have predicted rates will drop later in the year, although others feel the Bank may still think there is a need for a rise to 5% before that happens. The Bank remains concerned about the long-term risks posed by personal debt - which is rising at 15% a year - if economic conditions worsen."	business
The paper said Chinese officials had been irritated by Rover's disclosure of its talks with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp in October. The proposed deal was seen as crucial to safeguarding the future of Rover's Longbridge plant in the West Midlands. However, there are growing fears that the deal could result in job losses. The Observer reported on Sunday that nearly half the workforce at Longbridge could be under threat if the deal goes ahead. Shanghai Automotive's proposed £1bn investment in Rover is awaiting approval by its owner, the Shanghai city government and by the National Development and Reform Commission, which oversees foreign investment by Chinese firms. According to the FT, the regulator has been annoyed by Rover's decision to talk publicly about the deal and the intense speculation which has ensued about what it will mean for Rover's future. As a result, hopes that approval of the deal may be fast-tracked have disappeared, the paper said. There has been continued speculation about the viability of Rover's Longbridge plant because of falling sales and unfashionable models. According to the Observer, 3,000 jobs - out of a total workforce of 6,500 - could be lost if the deal goes ahead. The paper said that Chinese officials believe cutbacks will be required to keep the MG Rover's costs in line with revenues. It also said that the production of new models through the joint venture would take at least eighteen months. Neither Rover nor Shanghai Automotive commented on the reports.	business
"Investors seemed to feel that some of the worst-affected areas were so under-developed that the tragedy would have little impact on Asia's listed firms. ""Obviously with a lot of loss of life, a lot of time is needed to clean up the mess, bury the people and find the missing,"" said ABN Amro's Eddie Wong. ""[But] it's not necessarily a really big thing in the economic sense."" India's Bombay Stock Exchange inched slightly above its previous record close on Wednesday. Expectations of strong corporate earnings in 2005 drove the Indonesian stock exchange in Jakarta to a record high on Wednesday. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index may be benefiting in part from the potential for its listed property companies to gain from rebuilding contracts in the tsunami-affected regions of South East Asia. In Sri Lanka, some economists have said that as much as 1% of annual growth may be lost. Sri Lanka's stock market has fallen about 5% since the weekend, but it is still 40% higher than at the start of 2004. Thailand may lose 30bn baht (£398m; $768m) in earnings from tourism over the next three months, according to tourism minister Sontaya Kunplome. In the affected provinces, he expects the loss of tourism revenue to be offset by government reconstruction spending. Thailand intends to spend a similar sum - around 30bn baht - on the rebuilding work. ""It will take until the fourth quarter of next year before tourist visitors in Phuket and five other provinces return to their normal level,"" said Naris Chaiyasoot, director general at the ministry's fiscal policy office. In the Maldives the cost of reconstruction could wipe out economic growth, according to a government spokesman. ""Our nation is in peril here,"" said Ahmed Shaheed, the chief government spokesman. He estimated the economic cost of the disaster at hundreds of millions of dollars. The Maldives has gross domestic product of $660m. ""It won't be surprising if the cost exceeds our GDP,"" he said. ""In the last few years, we made great progress in our standard of living - the United Nations recognised this. Now we see this can disappear in a few days, a few minutes."" Shaheed noted that investment in a single tourist resort - the economic mainstay - could run to $40m. Between 10 and 12 of the 80-odd resorts have been severely damaged, and a similar number have suffered significant damage. However, many experts, including the World Bank, have pointed out that it is still difficult to assess the magnitude of the disaster and its likely economic impact. In part, this is because of its scale, and because delivering aid and recovering the dead remain priorities. ""Calculators will have to wait,"" said an IMF official in a briefing on Wednesday. ""The financial and world community will be turning toward reconstruction efforts and at that point people will begin to have a sense of the financial impact."""	business
"Belgian sports minister Claude Eerdekens said that the Russian world number five tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine on 19 December. Kuznetsova was playing in an exhibition event in Charleroi at the time. Eerdekens said: ""There is a problem. Ephedrine was discovered. She remains innocent until proved guilty. She can ask for it to be tested again."" The situation remains unclear as the tournament was not commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), the International Tennis Federation (ITF) or the Women's Tennis Accosiation (WTA). The test was carried out by regional Belgian authorities and Kuznetsova has not yet been able to have a B sample tested. Speaking at the Australian Open on Monday, before Eerdekens identified her, Kuznetsova said: ""I'm not worried. I'm not using anything to push myself. ""I have not been notified of any positive test, and I think it is unfair that it's come out the way it did."" Eerdekens said that confirmation of the findings was sent last Friday to the player's address in Spain, as well as to the Belgian prosecutors' office and the Belgian and Russian tennis federations. He conceded Kuznetsova might have taken a medicine which contained the banned substance. ""We have simply stated a fact,"" he said. ""It is for the federation concerned to impose the disciplinary measures after a procedure that respects the defence. ""Either the ephedrine was taken to improve her performance or it is because she took some medicine legitimately to cure an infection."" However, Kuznetsova's naming was condemned by Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev. ""First of all, this Belgian sports minister has broken every ethical rule in the book by naming a player without any proof of wrongdoing, without any basic evidence,"" Tarpishchev said. ""We all know the basic principle in doping cases. If there is a positive sample, then they should notify the International Tennis Federation (ITF) as well as the national federation within three days,"" he said. ""This is not the case here. As of today we have not received any statement from the doping officials, nor did the ITF. ""Today I called the ITF headquarters and they told me they know nothing about it. ""If WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) was behind the testing, then we would also have known something by now. ""Otherwise, all these looks to me as pure fiction and fabrication of the facts."""	sport
"Private sector business surveys suggest a stronger economy than official estimates, Ms Lomax said. Other surveys collectively show a rapid slowdown in UK house price growth, she pointed out. This means that despite a strong economic growth, base rates will probably stay on hold at 4.75%. Official data comes from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Though reliable, ONS data takes longer to publish, so now the BoE is calling for faster delivery of data so it can make more effective policy decisions. ""Recent work by the Bank has shown that private sector surveys add value, even when preliminary ONS estimates are available,"" Ms Lomax said in a speech to the North Wales Business Club. The ONS is due to publish its second estimate of third quarter growth on Friday. ""The MPC judges that overall growth was a little higher in the third quarter than the official data currently indicate,"" Ms Lomax said. The Bank said successful monetary policy depends on having good information. Rachel Lomax cited the late 1980s as an example of a time when weak economic figures were published, but substantially revised upwards years later. ""The statistical fog surrounding the true state of the economy has proved a particularly potent breeding ground for policy errors in the past,"" she said. Improving the quality of national statistics is the single the best way of making sure the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) makes the right decisions, she said. The Bank of England is working in tandem with the ONS to improve the quality and speed of delivery of data. Her remarks follow criticism from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, which said the MPC had held interest rates too high given that inflation was way below the 2% target. A slowdown in the housing market and this year's surge in oil prices has made economic forecasting all the more tricky, leading to a more uncertain outlook. ""This year rising oil prices and a significant slowdown in the housing market have awoken bad memories of the 1970s and 1980s,"" Ms Lomax said. ""The MPC will be doing well if it can achieve the same stability over the next decade as we have enjoyed over the past 10 years."" Decisions on interest rates are made after the MPC gathers together the range of indicators available every month. The clearest signals come when all indicators are pointing the same direction, Ms Lomax intimated. ""In economic assessment, there is safety in numbers."""	business
"A survey for the charity suggests 69% of over-55s say they always vote in a general election compared with just 17% of 18 to 24 year olds. Charity boss Gordon Lishman said if a ""decisive blow"" was struck at the election it would be by older voters who could be relied on to turn out. A total of 3,028 adults aged 18 or over were interviewed for the study. Mr Lishman urged the next government to boost state pension. He also called for measures to combat ageism and build effective public services to ""support us all in an ageing society"". ""Older people want to see manifesto commitments that will make a difference to their lives,"" Mr Lishman said. ""Political parties must wake up to the fact that unless they address the demands and concerns of older people they will not keep or attract their vote."" In the survey carried out by ICM Research, 14% of people aged between 18 and 34 said they never voted in general elections. Among the over-65s, 70% said they would be certain to vote in an immediate election, compared with 39% of people under 55. Age Concern says the over-55s are ""united around"" key areas of policy they want the government to focus on. For 57%, pensions and the NHS were key issues, while the economy was important for a third, and tax was a crucial area for 25%. The report was welcomed by Conservative shadow pensions secretary David Willetts. ""The pensioners' voice must certainly be heard in the next election as they have never fitted into Blair's cool Britannia,"" he said. ""Labour's continued refusal to admit the true extent of the pensions crisis will be one of the monumental failures of this government."" He pointed to Tory plans to increase the basic state pension to reduce means testing, strengthen company pensions and encourage savings. A Liberal Democrat spokesman said the party took the issues raised in the report very seriously. He highlighted the party's promises to raise the basic state pension, provide free long-term care for the elderly and replace council tax, seen as a particular problem for pensioners on fixed incomes. Labour has said it wants to use savings reforms to Incapacity Benefit to improve the basic state pension and has set up a review of the council tax system."	politics
"Anelka, 25, is in talks over a contract extension beyond 2007 with City but is believed to fear his career will go stale if he stays at the club. The News of the World reports that Anelka told a French magazine: ""I either decide to win titles or to have an easy life. ""I think I will always choose football, if a great club makes me an offer."" He added: ""To win titles you need players who have the capability of doing so. If we stagnate between eighth and 15th place it's impossible to progress. ""If I am going to score goals and not win, there is a risk it is going to create a feeling of being fed up."" Anelka has earned a reputation for being a difficult character to handle after spells at Arsenal, Real Madrid and Paris St Germain and he feels that is now coming back to haunt him. ""I am in talks to sign an extension to my contract,"" he said. ""I am well here but the sporting aspect also comes into account. ""Playing for eighth place is good but I miss the Champions League. ""I won it with Real Madrid in 2000 and I need to be playing in it - and I should be playing in it. ""I'm not in it because of things that have happened in the past and had nothing to do with football. ""But I don't blame anyone. It's a bit my fault."""	sport
"They are doing exercises in their school textbooks which have been digitised. It is a pilot project run by EduVision, which is looking at ways to use low cost computer systems to get up-to-date information to students who are currently stuck with ancient textbooks. Matthew Herren from EduVision told the BBC programme Go Digital how the non-governmental organisation uses a combination of satellite radio and handheld computers called E-slates. ""The E-slates connect via a wireless connection to a base station in the school. This in turn is connected to a satellite radio receiver. The data is transmitted alongside audio signals."" The base station processes the information from the satellite transmission and turns it into a form that can be read by the handheld E-slates. ""It downloads from the satellite and every day processes the stream, sorts through content for the material destined for the users connected to it. It also stores this on its hard disc."" The system is cheaper than installing and maintaining an internet connection and conventional computer network. But Mr Herren says there are both pros and cons to the project. ""It's very simple to set up, just a satellite antenna on the roof of the school, but it's also a one-way connection, so getting feedback or specific requests from end users is difficult."" The project is still at the pilot stage and EduVision staff are on the ground to attend to teething problems with the Linux-based system. ""The content is divided into visual information, textual information and questions. Users can scroll through these sections independently of each other."" EduVision is planning to include audio and video files as the system develops and add more content. Mr Herren says this would vastly increase the opportunities available to the students. He is currently in negotiations to take advantage of a project being organised by search site Google to digitise some of the world's largest university libraries. ""All books in the public domain, something like 15 million, could be put on the base stations as we manufacture them. Then every rural school in Africa would have access to the same libraries as the students in Oxford and Harvard"" Currently the project is operating in an area where there is mains electricity. But Mr Herren says EduVision already has plans to extend it to more remote regions. ""We plan to put a solar panel at the school with the base station, have the E-slates charge during the day when the children are in school, then they can take them home at night and continue working."" Maciej Sundra, who designed the user interface for the E-slates, says the project's ultimate goal is levelling access to knowledge around the world. ""Why in this age when most people do most research using the internet are students still using textbooks? The fact that we are doing this in a rural developing country is very exciting - as they need it most."""	tech
"The Nikkei index of leading shares gained 7.6% during the year to close at 11,488.76 points. In 2005 it ""will rise toward 13,000"", predicted Morgan Stanley equity strategist Naoki Kamiyama. The optimism in the financial markets contrast sharply with pessimism in the Japanese business community. Earlier this month, the quarterly Tankan survey of Japanese manufacturers found that business confidence had weakened for the first time since March 2003. Slower economic growth, rising oil prices, a stronger yen and weaker exports were blamed for the fall in confidence. Despite this, traders expect strength in the global economy to benefit Japan, which has been close to sliding into recession in recent months. Structural reform within Japan and an anticipated end to the banking sector's bad debt problems should also help, they say."	business
"Viotti, director of La Fenice since 2002, conducted at renowned opera houses worldwide including Milan's La Scala and the Vienna State Opera. His time at La Fenice coincided with its reopening in 2003 after it was destroyed by fire in 1996. He fell into a coma after suffering a stroke during rehearsals for Jules Massenet's Manon last week. He conducted some of the best orchestras in the world including the Berlin Philharmonic and the English Chamber Orchestra. Viotti was born in Switzerland and studied the piano, cello and singing at the Lausanne Conservatory. His career breakthrough came in 1982 when he won first prize at the Gino Marinuzzi conducting competition in Italy. Viotti established himself as chief conductor of the Turin Opera and went on to become chief conductor of Munich's Radio Orchestra. At La Fenice Viotti was widely acclaimed for his production of the French composer Massenet's Thais and some of his other productions included Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and Richard Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos. The last opera he directed at La Fenice was Massenet's Le Roi de Lahore. Viotti's debut at the New York's Metropolitan Opera came in 2000 with Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, followed by La Boheme, La Traviata and Fromental Halevy's La Juive. Giampaolo Vianello, superintendent of the Fenice Theatre Foundation, said: ""I am filled with extreme sadness because, other than a great artist, he is missed as a friend - a main character in the latest joyous times, during the rebirth of our theatre."" Viotti's last public performance was on 5 February when he conducted Vincenzo Bellini's Norma at the Vienna State Opera."	entertainment
"The world number 60 failed a routine drugs test at this year's French Open but now plans to lodge an appeal. Koubek believes an injection given to him by an Austrian doctor to treat a wrist injury is to blame for producing traces of the substance in his system. ""I have acted correctly,"" the 27-year-old Austrian said in a statement. Koubek, who defeated Britain's Greg Rusedski in the decisive rubber of the Davis Cup in September, is now set to miss the start of the season. He said, ""A three-month ban would mean that I not only will miss the Australian Open, but also the Davis Cup in Australia."""	sport
"Vera Drake - Leigh's 1950s drama about a backstreet abortionist - was named best film and Staunton, who played the title role, was named best actress. Other winners included Paddy Considine, who was crowned best actor for his role in Dead Man's Shoes. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason was named Evening Standard Readers' Film of 2004 at the central London ceremony. Leigh was presented with his winner's statuette by Timothy Spall and Staunton's award was announced by Patrick Stewart, during the glittering ceremony at The Savoy on Sunday night. Evening Standard film critic Derek Malcolm said: ""He [Leigh] has never made a film that is better controlled and technically more secure... If this isn't one of the films of the year, I don't know what is."" The Alexander Walker Special Award - which honours those who have made a supreme contribution to British film - went to Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, the co-chairmen of Working Title films. The production company is behind films such as My Beautiful Laundrette, Billy Elliot, About A Boy, Shaun of The Dead and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Simon Pegg, who stars in and co-wrote Shaun of the Dead, won the 2004 Peter Sellers Award For Comedy. Other winners included Emily Blunt and Nathalie Press who were jointly named ITV London Most Promising Newcomer Award for their performances in Pawel Pawlikowski's rites-of-passage story, My Summer of Love. Pawlikowski won the best screenplay statuette, while Roger Deakins won the Technical Achievement Award for his cinematography on The Village and The Ladykillers. Guests at the ceremony included Dame Judi Dench, Kim Cattrall, Charles Dance, Bill Nighy and Colin Firth. The awards, which were hosted by Jack Dee, are to be screened on ITV London on Tuesday at 2300 GMT."	entertainment
"The 25-year-old tested positive for a banned substance - which he later denied was cocaine - in October. Chelsea have decided to write off a possible transfer fee for Mutu, a £15.8m signing from Parma last season, who may face a two-year suspension. A statement from Chelsea explaining the decision read:""We want to make clear that Chelsea has a zero tolerance policy towards drugs."" Mutu scored six goals in his first five games after arriving at Stamford Bridge but his form went into decline and he was frozen out by coach Jose Mourinho. Chelsea's statement added: ""This applies to both performance-enhancing drugs or so-called 'recreational' drugs. They have no place at our club or in sport. ""In coming to a decision on this case, Chelsea believed the club's social responsibility to its fans, players, employees and other stakeholders in football regarding drugs was more important than the major financial considerations to the company. ""Any player who takes drugs breaches his contract with the club as well as Football Association rules. ""The club totally supports the FA in strong action on all drugs cases."" Fifa's disciplinary code stipulates that a first doping offence should be followed by a six-month ban. And the sport's world governing body has re-iterated their stance over Mutu's failed drugs test, maintaining it is a matter for the domestic sporting authorities. ""Fifa is not in a position to make any comment on the matter until the English FA have informed us of their disciplinary decision and the relevant information associated with it,"" said a Fifa spokesman. Chelsea's move won backing from drug-testing expert Michelle Verroken. Verroken, a former director of drug-free sport for UK Sport, insists the Blues were right to sack Mutu and have enhanced their reputation by doing so. ""Chelsea are saying quite clearly to the rest of their players and their fans that this is a situation they are not prepared to tolerate. ""It was a very difficult decision for them and an expensive decision for them but the terms of his contract were breached and it was the only decision they could make. ""It is a very clear stance by Chelsea and it has given a strong boost to the reputation of the club."" It emerged that Mutu had failed a drugs test on October 18 and, although it was initially reported that the banned substance in question was cocaine. The Romanian international later suggested it was a substance designed to enhance sexual performance. The Football Association has yet to act on Mutu's failed drugs test and refuses to discuss his case."	sport
"He opted for Yannick Nyanga in the back row instead of Grand Slam winner Imanol Harinordoquy, who is back in the squad. Other changes see Julien Laharrague win his first cap at full-back, Aurelien Rougerie return after injury on the wing and Yannick Jauzion in at centre. But Laporte has resisted fan pressure to start Frederic Michalak at fly-half. The dependable Yann Delaigue keeps the number 10 jersey, despite clamours for the flair of Michalak. The 26-year-old Laharrague gets his chance despite playing on the wing for his club Brive. ""We are launching him into the great international level,"" said team manager Jo Maso. ""He is young and this is a great opportunity for us and above all for him. ""There are 25 matches left before the World Cup so we must see as many players as possible. The competition is very high and open."" Jauzion, France's player of the year in 2004, would probably have played in the first two matches instead of the South African-born Liebeneberg had he been fit. The Stade Toulousain star wins his 23rd cap and is reunited with Damien Traille, with whom he forged an effective midfield in 2004. ""The return of Jauzion is going to be a plus for us,"" said Laporte. ""We are going to test him at an international level."" Julien Laharrague (Brive), Aurelien Rougerie (Clermont), Yannick Jauzion (Stade Toulousain), Damien Traille (Biarritz), Christophe Dominici (Stade Francais), Yann Delaigue (Castres), Dimitri Yachvili (Biarritz), Julien Bonnaire (Bourgoin), Yannick Nyanga (Beziers), Serge Betsen (Biarritz), Jerome Thion (Biarritz), Fabien Pelous (Stade Toulousain, capt), Nicolas Mas (Perpignan), Sebastien Bruno (Sale), Sylvain Marconnet (Stade Francais) Replacements: William Servat (Stade Toulousain), Olivier Milloud (Bourgoin), Gregory Lamboley (Stade Toulousain), Imanol Harinordoquy (Biarritz), Pierre Mignoni (Clermont), Frederic Michalak (Stade Toulousain), Jean-Philippe Grandclaude (Perpignan)"	sport
"Australian Open champion Williams survived an early scare to beat Russia's Elena Bovina 1-6 6-1 6-4. World number one Lindsay Davenport and Anastasia Myskina also progressed. Davenport defeated China's Jie Zheng 6-2 7-5, while French Open champion Myskina sailed through after her opponent Marion Bartoli retired hurt. American Davenport will now face fellow former Wimbledon champion, Conchita Martinez of Spain, who ousted seventh-seeded Nathalie Dechy of France 6-1 6-2. Myskina will face eighth-seed Patty Schnyder from Switzerland, who defeated China's Li Na 6-3 7-6 (10-8). The other quarter final pits wild card Sania Mirza of India against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia and Montenegro, who both won on Tuesday. Before her meeting with Martinez, Davenport believes there is some room for improvement in her game. ""I started well and finished well, but played some so-so games in the middle,"" she said. Williams was also far from content. ""I don't know what I was doing there,"" she said. ""It was really windy and I hadn't played in the wind. All my shots were going out of here."" But Hantuchova is in upbeat mood ahead of her clash with the younger Williams sister, who was handed a first-round bye. ""I feel I have an advantage (over Serena) because I have already played two matches on these courts,"" she said. ""It is a difficult court to play on. Very fast and sometimes you feel you have no control over the ball."""	sport
"The law faces a stiff test this weekend, with the Countryside Alliance saying many hunts will be out in force. Chief police officers spokesman Nigel Yeo said he expected most people would obey the law - by drag hunting or chasing foxes then shooting them. He said police would challenge the ""one of two isolated hunts"" which are threatening to break the law. But Simon Hart of the Countryside Alliance has questioned how police will ensure there are no violations. ""The definitions of legal and illegal hunting are so blurred that the police are being asked to make impossible judgements. ""You can hunt a rat, but not a mouse, a rabbit but not a hare, an artificial scent, but not a real one,"" he said. The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, has so far issued no instructions to police on how they should deal with hunters who violate the law. He said he will consult the Director of Public Prosecutions and the police ""in the near future"" to decide what measures to take with regards to hunting prosecutions. He has rejected a ""blanket policy"" of not enforcing the ban until the House of Lords has considered its legality. John Cooper, a barrister and chairman of the League Against Cruel Sports, said the anti-hunting lobby expects the authorities to prosecute wherever there is clear evidence of illegal hunting practices. He said police had ""acknowledged their duty to investigate allegations of hunting offences"". The Beaufort Hunt had one pack out on Thursday and has promised a hunt this weekend. Under the new law hunters have a number of legal options available to them. As well as being able to mount a hunt for an artificial scent, it will still be legal for the hunts to ""flush out"" foxes, as long as they shoot their quarry rather than set the hounds on them. ""We are not going away. We will keep these hounds going, we will keep this community going and in the end we will come back and hunt when hunting is legal again,"" hunt master, Captain Ian Farquhar, said. But Tony Banks, Labour MP for West Ham, said the issue would soon disappear, and that ""people in a few years time will be wondering what it was all about"". He said had the government not prevaricated since 1997 in introducing the ban, hunting with dogs would have passed into history like other former country pursuits such as otter hunting and badger baiting. ""Let the election decide this because the Conservatives have made clear that if they get elected into government they will restore hunting,"" he said."	politics
"It beats the iPod into second place in the Top Ten Essentials list which predicts what gadget-lovers are likely to covet this year. Owning all 10 gadgets will set the gadget lover back £7,455. That is £1,000 cheaper than last year's list due to falling manufacturing costs making gadgets more affordable. Portable gadgets dominate the list, including Sharp's 902 3G mobile phone, the Pentax Optio SV digital camera and Samsung's Yepp YH-999 video jukebox. ""What this year's Essentials shows is that gadgets are now cheaper, sexier and more indispensable than ever. We've got to the point where we can't live our lives without certain technology,"" said Adam Vaughan, editor of Stuff Essentials. The proliferation of gadgets in our homes is inexorably altering the role of the high street in our lives thinks Mr Vaughan. ""Take digital cameras, who would now pay to develop an entire film of photos? Or legitimate downloads, who would travel miles to a record shop when they could download the song in minutes for 70p?"" he asks. Next year will see a new set of technologies capturing the imaginations of gadget lovers, Stuff predicts. The Xbox 2, high-definition TV and MP3 mobiles will be among the list of must-haves that will dominate 2006, it says. The spring launch of the PSP in the UK is eagerly awaited by gaming fans."	tech
Yukos is claiming more than $20bn (£11bn) in damages after Yugansk was sold in December to settle back taxes. The four companies named in the law suit are gas giant Gazprom, its unit Gazpromneft, investment company Baikal, and state oil firm Rosneft. Yukos submitted the suit in Houston, where it filed for bankruptcy. As well as suing for damages, Yukos has asked the US court to send its tax dispute with the Russian government to an international arbitrator. It also has submitted a reorganisation plan as part of its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The clash between Yukos and the Kremlin came to a head last year when Yukos was hit with a bill of more than $27bn in back taxes and unpaid fines. To settle the bill, Russia forced Yukos to sell off Yuganskneftegas. Yukos called the sale illegal and has turned to courts in the US in an effort to regain control of the oil production business. It also has vowed to use all legal means at its disposal to go after any firm that tries to buy or take control of its assets. Earlier this month it sued the Russian government for $28.3bn. Analysts have questioned whether a US court has any jurisdiction over Russian companies, while Moscow officials have dismissed Yukos' legal wrangling as meaningless. In Houston, bankruptcy Judge Letitia Clark will start a two-day hearing on 16 February to hear arguments on whether a US court is the proper forum for the case. The threat of legal action from Yukos and its bankruptcy filing in Houston did have an effect on last year's auction, however. Concerned that it would be caught up in a court battle, Gazprom and Gazpromneft withdrew from the auction, and Yuganskneftegas was sold to little-known investment firm Baikal Finance Group. A few days later, Baikal gave control of the company to state-run oil group Rosneft for $9.3bn. Rosneft, meanwhile, has agreed to merge with Gazprom, bringing a large chunk of Russia's very profitable oil business back under state control. Yukos claims that the rights of its shareholders have been ignored and that is has been punished for the political ambitions of its founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Mr Khodorkovsky, once Russia's richest man, is in prison, having been charged with fraud and tax evasion and repeatedly denied bail.	business
"The re-release of hit song Jailhouse Rock was out-selling X Factor winner Steve Brockstein's cover of Against All Odds by 2,000 copies on Tuesday. If the record does make the top spot, it will be Elvis' 19th UK number one. The last time he topped the charts was with the remix of the little-known song A Little Less Conversation, which was number one in June 2002. If Jailhouse Rock does reach number one on Sunday, it will be the 999th in the history of the UK pop charts. The song first topped the charts in 1958. Chart analysts say Elvis could score the 1000th number one as well. His record One Night will be released the following week, followed the week after by A Fool Such As I, as part of his record company SonyBMG's new Elvis campaign. It has called it ""the most ambitious singles release campaign in the history of the UK record industry""."	entertainment
"The 29-year-old, out of favour at City earlier this season, took his Premiership goal tally past 150 with a brace in Monday's 3-2 win at Norwich. ""He is still a quality player and knows where the net is - we have just got to supply him with ammunition and, in the end, we did,"" Keegan said. ""He has worked hard to get back to where he is now."" The former Liverpool striker, who moved to City in 2003 after a poor stint at Leeds, has battled back into first-team contention after struggling with fitness at the start of the season. Fowler overtook Les Ferdinand on Tuesday evening to become the third highest scorer of all time in the Premiership, with 151 goals, and he only trails Alan Shearer (250) and Andy Cole (173). And Keegan believes there is still more to come from the former England forward. ""He can get better if we can supply him better,"" added Keegan. ""People want to write him off but if he has kept the articles of those people who have written him off he could throw them back at them and they would be left with a bit of egg on their face."" Fowler's double strike helped City come back from two goals down to clinch a dramatic win at Carrow Road and Keegan sympathised with Norwich boss Nigel Worthington afterwards. ""I feel a bit for Nigel Worthington,"" he said. ""His team have got great character, they have a lot of drive and enthusiasm. ""I know it is a killer blow for Norwich but I really think they have brought something to the Premiership. ""The stadium and the atmosphere is great, it is just a tough league to stay in - as they are finding out and as we know."""	sport
"The European single currency has shot up to successive all-time highs against the dollar over the past few months. Tacit approval from the White House for the weaker greenback, which could help counteract huge deficits, has helped trigger the move. But now Europe says the euro has had enough, and Asia must now share some of the burden. China is seen as the main culprit, with exports soaring up 35% in 2004 partly on the back of a currency pegged to the dollar. ""Asia should engage in greater currency flexibility,"" said French finance minister Herve Gaymard, after a meeting with his German counterpart Hans Eichel. Markets responded by pushing the euro lower, in the expectation that the rhetoric - and the pressure - is unlikely to ease ahead of a meeting of the G7 industrialised countries next week. Early on Tuesday morning, the dollar had edged higher to 1.3040 euros. The yen, meanwhile, had strengthened to 102.975 against the dollar by 0730 GMT."	business
"Javier Solana, EU foreign policy chief, says phone-tap evidence works in the courts of other European countries. Human rights groups, top police officers and many MPs say allowing the evidence would remove the need to detain terror suspects without charge. But Home Secretary Charles Clarke says the evidence would not make much difference to these cases. Mr Solana told ITV1's Jonathan Dimbleby programme: ""[Phone-tap evidence in court] works, it is normal that it is done, it would be naive not to do it. ""It would be naive not to use this technological thing that we have at our disposal."" Mr Solana's comments come the day after Sir Ian Blair, the newly-appointed Metropolitan Police commissioner, said he was in favour of phone-tap evidence. Under the Anti-Terrorism Crimes and Security Act 2001, foreign terror suspects can be detained in British jails without trial or charge. Several suspects have been detained under these powers because evidence against them was deemed too sensitive to be heard in court. Some of this evidence is believed to be telephone intercepts. Human Rights group Liberty has argued that if intercept evidence could be heard, these detainees could be brought to trial. But critics of phone-tap trials say the evidence is often weak and can expose the methods of the security services. The home secretary says intercepts would not make much difference because cases against terror suspects frequently rely on other kinds of surveillance. But Mr Clarke has been forced to change the regime of detention without trial after Law Lords ruled it illegal. He has opted for a system of ""control orders"" whereby suspects, both British and foreign, can be held under house arrest or surveillance. These orders will again involve a UK opt-out of parts of the European Convention on Human Rights. While accepting that people ""have to be prepared"" for a possible terrorist attack, Mr Solana said he had ""qualms"" about the home secretary's new plans. ""We have to fight terrorism with all our means, but not so far as to change our way of life,"" he said."	politics
"More than 70,000 people abandoned the ground with the score at 1-1 and only three minutes left to play. The Basque newspaper Gara apparently received a telephone call saying a bomb was due to explode at 2100 local time. But after searching the stadium with sniffer dogs, the police said that no explosive device had been found. ""The police have said they have completed their search and have not found anything,"" said Real Madrid president Florentino Perez. ""The best thing we can all do now is to put this nightmare behind us."" Madrid midfielder Guti told private Spanish radio station Cadena Ser: ""I have never seen this before and sport should be above it all."" Real took the lead just before the break when Brazilian striker Ronaldo cracked home with his left foot. Sociedad levelled the match midway through the second half when Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci smashed home with an acrobatic finish. It is not yet clear if the remaining three minutes of the game will be played at a later date or if the result will be allowed to stand. If the result remains at 1-1, Real will drop to third place in the standings, 11 points behind leaders Barcelona, who snatched a late 2-1 win at Albacete on Saturday. Initial reports suggested the Basque separatist group ETA may be responsible for the bomb threat after issuing similar warnings before a series of small explosions in recent days. The Bernabeu was targeted by ETA on 1 May, 2002, when Madrid were about to play FC Barcelona in a Champions League semi-final. A car bomb exploded in a street outside the stadium and 17 people were slightly injured."	sport
Mr Ebbers, 63, is accused of being the mastermind behind an $11bn (£6bn) accounting fraud that eventually saw the firm collapse in July 2002. His indictment includes charges of securities fraud, conspiracy and filing false reports with regulators. If found guilty, Mr Ebbers could face a substantial jail sentence. He has firmly declared his innocence. Under Mr Ebbers' leadership, WorldCom emerged from Mississippi obscurity to become a $160bn telecoms giant and the darling of late 1990s investors. Yet as competition intensified and the telecoms boom petered out, WorldCom found itself under growing financial stress. When WorldCom finally collapsed, shareholders lost about $180bn and 20,000 workers lost their jobs. Mr Ebbers' trial, which is expected to last two months, is the latest in a series of attempts by US prosecutors to pursue senior executives for fraud. It will coincide with the retrial of former Tyco International chief Dennis Kozlowski and his top lieutenant, accused of looting the industrial conglomerate to the tune of $600m. Trail preparations are also preparing for former executives of shamed US energy firm Enron.	business
"The Brazilian city of Porto Alegre will host the rival World Social Forum, timed to run in parallel with the WEF's ritzier event in Davos. The organisers of the Brazilian gathering, which brings together thousands of campaigners against globalisation, for fair trade, and many other causes, have promised to set an alternative agenda to that of the Swiss summit. However, many of the issues discussed in Porto Alegre are Davos talking points as well. ""Global warming"" features particularly high. WEF participants are being asked to offset the carbon emissions they cause by travelling to the event. Davos itself is in deep frost. The snow is piled high across the mountain village, and at night the wind chill takes temperatures down to minus 20C and less. Ultimately, the forum will be dominated by business issues - from outsourcing to corporate leadership - with bosses of more than a fifth of the world's 500 largest companies scheduled to attend. But much of the media focus will be on the political leaders coming to Davos, not least because the agenda of this year's forum seems to lack an overarching theme. ""Taking responsibility for tough choices"" is this year's official talking point, hinting at a welter of knotty problems. One thing seems sure, though: transatlantic disagreements over how to deal with Iran, Iraq and China are set to dominate discussions. Pointedly, only one senior official from President Bush's new administration is scheduled to attend. The US government may still make a conciliatory gesture, just as happened a year ago when Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise appearance in Davos. Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yushchenko, is to speak, just days after his inauguration, an event that crowned the civil protests against the rigged first election that had tried to keep him from power. The European Union's top leaders, among them German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and European Commission President Manuel Barosso, will be here too. Mr Blair will formally open the proceedings, although his speech will be pre-empted by French President Jacques Chirac, who announced his attendance at the last minute and secured a slot for a ""special message"" two hours before Mr Blair speaks. The organisers also hope that the new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, will use the opportunity for talks with at least one of the three Israeli deputy prime ministers coming to the event, a list that includes Shimon Peres. Davos fans still hark back to 1994, when talks between Yassir Arafat and Mr Peres came close to a peace deal. Mr Blair's appearance will be keenly watched too, as political observers in the UK claim it is a calculated snub against political rival Chancellor Gordon Brown, who was supposed to lead the UK government delegation. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the world's richest man and a regular at Davos, will focus on campaigning for good causes, though business interests will not be wholly absent either. Having already donated billions of dollars to the fight against Aids and Malaria, Mr Gates will call on world leaders to support a global vaccination campaign to protect children in developing countries from easily preventable diseases. On Tuesday, Mr Gates pledged $750m (£400m) of his own money to support the cause. Mr Gates' company, software giant Microsoft, also hopes to use Davos to shore up its defences against open source software like Linux, which threaten Microsoft's near monopoly on computer desktops. Mr Gates is said to be trying to arrange a meeting with Brazil's President Lula da Silva. The Brazilian government has plans to switch all government computers from Microsoft to Linux. At Davos, global problem solving and networking are never far apart."	business
"Their biggest worries are not terror threats, but over-regulation, low-cost competition and the wild ups and downs of oil prices. There is one exception: Firms in Western Europe - but not the UK - are lacking confidence after years of slow growth. When business advisers PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) conducted the same survey two years ago, nearly 30% of bosses were gloomy about their prospects. Global business leaders say that they are facing a two-pronged regulatory assault. After a string of corporate scandals in the United States - from Enron to WorldCom - the Sarbanes-Oxley act forces companies to be much more transparent, but doing all the paperwork costs a lot of time and money. Across Europe, meanwhile, all stock exchange-listed companies are currently in the process of moving to new and complex accounting standards called IFRS. Hacking through the red tape can hardly be avoided, but many chief executives around the world appear to have decided on how to deal with low-cost competitors. Already, about 28% of the bosses polled for the survey say that they have moved parts of their business into low-wage countries, and another 11% plan to do so in the future. Possibly as a result, the worry about low-cost competition has slightly fallen from last year, with just 54% of companies calling it a ""significant threat"" or ""one of the biggest threats"". But PwC's global chief executive, Samuel DiPiazza, said a growing number of companies were also concerned that moves to outsource work to cheaper countries could both hurt their reputation in their home markets and harm the quality of service they provide to their customers. According to Frank Brown, global advisory leader at PwC , the trend of large companies to have global operations has one clear upside: ""One risk in one region - for example the Middle East - won't kill your business anymore."" Surprisingly, the survey suggests that the rapid decline of the US dollar is not seen as a huge threat anymore, unlike even a year ago, when it was cited as the third-largest problem. Mr DiPiazza said the interviews with chief executives suggested that companies had ""adjusted"" to the new reality of a euro that buys $1.30 and more, while others had successfully hedged their positions and locked in more favourable exchange rates.  - For the survey, PricewaterhouseCoopers interviewed 1,324 chief executives throughout the world during the last three months of 2004."	business
"The buy-back is a victory for chairman Mukesh Ambani, whose idea it was. His brother Anil, the vice-chairman, said had not been consulted and that the buy-back was ""completely inappropriate and unnecessary"". The board hopes the move will reverse a 13% fall in Reliance's shares since the feud became public last month. The company has been fractious since founder Dhirubhai Ambani died in 2002, leaving no will. ""Today's round has gone to [Mukesh], there is no doubt about it,"" said Nanik Rupani, president of the Indian Merchants Chamber, a Bombay-based traders' body. The company plans to buy back 52 million shares at 570 rupees (£6.80; $13) apiece, a premium of more than 10% to its current market price."	business
"President Hugo Chavez has ordered all existing contracts with foreign firms to be examined to see if they provide maximum benefits to the country. The review will cover production of gold, aluminium and iron ore although it excludes the country's oil sector. Chavez has sought to extend the state's role in all sectors of the economy. The left-wing president is conducting a controversial review of land ownership in the country while also seeking to create a state-run telecoms firm to compete with foreign-owned businesses. He has argued that major economic reforms are vital to improve the lives of Venezuela's poorest citizens. Announcing the review of raw material production, minister Victor Alvarez said the government would seek to transfer technology, training capability and content from projects with foreign partners. ""We are defending our national sovereignty over the use of our national resources which must serve the endogenous development of the nation,"" Mr Alvarez said. ""For this reason we are reviewing all memorandums of understanding, all letters of intent, all agreements that have been signed, all contracts, to check which of these comply with these directives. ""Everything, absolutely everything, has to be reviewed."" Venezuela has previously assured foreign companies with operations in the mineral rich country that it respects existing contracts. However, the government insisted that it needed to develop its own industrial infrastructure in order to create new jobs and lessen its reliance on foreign partners. ""If we don't do this, we are just going to carry on being slaves, suppliers of raw materials, all our lives and we will never develop our own productive capacity,"" Mr Alvarez added. Companies from the United States, Canada, France and Switzerland all have substantial investments in Venezuela's mining sector."	business
"""At the end of it I didn't like having cameras around the house all the time,"" the Black Sabbath singer told reporters at the MTV Europe Awards in Rome. His wife Sharon, who also appears in the popular MTV show based on the Osbournes' family life, agreed. ""Now everybody's doing reality shows. He's done it, he's been there, he's got to do something else,"" she said. Ozzy Osbourne said he had had enough of the work involved in making the series. ""When you watch a 25-minute episode, I've been filming all day,"" he said. Sharon Osbourne is currently appearing as a judge and mentor in ITV1 talent show The X-Factor alongside Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh. Earlier this year she topped a poll of the most important people in rock, for her part in guiding the career of husband Ozzy and her family. She was the driving force behind The Osbournes, which ran for three series, earning the family a reported $85m (£46m). The renewed popularity for Ozzy has seen sales of his merchandise hit the $50m (£27.2m) mark, a record for a heavy metal artist. Sales of T-shirts, accessories and action figures have rocketed since The Osbournes hit screens. At its peak, The Osbournes had a regular audience of eight million, with America's TV Guide magazine describing the series as ""a cross between The Simpsons and This Is Spinal Tap"". Osbourne himself was at a loss to explain its popularity: ""I suppose Americans get a kick out of watching a crazy Brit family like us make complete fools of ourselves every week."""	entertainment
The main driver of the faster-than-expected expansion has been exports, with tourism seeing a strong rebound, the statistical office said. The economy is benefiting from a quieter period in Palestinian-Israeli violence and a pick-up in global demand for technology products. The outlook is better than it has been for a number of years, analysts said. Many companies have focused on cost cutting and greater efficiency, while the government has been trying to trim public spending and push through reforms. The growth figures come about despite a strike earlier this year by about 400,000 public sector worker which closed banks, hospitals, postal services and transport facilities. Growth did slow in the second half, but only slightly. Exports for the year rose by 14%, while tourist revenues were up by 30%. Imports gained by 13%, signalling that domestic demand has picked up again. In 2003, imports declined by 1.8%. In 2003, the economy expanded by 1.3%	business
"Kolo Toure's late goal gives the Gunners hope for the second leg, but Wenger said: ""The only positive is that we are still in the tie. ""The players are really down in the dressing-room. I feel we really turned in a bad performance. ""At 3-0 we faced a real struggle, but 3-1 at least gives us a chance."" Goalscorer Toure was also at fault for two goals, and Wenger said: ""We need to help Toure rebuild his confidence as he is low at the moment."" Wenger also tried to stay upbeat himself, adding: ""But there is enough time for crying. I could cry - maybe it would be easier - but life goes on. ""In this job, you have good and bad nights. This was a bad night - but I still have confidence in the quality of my players, as well as their spirit and desire."" But Wenger's Bayern counterpart Felix Magath was in no mood to celebrate either. He said: ""I am far from happy despite the win. My players failed to try and score a fourth to kill the tie and then conceded the late goal. ""Arsenal are fully capable of scoring several goals against us on their own turf."" Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann, whose personal rivalry with Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn was not helped by the result, said: ""Do I blame myself for the third goal? As a goalkeeper, I always blame myself. ""I just know the goals were very easy against us. In my time here, we have never conceded three easy goals like that - but sometimes it happens. ""It would have been impossible to go through at 3-0 - but with the goal we have chances. Everything is now possible."""	sport
"The ex-Big Breakfast presenters were recruited to host the BBC One family variety show last July. ""There are currently no plans for another series,"" a spokeswoman said. She added the pair ""brought a real warmth to Saturday night, but in the end we felt we had done enough with the format of the show"". Passport to Paradise involved a combination of games and outside broadcasts with a high level of audience participation. The first instalment attracted more than 4.1 million viewers - but that had dropped to fewer than 2.7 million by the time it ended. The BBC spokeswoman said Graham Norton's Strictly Dance Fever would be a priority for 2005. ""That's very much on the cards for next year, and we're concentrating at the moment on Strictly Come Dancing, which is doing phenomenally well,"" she said."	entertainment
"In a speech in Edinburgh, the prime minister said Thursday's report reinforced stability and opportunity. And that would be central to Labour's next election campaign, planning for which was already well advanced. Mr Brown earlier denied his economic forecasts were too optimistic - but refused to rule out future tax rises. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: ""No politician should make the mistake that John Major and his colleagues made in 1992 of saying no matter what the circumstances are, they can make all sorts of guarantees on every individual thing. ""That is not what politicians should do, it would not be responsible to do."" Mr Brown insisted his spending plans were ""affordable"" and he could afford to be optimistic because Britain was now a stable, low-inflation economy and house prices were now stabilising. Mr Blair praised his chancellor for his role in creating economic stability, which he said was the ""cornerstone"" of Labour's programme. In a speech at Edinburgh's Napier University, he said Labour would publish over the next few months ""a rich agenda for future policy in any possible third term"". ""In every area of work there is a detailed plan for the future, much clearer than those in 1997 or 2001. All of it fits together around common themes of opportunity, security and stability for all,"" Mr Blair said. In his pre-Budget report, Mr Brown surprised some City experts by forecasting UK growth at between 3% and 3.5% for next year. Many believe the figure is more likely to be under 3% - and fear tax rises or spending cuts, saying tax receipts have been overestimated. Carl Emmerson, from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, told BBC News: ""He thinks everything will come out in the wash and it will, in fact, be OK. We're not so sure."" David Page, of Investec Securities, said: ""His forecast that he will meet the golden rule with a margin of £8bn is way too optimistic. ""It's going to take a significant turnaround in the economy to meet these targets."" Conservative Shadow chancellor Oliver Letwin said: ""I can't find a single economic forecaster from the IMF to the Institute of Fiscal Studies who believes anything other than the chancellor has got a black hole in his finances. ""In order to deal with that he will have to raise taxes after the next general election."" Mr Letwin accused the chancellor of using ""fancy statistics"" to hide public service failures. Vincent Cable, for the Liberal Democrats, called on Mr Brown to open up the government's books to the National Audit Office, to see if he had met his ""golden rule"". ""It is very clear that there are some serious loose ends in government public spending,"" Mr Cable told MPs."	politics
"Research by handset maker Nokia shows that more and more people are using their mobile phone for every call they make or take. According to the study, more than 45 million people in the UK, Germany, US and South Korea now only use a mobile. It showed that people keep their fixed line phone because call charges are lower, but most of those questioned said the future was definitely mobile. The Nokia-sponsored research showed that mobiles and fixed phones were used for different purposes. Home phones were used for longer calls but conversations on mobiles tended to be shorter, between mobiles and to friends. In the UK 69% of those questioned said they turned to their fixed phone because it was still cheaper to use than a mobile. However, when pressed few could say with accuracy how tariffs on fixed and mobile phones compared. In the US and Germany many of those interviewed said they used the fixed phone because it was more reliable than a mobile handset and let them get access to the net at relatively high speeds. In all the countries where interviews were carried out, older people were more likely to use a fixed line phone more than a mobile. Women aged 50 or above almost never use a mobile phone, the research found. The move to mobile was most pronounced in South Korea where 65% of those questioned said they already make most of their calls from a mobile. 18% said they would not get a landline if they moved house. Many of those questioned said they had an emotional connection to their fixed phone that drew on its position in the home and the ""cosiness"" of making a call there. Nokia said these findings had implications for mobile operators who must work hard to ensure that mobiles are seen as cheap, reliable and providing good call quality. The survey also showed that it is not just voice calls that are going wireless. Some of those questioned said they were looking to use a mobile or wireless service to get net access within the next couple of years. Polling firm Mori interviewed more than 6,000 people in the UK, US, Germany and South Korea for the survey."	tech
"Optimism is at its highest since 1997 and business will reap the benefits of a continuing rise in public spending, say researchers at BDO Stoy Hayward. The Bank of England is expected to keep rates on hold this week - but they could go up later in the year. Rates are likely to rise after the anticipated general election in May. The BDO optimism index - a leading indicator of GDP growth two quarters ahead edged up in January to 102.5, from 102.2 in October. The rise is due, in part, to an increase in public spending and increased merger and acquisition activity. The only thing blighting business optimism this year will be uncertainties associated with the general election, BDO said. Its BDO's output index - which predicts GDP movements a quarter in advance - remained at 100.8 for January, implying GDP growth at 2.9% in the second quarter of 2005. However, the output index is being held back by recent interest rate rises, sterling's strength against the dollar and high oil prices, the group noted. Its inflation index, which has risen continuously over the last 8 months, climbed to 110.0 in January from 108.0 in October last year. ""The UK is looking strong going into the general election, but businesses need to prepare themselves for a jolt ahead as the Bank of England reacts to growth and inflationary pressures,"" said Peter Hemington, partner at BDO Stoy Hayward. ""Growth will probably slow by the end of 2005 and it is likely that we will see higher interest rates or a sharp drop in demand for products and services."""	business
"Speaking in court, Mr Ebbers rejected allegations he pressured ex-chief financial officer Scott Sullivan to falsify company financial statements. Mr Sullivan ""made accounting decisions,"" he told the federal court, saying his finance chief had ""a keen command of the numbers"". Mr Ebbers has denied charges of fraud and conspiracy. During his second day of questioning in the New York trial Mr Ebbers played down his working relationship with Mr Sullivan and denied he frequently met him to discuss company business when questioned by the prosecution. ""In a lot of weeks, we would speak ... three or four times,"" Mr Ebbers said, adding that conversations about finances were rarely one-on-one and were usually discussed by a ""group of people"" instead. Mr Ebbers relationship to Mr Sullivan is key to the case surrounding financial corruption that led to the collapse of the firm in 2002 following the discovery of an $11bn accounting fraud. The prosecution's star witness is Mr Sullivan, one of six WorldCom executives indicted in the case, He has pleaded guilty to fraud and appeared as a prosecution witness as part of an agreement with prosecutors. During his time on the witness stand Mr Sullivan repeatedly told jurors he met frequently with Mr Ebbers, told him about changes made to WorldCom's accounts to hide costs and had warned him such practises were improper. However during the case on Tuesday Mr Ebbers denied the allegations. ""I wasn't advised by Scott Sullivan of anything ever being wrong,"" he told the court. ""He's never told me he made an entry that wasn't right. If he had, we wouldn't be here today."" Mr Ebbers could face a jail sentence of up to 85 years if convicted of all the charges he is facing. Shareholders lost about $180bn in WorldCom's collapse, 20,000 workers lost their jobs and the company went bankrupt. The company emerged from bankruptcy last year and is now known as MCI."	business
"In most corners of TV and technology industries, high-definition (HDTV) is being heralded as the biggest thing to happen to the television since colour. HD essentially makes TV picture quality at least four times better than now. But there is real concern that people are not getting the right information about HD on the High Street. Thousands of flat panel screens - LCDs (liquid crystal displays), plasma screens, and DLP rear-projection TV sets - have already been sold as ""HD"", but are in fact not able to display HD. ""The UK is the largest display market in Europe,"" according to John Binks, director of GfK, which monitors global consumer markets. But, he added: ""Of all the flat panel screens sold, just 1.3% in the UK are capable of getting high-definition."" There are 74 different devices that are being sold as HD but are not HD-ready, according to Alexander Oudendijk, senior vice president of marketing for satellite giant Astra. They may be fantastic quality TVs, but many do not have adaptors in them - called DVI or HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) connectors - which let the set handle the higher resolution digital images. Part of this is down to lack of understanding and training on the High Street, say industry experts, who gathered at Bafta in London for the 2nd European HDTV Summit last week. ""We have to be careful about consumer confusion. There is a massive education process to go through,"" said Mr Binks. The industry already recognised that it would be a challenge to get the right information about it across to those of us who will be watching it. Eventually, that will be everyone. The BBC is currently developing plans to produce all its TV output to meet HDTV standards by 2010. Preparations for the analogue switch-off are already underway in some areas, and programmes are being filmed with HD cameras. BSkyB plans to ship its first generation set-top boxes, to receive HDTV broadcasts, in time for Christmas. Like its Sky+ boxes, they will also be personal video recorders (PVRs). The company will start broadcasts of HDTV programmes, offering them as ""premium channel packages"", concentrating, to start with, on sports, big events, and films, in early 2006. But the set-top box which receives HDTV broadcasts has to plug into a display - TV set - that can show the images at the much higher resolution that HD demands, if HDTV is to be ""real"". By 2010, 20% of homes in the UK will have some sort of TV set or display that can show HD in its full glory. But it is all getting rather confusing for people who have only just taken to ""being digital"". As a result, all the key players, those who make flat panel displays, as well as the satellite companies and broadcasters, formed a HD forum in 2004 to make sure they were all talking to each other. Part of the forum has been concerned with issues like industry standards and content protection. But it has also been preoccupied with how to help the paying public know exactly what they are paying for. From next month, all devices that have the right connectors and resolution required will carry a ""HD-Ready"" sticker. This also means they are equipped to cope with both analogue and HDTV signals, and so comply with the minimum specification set out by the industry. ""The logo is absolutely the way forward,"" said David Mercer, analysts with Strategy Analytics. ""But it is still not appearing on many retail products."" The industry is upbeat that the sticker will help, but it is only a start. ""We can only do so much with the position we are in today with manufacturers,"" said Mr Oudendijk. ""There may well be a number of dissatisfied customers in the next few months."" The European Broadcast Union (EBU) is testing different flavours of HD formats to prepare for even better HDTV further down the line. It is similarly concerned that people get the right information on HDTV formats, as well as which devices will support the formats. ""We believe consumers buying expensive displays need to ensure their investment is worthwhile,"" said Phil Laven, technical director for the EBU. The TV display manufacturers want us to watch HD on screens that are at least 42in (106cm), to get the ""true impact"" of HD, they say, although smaller displays suffice. What may convince people to spend money on HD-ready devices is the falling prices, which continue to tumble across Europe. The prices are dropping an average of 20% every year, according to analysts. LCD prices dropped by 43% in Europe as a whole last year, according to Mr Oudendijk."	tech
"The builder of the Three Gorges Dam is continuing work on the sister Xiluodu dam, said the Beijing News. The Xiluodu dam is one of 30 such large-scale construction projects called to a halt because of a lack of proper environmental checks. The Beijing News said the company may instead choose to pay a fine. The firm has also ignored orders to stop construction at two of its other projects - the Three Gorges Underground Power Plant and the Three Gorges Project Electrical Power Supply Plant. So far, only 22 of the 30 construction projects targeted by China's State Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) for having not carried out mandatory environmental impact assessments have complied with its shutdown order. The China Three Gorges Project Corp could now face a fine up to 200,000 yuan ($24,000; £12,700). Last week, it denied that its projects violated regulations. ""The Three Gorges Corporation has all along abided by the law and have built our projects in accordance with the law,"" it said. The Sepa order comes as the Chinese government appears to be trying to cool the country's booming economy. Previously it has encouraged construction of new electricity generating capacity to solve chronic energy shortages, which forced many factories into part-time working last year. In 2004, China increased its generating capacity by 12.6% to 440,700 megawatts (MW). The Xiluodu Dam is designed to produce 12,600 MW of electricity, and is being built on the Jinshajiang - or ""river of golden sand"" as the upper reaches of the Yangtze are known. It is a sister project to the main Three Gorges Dam downstream where more than half a million people have had to be relocated, drawing criticism from environmental groups and overseas human rights activists."	business
"Under a 2001 land law, the government can tax or seize unused farm sites. A further 40,000 farms are yet to be inspected, the state's National Land Institute has told Associated Press. Vice president Jose Vicente Rangel has said farmers and ranchers with their titles in order and their lands productive have ""nothing to fear."" Critics of the land reform policy claim president Hugo Chavez is trying to enforce a communist-style economic programme that ignores property rights and will damage the country. Land owners claim the National Land Institute has made mistakes in classifying lands as public or private. But the government - Venezuela's largest land owner - say they are proceeding cautiously to prevent conflicts. In a statement, Mr Rangel said the land reform is not against the constitution, which permits private property, while stressing the efforts are to ""vindicate social and economically"" years of inequality in the country. One property in conflict with the government is the El Charcote cattle ranch, run by Agroflora, a subsidiary of the UK food group Vestey. Agriculture minister Arnoldo Marquez told Reuters news agency the site's documents ""do not guarantee that this is a private land"". Administrators of the ranch, however, have complained that pro-Chavez squatters have taken over 80% of the property in the last four years, and the UK government has asked Venezuelan authorities to resolve the conflict. ""You should ask the company when they are going to put their papers in order and hand over the land that is not theirs,"" said Mr Marquez."	business
"Most respondents also said their national economy was getting worse. But when asked about their own family's financial outlook, a majority in 14 countries said they were positive about the future. Almost 23,000 people in 22 countries were questioned for the poll, which was mostly conducted before the Asian tsunami disaster. The poll found that a majority or plurality of people in 13 countries believed the economy was going downhill, compared with respondents in nine countries who believed it was improving. Those surveyed in three countries were split. In percentage terms, an average of 44% of respondents in each country said the world economy was getting worse, compared to 34% who said it was improving. Similarly, 48% were pessimistic about their national economy, while 41% were optimistic. And 47% saw their family's economic conditions improving, as against 36% who said they were getting worse. The poll of 22,953 people was conducted by the international polling firm GlobeScan, together with the Program on International Policy Attitudes (Pipa) at the University of Maryland. ""While the world economy has picked up from difficult times just a few years ago, people seem to not have fully absorbed this development, though they are personally experiencing its effects,"" said Pipa director Steven Kull. ""People around the world are saying: 'I'm OK, but the world isn't'."" There may be a perception that war, terrorism and religious and political divisions are making the world a worse place, even though that has not so far been reflected in global economic performance, says the BBC's Elizabeth Blunt. The countries where people were most optimistic, both for the world and for their own families, were two fast-growing developing economies, China and India, followed by Indonesia. China has seen two decades of blistering economic growth, which has led to wealth creation on a huge scale, says the BBC's Louisa Lim in Beijing. But the results also may reflect the untrammelled confidence of people who are subject to endless government propaganda about their country's rosy economic future, our correspondent says. South Korea was the most pessimistic, while respondents in Italy and Mexico were also quite gloomy. The BBC's David Willey in Rome says one reason for that result is the changeover from the lira to the euro in 2001, which is widely viewed as the biggest reason why their wages and salaries are worth less than they used to be. The Philippines was among the most upbeat countries on prospects for respondents' families, but one of the most pessimistic about the world economy. Pipa conducted the poll from 15 November 2004 to 3 January 2005 across 22 countries in face-to-face or telephone interviews. The interviews took place between 15 November 2004 and 5 January 2005. The margin of error is between 2.5 and 4 points, depending on the country. In eight of the countries, the sample was limited to major metropolitan areas."	business
"That was one of the messages from the mobile industry at the 3GSM World Congress in Cannes last week. Fast 3G networks are here but the focus has shifted to their evolution into a higher bandwidth service, says the Global Mobile Suppliers Association. At 3GSM, Siemens showed off a system that transmits faster mobile data. The German company said data could be transmitted at one gigabit a second - up to 20 times faster than current 3G networks. The system is not available commercially yet, but Motorola, the US mobile handset and infrastructure maker, held a clinic for mobile operators on HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), a high-speed, high bandwidth technology available now. Early HSDPA systems typically offer around two megabits per second (Mbps) compared with less than 384 kilobits per second (Kbps) on standard 3G networks. ""High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) - sometimes called Super 3G - will be vital for profitable services like mobile internet browsing and mobile video clips,"" according to a report published by UK-based research consultancy Analysys. A number of companies are developing the technology. Nokia and Canada-based wireless communication products company Sierra Wireless recently agreed to work together on High Speed Downlink Packet Access. The two companies aim to jointly market the HSDPA solution to global network operator customers. ""While HSDPA theoretically enables data rates up to a maximum of 14Mbps, practical throughputs will be lower than this in wide-area networks,"" said Dr Alastair Brydon, author of the Analysys report: Pushing Beyond the Limits of 3G with HSDPA and Other Enhancements. ""The typical average user rate in a real implementation is likely to be in the region of one megabit per second which, even at this lower rate, will more than double the capacity... when compared to basic WCDMA [3G],"" he added. Motorola has conducted five trials of its technology and says speeds of 2.9Mbps have been recorded at the edge of an outdoor 3G cell using a single HSDPA device. But some mobile operators are opting for a technology called Evolution, Data Optimised (EV-DO). US operator Sprint ordered a broadband data upgrade to its 3G network at the end of last year. We are ""expanding our network and deploying EV-DO technology to meet customer demand for faster wireless speeds,"" said Oliver Valente, Sprint's vice president for technology development, when the contract was announced. As part of $3bn in multi-year contracts announced late last year, Sprint will spend around $1bn on EV-DO technology from Lucent Technologies, Nortel Networks and Motorola that provides average data speeds of 0.3-0.5 megabits a second, and peak download rates of 2.4Mbps. MMO2, the UK-based operator with services in the UK, Ireland and Germany, has opted for technology based on HSDPA. Using technology from Lucent, it will offer data speeds of 3.6Mbps from next summer on its Isle of Man 3G network, and will eventually support speeds of up to 14.4Mbps. US operator Cingular Wireless is also adopting HSDPA, using technology from Lucent alongside equipment from Siemens and Ericsson. Siemens' plans for a one gigabit network may be more than a user needs today, but Christoph Caselitz, president of the mobile networks division at the firm says that: ""By the time the next generation of mobile communication debuts in 2015, the need for transmission capacities for voice, data, image and multimedia is conservatively anticipated to rise by a factor of 10."" Siemens - in collaboration with the Fraunhofer German-Sino Lab for Mobile Communications and the Institute for Applied Radio System Technology - has souped up mobile communications by using three transmitting and four receiving antennae, instead of the usual one. This enables a data transmission, such as sending a big file or video, to be broken up into different flows of data that can be sent simultaneously over one radio frequency band. The speeds offered by 3G mobile seemed fast at the time mobile operators were paying huge sums for 3G licences. But today, instead of connecting to the internet by slow, dial-up phone connection, many people are used to broadband networks that offer speeds of 0.5 megabits a second - much faster than 3G. This means users are likely to find 3G disappointing unless the networks are souped up. If they aren't, those lucrative ""power users"", such as computer geeks and busy business people will avoid them for all but the most urgent tasks, reducing the potential revenues available to mobile operators. But one gigabit a second systems will not be available immediately. Siemens says that though the system works in the laboratory, it still has to assess the mobility of multiple-antennae devices and conduct field trials. A commercial system could be as far away as 2012, though Siemens did not rule out an earlier date."	tech
"Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, touring South East Asian countries, praised the ""spirit of cooperation"" in achieving the breakthrough. Media reports in both countries describe the deal as a major step in the ongoing peace process. Mr Straw said he hoped the agreement would make a difference to Kashmiris. The bus service was one of several announcements made after a meeting of foreign ministers of both countries in Islamabad on Wednesday. Kashmiri politicians on both sides of the Line of Control which divides the region welcomed the move. In a statement, Mr Straw said the bus service between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad ""will be able to reunite families that have been divided for decades"". ""This will make a real difference to the lives of Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control,"" he said. ""I warmly applaud the efforts of both India and Pakistan to make this happen. ""This spirit of cooperation will, I hope, lead to many more measures that will benefit all in the region."" On Thursday Mr Straw was in India visiting Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar where he tried his hand at making Indian bread or roti. He is due to take part in talks with the Indian government on Friday. A second bus service linking the Pakistani city of Lahore with Amritsar in India was also announced as well as a rail link between Rajasthan state and Pakistan's Sindh province. Both sides agreed to begin talks on reducing the risk of nuclear accidents and also said they planned to reopen their respective consulates in Karachi and Mumbai (Bombay). The mountainous region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between the two nuclear powers for more than 50 years."	politics
"France suffered a shock loss against the Welsh at the weekend after looking on course for an easy win. Castaignede told BBC Sport: ""The pressure is big on Laporte after a huge loss to New Zealand, a slim win over Scotland and a miracle against England. ""But the French have to get behind him and the team at Lansdowne Road."" Following victories over South Africa and Australia in November, France were deemed by many to be the world's leading side. But they were then trounced 45-6 by New Zealand and only just beat Scotland after the Scots had a try disallowed in their Six Nations opener. It then took some woeful spot kicking from Charlie Hodgson and Olly Barkley to help them to victory against England at Twickenham. < Castaignede said: ""You can't say any of those results have eased the pressure on Laporte. ""Had England's kickers not been so bad, the position in the Six Nations would be very different now."" Laporte has been criticised for France's negative tactics in their wins over Scotland and England. But his side played a more free-flowing style against Wales, making a mockery of the opposition's defence in the first half before suffering a shock turnaround in fortunes after the interval. ""All the chat in France has been about how France will play against Ireland,"" said Castaignede ahead of the 12 March tie. ""Everyone wants to see the sort of play we saw against Wales. But everyone also wants a win."" Castaignede, a veteran of 43 international caps, admitted the French would go in as underdogs against Ireland. ""Going to Ireland is never easy but the way they're playing right now, it's harder than ever,"" said Castaignede. ""They're very experienced and don't often lose at home. They've got some great forwards and some electric runners on the break."" Despite praising the Irish he claimed the Welsh had the upper hand in the Six Nations run-in. ""Ireland have such a good pack but Wales are something else on the break,"" he added. ""At the weekend they were simply awesome. As a Frenchman it was disappointing to see, but you had to admire it. ""Their commitment to every cause can make them win this championship."" The 30-year-old also tipped Yann Delaigue to start ahead of Frederic Michalak at number 10 after an impressive display in Paris last weekend. ""Delaigue played really well and admittedly Michalak played well too,"" said Castaignede. ""I'm just glad I'm not the one who has to make the decision."""	sport
"The firm, which last year made a number of other new finds in the Rajasthan area, said the latest discovery could lead to large gas volumes. However, chief executive Bill Gammell cautioned that additional evalution was first needed at the site. Cairn has also been granted approval to extend its Rajasthan exploration area. This approval has come from the Indian government. A spokesman said the company's decision to carry out further investigations at the new find showed that it believed there was significant gas. But he added: ""It's still too early to say what the extent of it is."" Cairn's string of finds in Rajasthan last year saw it elevated to the FTSE 100 index of the UK's leading listed companies. The company had bought the rights to explore in the area from oil giant Shell. Mr Gammell is a former Scottish international rugby player."	business
"Globally, the number sold will reach 159 million, an increase of 104%. The report predicts that nearly 70% of all mobile phones sold will have a built-in camera by 2008. Improving imaging technology in mobiles is making them an increasingly ""must-have"" buy. In Europe, cameras on mobiles can take 1.3 megapixel images. But in Japan and Asia Pacific, where camera phone technology is much more advanced, mobiles have already been released which can take 3.2 megapixel images. Japan still dominates mobile phone technology, and the uptake there is huge. By 2008, according to Gartner, 95% of all mobiles sold there will have cameras on them. Camera phones had some teething problems when they were first launched as people struggled with poor quality images and uses for them, as well as the complexity and expense of sending them via MMS (Multimedia Messaging Services). This has changed in the last 18 months. Handset makers have concentrated on trying to make phones easier to use. Realising that people like to use their camera phones in different ways, they have introduced more design features, like rotating screens and viewfinders, removable memory cards and easier controls to send picture messages. Mobile companies have introduced more ways for people to share photos with other people. These have included giving people easier ways to publish them on websites, or mobile blogs - moblogs. But the report suggests that until image quality increases more, people will not be interested in printing out pictures at kiosks. Image sensor technology inside cameras phones is improving. The Gartner report suggests that by mid-2005, it is likely that the image resolution of most camera phones will be more than two megapixels. Consumer digital cameras images range from two to four megapixels in quality, and up to six megapixels on a high-end camera. But a lot of work is being done to make camera phones more like digital cameras. Some handsets already feature limited zoom capability, and manufacturers are looking into technological improvements that will let people take more photos in poorly-lit conditions, like nightclubs. Other developments include wide-angle modes, basic editing features, and better sensors and processors for recording film clips. Images from camera phones have even made it into the art world. An exhibition next month in aid of the charity Mencap, will feature snaps taken from the camera phones of top artists. The exhibition, Fonetography, will feature images taken by photographers David Bailey, Rankin and Nan Goldin, and artists Sir Peter Blake, Tracey Emin and Jack Vettriano. But some uses for them have worried many organisations. Intel, Samsung, the UK's Foreign Office and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in the US, have decided to ban camera phones from their buildings for fear of sensitive information being snapped and leaked. Many schools, fitness centres and local councils have also banned them over fears about privacy and misuse. Italy's information commissioner has also voiced concern and has issued guidelines on where and how the phones can be used. But camera phone fears have not dampened the manufacturers' profits. According to recent figures, Sony Ericsson's profits tripled in the third-quarter because of new camera phones. Over 60% of mobiles sold during the three months through to September featured integrated cameras, it said."	tech
"WMC said it made net profits of 1.33bn Australian dollars ($1bn; £550m) in 2004, up from A$246bn the year before. It is currently arguing against an offer from Swiss Xstrata, which the firm raised to A$8.4bn last week after WMC said it was an undervaluation. Now reports say that the Australian government is against the deal. Trade Minister Mark Vaile has said that the bid may be ""against the national interest"". Mr Vaile, who was quoted in the Australian Financial Review, compared Xstrata's attempt to take over WMC to a similar bid by oil giant Shell for Australia's Woodside Petroleum in 2001. The bid was thrown out by Treasurer Peter Costello on national interest grounds. WMC's interests in uranium deposits were a contributing factor, Mr Vaile said. WMC itself, however, has no objection in principle to being bought out, having spun off its aluminium operations in 2002 to make itself a more tempting target - as long as the price is right. Its stellar performance in 2004 has been built on sky-high prices for metals. Copper and nickel in particular have been in high demand thanks to China's booming economy, which expanded more than 9% in each of the past two years. Nickel prices rose 43% during the year, with copper up 36%."	business
"The National Theatre's Stagework website picked up the prize for best learning as well as top factual site. The BBC collected three awards, including best online entertainment for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Adventure Game. Spooks Interactive took the best interactive TV prize. The annual awards recognise the best in digital media. BBC Sport Interactive fought off competition from CBBC Newsround and the Guardian to take home the best news and sport trophy for its coverage of England's exit from Euro 2004. It was recognised for its ""groundbreaking"" use of animation. Bafta's Grant Dean, chair of Bafta's Interactive Entertainment committee, said all the entrants had been of ""outstanding quality"" and that judging had been ""enormously difficult"". ""Without a doubt, 2005 has been a landmark year for the Bafta Interactive Awards,"" he added. ""Many of the top awards this year have gone to the companies we most commonly associate with traditional entertainment, showing how the gap between new media, film and television is closing."" Awards were given out in 12 different categories, including interactive TV, film, music, design, as well as technical and social innovation, at a London ceremony. The top music award was given to SSEYO miniMIXA, a mobile music sequencer designed to let people write, edit and share compositions. Warner Bros was given two prizes for its ""inspiring"" efforts in film and DVD interactivity. The Chaplin Collection beat Oasis, Really Bend It Like Beckham, Shaun of the Dead and The Day Today in the DVD category, and Trauma won best film. Elsewhere, fashionista and clothes designer Alexander McQueen took the accolade for the best-designed website. The awards have been running since 1997, but in 2002 the British Academy of Film and Television decided to split them into separate games and interactive ceremonies. On Tuesday Half-Life 2 dominated the games prizes. It collected six Baftas, including best game and best online game."	tech
"Over 85% of the bids were at the higher end of the price range of 1,050-1,125 rupees ($24-$26). Jet Airways, a low-fare airline, was founded by London-based ex-travel agent Naresh Goya, and controls 45% of the Indian domestic airline market. It sold 20% of its equity or 17.2 million shares in a bid to raise up to $443m (£230.8m). The price at which its shares will begin trading will be agreed over the weekend, bankers said. ""The demand for the IPO was impressive. We believe that over the next two years, the domestic aviation sector promises strong growth, even though fuel prices could be high,"" said Hiten Mehta, manager of merchant banking firm, Fortune Financial Services. India began to open up its domestic airline market - previously dominated by state-run carrier Indian Airlines - in the 1990s. Jet began flying in 1993 and now has competitors including Air Deccan and Air Sahara. Budget carriers Kingfisher Airlines and SpiceJet are planning to launch operations in May this year. Jet has 42 aircraft and runs 271 scheduled flights daily within India. It recently won government permission to fly to London, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur."	business
"He told US TV show 60 Minutes that Revenge of the Sith would be the darkest and most violent of the series. ""I don't think I would take a five or six-year-old to this,"" he told the CBS programme, to be aired on Sunday. Lucas predicted the film would get a US rating advising parents some scenes may be unsuitable for under-13s. It opens in the UK and US on 19 May. He said he expected the film would be classified PG-13 - roughly equivalent to a British 12A rating. The five previous Star Wars films have all carried less restrictive PG - parental guidance - ratings in the US. In the UK, they have all been passed U - suitable for all - with the exception of Attack of The Clones, which got a PG rating in 2002. Revenge of the Sith - the third prequel to the original 1977 Star Wars film - chronicles the transformation of the heroic Anakin Skywalker into the evil Darth Vader as he travels to a Hell-like planet composed of erupting volcanoes and molten lava. ""We're going to watch him make a pact with the devil,"" Lucas said. ""The film is much more dark, more emotional. It's much more of a tragedy."""	entertainment
"Mr Bush's re-election came at a crucial time for a world that was ""fractured, divided and uncertain"", Mr Blair said. It had to be brought together, he added, saying action was needed on poverty, the Middle East and the conditions on which terrorists prey. Mr Blair said states had to work with the US to fight global terrorism. But there was a need to recognise it would not be defeated by ""military might alone but also by demonstrating the strength of our common values"" he added. Solving the conflict in the Middle East was the world's single most ""pressing political challenge"" of the present day, Mr Blair warned. The prime minister also urged Europe and the US to ""build anew their alliance"". ""All of us in positions of leadership, not just President Bush, have a responsibility to rise to this challenge. It is urgent that we do so."" Mr Blair also paid tribute to Democrat John Kerry's campaign, saying he had helped make the presidential election ""a true celebration of American democracy"". The election of the US president was significant for the world but particularly so for Britain because of its special relationship, he added. Earlier Tory leader Michael Howard sent Mr Bush his ""warmest congratulations"", saying: ""We look to the president to be a unifying force for those all over the world who share our determination to defend freedom."" Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy welcomed the fact there had been a quick conclusion to the election, unlike in 2000. Mr Bush's first task was to ""rebuild a sense of domestic purpose"" within the US, he said. Mr Kennedy said: ""Internationally, it is to be hoped that a second term will see a more sensitive approach to relations with long-standing allies, not least for the global efforts to combat terrorism."" Lib Dem foreign affairs spokesman Menzies Campbell said a win by Mr Kerry would have given Mr Blair the chance of a fresh start, adding it was almost as if there was an ""umbilical cord"" between Mr Bush and the UK premier. ""Europeans must hope that his administration will be much more multilateral in character, and that he will act swiftly to rebuild the Atlantic partnership which is so vital to security. ""Iraq will remain an issue of potential division for some time to come."" Even before the result became clear, Mr Blair was being urged to push for action on climate change at his first meeting with whichever candidate won. Liberal Democrat environment spokesman Norman Baker underlined the issue of global warming during a Commons debate on Anglo-American relations on Wednesday. Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett has said the US will act on global warming despite George Bush's refusal to sign up to the Kyoto protocol on carbon emissions. Public opinion would force change, she told BBC news. But Myron Ebell, an adviser on climate change to President Bush, has said there would be no change in the US stance and rejected the threat of climate change. He claimed the US was the only country with independent scientists."	politics
"With the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) some £23bn (£12m) in deficit, the Financial Economists Roundtable (FER) wants Congress to act. Instead of taxpayers having to pick up the bill, the FER wants Congressmen to change the PBGC's funding rules. The FER says firms should not have been allowed to reduce the insurance premiums they pay into the PBGC fund. The FER blames this on a 2004 law, in a statement signed by several members, who include Nobel economics laureate William Sharpe. It said it was ""dismayed"" at the situation and wants Congress to overturn the legislation. Cash-strapped US companies, including those in the airline, car-making and steel industries, had argued in favour of the 2004 rule change, claiming that funding the insurance premiums adequately would force them to have to cut jobs. ""With a little firmer hand on the pensions issues in the US, I think that Congress could avoid having to turn to the taxpayer and instead turn the obligations back onto the companies that deserve to pay them,"" said Professor Dennis Logue, dean of Price College of Business at the University of Oklahoma. The PBGC was founded in 1974 to protect workers' retirement rights. Its most recent action came last week when it took control of the pilots' pension scheme at United Airlines. With United battling bankruptcy, the carrier had wanted to use the money set aside for pensions to finance running costs. The company has an estimated $2.9bn hole in its pilots' pension scheme, which the PBGC will now guarantee."	business
"Munich-based research institute Ifo said that its confidence index fell to 95.5 in February from 97.5 in January, its first decline in three months. The study found that the outlook in both the manufacturing and retail sectors had worsened. Observers had been hoping that a more confident business sector would signal that economic activity was picking up. ""We're surprised that the Ifo index has taken such a knock,"" said DZ bank economist Bernd Weidensteiner. ""The main reason is probably that the domestic economy is still weak, particularly in the retail trade."" Economy and Labour Minister Wolfgang Clement called the dip in February's Ifo confidence figure ""a very mild decline"". He said that despite the retreat, the index remained at a relatively high level and that he expected ""a modest economic upswing"" to continue. Germany's economy grew 1.6% last year after shrinking in 2003. However, the economy contracted by 0.2% during the last three months of 2004, mainly due to the reluctance of consumers to spend. Latest indications are that growth is still proving elusive and Ifo president Hans-Werner Sinn said any improvement in German domestic demand was sluggish. Exports had kept things going during the first half of 2004, but demand for exports was then hit as the value of the euro hit record levels making German products less competitive overseas. On top of that, the unemployment rate has been stuck at close to 10% and manufacturing firms, including DaimlerChrysler, Siemens and Volkswagen, have been negotiating with unions over cost cutting measures. Analysts said that the Ifo figures and Germany's continuing problems may delay an interest rate rise by the European Central Bank. Eurozone interest rates are at 2%, but comments from senior officials have recently focused on the threat of inflation, prompting fears that interest rates may rise."	business
"The court will decide whether producers of file-sharing software can ultimately be held responsible for copyright infringement. They questioned if opening the way for the entertainment industry to sue file-sharers could deter innovation. They also said that file-trading firms had some responsibility for inducing people to piracy. The lawsuit, brought by 28 of the world's largest entertainment firms, has raged for several years. Legal experts agree that if the Supreme Court finds in favour of the music and movie industry they would be able to sue file-trading firms into bankruptcy. But if the judge rules that Grokster and Morpheus - the file-sharers at the centre of the case - are merely providers of technology that can have legitimate as well as illegitimate uses, then the music and movie industry would be forced to abandon its pursuit of file-sharing providers. Instead, they would have to pursue individuals who use peer-to-peer networks to get their hands on free music and movies. The hi-tech and entertainment industries have been divided on the issue. Intel filed a document with the Supreme Court earlier this month in defence of Grokster and others, despite misgivings about some aspects of the file-sharing community. It summed up the attitude of many tech firms in its submission which states that its products ""are essentially tools, that like any other tools, capable of being used by consumers and businesses for unlawful purposes"". Asking firms to second-guess the uses that its technologies would be put to, and to build in ways of preventing illegitimate use, would stifle innovation, it said. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil rights watchdog, is also defending StreamCast Networks, the company behind the Morpheus file-sharing software. The case raises a question of critical importance at the border between copyright and innovation, it said. It cites, as do many, the landmark ruling in 1984 which found that Sony should not be held responsible for the fact that its Betamax video recorder could be used for piracy. Defenders remain optimistic that the judges will rule in favour of the peer-to-peer networks, upholding the precedent set by the Sony Betamax case. A small band of supporters were outside the court as the lawyers entered, wearing ""Save Betamax"" t-shirts. ""The Betamax principles stand as the Magna Carta for the technology industry and are responsible for the explosion in innovation that has occurred in the US over the past 20 years,"" said Gary Shapiro, chief executive of the Consumer Electronics Association. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer said that inventions from printing to Apple's iPod could be used to illegally duplicate copyrighted materials but had, on balance, been beneficial to society. He said that while file-trading software can be used to illegally trade movies and music, conceptually the technology had ""some really excellent uses"". Based on Tuesday's hearing it seems unlikely that the Betamax ruling will be overturned but file-sharing firms might still be held responsible for encouraging or inducing piracy. Grokster's lawyer argued that the company should be judged by its current behaviour rather than what it did when it first set up. But this argument was dismissed as ""ridiculous"" by Justice David Souter. CEA boss Mr Shapiro thinks the case is the most important that the Supreme Court will hear this year. ""It's about preserving America's proud history of technological innovation and protecting the ability of consumers to access and utilise technology,"" he said. The case has already been heard by two lower courts and both found in favour of the peer-to-peer networks. They ruled that despite being used to distribute millions of illegal songs, file-sharing could also be used to cheaply distribute software, government documents and promotional copies of music."	tech
On Tuesday Mitsubishi, the only major Japanese car firm in the red, confirmed earlier reports of negotiations. But a spokesman refused to comment on speculation that Mitsubishi could end up building cars for PSA and perhaps its Japanese rival Nissan. Mitsubishi has been hit by a recall scandal and the withdrawal of support from shareholder DaimlerChrysler. The US-German firm, once a majority shareholder, decided last April to stop providing financial backing. Mitsubishi's sales have slid 41% in the past year, catalysed by the revelation that the company had systematically been hiding records of faults and then secretly repairing vehicles. Mitsubishi is due to unveil a recovery plan later in January. Analysts said that alliances with other carmakers would be a necessary part of whatever it came up with, not least because its own slow sales have left its manufacturing capacity under-used.	business
"The company's vision for the single passenger in the 21st Century involves the driver cruising by in a four-wheeled leaf-like device or strolling along encased in an egg-shaped cocoon that walks upright on two feet. Both these prototypes will be demonstrated, along with other concept vehicles and helper robots, at the Toyota stand at the Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan, in March 2005. The models are being positioned as so-called personal mobility devices, which have few limits. The open leaf-like ""i-unit"" vehicle is the latest version of the concept which the company introduced last year. Built using environmentally friendly plant-based materials, the single passenger unit is equipped with intelligent transport system technologies that allow for safe autopilot driving in specially equipped lanes. The model allows the user to make tight on-the-spot turns, move upright amongst other people at low speeds and can be easily switched into a reclining position at higher speeds. Body colours can be customized to suit individual preferences and a personal recognition system offers both information and music. Also on display at the show will be the egg-shaped ""i-foot"". This is a two-legged mountable robot like device that can be controlled with a joystick. Standing at a height of well over seven feet (2.1 metres), the unit can walk along at a speed of about 1.35km/h (0.83mph) and navigate staircases into the bargain. Mounting and dismounting is accomplished with the aid of the bird-like legs that bend over backwards. ""They are clearly what we call concept vehicles, innovative ideas which have yet to be transformed into potential products and which are a few years away from actual production,"" said Dr David Gillingwater from the Transport Studies Group at Loughborough University. ""They clearly have eye-catching appeal, which is in part the name of the game here, and are linked to the iMac and iPod-type niche which Apple have been responsible for developing and leading in recent years - new, different, hi-tech, image conscious products. ""As always with these concept vehicles, it is difficult to see 'who' they would appeal to and what their role would be in the 'personal transport' marketplace."" The personal transport arena is taking on a new dimension though with futuristic devices that augment human capabilities. Toyota's prototypes represent the latest incarnation of wearable exoskeletons in a vehicular form that is specially focused on transport. Powered robotic exoskeletons have been the focus of much US military research over the years and Japan seems to have jumped onto the bandwagon with a wave of products being developed for specific applications. With an emerging range of devices targeted towards the ageing world population, care giving and the military, wearable exoskeletons seem to represent a new line of future technologies that meet an individual's particular mobility needs. While Toyota's prototypes are geared towards mass transport, the company says that the vehicles will allow the elderly and the disabled to achieve independent mobility. Experts, though, are a bit sceptical of their acceptance in this area. ""Those with arguably the greatest needs for this sort of assistance, now and certainly in the future, are the elderly and infirm people,"" Dr Gillingwater told the BBC News website. ""You have to ask whether these sorts of vehicles will appeal to these groups."" Design considerations also exist. Dr Erel Avineri, of the Centre for Transport and Society at the University of the West of England in Bristol said: ""The design of the introduced mobility devices is not completely adjusted to the specific needs of the elderly and the disabled. ""For example, one problem that many older passengers experience is limited ability to rotate the neck and upper body, making it difficult to look to the side and back when backing up. ""It looks like the visual design of the device interior does not consider this need. This and other human-factors related issues in the design of such devices are not the only issues that should be considered,"" said Dr Avineri. ""In general, introducing a new technology requires the passenger to change behaviour patterns that have served the older passenger for decades. Elderly users might not necessarily accept such innovation. ""This may be another barrier to the commercial success of such a vehicle."" Such single-person vehicles may find a relatively small market niche and may be more suited towards specialised applications rather than revolutionising the face of mass transport. ""The concept of personal mobility behind these sorts of innovations is great but they beg a huge number of questions,"" said Dr Gillingwater. ""What's their range? How user-friendly will they really be? What infrastructure will be required to allow these vehicles to be used. ""Overall I think these vehicles pose a number of important questions than provide answers or solutions."""	tech
"Both Chelsea and Arsenal will be asked to give evidence to a Premier League commission, but no deadline has been put on when that meeting will convene. ""It's hard to put a date on it,"" a Premier League spokesman confirmed to BBC Sport. ""It's not a formal situation where they've got so much time to respond."" Arsenal and England defender Cole reportedly met Blues boss Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon in a London hotel 11 days ago. Chelsea have yet to officially confirm or deny the meeting, which would be in breach of Premier League rule K3. Now the Gunners have asked for an inquiry to look into claims that their player has been ""tapped up"". Both clubs have pledged to co-operate with the inquiry which will be conducted on a single day as opposed to being run as an ongoing evaluation. Cole is in negotiations with the Gunners over extending his current deal which ends in 2007. And his Arsenal team-mate Robert Pires has urged the England left-back to stay at Highbury. Pires told the Evening Standard: ""He has been at Arsenal for ever. He is a very attacking left-back and I think he is enjoying his football because at Arsenal he plays in an offensive team. ""I am not sure he will get the same pleasure at Chelsea, even though they are doing so well at the moment. ""I have built a fantastic playing relationship with Ashley. ""We play together so well - we could do it with our eyes shut. ""But you have to respect the decision of the player. Everybody has that right."""	sport
"In an interview ahead of a meeting in London to discuss Palestinian reforms, Mr Abbas said such attacks were against Palestinian interests. The Palestinian Authority (PA) was exerting ""a 100% effort"" to end the violence, Mr Abbas added. The attack, which killed five, was the first of its kind since he took office. Mr Abbas confirmed Israel shared information with the PA in the hunt for the organisers of the attack. The Israeli government refuses to accept Syria's denials that it was implicated in the nightclub bombing. Israeli officials gave an intelligence briefing to foreign ambassadors on Monday, explaining Syria's alleged involvement. British foreign minister Jack Straw said there had been a ""continuing stream"" of information suggesting Palestinian militant groups were operating from within Syria. In an email interview in the British newspaper the Independent, Mr Abbas said: ""We believe peace is possible now and we are ready to negotiate with Israel to reach a true and lasting peace based on justice and international legitimacy."" He added: ""We have an opportunity and it would be irresponsible if we, the Israelis, or the world allow it to slip away."" Tuesday's meeting on Palestinian reform is being hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Also due to attend are US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, World Bank officials and foreign ministers from 23 European and Arab countries. The conference was a ""vital step"" in renewing the peace process, Mr Straw said. ""It's a high-level attendance, which reflects the sense of momentum and opportunity created by recent events,"" he added. A spokesman for Mr Blair said the Prime Minister expected the conference to discuss ""a comprehensive, co-ordinated and, above all, practical work plan for both the Palestinian Authority and the international community"". Israel will not attend, but is said to be closely watching the outcome."	politics
"One site behind the success of the BitTorrent file-swapping system is producing its own software that avoids the pitfalls of the earlier program. A test version of the new Exeem program will be released in late January. But doubts remain about the new networks ability to ensure files being swapped are ""quality copies"". In late December movie studios launched a legal campaign against websites that helped people swap pirated movies using the BitTorrent network. The legal campaign worked because of the way that BitTorrent is organised. That file-sharing system relies on links called ""trackers"" that point users to others happy to share the file they are looking for. Shutting down sites that listed trackers crippled the BitTorrent network. One of the sites shut down by the legal campaign was suprnova.org which helped boost the popularity of the BitTorrent system by checking that trackers led to the movies or TV programmes they claimed to. Now the man behind suprnova.org, who goes by the nickname Sloncek, is preparing to release software for a new file-swapping network dubbed Exeem. In an interview with Novastream web radio, Sloncek said Exeem would combine ideas from the BitTorrent and Kazaa file-sharing systems. Like BitTorrent, Exeem will have trackers that help point people toward the file they want. Like Kazaa these trackers will be held by everyone. There will be no centrally maintained list. This, said Sloncek, should make the system less vulnerable to legal action aimed at stopping people swapping pirated movies and music. The Exeem software has been under development for a few months and is currently being tested by a closed group of users. An early public version of the software should be available before February. Sloncek said that currently only a Windows version of the software was in development. There were no plans for a Linux or Mac version. He said that costs of writing the software will be paid for by adverts appearing in the finished version of the program. Despite Suprnova administrator Sloncek's involvement with Exeem, the basic technology appears to have been developed by a firm called Swarm Systems that is based on Caribbean island Saint Kitts and Nevis. Users of the Exeem system will be able to rate files being swapped to help stop the spread of fake files, Sloncek told Novastream. Dr Johan Pouwelse, a researcher at the Delft University of Technology who studies peer-to-peer networks, said Exeem was the next evolution in file-sharing systems. But, he said, it would struggle to be as popular as BitTorrent and Suprnova because early versions were not taking enough care to make sure good copies of files were being shared. ""Exeem cannot prevent pollution,"" he said. ""The rating system in Exeem seems flawed because it is easy to insert both fake files and fake ratings,"" he said. Studies have shown that organisations working for record labels and movie studios have worked to undermine Kazaa by putting in fakes. By contrast moderators on Suprnova made sure files being shared were high quality. ""The moderators are the difference between having a system that works and one that's full of crap like Kazaa,"" he said. ""There is a fundamental tension between distribution and integrity,"" he said. Mr Pouwelse said that future versions of file-sharing systems are likely to incorporate some kind of distributed reputation system that lets moderators prove who they are to the network and rate which files are worth downloading. When big files were being shared moderation systems were key, said Mr Pouwelse. He added that the legal attacks on BitTorrent had driven people away from sites such as Suprnova but many users had simply migrated to other tracker listing sites many of which have seen huge increases in traffic. ""It's hard to compete with free,"" he said. No-one from the Motion Picture Association of America was immediately available for comment on the file-sharing development."	tech
The £200 handheld computers can be used as a phone, pager or to send e-mails. The devices gained new prominence this week after Alastair Campbell used his to accidentally send an expletive-laden message to a Newsnight journalist. Mr Martin revealed some MPs had been using their Blackberries during debates and he also cautioned members against using hidden earpieces. The use of electronic devices in the Commons chamber has long been frowned on. The sound of a mobile phone or a pager can result in a strong rebuke from either the Speaker or his deputies. The Speaker chairs debates in the Commons and is charged with ensuring order in the chamber and enforcing rules and conventions of the House. He or she is always an MP chosen by colleagues who, once nominated, gives up all party political allegiances.	politics
"""Kim had considered returning to action in Paris on 7 February,"" a statement on her website said. ""She's decided against this so that she does not risk the final phase of her recovery. If all goes well, Kim will make her return on February 15."" The 21-year-old has not played since last October after aggravating a wrist injury at the Belgian Open. Back then, a doctor treating the Belgian feared that her career may be over, with the player having already endured an operation earlier in the season to cure her wrist problem. ""I hope she comes back, but I'm pessimistic,"" said Bruno Willems. Clijsters was also due to marry fellow tennis star Lleyton Hewitt in February but the pair split ""for private reasons"" back in October."	sport
"Guitarist Brian May has said he expects to be on the road with Rodgers and drummer Roger Taylor from April. May said: ""Suddenly the Queen Phoenix is rising again from the ashes and will take precedence over... our lives."" Queen have played with many different singers since Mercury's death in 1991 but have reportedly not toured. May performed with Rodgers at a concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Fender Stratocaster guitar in London in September. ""We were both so amazed at the chemistry that was going on in [Free hit] All Right Now, that suddenly it seems blindingly obvious that there was 'something happening here,'"" May wrote on his website. They teamed up again for a concert to mark their induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame, and were joined by Taylor. ""The show went so incredibly well from our point of view, and we got so many rave reactions from out there, we decided almost then and there that we would look at a tour together,"" May wrote. Queen went to number one in 2000 with a version of We Will Rock You sung by boy band 5ive and they have also played with Robbie Williams, Will Young and Bob Geldof. Queen bassist John Deacon has currently retired from the stage. Rodgers was singer with early 1970s rockers Free, who had a global hit with All Right Now, before forming Bad Company, a successful ""supergroup"" with members of King Crimson and Mott the Hoople. He has also been in The Firm with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and The Law with The Small Faces and The Who drummer Kenny Jones."	entertainment
"It said Deutsche Boerse had to show why its planned £1.35bn ($2.5bn) offer for the LSE was good for shareholder value. Reports say Standard Life, which owns a 1% stake in Deutsche Boerse, may seek a shareholder vote on the issue. Fellow shareholders US-based hedge fund Atticus Capital and UK-based TCI Fund Management have also expressed doubts. Deutsche Boerse's supervisory board has approved the possible takeover of the LSE despite the signs of opposition from investors. ""The onus is on Deutsche Boerse's management to demonstrate why the purchase of the LSE creates more value for shareholders than other strategies, such as a buyback,"" said Richard Moffat, investment director of UK Equities at Standard Life Investments. Atticus Capital, holding 2% of Deutsche Boerse, wants it to buy back its own shares rather than buy the LSE. And TCI which holds about 5%, has made a request for an extraordinary shareholders meeting to be held to vote on replacing the company's entire supervisory board. It has also demanded that shareholders be consulted about the proposed acquisition, and whether the operator of the Frankfurt stock exchange should return $500m (£266m) to shareholders instead. In December, Deutsche Boerse, which also owns the derivatives market Eurex and the clearing firm Clearstream, put an informal offer of 530 pence per LSE share on the table. However, the LSE said the cash offer ""undervalued"" both its own business and the benefits of such a tie-up. Since then an improved offer from Deutsche Boerse has been anticipated as its management has continued talks with LSE chief executive Clara Furse. But the London exchange is also holding talks with Deutsche Boerse's rival Euronext, which operates the Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris exchanges, as well as London-based international derivatives market Liffe."	business
"Male MPs pretended to juggle imaginary breasts and jeered ""melons"" as women made Commons speeches, researchers from Birkbeck College were told. Labour's Yvette Cooper said she found it hard to persuade Commons officials she was a minister and not a secretary. Some 83 MPs gave their answers in 100 hours of taped interviews for the study ""Whose Secretary are You, minister"". The research team, under Professor Joni Lovenduski, had set out to look at the achievements and experiences of women at Westminster. But what emerged was complaints from MPs of all parties of sexist barracking in the Chamber, sexist insults and patronising assumptions about their abilities. Barbara Follet, one of the so-called ""Blair Babes"" elected in 1997, told researchers: ""I remember some Conservatives - whenever a Labour woman got up to speak they would take their breasts - imaginary breasts - in their hands and wiggle them and say 'melons' as we spoke."" Former Liberal Democrat MP Jackie Ballard recalled a stream of remarks from a leading MP on topics such as women's legs or their sexual persuasion. And ex-Tory education secretary Gillian Shepherd remembered how one of her male colleagues called all women ""Betty"". ""When I said, 'Look you know my name isn't Betty', he said, 'ah but you're all the same, so I call you all Betty'."" Harriet Harman told researchers of the sheer hostility prompted by her advancement to the Cabinet: ""Well, you've only succeeded because you're a woman."" Another current member of the Cabinet says she was told: ""Oh, you've had a very fast rise, who have you been sleeping with?"" Even after the great influx of women MPs at the 1997 general election, and greater numbers of women in the Cabinet, female MPs often say they feel stuck on the edge of a male world. Liberal Democrat Sarah Teather, the most recent female MP to be elected, told researchers: ""Lots of people say it's like an old boys club. ""I've always said to me it feels more like a teenage public school - you know a public school full of teenagers."" Prof Joni Lovenduski, who conducted the study with the help of Margaret Moran MP and a team of journalists, said she was shocked at the findings. ""We expected a bit of this but nothing like this extent. We expected to find a couple of shocking episodes."" But she said there was a difference between the experiences of women before the 1997 intake and afterwards. This was mainly because there were more women present in Parliament who were not prepared to ""put up with"" the sexist attitudes they came across, Prof Lovenduski said. But she added: ""Some women, including the women who came in 1997, received extraordinary treatment and I am not convinced that if the number of women changed back to what it was before 1997 that things would not change back. ""What I think is shocking to the general public is that these things go on in the House of Commons."" The interviews are to be placed in the British Library as a historical record."	politics
"The US presidential election provided a showcase for many, aimed at talking directly to a generation that has grown up with joysticks and gamepads. Experts say this reflects how video games are becoming a mainstream part of culture and society. The first official political campaign game was technically launched during the last week of 2003: the Iowa Game, commissioned by the Democrat hopeful Howard Dean. More than 20 followed suit, including Frontrunner, eLections, President Forever and The Political Machine, which allowed players to run an entire presidential campaign, including having to cope with the media. Others helped raise the stakes during the Bush/Kerry contest by highlighting a candidate's virtues or his vices. The phenomenon has astonished the forefathers of political games, a handful of multi-discipline games enthusiasts keen to push frontiers. ""When I started researching political games at the university, about five years ago, I thought it was going to be something that would take decades to happen,"" said Gonzalo Frasca, computer games specialist at the Information Technology University of Copenhagen. ""I must admit that I was the first person to be surprised at seeing how fast they have evolved,"" added the Uruguayan-born researcher, who has so far created games for two political campaigns. Many artists and designers are experimenting with this form of gaming with an agenda in projects such as newsgaming.com. The aim is to comment on international news events via games. The ability of games to simulate reality makes them a powerful modelling tool to interact with actual situations in an original way. ""Video games generate strong reactions mainly because they are new, but also because our culture needs to learn how to deal with simulation,"" Mr Frasca told the BBC News website. This was the case with the one he created for a political party in Uruguay, Cambiemos, an online puzzle game that offered a view on how the country's problems could be solved by working together. ""It's up to us to explore what we can learn from ourselves through play and video games."" Ultimately, Dr Frasca sees games as a small laboratory where we can play with our hopes, fears and beliefs. ""Children learn a lot about the world through play. There is no reason why we adults should stop doing it as we grow up."" But experts estimate it will still take at least about a decade until this new breed of video gaming communication become a common tool for political campaigns. This is hardly surprising, compared to other forms of mass media like the worldwide web. Only a few years ago, most politicians did not have a webpage, while now it is almost a must-have. Dr Frasca said: ""Political campaigns will continue to experiment with video games. They represent a new tool of communication that can reach a younger audience in a language that can clearly speak to them."" ""It will not replace other forms of political propaganda, but it will integrate itself on to the media ecology of political campaigns."""	tech
"Southcorp, whose brands include Penfolds, Rosemount and Lindemans, dismissed the offer as inadequate. The two companies held four days of talks after Foster's bought an 18.8% stake in Southcorp on 13 January. A merger would create a global player with worldwide annual sales of 39m cases and revenues of A$2.6bn. Southcorp said Foster's A$4.17-a-share takeover proposal offered a ""excellent strategic fit"" but undervalued the company. ""Southcorp's board has informed Foster's that it is not prepared to recommend the offer as it does not adequately reflect the strategic value of the company,"" said Southcorp chairman Brian Finn. Southcorp said Foster's takeover offer was ""opportunistic"". However, it said that the offer may represent an 'opening bid', opening up the possibility of Foster's returning with an improved offer. Foster's said a combination of the two companies would create a global player with an ""unrivalled"" collection of premium wine brands. Despite being best known for brewing Foster's Lager, Foster's is already one of Australia's largest wine producers, owning the Beringer and Wolf Blass brands among others. ""The combination of Foster's and Southcorp will transform the global wine industry and significantly enhance Australia's competitive position on the global stage,"" said Trevor O'Hoy, Foster's chief executive officer. Foster's spent A$584m on buying an 18.8% stake in Southcorp from the Oatley family, which founded the Rosemount Estates business and later merged it into Southcorp. Shares in both companies were suspended while the two held talks about a deal. Southcorp's shares rose 12% to A$4.76 on news of the offer but Foster's shares fell 3.7% to A$5.44."	business
"Jol, who has coached in his native Holland, has guided Spurs to the Premiership's top eight. An Ajax spokesman told BBC Sport: ""The coach must fit our profile - a coach who understands the Dutch league and offensive and distinctive football. ""We need to find a solution soon, so someone is in place for next season."" Ronald Koeman quit as Ajax boss last week after their exit from the Uefa Cup. Jol has been linked with the vacant post at Ajax, with reports saying he has fallen out with Spurs' sporting director Frank Arnesen. But in a statement on Spurs' website, Jol said: ""I'm happy here, I'm not in discussion with anyone else, I don't want to go elsewhere."" Ajax have enlisted the help of Dutch legend Johann Cruyff, currently a consultant at Barcelona, to help find a new head coach. Cruyff has admitted he has been impressed by the way former RFC Waalwijk coach Jol has turned round Spurs' fortunes since taking over from Jacques Santini. Tonny Bruins Slot and Ruud Krol are currently in charge of Ajax, who are third in the Dutch league."	sport
"He delivered the 14th Adam Smith Lecture in Kirkcaldy, Fife. The Adam Smith Lecture celebrates the author of 1776's Wealth of Nations, which became a bible of capitalism. Dr Greenspan was invited by Chancellor Gordon Brown, whose minister father John used to preach at the St Bryce Kirk church. Mr Brown introduced Dr Greenspan to the 400 invited guests as the ""the world's greatest economist"". Dr Greenspan, 79, who has been in the UK to attend the G7 meeting in London, said the world could never repay the debt of gratitude it owed to Smith, whose genius he compared to that of Mozart. He said the philosopher was a ""towering contributor to the modern world"". ""Kirkcaldy, the birthplace in 1723 of Adam Smith and, by extension, of modern economics, is also of course, where your chancellor was reared. ""I am led to ponder to what extent the chancellor's renowned economic and financial skills are the result of exposure to the subliminal intellect-enhancing emanation in this area."" He continued: ""Smith reached far beyond the insights of his predecessors to frame a global view of how market economics, just then emerging, worked. ""In so doing he supported changes in societal organisation that were to measurably enhance standards of living."" Dr Greenspan said Smith's revolutionary philosophy on human self-interest, laissez-faire economics and competition had been a force for good in the world. ""The incredible insights of a handful of intellectuals of the Enlightenment - especially with Smith toiling in the environs of Kirkcaldy - created the modern vision of people free to choose and to act according to their individual self-interest,"" he said. Following his lecture, Dr Greenspan - who received an honorary knighthood from the Queen at Balmoral in 2002 - was awarded an honorary fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He later opened an exhibition dedicated to Smith in the atrium of Fife College of Further and Higher Education. Joyce Johnston, principal of the college, said: ""It is very fitting that the world's premier economist delivered this lecture in tribute to the world's first economist."" Dr Greenspan - who became chairman of the Federal Reserve for an unprecedented fifth term in June 2004 - will step down in January next year. He has served under Presidents George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Ronald Reagan. He was also chairman of the council of economic advisors to Gerald Ford."	business
"The ex-Reds assistant boss also warned that any honours won at Chelsea would be cheapened by the bid to buy success. He told BBC Radio Five Live: ""Liverpool would think about any bid made but it will all be down to Steve in the end. ""But it wouldn't have that same sweet feeling at Chelsea, where it's all money-orientated and about simply buying the best."" Thompson reacted sharply to some Liverpool supporters, who criticised Gerrard's performance in the Carling Cup final against Chelsea. A number of fans questioned Gerrard's commitment and sarcastically branded his own goal in Liverpool's 3-2 defeat as his first goal for Chelsea. Thompson added: ""I heard those comments from so-called supporters and they were diabolical, absolutely outrageous. ""Stevie carried the club last year and this year. He's always put Liverpool first."" Thompson, who savoured seven title-winning seasons and two European Cup triumphs during his Anfield playing career, is confident that the lure of Champions League football will keep Gerrard at Anfield. ""I hope Champions League football will beckon for Liverpool - either as winners or as finishing fourth in the Premiership - and he will commit himself. ""There has been a lot of soul-searching the way things have gone lately. ""I hope he's hardening to the fact he will have big decisions to make but I hope it is to the benefit of Steven Gerrard and I hope it is worthwhile for Liverpool."""	sport
"One problem is that the name Visual Radio leads people to think of television but Reidar Wasenius, a senior project manager at Nokia, was adamant that Visual Radio should not be confused with the more traditional medium. He said: ""I'm very happy to say it's not television, what we're talking about is an enhancement of radio as we know it today. ""If you have a Visual Radio enabled handset, when you hear an artist you don't know, or there's a competition or vote that you'd like to participate in, you pull out your handset and with one click you turn on a visual channel parallel to the on-air broadcast you've just been listening to."" That visual channel is run from a computer within the radio station, and sends out different kinds of information to the handset depending on what you are listening to. As well as details on the track or artist of a particular song, there is also the ability to interact immediately with the radio station itself, in a similar way to digital television's ""red button"" content. Possible interactive content includes competitions, votes and even the chance to rate the song that is playing. But the interactive aspect will make the service especially attractive to radio stations, who will be able to track the number of people taking part in such activities on a real-time basis. This in turn should lead to an additional source of revenue, as it is very likely that advertisers will be keen to exploit new opportunities to reach listeners. As the Visual Radio content is transmitted by existing GPRS technology you would need to have that service enabled by your network. And there will be a cost for the service as well, although it may depend on your usage. ""If you enjoy the visual channel occasionally and interact it'll be two or three pounds per month,"" said Mr Wasenius. ""But typically what we see happening is the operator offering a package deal for an 'all you can eat' arrangement per month."" The payment system could therefore be similar to the way that broadband internet works versus dial-up connections. One thing that is for sure - assuming that Nokia retains its market share in handsets, it is estimating that there will be 100 million Visual Radio-enabled mobile phones in circulation by the end of 2006. ""Basically, Visual Radio is not really revolutionary, but rather an evolution where we are providing tools with which people can participate in radio much more easily than ever before."" The first Visual Radio service in the UK will begin in a few months time with Virgin Radio, who are positive about the impact it could have on their listeners. Station manager Steve Taylor commented: ""Listeners can interact with the radio station in a new way. ""Not only does this give listeners more information on the music we play but means they can instantly purchase things they like; mp3 music downloads and the latest gig tickets."" Initially Visual Radio functionality will be limited to two Nokia handsets due out soon - the 3230 and 7710 - but if successful, it is very likely that other manufacturers will want to join them. Listen again to the interview on the Radio Five Live website."	tech
"The Bloglines site has become hugely popular as it gives users one place in which to read, search and share all the blogs they are interested in. Ask Jeeves said it was not planning to change Bloglines but would use the 300 million articles it has archived to round out its index of the web. How much Ask Jeeves paid for Bloglines was not revealed. Bloglines has become popular because it lets users build a list of the blogs they want to follow without having to visit each journal site individually. To do this it makes use of a technology known as Really Simple Syndication (RSS) that many blogs have adopted to let other sites know when new entries are made on their journals. The acquisition follows similar moves by other search sites. Google acquired Pyra Labs, makers of the Blogger software, in 2003. In 2004 MSN introduced its own blog system and Yahoo has tweaked its technology to do a better job of handling blog entries. Jim Lanzone, vice president of search properties at Ask Jeeves in the US, said it did not acquire Bloglines just to get a foothold in the blog publishing world. He said Ask Jeeves was much more interested in helping people find information they were looking for rather than helping them write it. ""The universe of readers is vastly larger than the universe of writers,"" he said. Mr Lanzone said the acquisition would sit well with Ask's My Jeeves service which lets people customise their own web experience and build up a personal collection of useful links. ""Search engines are about discovering information for the first time and RSS is the ideal way to keep track of and monitor those sites,"" he said. It would also help drive information and entries from blogs to the portals that Ask Jeeves operates. There would be no instant sweeping changes to Bloglines, said Mr Lanzone. ""Our intent is to take our time to figure out the right business model not to try to monetise it right away,"" he said. Though Mr Lanzone added that Ask Jeeves would be helping organise the database of 300m blog entries Bloglines holds with its own net indexing technology. ""Being able to search the blogosphere as one corpus of information will be very useful in its own right,"" said Mr Lanzone. Rumours about the acquisition were broken by the Napsterization weblog which said it got the hint from Ask Jeeves insiders."	tech
"Consumers swapping old phones for slinkier, dinkier versions are thought to be responsible for a 26% increase in the number of phones sold during the third quarter of 2004, according to analysts Gartner More than 167 million handsets were sold globally between July and September 2004, a period that, according to Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi is ""seldom strong"". But although consumers have mobiles that can take and send snaps, sounds and video clips few, so far, are taking the chance to do so. In fact, the numbers of people not taking and sending pictures, audio and video is growing. Figures gathered by Continental Research shows that 36% of British camera phone users have never sent a multimedia message (MMS), up from 7% in 2003. This is despite the fact that, during the same period, the numbers of camera phones in the UK more than doubled to 7.5 million. Getting mobile phone users to send multimedia messages is really important for operators keen to squeeze more cash out of their customers and offset the cost of subsidising the handsets people are buying. The problem they face, said Shailendra Jain, head of MMS firm Adamind, is educating people in how to send the multimedia messages using their funky handsets. ""Also,"" he said, ""they have to simplify the interface so its not rocket science in terms of someone understanding it."" Research bears out the suspicion that people are not sending multimedia messages because they do not know how to. According to Continental Research, 29% of the people it questioned said they were technophobes that tended to shy away from innovation. Only 11% regarded themselves as technically savvy enough to send a picture or video message. The fact that multimedia services are not interoperable across networks and phones only adds to people's reluctance to start sending them, said Mr Jain. ""They ask themselves: 'If I'm streaming video from one handset to another will it work?'"" he said. ""There's a lot of user apprehension about that."" There are other deeper technical reasons why multimedia messages are not being pushed as strongly as they might. Andrew Bud, executive chairman of messaging firm Mblox, said mobile phone operators cap the number of messages that can be circulating at any one time for fear of overwhelming the system. ""The rate we can send MMS into the mobile network is fairly constant,"" he said. The reason for this is that there are finite capacities for data traffic on the second generation networks that currently have the most users. No-one wants to take the risk of swamping these relatively narrow channels so the number of MMS messages is capped, said Mr Bud. This has led to operators finding other technologies, particularly one known as Wap-push, to get multimedia to their customers. But when networks do find a good way to get multimedia to their customers, the results can be dramatic. Israeli technology firm Celltick has found a way to broadcast data across phone networks in a way that does not overwhelm existing bandwidth. One of the first firms to use the Celltick service is Hutch India, the largest mobile firm in the country. The broadcast system gets multimedia to customers via a rolling menu far faster than would be possible with other systems. While not multimedia messaging, such a system gets people used to seeing their phones as a device that can handle all different types of content. As a result 40% of the subscribers to the Hutch Alive, which uses Celltick's broadcast technology, regularly click for more pictures, sounds and images from the operator. ""Operators really need to start utilising this tool to reach their customers,"" said Yaron Toren, spokesman for Celltick. Until then, multimedia will be a message that is not getting through."	tech
"The pair were cleared of charges relating to missing dope tests by the Greek Athletics Federation last week. Wada chairman Dick Pound said: ""I am convinced the IAAF will appeal against the decision, and we will support them. ""But if they accept the federation's ruling we will go before the Court of Arbitration for Sport,"" he added. Kenteris's lawyer, Gregory Ioannidis, reacted angrily to Pound's comments. ""Comments like these only help to embarrass the sporting governing bodies, create a hostage situation for the IAAF and strengthen our case further,"" he told BBC Sport. Kenteris, 31, and Thanou, 30, had been charged with avoiding drugs tests in Tel Aviv, Chicago and Athens and failing to notify anti-doping officials of their whereabouts before the Olympics. They withdrew from the Athens Games after missing a drugs test at the Olympic village on 12 August. But an independent tribunal ruled that the duo had not been informed that they needed to attend a drugs test in Athens. However, their former coach Christos Tzekos was banned for four years by the tribunal. Kenteris and Thanou still have to face trial on charges brought separately by Greek prosecutors of missing the drugs tests and faking a motorcycle accident to avoid testing at the Athens Games."	sport
"Standard Chartered said acquiring Korea First Bank (KFB) fulfilled a strategic objective of building a bigger presence in Asia's third largest economy. Its shares fell nearly 3% in London as the bank raised funds for the deal by selling new stocks worth £1bn ($1.8bn), equal to 10% of its share capital. Standard Chartered expects about 16% of future group revenue to come from KFB. The South Korean bank will also make up 22% of the group's total assets. The move, a year after Citigroup beat Standard Chartered to buy Koram bank, would be the South Korean financial sector's biggest foreign takeover. This time around, Standard Chartered is thought to have beaten HSBC to the deal. KFB is South Korea's seventh largest bank, with 3 million retail customers, 6% of the country's banking market and an extensive branch network. The country's banking market is three times the size of Hong Kong's with annual revenues of $44bn. Standard Chartered has its headquarters in London but does two thirds of its business in Asia, and much of the rest in Africa. ""We're comfortable with the price paid...the key here has been speed and decisiveness in making sure that we won,"" said Standard Chartered chief executive Mervyn Davies at a London press conference. Standard Chartered said KFB was a ""well-managed, conservatively run bank with a highly skilled workforce"" and represented a ""significant acquisition in a growth market"". In London, Standard Chartered's sale of 118 million new shares to institutional investors pushed its share price down, and contributing to the FTSE 100's 0.3% decline. Standard Chartered's shares were 28 pence lower at 925p by midday. Some analysts also queried whether Standard Chartered had overpaid for KFB. The deal, which requires regulatory approval, is expected to be completed by April 2005 and to be earnings accretive in 2006, Standard Chartered said. Rival banking giant HSBC, which is based in London and Hong Kong, was also in the running. Standard Chartered is believed to have gained the initiative by putting together a bid during the Christmas break. ""They were able to move so quickly it caught HSBC by surprise,"" the Financial Times newspaper quoted an insider in the talks as saying. HSBC will now have to wait for the next South Korean bank in line to be sold off - thought likely to be Korea Exchange Bank, also currently in the hands of a US group. Standard Chartered said it was buying 100% of KFB, an agreement that would bring an end to the bank's complex dual ownership. The South Korean government owns 51.4% of KFB, while the remaining shareholding, and operational control, are in the hands of US private equity group Newbridge Capital. Newbridge bought its stake during the government's nationalisation of several banks in the wake of the 1997 Asia-wide currency crisis which crippled South Korea's financial institutions. South Korea's economy is expected to grow by 4.5% this year. Although often thought of an export-driven economy, South Korea's service sector has overtaken manufacturing in the last decade or so. Services now make up roughly 40% of the economy, and consumer spending and retail banking have become increasingly important. In the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis, the government encouraged the growth of consumer credit. Bad loan problems followed; LG Card, the country's biggest credit card provider, has been struggling to avoid bankruptcy for months, for instance. But analysts believe South Korea's financial services industry is still in its infancy, offering plenty of scope for new products. Standard Chartered sees ""the opportunity to create value by the introduction of more sophisticated banking products"". Since 1999, KFB has been restructured from a wholesale bank into a retail bank focused on mortgage lending, which makes up 45% of its loans."	business
"The Welsh striker has rejected a move to Birmingham after falling out with Magpies manager Graeme Souness. The Toon boss vowed Bellamy would not play again after a bitter row over his exclusion for the game against Arsenal. Celtic are in no position to match Birmingham's £6m offer but a stay until the end of the season could suit Bellamy while he considers his future. According to Bellamy's agent, the player dismissed a permanent move to Birmingham. And it is unlikely that Newcastle would allow the player to go on loan to another Premiership club. Bellamy was fined two weeks' wages after a live TV interview in which he accused Souness of lying, following a very public dispute about what position Bellamy should play in the side. Souness said: ""He can't play for me ever again. He has been a disruptive influence from the minute I walked into this football club. ""He can't go on television and accuse me of telling lies."" Chairman Freddy Shepherd described Bellamy's behaviour as ""totally unacceptable and totally unprofessional""."	sport
"Beattie, 27, is not believed to be as seriously hurt as some reports have suggested after being ""the victim of an unprovoked assault"" in Birmingham. He was on a night out with his girlfriend and two friends following Everton's 3-1 win over Aston Villa. ""He was shaken but not badly injured,"" said Everton spokesman Ian Ross. He added: ""He did speak to the police but will not be pressing charges. ""He has spoken to manager David Moyes about what happened."" Beattie was suspended for the win at Aston Villa after his red card against Chelsea and he will be available again for the Merseyside derby at Liverpool on 20 March."	sport
"Some 45 million children will die needlessly before 2015 and aid budgets are half their 1960 levels, Oxfam says in a report, Paying the Price. The call comes as the prime minister prepares to assume the presidency of the G8 of top industrialised nations. ""As rich countries get richer, they're giving less and less. This scandal must stop,"" Oxfam's Barbara Stocking said. ""The world's poorest children are paying for rich countries' policies in aid and debt with their lives. ""2005 offers the chance for an historic breakthrough, but unless world leaders act now the year will end in shameful failure,"" the charity's director added. The report said: ""For rich countries, providing aid to help to end global poverty is an obligation and a matter of justice, not an act of charity."" It also points out that in 1970 the G8 of top industrialised nations agreed to spend 0.7% of their incomes on aid. But 34 years later none of the organisations members have reached this target and many have not yet set a timetable, the report says. It argues that the price of not investing in poor countries' sustainable development will be felt across the world. The report said: ""Global poverty threatens our shared prosperity and security. ""Environmental crises and natural disasters, disease and drug trafficking know no national borders. Poverty heightens the likelihood of conflict and unrest. ""New threats to the peace and security of rich nations arise from poverty and gross inequalities. ""Criminal and terrorist networks are more likely to operate where state institutions are weak."" Both the prime minister and Chancellor Gordon Brown have called for urgent action to fight world poverty. Mr Blair, who has described Africa as a ""scar"" on the world's conscience, has already said tackling world poverty would be one his G8 priorities along with climate change and the Aids epidemic. Mr Brown has also pledged to write off the debt owed to Britain by the world's poor nations. A spokeswoman for the Department for International Development said: ""The government had made a clear commitment to reaching 0.7% of gross national income for overseas development aid by 2013. ""If Britain's proposal for an International Finance Facility were adopted, the objective of 0.7% could be achieved earlier, by 2008-09. ""These additional resources will be used to increase UK bilateral aid to Africa to at least £1.25bn a year by 2008 and spend at least £1.5bn on HIV/Aids related work over the next three years."""	politics
"Chief executive Steve Jobs showed off the new machine at his annual MacWorld speech, in San Francisco. The $499 Macintosh, sold for £339 in the UK, was described by Jobs as the ""most important Mac"" made by Apple. Mr Jobs also unveiled the iPod shuffle, a new music player using cheaper flash memory rather than hard drives, which are used in more expensive iPods. The new computer shifts the company into new territory - traditionally, the firm is known as a design and innovation-led firm rather than as a mass-market manufacturer. The Mac mini comes without a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and a second version with a larger hard drive will also be sold for $599. The machine - which will be available from 22 January - was described by Jobs as ""BYODKM... bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse"". In an attempt to win over Windows PC customers, Mr Jobs said it would appeal to people thinking of changing operating systems. ""People who are thinking of switching will have no more excuses,"" he said. ""It's the newest and most affordable Mac ever."" The new computer has been the subject of speculation for several weeks and while few people will be surprised by the announcement many analysts had already said it was a sensible move. In January, Apple sued a website after it published what it said were specifications for the new computer. Ian Harris, deputy editor of UK magazine Mac Format, said the machine would appeal to PC-owning consumers who had purchased an iPod. ""They want a further taste of Mac because they like what they have seen with iPod."" Harris added: ""Everybody thought that Apple was happy to remain a niche maker of luxury computers, and moving into a market dominated by low margin manufacturers like Dell is a bold move. ""But it shows that Apple is keen to capitalise on the mass market success it's had with the iPod. The Mac mini will appeal to PC users looking for an attractive, 'no fuss' computer."" The new iPod shuffle comes in two versions - one offering 512mb of storage for $99 (£69 in the Uk) and a second with one gigabyte of storage for $149 (£99) - and went on sale Tuesday. The music player has no display and will play songs either consecutively or shuffled. The smaller iPod will hold about 120 songs, said Mr Jobs. Mr Jobs told the delegates at MacWorld that iPod already had a 65% market share of all digital music players."	tech
"The Zafi.D virus translates the Christmas greeting on its subject line into the language of the person receiving infected e-mail. Anti-virus firms speculate that this multilingual ability is helping the malicious program spread widely online. Anti-virus firm Sophos said that 10% of the e-mail currently on the net was infected with the Zafi virus. Like many other Windows viruses, Zafi-D plunders Microsoft Outlook for e-mail addresses and then uses mail-sending software to despatch itself across the web to new victims. To be infected users must open up the attachment travelling with the message which bears the code for the malicious bug. The attachment on the e-mail poses as an electronic Christmas card but anyone opening it will simply get a crude image of two smiley faces. The virus' subject line says ""Merry Christmas"" and translates this into one of 15 languages depending of the final suffix of the e-mail address the infected message has been sent to. The message in the body of the e-mail reads: ""Happy Holidays"" and this too is translated. On infected machines the virus tries to disable anti-virus and firewall software and opens up a backdoor on the PC to hand over control to the writer of the virus. The virus is thought to have spread most widely in South America, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria and Hungary. The original Zafi virus appeared in April this year. ""We have seen these hoaxes for several Christmases already, and personally I prefer traditional pen and paper cards, and we recommend this to all our clients too,"" said Mikko Hypponen, who heads F-Secure's anti-virus team."	tech
The tie-up comes as the world's top producers are having to contend with falling prices and intense competition. The two Japanese companies will collaborate in research & development, production, marketing and licensing. They said the agreement would enable the two companies to expand the plasma display TV market globally. Plasma display panels are used for large, thin TVs which are replacing old-style televisions. The display market for high-definition televisions is split between models using plasma display panels and others - manufactured by the likes of Sony and Samsung - using liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). The deal will enable Hitachi and Matsushita, which makes Panasonic brand products, to develop new technology and improve their competitiveness. Hitachi recently announced a deal to buy plasma display technology from rival Fujitsu in an effort to strengthen its presence in the market. Separately, Fujitsu announced on Monday that it is quitting the LCD panel market by transferring its operations in the area to Japanese manufacturer Sharp. Sharp will inherit staff, manufacturing facilities and intellectual property from Fujitsu. The plasma panel market has seen rapid consolidation in recent months as the price of consumer electronic goods and components has fallen. Samsung Electronics and Sony are among other companies working together to reduce costs and speed up new product development.	business
The film tells the story of two adolescent boys who are subjected to a harsh regime when their strict father returns after a 10-year absence. Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, The Return previously won the 2003 Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was presented at an awards ceremony held in London on Thursday and hosted by Jonathan Ross. The winner was chosen by a panel which included X Files actress Gillian Anderson, critic Roger Clarke and Touching the Void director Kevin McDonald. Ross, who is the presenter of BBC One's Film 2005, was also involved in the deliberations. A shortlist of six films from around the world had been drawn up from which the panel chose. Other nominees included the Motorcycle Diaries, Zatoichi and Hero. A viewer poll saw director Zhang Yimou's martial arts epic Hero emerge as the favourite with 32% of votes cast. Tragedy struck the production of The Return when one of the young stars, 15-year-old Vladimir Girin, drowned in a lake where some of the film's scenes were set. The winner of the World Cinema Award last year was the French animated feature Belleville Rendezvous	entertainment
Guidant is a key producer of equipment that combats heart problems such as implant defibrillators and pacemakers. Analysts said that the deal is aimed at offsetting Johnson & Johnson's reliance on a slowing drug business. They also pointed out that more mergers are likely because the drug and healthcare industries are fragmented and are under pressure to cut costs. A number of Johnson & Johnson's products are facing patent expirations, while the company is also battling fierce competition from generic products. Meanwhile, demand for defibrillators, which give the heart a small electric shock when an irregular heartbeat or rhythm is detected, is expected to increase, analysts said. The move by Johnson & Johnson has been widely expected and the firm will pay $76 for each Guidant share, 6% more than Wednesday's closing price. Analysts say that US antitrust regulators could force the firms to shed some overlapping stent operations. Stents are tubes that are used to keep an artery open after it has been unblocked.	business
"The company said tests had shown no significant finds in one of its Indian oil fields, but was upbeat about the potential of other areas. It also said the Indian government had told it to pay a production tax, for which Cairn argues it is not liable. Cairn's shares have jumped by almost 400% this year. Investors had piled into Cairn after the company announced significant oil finds in India this year. Chief executive Bill Gammell said on Friday he was ""disappointed"" with exploration in the so-called N-C extension area in Rajasthan. Investors had held high hopes of major oil finds in this area. But Cairn said estimates had been revised in what was a ""significant downgrade of the initial expectation"". Cairn also said that the government believed the company was liable to pay taxes under its production-sharing contract. The company said the rate would be about 900 rupees ($20.40; £10.50) per tonne, or seven barrels, of oil. A spokesman for the firm said that the tax would wipe 5% of the field's current value. ""Cairn refutes the government's position,"" Mr Gammell said. He insisted that the contract made it clear that the tax should be shouldered by the licensee - India's state-run Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) - and not the contractor. ""We have a pretty strong legal case here,"" he added, saying it would only become an issue once the firm started production. Investors took a dim view of the statements though. The shares closed down 247p, or 18%, at 1115 pence. ""I think people were slightly over-ambitious for how quickly Cairn would be able to develop and potentially offload these reserves,"" said analyst Jason Kenney at ING. The disappointments overshadowed increased production targets for Cairn's existing oilfields. The company raised targets for its Mangala and Aishwariya fields in India from 60,000 barrels a day to between 80,000 and 100,000 barrels a day. Its Mangala field, thought to contain a billion barrels, is its biggest find to date. ""These two fields will provide the core of the future developments in Rajasthan,"" Mr Gammell said. Cairn added that it would be appraising another field early next year. Mr Gammell set up the company in the 1980s and has successfully switched its focus to South Asia from interests in the US and Europe. Cairn, which also operates in Nepal and Bangladesh, was catapulted into the FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares earlier this year after the sharp rise in its share price."	business
"It's all part of what's known as a ""pervasive ambient world"", where ""chips are everywhere"". Mr Pearson does not have a crystal ball. His job is to formulate ideas based on what science and technology are doing now, to guide industries into the future. Inanimate objects will start to interact with us: we will be surrounded - on streets, in homes, in appliances, on our bodies and possibly in our heads - by things that ""think"". Forget local area networks - these will be body area networks. Ideas about just how smart, small, or even invisible, technology will get are always floating around. Images of devices clumsily bolted on to heads or wrists have pervaded thinking about future technology. But now a new vision is surfacing, where smart fabrics and textiles will be exploited to enhance functionality, form, or aesthetics. Such materials are already starting to change how gadgets and electronics are used and designed. So MP3 players - the mass gadget of the moment - will disappear and instead become integrated into one's clothing, says Mr Pearson. ""So the gadgets that fill up your handbag, when we integrate those into fabric, we can actually get rid of all that stuff. You won't necessarily see the electronics."" Wearable technology could exploit body heat to charge it up, while ""video tattoos"", or intelligent electronic contact lenses, might function as TV screens for those on the move. However, this future of highly personal devices, where technology is worn, or even fuses with the body itself, raises ethical questions. If technology is going to be increasingly part of clothing, jewellery, and skin, there needs to be some serious thinking about what it means for us as humans, says Baroness Susan Greenfield. At a recent conference for technology, engineering, academic and fashion industry experts, at the Royal Society in London, neuroscientist Baroness Greenfield cautioned we ""can't just sleepwalk into the future"". Yet this technology is already upon us. Researchers have developed computers and sensors worn in clothing. MP3 jackets, based on the idea that electrically conductive fabric can connect to keyboard sewn into sleeves, have already appeared in shops. These ""smart fabrics"" have come about through advances in nano- and micro-engineering - the ability to manipulate and exploit materials at micro or molecular scale. At the nanoscale, materials can be ""tuned"" to display unusual properties that can be exploited to build faster, lighter, stronger and more efficient devices and systems. The textile and clothing industry has been one of the first to exploit nanotechnology in quite straightforward ways. Many developments are appearing in real products in the fields of medicine, defence, healthcare, sports, and communications. Professional swimming suits reduce drag by incorporating tiny structures similar to shark skin. Nanoscale titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings give fabrics antibacterial and anti-odour properties. These have special properties which can be activated in contact with the air or UV light. Such coatings have already been used to stop socks smelling for instance, to turn airline seats into super stain-resistant surfaces, and applied to windows so they clean themselves. Dressings for wounds can now incorporate nanoparticles with biocidal properties and smart patches are being developed to deliver drugs through the skin. But Baroness Greenfield is concerned about how far this more personal contact with technology might affect our very being. If our clothing, skin, and ""personal body networks"" do the talking and the monitoring, everywhere we go, we have to think about what that means for our concept of privacy. Mr Pearson picks up the theme, pointing out there are a lot of issues humans have to iron out before we become ""cyborgian"". His main concern is ""privacy"". ""We are looking at electronics which are really in deep contact with your body and a lot of that information you really don't want every passer-by to know. ""So we have to make sure we build security in this. If you are wearing smart make-up, where electronics are controlling the appearance, you don't want people hacking in and writing messages on your forehead."" As technology infiltrates our biology, how will our brains function differently? ""We cannot arrogantly assume that the human brain will not change with this,"" warns Baroness Greenfield. There have already been successful experiments to grow human nerve cells on circuit boards. This paves the way for brain implants to help paralysed people interface directly with computers. Clearly, the organic, carbon of our bodies and silicon is increasingly merging. The cyborg - a very familiar part-human, part-inorganic science fiction and academic idea - is on its way."	tech
"The Gunners travel to St James' Park on Wednesday, with Newcastle 14th in the Premiership after a troubled season. And Wenger said: ""At the beginning of the season you would expect them to be fighting for the top four. ""I don't know how they got to be where they are. It looks to me from the outside that they have many injuries."" Arsenal go into the game on the back of a 2-0 victory over Fulham on Sunday. And Wenger added: ""The best way to prepare for a game is to win the previous one. We will go to Newcastle in good shape. ""Fatigue won't play too big a part in the next few weeks as we have players coming back so I can rotate a bit more. ""We do not play a season with 11 players and I believe that all of our squad deserve a chance in the team."" Striker Thierry Henry, along with Robert Pires, scored against Fulham. And Henry afterwards described the display as ""beautiful to watch"". He said: ""What matters is winning and the three points, of course. That is the only thing that really matters. But it is more enjoyable when you play like we did against Fulham. ""We are playing as a team and that is important because there were some games when we maybe were not there as a team and suffered for that. Those were games we lost."""	sport
"Mr Boateng, 53, is to become the UK's high commissioner to South Africa. He was the UK's first black cabinet minister when appointed to his post in 2002, promoted from the Home Office, where he had been prisons minister. Mr Boateng served on the Greater London Council before being elected to Parliament in 1987, declaring ""today Brent South, tomorrow Soweto"". He will succeed the previous High Commissioner, Ann Grant, shortly after the next election, which is widely expected to be held on 5 May. The appointment is dependent on Labour's re-election. Prime Minister Tony Blair said: ""Paul has been both a valued colleague and a trusted friend for many years. ""He has made an immense contribution to public life in Britain and I am delighted that he has agreed to continue that service to the people of Britain by acting as their representative in South Africa."" Chancellor Gordon Brown said: ""Over the past eight years Paul's contribution to the Treasury and the government has been exceptional - and it has been my privilege to have worked closely with him closely at the Treasury. ""I congratulate Paul on his new appointment. ""He has displayed huge dedication to the cause of African development for many years and it is fitting that, in this year of challenge and opportunity for the African continent, Paul has been given such a pivotal role in our fight against poverty and injustice. ""I look forward to continuing to work with Paul on this vital agenda."" Mr Boateng said: ""I am honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with South Africa and the African continent. ""There shall be many new challenges and opportunities ahead and I look forward to embracing them with great anticipation."" Asked if he was appointed as the result of a ""fair and open"" competition, he replied: ""I have been appointed as a result of a process that's been used before by Labour and Conservative governments to appoint people of all parties who have relevant experience."" Mr Boateng also laughed off suggestions that his re-election in Brent South seat had been in danger saying it was ""one of the safest Labour seats in the country"". Shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram said that, if in government, he would refuse to approve either Mr Boateng's appointment or that of ex-Cabinet minister Helen Liddell as high commissioner to Australia. ""Mr Blair's appointment of Paul Boateng is the latest example of a worrying trend of failed Tony's cronies being appointed to senior diplomatic posts,"" he said."	politics
"Anti-racism campaigners in Swansea have handed copies to South Wales Police. Swansea's Muslim community is raising money to open a new mosque and community centre in the former St Andrews United Reform Church. The building on George Street has been derelict since the 1980s. Taha Idris, director of the Swansea Bay Race Equality Council, said his organisation contacted police after receiving complaints from the public. ""I'm quite shocked to see this sort of leaflet by the BNP in Swansea,"" he said. ""The BNP has tried in the past to get into Swansea and this is another example of them trying again. ""I am in no doubt that the BNP are not needed and not wanted here."" A South Wales Police spokeswoman confirmed that they were looking at the contents of the leaflet. According to the BNP's website, they have been posted to homes in the Castle ward. The BNP website carries a photograph of party leader Nick Griffin - who lives near Welshpool, mid Wales - delivering the leaflet. The BNP has denied it is trying to stir up hatred of any race or religion, but argues that they should be able to debate this without fear of arrest. Swansea Unite Against Fascism (UAF) is meeting this week to plan a campaign. Following the death earlier this year of Kalan Kawa Karim, an Iraqi Kurd living in Swansea, it organised an anti-racism march in the city that was supported by more than 1,000 people. It is planning its own mail shot campaign and may launch a petition in support of the plans for the mosque. Andy Richards, of Swansea UAF, said the leaflet was exactly what he had come to expect from the BNP. ""The people of Swansea will not put up with this."" Swansea's Muslim community bought the former church, just across the road from the existing mosque on St Helen's Road, in the late 1990s. Mr Idris said the community was now raising money to renovate the building. ""It is a landmark building in Swansea and would otherwise just crumble,"" he said. ""It is the ideal opportunity for the building to be restored and used in the proper manner. ""It will be a Muslim community centre. It's a holistic place used for education, weddings, deaths and births."" He said space was limited in the current mosque and on some occasions Muslims had to travel to Llanelli for cultural events."	politics
"Last week, rival Shell reported an annual profit of $17.5bn - a record profit for a UK-listed company. BP added that it was increasing its fourth-quarter dividend by 26% to 8.5 cents, and that it would continue with share buybacks. BP chief executive Lord Browne said the results were strong ""both operationally and financially."" The company is earning about $1.8m an hour. Despite the record annual profits figure, BP's performance was below the expectations of some City analysts. However, BP's share price rose 4p or nearly 1% in morning trading to 548p. Its profit rise for the year included profits of $3.65bn (£1.97bn) for the final three months of 2004 - up from $2.89bn a year ago but below its third quarter. Speaking on the BBC's Today programme on Tuesday, Lord Browne said the profits were not solely down to the high oil price alone. ""The profits are up more than the price of oil is up,"" he said. Lord Browne pointed out that BP was reaping the benefits of its investment in oil exploration. ""We have spent many years buying (assets) when the price is low,"" he said. The company has made new discoveries in Egypt, the Gulf of Mexico and Angola. However, Lord Browne rejected calls for a windfall tax on his company's huge profits, saying that in the North Sea it paid progressively more tax, the more profits it made. Lord Browne believes oil prices will remain quite high. Currently above $40 a barrel, he said: ""The price of oil will be well supported above $30 a barrel for the medium term."" BP put production for the year at 3.997 billion barrels of oil, up 10% on 2003, but slightly lower than the four billion barrels it had initially aimed for."	business
The 33-year-old received the ban last month as a result of her connection to the federal inquiry into the Balco doping scandal. She is the first athlete to be banned without a positive drugs test or an admission of drugs use. CAS has said that a ruling is normally given within four months of an appeal. Collins was suspended by the US Anti-Doping Agency based on patterns observed in her blood and urine tests as well as evidence in the Balco investigation. As well as being hit with the ban, Collins was stripped of her 2003 world and US indoor 200m titles. The San Francisco-based Balco laboratory is at the centre of the scandal which has rocked the sport. The company has been accused of distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to elite athletes.	sport
"A survey of 280 schemes by Incomes Data Services' (IDS) said employer contributions had increased from £5.5bn to £8.2bn a year, a rise of 49.7%. Companies facing the biggest deficits had raised their pension contributions by 100% or more, IDS said. Many firms are struggling to keep this type of scheme open, because of rising costs and increased liabilities. A final salary scheme, also known as a defined benefit scheme, promises to pay a pension related to the salary the scheme member is earning when they retire. The rising cost of maintaining such schemes has led many employers to replace final salary schemes with money purchase, or defined contribution, schemes. These are less risky for employers. Under money purchase schemes, employees pay into a pension fund which is used to buy an annuity - a policy which pays out an income until death - on retirement. IDS said there were some schemes in good health. But, in many cases, firms had been forced to top up funds to tackle ""yawning deficits"". The level of contributions paid by employers has increased gradually since the late 1990s. In 1998/99, for example, contributions rose by 4.7% and in 2002/03 by 8.6%. In contrast, between 1996 and 1998, some employers cut their contribution levels. Helen Sudell, editor of the IDS Pensions Service, said the rise in contributions was ""staggering"" and the highest ever recorded by IDS. ""We have warned before that the widespread closure of final salary schemes to new entrants is just the beginning of a much bigger movement away from paternalistic provision,"" said Ms Sudell. ""With figures like this there can be little doubt that many employers will have to reduce future benefits at some point for those staff still in these schemes."""	business
"The Oscar-winning star took action against Jamie Fawcett and Ben McDonald after a bugging device was found outside her home earlier this week. Lawyers for the pair denied allegations they had planted the device. The Australian actress is currently in Sydney to film her latest movie, Eucalyptus, with Russell Crowe. Kidman was prompted to take action following a reported high-speed car chase with members of the paparazzi in Sydney last weekend. According to local newspaper the Daily Telegraph, the incident involved paparazzi driving through red lights and on the wrong side of the road in pursuit of Kidman's vehicle. Lawyers for Mr Fawcett and Mr McDonald denied that the pair were involved in the chase. Kidman sought the ""apprehended violence"" orders - normally used in Australia in cases of domestic violence and similar incidents - after being advised to do so by local police. ""Nicole would like to make it clear that she acknowledges she is a public figure and that reporters and photographers have a job to do and she respects that,"" said Kidman's publicist Wendy Day. ""However, these are specific actions against two individuals who, over a period of time, have caused her to feel threatened, intimidated and unable to leave her home without fearing for her safety."" Magistrate Lee Gilmore, who issued the restraining order at Waverley Local Court in Sydney, said she understood the photographers were entitled to earn a living but there had to be limits to their behaviour. ""Miss Kidman says she's willing to put up with some of it, but it's gone beyond that,"" she said. ""I do believe the allegation in relation to the driving is a serious issue."""	entertainment
"The 21-year-old told a news conference in Cairo on Sunday that he is sorry for the problems that have led to his exclusion from the Pharaohs since July last year. Mido said: ""There isn't much I have to say today, all there is to say is that I came specially from England to Egypt to rejoin the national team and to apologise for all my mistakes."" Mido was axed by former coach Marco Tardelli after failing to answer a national call-up, claiming he had a groin injury. But he then played in a friendly for his club AS Roma within 24 hours of a World Cup qualifying match at home to Cameroon last September. Mido added: ""It's not my right to give orders and say when I want to play ... at the same time I will always make sure that I put the national's team's matches as my top priority. ""I feel that the national players are playing with a new spirit as I saw them play against Belgium (Egypt won 4-0 on Wednesday) and I simply want to add to their success. ""I do confess that I was rude to the Egyptian press at times but now I have gained more experience and know that I will never go anywhere without the press's support. ""Many of the international stars like David Beckham and (Zinedine) Zidane had the press opposing them. ""So I'm now used to the fact that the press can be against me at times and I don't have to overreact when this happens. Meanwhile, Egypt FA spokesman Methat Shalaby welcomed the apology and said no one had exerted pressure on Mido to apologise. ""Mido's apology today does not negatively affect Mido in anyway, on the contrary it makes him a bigger star and a role model for all football players,"" Shalaby said. Shalaby earlier said that after an apology Mido would be available for the national side if coach Hassan Shehata chose him. Mido joined Tottenham in an 18-month loan deal near the end of the January transfer window, scoring twice on his debut against Portsmouth."	sport
"In a break with tradition, the party will ditch the leader's battle bus and daily press briefings in Westminster. Instead Mr Blair will travel to key cities and marginal seats to deliver the party's message. Labour election chief Alan Milburn denied the party was trying to ""hide"" the prime minister. He promised ""the most positive and upbeat election campaign Labour has ever run"". But Tory co-chairman Liam Fox said Labour's plans showed Mr Blair was ""terrified of facing proper scrutiny"". ""At a time when the British people are looking for more accountability and openness, this government turns its back on them; abandoning plans to tour the country and scared to face journalists in a press conference - it does rather beg the question, 'What have they got to hide?'"" The general election is widely expected next May and all the parties are stepping up their campaign preparations. Mr Milburn said the economy would take centre stage in Labour's campaign in what would be a ""watershed"" election and the ""last stand of the Thatcherites"". Mr Milburn said Labour's slogan would be ""Britain is working - Don't let the Tories wreck it."" The tone of the campaign, said Mr Milburn, would be more conversational than rhetorical; more spontaneous less scripted; less national more local and less based on issues and more concentrated on people. The approach is particularly designed to appeal to women voters, he said. Mr Milburn brushed aside questions over why the chancellor was not present at the Cabinet meeting to discuss election strategy particularly since such importance was being given to the economy. ""I'm not privy to everybody's diary,"" he said. Mr Brown has headed Labour's preparations for previous polls but Mr Milburn is taking that role this time. In a break with the past, Labour will not hold a daily news conference in London. It will not be a ""battle bus"" style campaign either, he said. In previous elections, each party leader has had their own battle bus transporting national newspaper, television and radio reporters to staged campaign events around the country. Mr Milburn said Labour's media effort this time would focus more on local newspapers and broadcasters, with every local radio station given the chance to interview the prime minister. Mr Milburn said there would also be a greater effort to set up face-to-face meetings between ministers and the electorate. Former Downing Street media chief Alastair Campbell is also returning to advise Labour on media strategy and campaigning. Mr Milburn said no decision had been taken yet over whether David Blunkett would have a prominent role in the election. Liberal Democrat chief executive Lord Rennard suggested Labour was avoiding news conferences in London because it wanted less scrutiny of its record and proposals. ""Tony Blair seems to have disappeared from Labour leaflets and broadcasts,"" he said. ""In contrast Charles Kennedy will feature prominently in the Liberal Democrat campaign right across the country."""	politics
"Ian MacDonald QC quit when the government failed to recognise a House of Lords ruling that detaining terror suspects indefinitely is unlawful. He was part of a 19-strong panel who have special security clearance to act for suspected terrorists. Five more barristers are now reported to be threatening to resign. Mr MacDonald told BBC News: ""The reason why I am resigning is because I fundamentally disagree with locking people up without any trial for an indefinite period on reasonable suspicion. ""The current legal system is certainly having a very adverse effect on the Muslim community in Britain and the whole Asian community. ""I think it is giving Britain a bad name internationally"". Under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act introduced by the government in 2001 in response to the 11 September attacks, foreign nationals suspected of involvement in terrorism who cannot be deported can be held indefinitely without trial. But Mr MacDonald believes that detainees currently being held should be entitled to a trial by jury. ""My own view is we need to have a full return to trial by jury, a proper criminal trial with proper accusations. ""As far as I'm concerned, the government have to start all over again and rethink their whole strategy for dealing with this."" he added. The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith will receive a letter of resignation from Mr MacDonald on Monday. According to the Independent, his resignation is expected to be followed by those of five other barristers - Nicholas Blake QC, Andrew Nicol QC, Manjit Singh Gill QC, Rick Scannell and Tom de la Mare. They are all believed to be carefully considering their positions on the panel of Special Advocates who represent detainees before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) - a secure court without a jury, which tries terror suspects. Mr MacDonald said he had ""no idea"" whether further resignations would follow. But Barry Hugill, a spokesman for the campaign group Liberty, told Radio 4's Today programme that more lawyers may go. ""I can assure that there is a distinct possibilty that more lawyers may be resigning,"" he said. ""They are now in a situation where everything they have been trained to believe in, the right to trial by jury, has been abandoned and that is what gives some of them sleepless nights."" Helena Kennedy, a Labour peer and a human rights lawyer, said the Special Advocates' main concern was that once they had seen any special intelligence they were not allowed to speak to the detainees. ""When this whole procedure was being considered immediately after 11 September there was a great deal of argument particularly in the House of Lords about whether there really was a process that could be considered a judicial review,"" she said. ""Without that you are having detention with no habeus corpus and really a blot, as Ian McDonald has said, on our legal landscape, something really quite shocking with regard to the rule of the law."""	politics
"Williams was expected to miss the match with a disc problem in his neck, but has been making a speedy recovery. ""He will have tests in the next 48 hours and we are pretty optimistic he is getting there,"" Wales' team physiotherapist Mark Davies said. ""It has been frustrating but he is on the mend, he has made good progress."" Last week Williams, along with fellow flanker Colin Charvis - who is unlikely to play for at least a month while he recovers from a foot injury - was all but ruled out of the Millennium Stadium clash. With Williams initially thought to be struggling, the signs pointed towards Wales coach Mike Ruddock handing a first cap to former Wales Under-21 skipper Richie Pugh. Cardiff Blues flanker Williams, 29, offers considerable experience and if he is declared fit then Ruddock might be tempted to include him in the back row. Charvis will be reviewed by the Wales medical staff next Monday, but Davies admitted that there was only an ""outside chance"" of him being fit to face France in Wales' third championship game on 26 February. Wales' other injury concern is Pugh's fellow Neath-Swansea Ospreys player Sonny Parker, as the centre has a trapped nerve in his neck. ""Sonny's injury is still an issue,"" Davies said. ""It is still painful and irritable. We will run the rule of thumb over him in the next couple of days."" Ruddock will name his starting line-up for the England game at 1830 GMT on Tuesday evening, as Wales target their first victory in Cardiff over the world champions since 1993."	sport
"Great Ormond Street Hospital professor of child health, Al Aynsley-Green, was chosen by the government and will start the £100,000-a-year job immediately. He will oversee a £2.5m annual budget and have the power to look into ""any matter relating to the interests and well-being of children"". Prof Aynsley-Green has also been the national clinical director for children in the Department of Health. He promised to make sure that children's opinions ""count"". ""I will be drawing on my experience of working with children and young people to help ensure that those with the power to improve children's lives do live up to their responsibilities. ""I want all children and young people to know that they can approach me to discuss any matter that affects them, knowing that I will value their opinion."" Education Secretary Ruth Kelly said Prof Aynsley-Green would ""strengthen the voice of children and young people"". Prof Aynsley-Green was a lecturer at Oxford University, trained at Guy's Hospital Medical School, University of London; Oriel College, Oxford; and in Switzerland. He is described as ""a proud grandfather"" of four. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have children's commissioners."	politics
"The firm has failed to make money since the state sold a majority stake to hotel tycoon Gordon Stewart in 1994. In common with many carriers, Air Jamaica, with debts of $560m (£291m), has been hit by high fuel costs and the impact of the 11 September attacks. The company will be restructured with the aim of finding a new buyer. ""The administration is committed to a viable national airline that will serve as a major catalyst for our economy,"" said Finance Minister Omar Davies. The 35-year-old airline transports about 55% of all passengers to the island and its pilots are reportedly among the best paid in the industry, with senior members of staff earning in excess of $234,000 a year."	business
"Moya made up for missing Spain's 2000 victory through injury by beating Roddick 6-2 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-5) to give the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead. ""I have woken up so many nights dreaming of this day,"" said Moya. ""All my energy has been focused on today. ""What I have lived today I do not think I will live again."" Spain's only other Davis Cup title came two years ago in Valencia, when they beat Australia. And Moya, nicknamed Charly, admitted: ""The Davis Cup is my dream and I was a bit nervous at the outset. ""Some people have said that I am obsessed but I think that it is better this way. It helps me reach my goals if I am obsessed. ""It's really incredible - to get the winning point is really something."" Spanish captain Jordi Arrese said: ""Charly played a great game. It was his opportunity and he hasn't let us down. ""He had lost three times to Roddick, and this was his day to beat him. ""He had been waiting years to be in this position."" Spain's victory was also remarkable for the performance of Rafael Nadal, who beat Roddick in the opening singles. Aged 18 years and 185 days, the Mallorcan became the youngest player to win the Davis Cup. ""What a great way to finish the year,"" said Nadal afterwards. US coach Patrick McEnroe wants Roddick and the rest of his team to play more tennis on clay and hone their skills on the surface. ""I think it will help these guys even on slow hard courts to learn how to mix things up a little bit and to play a little bit smarter and tactically better."" ""Obviously it's unrealistic to say that we're going to just start playing constantly on clay, with the schedule. ""But certainly I think we can put the work in at the appropriate time and play a couple more events and play against these guys who are the best on this stuff,"" said McEnroe. Roddick was left frustrated after losing both his singles on the slow clay of Seville's Olympic Stadium. ""It's just tough because I felt like I was in it the whole time against one of the top three clay-courters in the world,"" said the American. ""I had my chances and just didn't convert them. The bottom line is they were just better than us this weekend. ""They came out, took care of business and they beat us. It's as simple as that."""	sport
"Andrew Fisher, from Omaha, Nebraska, said he would have a non-permanent logo or brand name tattooed on his head for 30 days. ""The way I see it I'm selling something I already own; after 30 days I get it back,"" he told the BBC Today programme. Mr Fisher has received 39 bids so far, with the largest bid currently at more than $322 (£171). ""The winner will be able to send me a tattoo or have me go to a tattoo parlour and get a temporary ink tattoo on my forehead and this will be something they choose, a company name or domain name, perhaps their logo,"" he told the Radio 4 programme. On the online auction, Mr Fisher describes himself as an ""average American Joe, give or take"". His sales pitch adds: ""Take advantage of this radical advertising campaign and become a part of history."" Mr Fisher said that while he would accept any brand name or logo, ""I wouldn't go around with a swastika or anything racial"". He added: ""I wouldn't go around with 666, the mark of the beast. ""Other than that I wouldn't promote anything socially unacceptable such as adult websites or stores."" He said he would use the money to pay college - he is planning to study graphic design. The entrepreneur said his mother was initially surprised by his decision but following all the media attention she felt he was ""thinking outside the box""."	tech
"The Telegraph Group says the cuts are needed to fund an £150m investment in new printing facilities. Journalists at the firm met on Friday afternoon to discuss how to react to the surprise announcement. The cuts come against a background of fierce competition for readers and sluggish advertising revenues amid competition from online advertising. The National Union of Journalists has called on the management to recall the notice of redundancy by midday on Monday or face a strike ballot. Pearson's Financial Times said last week it was offering voluntary redundancy to about 30 reporters. The National Union of Journalists said it stood strongly behind the journalists and did not rule out a strike. ""Managers have torn up agreed procedures and kicked staff in the teeth by sacking people to pay for printing facilities,"" said Jeremy Dear, NUJ General Secretary. NUJ official Barry Fitzpatrick said the company had ignored the 90-day consultation period required for companies planning more than 10 redundancies. ""They have shown a complete disregard for the consultative rights of our members,"" said Mr Fitzpatrick, who added that the company now planned to observe the consultation procedures. The two Telegraph titles currently employ 521 journalists. Some broadsheet newspapers - especially those which have not moved to a tabloid format - have suffered circulation declines, which are hitting revenues. The Telegraph has announced no plans to go tabloid although both The Independent and The Times have seen circulation rise since shrinking in size. The Guardian is hedging its bets, planning a larger tabloid format like those popular in continental Europe. The Telegraph Group was bought by the Barclay twins - Frederick and David - last year, having previously been owned by Lord Conrad Black's Hollinger International. The brothers are currently mulling the sale of another of their businesses, retailer Littlewoods. Telegraph executive Murdoch MacLennan said the two newspapers would add eight colour pages in the coming months. ""Journalists are the lifeblood of any newspaper, and maintaining the quality of The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph for our readers is vital,"" he said. ""However, action to improve our production capability and secure our titles against the competition is also vital."" Many newspapers are investing in new printing machinery that enables them to print more colour pages, or in some cases, have colour on every page. They are hoping that by boosting colour it will make their publications more attractive to advertisers and readers alike. In recent months News Corp's News International unit, which publishes The Sun and the News of the World, the Guardian Media Group, Trinity Mirror and the Daily Mail & General Trust have all announced substantial investments in new printing plants."	business
"The session, which will broadcast on 18 December, will also see him talk about how his biggest hits came about. Michael's appearance is part of the station's Sold on Song initiative, which explores the art of songwriting. The station also confirmed that Chris Tarrant will be hosting a one-off New Year's Eve programme. He left London's Capital FM this year after 17 years. The former breakfast show host - who attracted some of the highest ratings in Britain, despite only broadcasting to London - will offer his own individual take on the year in the two-hour show. ""This should be great fun,"" Tarrant said. ""I've had a fantastic year and I know that lots of other people have as well. I'm definitely looking forward to being on Radio 2."" Other Christmas specials from Radio 2 include singer Jamelia hosting a Christmas Day concert from the London Community Gospel Choir, while actor Christopher Lee will read Fireside Tales from the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, E Nesbit and Ambrose Bierce. Comedian Harry Hill will host a spoof nostalgia show on Christmas Day, while singer Jamie Cullum will perform a live concert for the station."	entertainment
"The cuts - amounting to 3% of the bank's workforce - will result in a one-off charge of 790m euros ($1.1bn). About 1,100 jobs will go in investment banking while 1,200 and 550 will go in IT and human resources respectively. ABN Amro is the third large European bank to announce cutbacks in the past month following Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse Group. Its profitability has been hit by a fall in mortgage lending in the United States - the bank's largest single market - following recent interest rate rises. ABN Amro's operations in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom will be hardest hit. Jobs will also be lost in the US - which accounted for 46% of profit in the first half of 2004 - and across its operations in the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions. The restructuring is designed to improve efficiency by reducing administrative costs and increasing focus on client service. The bank said it was on course for a 10% rise in net income this year but operating profits are set to fall because of a fall in US revenues. ABN Amro currently has more than 100,000 staff. ""To get any profit growth in the coming years, they will have to lower costs, so shedding jobs makes total sense,"" Ivo Geijsen, an analyst with Bank Oyens & Van Eeghen, told Bloomberg. Europe's leading banks seem set for a period of retrenchment. Deutsche Bank said earlier this month it would reduce its German workforce by 1,920 while as many as 300 jobs will be lost at Credit Suisse First Boston."	business
"The 35-year-old was beaten into fourth at last year's event, having won it a year earlier. ""I understand she's had a solid winter's training down in Australia after recovering from a minor injury,"" said race director Matthew Turnbull. Mark Carroll, Irish record holder at 3km, 5km and 10km, will make his debut in the mass participation 10km race. Carroll has stepped up his form in recent weeks and in late January scored an impressive 3,000m victory over leading American Alan Webb in Boston. Carroll will be facing stiff competition from Australian Craig Mottram, winner in Dublin for the last two years."	sport
"Directed by Bollywood veteran Subhash Ghai, the film is set in the British Raj and Bernath plays an army general's daughter who falls in love with a rural boy, Kisna. ""I liked the fluid nature of film-making. We improvised quite a lot,"" says Bernath. ""At times it felt very chaotic but Mr Ghai was quite clear about what he wanted."" Picked from more than 200 girls in an audition in London, Bernath cut short her education at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre School to take up the opportunity. It is not often that somebody gets to play the lead role straight out of a drama school. She spent three weeks learning Hindi and taking dance lessons. ""Initially, I was a bit sceptical about how people would respond to me,"" Bernath says. ""But I found the Hindi film industry very warm and encouraging. I even had a few offers before the work on Kisna was completed."" Films are one of India's biggest exports and those like Lagaan and Monsoon Wedding have broken the traditional boundaries of colour and culture. Spurred by this, Bollywood producers are trying to go global in all aspects of film-making, be it technical or artistic. From young heart-throbs like Nick Moran of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels to model Sophie Dahl, many non-Indian stars want to make the most of this opportunity. ""Bollywood has truly gone global,"" says Taran Adarsh, editor of Indian film journal Trade Guide. ""Directors are now attempting to woo non-Asian audience to increase their share in the overseas film market."" Kisna has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and English, with the English print shortened by an hour to accommodate the Western audience. The film even has a song composed in English by AR Rahman, the director of the popular West End musical, Bombay Dreams. ""Identification is a popular cinematic device. Use of European or American actors can be viewed as a step in that direction,"" says Adarsh. The cast of Kisna also includes British actors Michael Maloney, Caroline Langrishe and Polly Adams. Another actress, Annabelle Wallace, plays the lead role in a bilingual romantic comedy Dil Jo Bhi Kahey (Whatever the Heart Says), which also stars Indian screen legend Amitabh Bachchan. Actor and Producer Aamir Khan's forthcoming venture The Rising is set against the backdrop of the Indian mutiny of 1857, with British actor Toby Stephens in a key role. But it isn't only the Western actors looking eastwards. Bollywood sweetheart Aishwarya Rai, recently seen in Bride and Prejudice alongside New Zealand actor Martin Henderson, is building her international career. And, many other Bollywood stars have their eyes set on Hollywood. ""Hollywood or Bollywood, it's the box office that determines whether something is a passing phase or a trend,"" says Adarsh. Kisna - the Warrior Poet opens in the UK on 21 January."	entertainment
"Curbishley said after the 4-0 win: ""There was talk about Norwich being interested in the summer but I have a lot of faith in Jonatan. ""When there was talk of other clubs I just told him he was going nowhere. ""He's part of our squad and he got us a couple of important goals early on. I'm sure he's happy here, but I was delighted with all the players."" Curbishley was subjected to criticism from Charlton fans recently, and he said: ""The thing about this club is that we have got where we are by all pulling in the same direction. ""That's happened for however long I've been here and we don't want people taking sides."""	sport
"In its monthly security bulletin, it flagged up eight ""critical"" security holes which could leave PCs open to attack if left unpatched. The number of holes considered ""critical"" is more than usual. They affect Windows programs, including Internet Explorer (IE), media player and instant messaging. Four other important fixes were also released. These were considered to be less critical, however. If not updated, either automatically or manually, PC users running the programs could be vulnerable to viruses or other malicious attacks designed to exploit the holes. Many of the flaws could be used by virus writers to take over computers remotely, install programs, change, and delete or see data. One of the critical patches Microsoft has made available is an important one that fixes some IE flaws. Stephen Toulouse, a Microsoft security manager, said the flaws were known about, and although the firm had not seen any attacks exploiting the flaw, he did not rule them out. Often, when a critical flaw is announced, spates of viruses follow because home users and businesses leave the flaw unpatched. A further patch fixes a hole in Media Player, Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger which an attacker could use to take control of unprotected machines through .png files. Microsoft announces any vulnerabilities in its software every month. The most important ones are those which are classed as ""critical"". Its latest releases came the week that the company announced it was to buy security software maker Sybari Software as part of Microsoft's plans to make its own security programs."	tech
"With Apple's iPod topping wish lists again, there may not be enough iPod minis to go round, predicts Oliver Irish, editor of gadget magazine Stuff. ""The iPod mini is likely to be this year's Tracey Island,"" said Mr Irish. Stuff has compiled a list of the top 10 gadgets for 2004 and the iPod is at number one. For anyone bewildered by the choice of gadgets on the market, Stuff and What Hi-Fi? are hosting a best-of gadget show in London this weekend. Star of the show will be Sony's Qrio Robot, an all-singing, all-dancing, football-playing man-machine who can even hold intelligent conversations. But he is not for sale and Sony has no commercial plans for the robot. ""He will greet visitors and is flying in from Japan. He probably has his own airplane seat, that is how highly Sony prize him,"" said Mr Irish. Also on display will be a virtual keyboard which projects itself onto any flat surface. The event will play host to a large collection of digital music players, from companies such as Creative, Sony and Philips as well as the ubiquitously fashionable iPod from Apple. Suggestions that it could be a gaming or wireless Christmas are unlikely to come true as MP3 players remain the most popular stocking filler, said Mr Irish. ""Demand is huge and Apple has promised that it can supply enough but people might struggle to get their hands on iPod minis,"" said Mr Irish. For those who like their gadgets to be multi-talented, the Gizmondo, a powerful gaming console with GPS and GPRS, that also doubles up as an MP3 player, movie player and camera, could be a must-have. ""What is impressive is how much it can do and how well it can do them,"" said Mr Irish. This Christmas, gadgets will not be an all-male preserve. ""Women will be getting gadgets from husbands and boyfriends as well as buying them for themselves,"" said Mr Irish. ""Gadgets nowadays are lifestyle products rather than just for geeks."""	tech
"Hitachi said the 1.3m (4.2ft) Emiew was the world's quickest-moving robot yet. Two wheel-based Emiews, Pal and Chum, introduced themselves to reporters at a press conference in Japan. The robots will be guests at the World Expo later this month. Sony and Honda have both built sophisticated robots to show off developments in electronics. Explaining why Hitachi's Emiew used wheels instead of feet, Toshihiko Horiuchi, from Hitachi's Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory, said: ""We aimed to create a robot that could live and co-exist with people."" ""We want to make the robots useful for people ... If the robots moved slower than people, users would be frustrated."" Emiew - Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Workmate - can move at 3.7m/h. Its ""wheel feet"" resemble the bottom half of a Segway scooter. With sensors on the head, waist, and near the wheels, Pal and Chum demonstrated how they could react to commands. ""I want to be able to walk about in places like Shinjuku and Shibuya [shopping districts] in the future without bumping into people and cars,"" Pal told reporters. Hitachi said Pal and Chum, which have a vocabulary of about 100 words, could be ""trained"" for practical office and factory use in as little as five to six years. Robotics researchers have long been challenged by developing robots that walk in the gait of a human. At the recent AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) annual meeting in Washington DC, researchers showed off bipedal designs. The three designs, each built by a different research group, use the same principle to achieve a human-like gait. Sony and Honda have both used humanoid robots, which are not commercially available, as a way of showing off computing power and engineering expertise. Honda's Asimo was ""born"" five years ago. Since then, Honda and Sony's Qrio have tried to trump each other with what the robots can do at various technology events. Asimo, has visited the UK, Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Ireland as part of a world tour. Sony's Qrio has been singing, jogging and dancing in formation around the world too and was, until last year, the fastest robot on two legs. But its record was beaten by Asimo. It is capable of 3km/h, which its makers claim is almost four times as fast as Qrio. Last year, car maker Toyota also stepped into the ring and unveiled its trumpet-playing humanoid robot. By 2007, it is predicted that there will be almost 2.5 million ""entertainment and leisure"" robots in homes, compared to about 137,000 currently, according to the United Nations (UN). By the end of that year, 4.1 million robots will be doing jobs in homes, said the report by the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the International Federation of Robotics. Hitachi is one of the companies with home cleaning robot machines on the market."	tech
"The awards, which were started in 1997, recognise the best websites, digital TV shows and CD roms. Other nominees include The Guardian news website, the National Theatre, MTV, the Science Museum and the London Stock Exchange. The winners from 12 different categories are crowned on 2 March 2005. There were nearly 400 entries this year - a third more than last year. The BBC has 16 nominations while The Guardian has three nominations. ""This year's nominees are a testament to the creative and innovative work going on within the industry,"" said Grant Dean, chair of the interactive committee. Categories include interactive TV, film, digital TV, mobile phones and music. Shaun of the Dead, Oasis' Definitely Maybe, Really Bend It Like Beckham, The Chaplin Collection and The Day Today will battle it out in the DVD category. ITV's Great British Spelling Test takes on the BBC's Olympics and Spooks Interactive for the interactive TV award. And the Guardian takes three of a possible five nominations in the news and sport category for its website coverage of Euro 2004, the Tour de France and the US elections. The BBC's iCan site is up for the technical and social innovation award alongside the likes of Nottingham University's Uncle Roy All Around You. In 2002, the British Academy of Film and Television decided to split the awards into separate games and interactive ceremonies, to fully cover the range of innovation outside the gaming industry."	entertainment
The superhero film was named best animated feature while Brad Bird won best director, writer and voice actor for his role as designer Edna Mode. The Incredibles won a total of 10 awards - but Shrek 2, which had seven nominations, went home empty-handed. The two movies will compete with Shark Tale in the best animated film category of the Oscars at the end of February. The Incredibles' awards came despite Shrek 2's greater box office success. Shrek 2 took $881m (£468m) around the world, compared with $576m (£306m) for The Incredibles. SpongeBob SquarePants was named best animated TV show while TV comedy King of the Hill picked up two prizes including one for actress Brittany Murphy's voice work. Tom Kenny, who provides the voice for SpongeBob SquarePants, hosted Sunday's ceremony at the Alex Theater, Los Angeles. The awards are handed out by the International Animated Film Society. Finding Nemo won nine Annies last year.	entertainment
"How was it right that the poorest 20% of society were still paying more as a proportion of their income than the richest 20%, the Lib Dem leader asked. The new £200 council tax rebate for pensioners did nothing to fix the ""unfair tax"", he added. The government could not go on ""patching up"" the system, he added. Speaking in the Commons after Mr Brown had delivered what is widely thought to be the last Budget before the general election, Mr Kennedy acknowledged that the UK was one of the most successful economies in the world. But he criticised both the chancellor and the Tories for failing to address the ""ticking bomb"" of council tax revaluation. He said the recent experience of Wales indicated seven million households in England would pay significantly more after revaluation. The chancellor's announcement that he was to offer a £200 council tax rebate paid by pensioner households was merely a ""sticking plaster"" to a much bigger problem. The Lib Dem plan for a local income tax would benefit the typical household by more than £450 a year, with half of all pensioners paying no local tax and about three million being better off. On pensions, Mr Kennedy said it was a ""scandal"" that the system discriminated against women who had missed making National Insurance payments when they were having children. He said a residency criteria would end ""at a stroke this fundamental iniquity"". Mr Kennedy added his party's priorities of free long-term care for the elderly, abolishing top-up fees and replacing the council tax would be funded by charging 50% income tax to those earning more than £100,000 per annum. He contrasted his approach with Mr Brown's pledge in 2001 not to increase income tax. The chancellor went on to put up National Insurance contributions after the election. ""For most individuals, most families, most households, it adds up to exactly the same thing,"" said Mr Kennedy. ""And they wonder why people get cynical about their politicians when they give one impression before an election and do exactly the opposite after that election."""	politics
"The French star was part of the Chelsea side crushed 5-1 at the Nou Camp in the Champions League quarter-final second leg in 2000. ""Things will be totally different this time,"" he told BBC Sport. ""Now everyone knows about Chelsea and is a little bit afraid of them. They are one of the major clubs in Europe and the pressure will be on Barcelona."" Chelsea have not played Barcelona since that quarter-final tie five years ago. The Blues had looked destined to progress after winning the first leg at Stamford Bridge 3-1, courtesy of two goals from Tore Andre Flo and one by Gianfranco Zola. But they collapsed in the second leg, going down to strikes from Rivaldo (2), Luis Figo, Dani and Patrick Kluivert. Former Chelsea captain Desailly, who is now playing for Al-Gharafa in Qatar, says there is no comparison between that side and the current Blues team, who are top of the Premiership. ""Mentally they are much stronger, even though a lot of their players are young,"" the 36-year-old said. ""We made some mistakes at the Nou Camp in 2000 - a lot of them were individual mistakes. ""It would not happen now. This team has a new motivation and a different mentality."" World Cup winner Desailly saw huge changes during his time at Stamford Bridge. He was signed for £4.6m from AC Milan in 1998 by Ruud Gullit and went on to play under Gianluca Vialli and Claudio Ranieri. But the biggest change occurred when billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003. Desailly says the Russian's arrival helped to instil a winning mentality at the club as well as a demand for success. ""The whole of Chelsea is different now - the chairman, the manager and all the players,"" he said. ""Everything is new and there is a huge determination to win. ""Since that game in 2000, Chelsea have gained more experience in Europe and were very close to reaching the Champions League final last season."" Desailly is one of the most decorated players in the history of football. He won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship with France, the Champions League in 1993 with Marseilles and 1994 with AC Milan, two Serie A titles and the FA Cup in 2000 with Chelsea. He is now winding down his career in Qatar, alongside the likes of Frank Lebeouf, Josep Guardiola, Titi Camara, Gabriel Batistuta and Christophe Dugarry. So he is full of admiration for two of his colleagues from the great Milan side of the mid-90s who are likely to line up against Manchester United on Wednesday - Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta. ""I'm happy that they have managed to play so long at a high level,"" he said. ""I made a vow to Costacurta that as long as he plays, I will continue to play. ""And it's amazing that Paolo has managed to play at such a high level for such a long time."""	sport
"The Oscar-winning Pulp Fiction director has also written an original story for the season finale episode. CSI's co-producer, Carol Mendelsohn, said the episode would have ""more bugs and blood"" than usual. It is not Tarantino's first venture into TV. In 1995 he directed an episode of the medical drama ER and has also appeared in Alias. Ms Mendelsohn said the production team had been trying for a while to get Tarantino to direct an episode of CSI, and added that he was a fan of the forensic drama. She said he finally agreed a few weeks ago while CSI was doing some location shooting in Las Vegas and the show's stars persuaded him. ""He knows everything there is to know about CSI, and he is into the whole mythology of CSI,"" Mendelsohn said. ""Quentin came in a couple of weeks ago. We had a story meeting with the writers. ""He had a great idea, and it was so much fun to have him in the room... we are positively giddy."" Filming is due to start in early April and the Tarantino-directed episode will be broadcast in the US on 19 May."	entertainment
"That statement was made to look a little foolish by events later that afternoon at Twickenham. But it illustrated the wonderful unpredictability of Test rugby at the highest level, at the end of a richly entertaining autumn series. The final weekend threw the world pecking order into renewed confusion, with Australia's triumph in London followed by France's capitulation to New Zealand. ""Clearly, there is no number one side in the world at the moment,"" declared Wallabies coach Eddie Jones on arrival back in Sydney. ""There are four, five or probably six sides all competing at the same level and on any given day the difference between one side and another is only about 1%."" While that bodes well for rugby as a whole, it also sharpens the sense of excitement ahead of what could be the most open Six Nations Championship for a decade. While the Wallabies, All Blacks and Springboks hit the beach before turning their attention to Super 12 matters in the new year, Europe's finest have less than 10 weeks before they return to the international fray. And for the first time in more than a decade, it will not simply be a straightforward choice between England and France for the Six Nations title. That owes much to Ireland's continued progress and the belief that Wales are on the verge of delivering a major scalp to cement the promise of their autumn displays. , who secured a first Triple Crown in 19 years last season, could go one better and win their first Five/Six Nations title since 1985. They start with away games against Italy and Scotland, before England and France come to Lansdowne Road. Their momentous victory over the Springboks can only bolster Ireland's self-belief, while Ronan O'Gara's late drop goal to deliver victory over Argentina was further proof that Eddie O'Sullivan's side can now close out tight games. Not that England or France, who have won nine of the last 10 Six Nations titles between them, will lay down quietly. dismantling of the Springboks suggested that even after the loss of such influential figures as Martin Johnson and Lawrence Dallaglio, they still have the personnel to prosper. The narrow defeat to Australia was a timely reminder that not everything is blooming in the red rose garden, but the fresh shoots of post-World Cup recovery have been sown by new head coach Andy Robinson. A fresh desire to regain former heights is evident, and if England emerge triumphant from an opening Six Nations engagement in Cardiff, a fourth title in six years is within reach. are in familiar revival territory, but this time it appears there is substance behind the rediscovered style. While South Africa's over-confidence in Cardiff made for a closer scoreline than expected, Wales could legitimately claim to have had victory within their grasp against the All Blacks in one of the best Tests in recent memory. If Mike Ruddock can coax a reliable set-piece platform from his pack, there is no reason why victories should not ensue come February. The last fortnight has left in a state of bewilderment after an autumn series that began with a superb victory over Australia. A stunning defeat to Argentina, their first loss since the World Cup, could have been attributed to trademark French inconsistency. But the manner of New Zealand's 45-6 demolition job in Paris has coach Bernard Laporte bemoaning a lack of young talent coming through to replace the old guard. Fortunately for the French, the opening match of the Six Nations sees them entertaining in Paris. After two reasonable performances against Australia, the Scots' humbling by the Springboks forced coach Matt Williams to reassess his belief that a win over one of the major nations was imminent. While individuals such as Chris Cusiter and Ali Hogg enhanced their reputations, a lack of top-class players will continue to undermine their best efforts. , who start with home games against Ireland and Wales before travelling to Scotland, are also hopeful of registering more than one victory for the first time in the Championship. As autumn gives way to winter and the Heineken Cup prepares to resume centre stage meantime, the joy of Six will keep the home fires burning until February."	sport
"Around 23 million Britons will miss out on a wide range of essential services such as education and medical information, predicts the report by telecoms giant BT. It compares to 27 million, or 50%, of the UK, who are not currently online. The idea that the digital divide will evaporate with time is ""wishful thinking"", the report concludes. The study calls on the government and telecoms industry to come up with new ways to lure those that have been bypassed by the digital revolution. Although the percentage of Britons without home access will have fallen slightly, those that remain digital refuseniks will miss out on more, the report suggests. As more and more everyday tasks move online and offline services become less comprehensive, the divide will become more obvious and more burdensome for those that have not got net access, it predicts. The gap between ""have-nets"" and ""have-nots"" has been much talked about, but predictions about how such a divide will affect future generations has been less discussed. BT set out to predict future patterns based on current information and taking account of the way technology is changing. Optimists who predict that convergence and the emergence of more user-friendly technology will bridge the digital divide could be way off mark, the report suggests. ""Internet access on other devices tends to be something taken up by those who already have it,"" said Adrian Hosford, director of corporate responsibility at BT. Costs of internet access have fallen dramatically and coverage in remote areas have vastly improved over the last year but the real barrier remains psychological. ""There is a hard rump of have-nots who are not engaging with the net. They don't have the motivation or skills or perceive the benefits,"" said Mr Hosford. As now, the most disadvantaged groups are likely to remain among low income families, the older generation and the disabled. Those on low incomes will account for a quarter of the digital have-nots, the disabled will make up 16% and the elderly nearly a third by 2025, the report forecasts. Organisations such as BT have a responsibility to help tackle the problem, said Mr Hosford. The telco has seen positive results with its Everybody Online project which offers internet access to people in eight deprived communities around Britain. In one area of Cornwall with high levels of unemployment, online training helped people rewrite CVs and learn skills to get new jobs, explained Mr Hosford. Such grassroot activity addressing the specific needs of individual communities is essential is the problem of the digital divide is to be overcome, he said. ""If we don't address this problem now, it will get a lot worse and people will find it more difficult to find jobs, education opportunities will be limited and they'll simply not be able to keep up with society,"" he said. The Alliance for Digital Inclusion, an independent body with members drawn from government, industry and the voluntary sector has recently been set up to tackle some of the issues faced by the digital refuseniks."	tech
"Digital cameras were the hot gadget of Christmas 2004 and worldwide sales of the cameras totalled $24bn last year. Many people's hard drives are bulging with photos and services which allow them to store and share their pictures online are becoming popular. Search firms such as Google are also offering more complex tools for managing personal photo libraries. Photo giants such as Kodak offer website storage which manages photo collections, lets users edit pictures online and provides print-ordering services. Some services, such as Kodak's Ofoto and Snapfish, offer unlimited storage space but they do require users to buy some prints online. Other sites, such as Pixagogo, charge a monthly fee. Marcus Hawkins, editor of Digital Camera magazine, said: ""As file sizes of pictures increase, storage becomes a problem. ""People are using their hard drives, backing up on CD and DVD and now they are using online storage solutions. ""They are a place to store pictures, to share their pictures with families and friends and they can print out their photos."" While many of the services are aimed at the amateur and casual digital photographer, other websites are geared up for enthusiasts who want to share tips and information. Photosig is an online community of photographers who can critique each other's work. On Tuesday, Google released free software for organising and finding digital photos stored on a computer's hard drive. The tool, called Picasa, automatically detects photos as they are added to a PC - whether sent via e-mail or transferred from a digital camera. The software includes tools for restoring colour and removing red eye, as well as sharpening images. Photos can then be uploaded to sites such as Ofoto. Many people use the sites to edit and improve their favourite photographs before ordering prints. Mr Hawkins added: ""The growth area is that you can order your prints online. Friends and family can also access pictures you want them to see and they can print them out too. ""Rather than just a place to dump your pictures, it's about sharing them."" The vast majority of pictures remain on a PC's hard drive, which is why search tools, such as those offered by Google, become increasingly important. But some historians and archivists are concerned that the need for perfect pictures will mean that those poor quality prints which offered a tantilising glimpse of the past may disappear forever. ""It's one thing taking pictures, it's another finding them,"" said Mr Hawkins. ""But this is the same problem that has always existed - how many of us have photos in wallets tucked away somewhere?"""	tech
"Sir Alan Budd's inquiry linked the ex-home secretary to the speeding up of a visa claim by his ex-lover's nanny. But he could not say whether Mr Blunkett had treated the nanny as a special case or had used her as an example of immigration problems. Lib Dem spokesman Mark Oaten said the number of officials who had forgotten what happened was worrying. He told BBC News: ""I'm extremely concerned that 20 individuals appear to have forgotten what happened or more suspiciously are not prepared to say what happened. ""That must be bad for government, it must be bad for public confidence in the system."" Mr Oaten said people would be mystified why Sir Alan's inquiry failed to uncover why processing of the visa application was speeded up. He said: ""There is a strong case for a judge-led judicial review of this because, of course, next time it happens it may not be about a nanny and their visa. It may be about something even more important than that. ""So we do need to understand what took place and who was involved."" The Tories criticised the Lib Dem stance, saying Mr Oaten had initially said he accepted Mr Blunkett's word unless further evidence emerged. But Lib Dem officials say Mr Oaten was speaking when an inquiry was under way and was avoiding rushing to judgement."	politics
"The portable games machine, which features touch-screen control, will retail for £99 in the UK (149 euros). Nintendo said 15 games would be available in the UK at launch, with prices ranging from £19 to £29. More than 2.8 million DS consoles have been sold since it first appeared in the US and Japan at the end of 2004. Rival Sony has said it will launch its first handheld console, the PSP, in the US and Europe before the end of March. The PSP is expected to compete for a large part of the same handheld market, despite Sony's assertion that the machines are aimed at different consumers. The 15 games available on the European launch date will include Nintendo's Super Mario 64 DS, as well as titles from third-party developers such as Ubisoft's Rayman DS. More than 120 games are in development for the new console, Nintendo has said. The DS is backwards compatible with the Game Boy Advance, allowing the earlier machine's back catalogue of 700 games to be played. Additionally, a short-range wireless link for multiplayer gaming is built in to the DS, with a ""download play"" option which allows a group to play against each other, even if just one person owns a copy. Other features include a short-range messaging application called Pictochat, and a built-in microphone which is used in Sega's launch title Project Rub. Nintendo has also announced a media adapter, which will allow the console to play music and video on the move. The launch price of £99 (149 euros) compares favourably with the US price of $149, according to John Houlihan, editor of the Computerandvideogames.com magazine. ""It's a very, very competitive price point. There are some innovative features, and Nintendo has created quite a buzz,"" he says. ""However, the line-up of games could have been stronger. Everyone wanted to see the eight-player Mario Kart DS, for example."" Mr Houlihan believes that there is likely to be an audience for both the Nintendo DS and Sony's new PSP, with the former aimed largely at a younger audience and the latter expected to be marketed as a multimedia device. ""The PSP is a sexy bit of kit, but Sony's attitude to the PSP has been very understated in Europe, so far,"" Mr Houlihan said. The worldwide handheld software market had an estimated worth of $2.6bn at the end of 2004, according to industry analysts Screen Digest. In the past, games consoles and handhelds have generally launched much later in Europe than in other parts of the world. However Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said the company was ""pleased to have offered such a short period of time between the US and European launch"". ""Europe is an extremely important market for Nintendo,"" Mr Iwata added. Nintendo raised its sales targets for the DS console last December after selling a million in the US and Japan in just a few weeks."	tech
"About 150 federal programs could be cut or axed altogether as part of a $2.5 trillion (£1.3 trillion) package aimed at curbing the giant US budget deficit. Defence spending will rise, however, while the proposals exclude the cost of continuing military operations in Iraq. Vice-President Dick Cheney said the budget was the ""tightest"" so far. At the heart of the administration's fifth budget, presented to Congress on Monday, is an austere package of domestic measures. These would see discretionary spending rise below the projected level of inflation. Such belt-tightening is designed to tackle the massive budget deficit increases of President Bush's first term. Mr Cheney admitted that the budget was the toughest of the Bush Presidency but argued it was ""fair and responsible"". ""It is not something we have done with a meat axe, nor are we suddenly turning our back on the most needy people in our society,"" he said. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, increased expenditure on national security after 9/11 and the 2001 recession wiped out the budget surplus inherited by President Bush in 2001 and turned it into a record deficit. The shortfall is projected to rise to $427bn in 2005. Education, environmental protection and transport initiatives are set to be scaled back as a first step towards reducing the deficit to $230bn by 2009. Most controversially, the government is seeking to cut the Medicaid budget, which provides health care to the nation's poorest, by $45bn and to reduce farm subsidies by $587m. Spending on defence and homeland security is set to increase, although not by as much as originally planned. President Bush's proposals would see the Pentagon's budget rise by $19bn to $419.3bn while homeland security would get an extra $2bn. The budget does not include the cost of running military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, for which the administration in expected to seek an extra $80bn from Congress later this year. Also not featuring in the proposals is the cost of funding the administration's radical proposed overhaul of social security provision. Some expects believe this could require borrowing of up to $4.5bn trillion over a twenty year period. Despite the Republicans holding a majority in both houses of Congress, the proposals will be fiercely contested over the next few months. John McCain, a Republican Senator, said he was pleased the administration was prepared to tackle the deficit. ""With the deficits that we are now running, I am glad the president is coming over with a very austere budget,"" he said. However, Democratic Senator Kent Conrad said the proposals exposed the country to huge financial commitments beyond 2009. ""The cost of everything he [President Bush] advocates explodes,"" he said."	business
"These are the questions Jimmy Connors will be asking of Britain's brightest tennis hopes in the months, and possibly years, to come. The American legend swept into London on Thursday to announce a ""long-term"" relationship with the Lawn Tennis Association after spending three days at the Elite Performance winter camp in La Manga. And the man who epitomised the phrase 'will to win' before Lleyton Hewitt was even born is clear about the qualities he hopes to convey. ""You know, everybody hits the ball well and there's a very fine line between number one and number 100,"" said Connors. ""I was that fine line for a long time. But if I can help, I want to be part of teaching kids how to win."" Connors is not the first great name to offer his services to the LTA - his long-time rival John McEnroe has repeatedly done the same. But Connors is at pains to point out that his interest goes well beyond any publicity stunt, and he gave a glowing recommendation to the work of LTA performance director David Felgate and his team. ""Britain has a different attitude, the right attitude, in taking the game forward and finding the next Wimbledon champion,"" said Connors. ""That's something you don't find every day. Everybody talks a good game but not everybody puts that into effect. ""The impression I came away with after just seeing David and the other coaches for three days was one like I've never seen before, especially over here. ""This is not going to happen overnight, there are no miracle workers, but you're going in the right direction."" The 52-year-old's enthusiasm for the work going on in this country is in marked contrast to his relationship with tennis officials back in America. ""I've had discussions with the USTA (United States Tennis Association) over a number of years,"" he said. ""That's where it (my input) ended."" Connors is a straight-talker and will be equally blunt and honest in his dealings with the LTA and the cream of Britain's young players. ""If they're chosen, they've got to produce,"" he said. ""If not, someone will come and take their place. There's only one number one spot and it's lonely up there, but it's got the best view."" In the year that has seen Andrew Murray emerge as Britain's great new hope, Connors rejected suggestions that the Scot might be put under too much pressure too soon. ""Tim Henman has a whole country on his shoulder,"" said Connors. ""I don't know that pressure, but if you like that it can be a certain push to get on to the next level. ""Someone's going to have to come and take over from him (Henman). If I was Andrew Murray, I'd embrace that. That's what we play for."" Despite the emphasis on hard work, training and preparation, Connors does admit that the desire required of a champion has to come from within. ""The passion I had, I don't know if you can find that,"" he admitted. ""I was also nuts. I say that because there was nothing better for me than to compete on the tennis court. ""It was the most important thing in the world for me, and to do that something's got to be not right with you. There was nothing better for me ever than to play tennis in front of 25,000 people. ""What I had when I played tennis is what I am. You have to have that, you can't be moulded."""	sport
"Mark Cueto's first-half effort was ruled out for offside before the referee spurned TV replays when England crashed over in the dying minutes. ""[I'm] absolutely spitting. I'm livid. There's two tries we've been cost,"" Robinson told BBC Sport. ""We've got to go back to technology. I don't know why we didn't."" South African referee Jonathan Kaplan ruled that Cueto was ahead of Charlie Hodgson when the fly-half hoisted his cross-field kick for the Sale wing to gather. Kaplan then declined the chance to consult the fourth official when Josh Lewsey took the ball over the Irish line under a pile of bodies for what could have been the game-winning try. ""I think Mark Cueto scored a perfectly legal try and I think he should have gone to the video referee on Josh Lewsey,"" said Robinson. ""It is how we use the technology. It is there, and it should be used. ""I am still trying to work out the Cueto try. I have looked at both, and they both looked tries. ""We are very disappointed, and this will hurt, there is no doubt about that. ""We are upset now, but the referee is in charge and he has called it his way and we have got to be able to cope with that. ""We did everything we could have done to win the game. I am very proud of my players and, with a couple of decisions, this could have been a very famous victory. ""I thought we dominated. Matt Stevens had an awesome game at tighthead prop, while the likes of Charlie Hodgson, Martin Corry and Lewis Moody all came through well. ""Josh Lewsey was awesome, and every one of the forwards stood up out there. Given the pressure we were under, credit must go to all the players. ""We have done everything but win a game of rugby, but Ireland are a good side. They defended magnificently and they've got every chance of winning this Six Nations."" England have lost their first three matches in this year's Six Nations and four out of their six games since Robinson took over from Sir Clive Woodward in September."	sport
"Victor Wong, a graduate student from Hong Kong studying at Cornell University in New York State, had to read coloured maps of the upper atmosphere as part of his research. To study ""space weather"" Mr Wong needed to explore minute fluctuations in order to create mathematical models. A number of solutions were tried, including having a colleague describe the maps and attempting to print them in Braille. Mr Wong eventually hit upon the idea of translating individual colours into music, and enlisted the help of a computer graphics specialist and another student to do the programming work. ""The images have three dimensions and I had to find a way of reading them myself,"" Mr Wong told the BBC News website. ""For the sake of my own study - and for the sake of blind scientists generally - I felt it would be good to develop software that could help us to read colour images."" He tried a prototype version of the software to explore a photograph of a parrot. In order to have an exact reference to the screen, a pen and tablet device is used. The software then assigns one of 88 piano notes to individually coloured pixels - ranging from blue at the lower end of this scale to red at the upper end. Mr Wong says the application is still very much in its infancy and is only useful for reading images that have been created digitally. ""If I took a random picture and scanned it and then used my software to recognise it, it wouldn't work that well."" Mr Wong has been blind from the age of seven and he thinks that having a ""colour memory"" makes the software more useful than it would be to a scientist who had never had any vision. ""As the notes increase in pitch I know the colour's getting redder and redder, and in my mind's eye a patch of red appears."" The colour to music software has not yet been made available commercially, and Mr Wong believes that several people would have to work together to make it viable. But he hopes that one day it can be developed to give blind people access to photographs and other images."	tech
"Public and Commercial Services union members have already voted to strike over cuts for one day on 5 November. The TUC said cuts would deliver less than 6% of the £22bn ministers hope to save through efficiency reforms. General secretary Brendan Barber warned the ""costs could easily outweigh the benefits"". ""The government's big boost to public spending is now showing results,"" said Mr Barber. ""Public services are improving but looking for simple savings through job cuts at this stage could be a false economy. ""They may shoot a Tory fox, but cutting thousands of civil service jobs will hit the morale and capabilities of the public servants expected to implement government reforms. The costs could easily outweigh the benefits."" Next Friday's strike action by the PCS is the biggest in the civil service since 1993, hitting Jobcentres, benefit agencies, pensions offices, customs and driving tests. The union says it is concerned about pensions, sick pay and forced relocation as well as the cut in jobs. Last month it was announced that a total of 37 social security offices and Jobcentres across the UK would close in the first wave of plans to shed civil service jobs. The number of civil servants in Britain rose to more than 520,000 in April. Other areas the strike will affect include passports, museums and galleries, libraries and health and safety inspections."	politics
"Some 600 schools have already signed up for the Y Vote Mock Elections 2005 run by the Hansard Society and aimed at boosting interest in politics. Pupils in the schools taking part will learn the skills of speech writers, canvassers and political candidates. Schools Minister Stephen Twigg said engaging young people's interest was ""essential"" to the future of democracy. He added: said ""Young people who are engaged and motivated by the political process are essential to the future health of our democracy. ""The mock elections initiative provides an opportunity for pupils to develop their own understanding of how the democratic process works and why it matters. ""By experiencing the election process first hand - from running a campaign to the declaration of the final result - we hope that young people will develop the enthusiasm to take part in the future."" The Hansard Society, the Electoral Commission and the Department for Education and Skills are running the programme. Pupils will stand as party candidates, speech writers and canvassers. Michael Raftery, project manager at the Hansard Society, said: ""The Y Vote Mock Elections for schools mirror the excitement and buzz of a real election, raising awareness of citizenship, and the benefits of active democracy."" The mock votes will take place around 5 May, widely expected to be the date of the general election. Information packs, including ballot papers and manifesto guides, with elections happening in early May were sent out to the 3,000 schools invited to take part."	politics
"Borrowing costs have remained on hold amid concerns about the strength of economic growth in the 12 nations sharing the euro, analysts said. Despite signs of pick-up, labour markets and consumer demand remain sluggish, while firms are eyeing cost cutting measures such as redundancies. High oil prices, meanwhile, have put upward pressure on the inflation rate. Surveys of economists have shown that the majority expect borrowing costs to stay at 2% in coming months, with an increase of a quarter of a percentage point predicted some time in the second half of the year. If anything, there may be greater calls for an interest rate cut, especially with the euro continuing to strengthen against the dollar. ""The euro land economy is still struggling with this recovery,"" said economist Dirk Schumacher. The ECB ""may sound rather hawkish but once the data allows them to cut again, they will."" Data coming out of Germany on Thursday underlined the problems facing European policy makers. While Germany's economy expanded by 1.7% in 2004, growth was driven by export sales and lost some of its momentum in the last three months of the year. The strength of the euro is threatening to dampen that foreign demand in 2005, and domestic consumption currently is not strong enough to take up the slack. Inflation in the eurozone, however, is estimated at about 2.3% in December, above ECB guidelines of 2%. ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet has remained upbeat about prospects for the region, and inflation is expected to drop below 2% later in 2005. The ECB has forecast economic growth in the eurozone of 1.9% in 2005."	business
"After years of buzz about high-definition TV (HDTV) it is finally taking off in a handful of countries around the world, mainly the US and Japan. If you believe the hype, then HDTV will so wow you, that you will never want to go back to your old telly. ""HDTV is just the latest must-have technology in viewers' homes,"" says Jo Flaherty, a senior broadcaster with the CBS network in the US. All television images are made up of pixels, going across the screen, and scan lines going down. British TV pictures are made up of 625 lines and about 700 pixels. By contrast, HDTV offers up to 1,080 active lines, with each line made up of 1,920 pixels. The result is a picture which can be up to six times as sharp as standard TV. But to get the full impact, programmes need to be broadcast in this format and you need a HDTV set to receive them. Most new computer displays are already capable of handling high-resolution pictures. Viewers in Japan, the US, Australia, Canada and South Korea are already embracing the new TV technology, with a selection of primetime programmes being broadcast in the new format, which includes 5.1 digital surround sound. But TV viewers in Europe will have to wait to enjoy the eye-blasting high-definition images. Many high-end European TV programmes, such as the recent Athens Olympics, are already being produced in high-definition. But they still reach your screen in the old 625 lines. The prospects for getting sharper images soon do not seem very encouraging. According to consultants Strategy Analytics, only 12% of homes in Europe will have TVs capable of showing programmes in high-definition by 2008. But the HDTV hype spilling out of the US and Japan has spurred European broadcasters and consumer electronic companies to push for change. Big sports and entertainment events are set to help trigger the general public's attention. The 2006 World Cup in Germany will be broadcast in high-definition. In the UK, satellite broadcaster BSkyB is planning HDTV services in 2006. There is already a HDTV service in Europe called Euro1080. Other European broadcasters, especially in France and Germany, also aiming to launch similar services. In Britain, digital satellite and cable are largely seen as the natural home for HDTV, at least while a decision is taken regarding terrestrial broadcast options. The communications watchdog Ofcom could hand over some terrestrial frequencies freed up when the UK switches off its analogue TV signal. For now, broadcasters like the BBC are working on their own HDTV plans, although with no launch date in sight. ""The BBC will start broadcasting in HDTV when the time is right, and it would not be just a showcase, but a whole set of programming,"" says Andy Quested, from the BBC's high-definition support group. ""We have made the commitment to produce all our output in high-definition by 2010, which would put us on the leading edge."" One of the options under consideration is to offer high-definition pictures on the web. The BBC has already dipped its toe into this, including some HDTV content in recent trials of its interactive media player - a video player for PCs. It is planning to offer special releases of selected flagship programmes online in the near future. According to Mr Quested, this could help put Europe back into the running in the race to switch to HDTV. This is backed by recent research which suggests that the number of Europeans with broadband has exploded over the past 12 months, with the web eating into TV viewing habits."	tech
"A spokesman for Manchester's Trafford Centre said it was ""the biggest Christmas to date"" with sales up 5%. And the Regent Street Association said shops in central London were also expecting the ""best Christmas ever"". That picture comes despite reports of disappointing festive sales in the last couple of weeks. The Trafford Centre spokeswoman said about 8,500 thousand vehicles had arrived at the centre on Saturday before 1130 GMT. ""We predict that the next week will continue the same trend,"" she added. It was a similar story at Bluewater in Kent. Spokesman Alan Jones said he expected 150,000 shoppers to have visited by the end of Saturday and a further 100,000 on Sunday. ""Our sales so far have been 2% up on the same time last year,"" he said. ""We're very busy, it's really strong and people will be shopping right up until Christmas. ""Over the Christmas period we're expecting people to spend in excess of £200m at the centre."" On Saturday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the St David's Shopping Centre in Cardiff said it looked like being its busiest day of the year with about 200,000 shoppers expected to have visited by the close of play. At the St Enoch's Shopping Centre in Glasgow, more than 140,000 shoppers - an all-time record - were expected to have passed through the doors by its closing time of 1900 GMT. Senior business manager Jon Walton said: ""It has been phenomenal - absolutely mobbed. ""Every week footfall has been showing strong growth and at the weekends it has been going mad."" Regent Street Association director Annie Walker said on Saturday: ""The stores were heaving today and a lot of people are going to be doing last minute shopping as many people finished work on Friday and can go in the week."" She said reports of a slump in pre-Christmas sales were related to the growing popularity of internet sales. ""I do think this has had a lot to do with reports of lower sales figures,"" she said. ""Internet shopping has gone up enormously and not all stores have websites."""	business
"The Swiss world number one reeled off a series winners to outclass the Spaniard and set up a semi-final match against Russian Nikolay Davydenko. Federer, who lost in the quarter-final in his last Qatar appearance in 2003, was happy with his form. ""I think I played better than against Greg Rusedski and I am happy I am playing so well,"" said the top seed. Lopez showed glimpses of resolve early in the second set when he held his first service game and came close to breaking Federer. But the Swiss saved a break point and promptly broke serve in the following game to seize control. Davydenko, meanwhile, upset French third seed Sebastien Grosjean 2-6 6-3 6-2. Fabrice Santoro completed a miserable day for France when he was forced to retire when 6-2 3-0 down to Albert Costa. Spaniard Costa will next face Croatian Ivan Ljubicic after the sixth seed beat Rafael Nadal 6-2 6-7 (3/7) 6-3."	sport
"He told the BBC World Service programme Go Digital he hoped it would become an education tool in developing countries. He said one laptop per child could be "" very important to the development of not just that child but now the whole family, village and neighbourhood"". He said the child could use the laptop like a text book. He described the device as a stripped down laptop, which would run a Linux-based operating system, ""We have to get the display down to below $20, to do this we need to rear project the image rather than using an ordinary flat panel. ""The second trick is to get rid of the fat , if you can skinny it down you can gain speed and the ability to use smaller processors and slower memory."" The device will probably be exported as a kit of parts to be assembled locally to keep costs down. Mr Negroponte said this was a not for profit venture, though he recognised that the manufacturers of the components would be making money. In 1995 Mr Negroponte published the bestselling Being Digital, now widely seen as predicting the digital age. The concept is based on experiments in the US state of Maine, where children were given laptop computers to take home and do their work on. While the idea was popular amongst the children, it initially received some resistance from the teachers and there were problems with laptops getting broken. However, Mr Negroponte has adapted the idea to his own work in Cambodia where he set up two schools together with his wife and gave the children laptops. ""We put in 25 laptops three years ago , only one has been broken, the kids cherish these things, it's also a TV a telephone and a games machine, not just a textbook."" Mr Negroponte wants the laptops to become more common than mobile phones but conceded this was ambitious. ""Nokia make 200 million cell phones a year, so for us to claim we're going to make 200 million laptops is a big number, but we're not talking about doing it in three or five years, we're talking about months."" He plans to be distributing them by the end of 2006 and is already in discussion with the Chinese education ministry who are expected to make a large order. ""In China they spend $17 per child per year on textbooks. That's for five or six years, so if we can distribute and sell laptops in quantities of one million or more to ministries of education that's cheaper and the marketing overheads go away."""	tech
"Formerly one of Mr Brown's closest Treasury aides, Ed Balls hinted at a Budget giveaway on 16 March. He said he hoped more would be done to build on current tax credit rules. Any rate rise ahead of an expected May election would not affect the Labour Party's chances of winning, he added. Last July, Mr Balls won the right to step down from his Treasury position and run for parliament, defending the Labour stronghold of Normanton in West Yorkshire. Mr Balls rejected the allegation that Mr Brown had been sidelined in the election campaign, saying he was playing a ""different"" role to the one he played in the last two elections. He rejected speculation that Mr Brown was considering becoming Foreign Secretary, saying his recent travels had been linked to efforts to boost international development. Gordon Brown's decision to announce the date of the Budget while on a trip to China was a ""sensible thing to do"", since he was talking about skills and investment at the time, Mr Balls told the BBC. Commenting on speculation of an interest rate rise, he said it was not within the remit of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to factor a potential election into its rate decisions. Expectations of a rate rise have gathered pace after figures showed that house prices are still rising. Consumer borrowing rose at a near-record pace in January. ""I don't believe it would be a big election issue in Britain or a problem for Labour,"" Mr Balls said. Prime Minister Tony Blair has yet to name the date of the election, but most pundits are betting on 5 May as the likely day."	business
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how my girlfriend had suffered when her cable modem blew up and she was offline for several days. It seems that thousands of civil servants at the UK's Department of Work and Pensions went through the same thing last week. It has emerged that the internal network crashed in a particularly horrible way, depriving staff of e-mail and access to the application software they use to calculate people's benefit and pension entitlement or note changes in personal circumstances. Senior consultants from EDS, the computer firm which manage the system, and Microsoft, which supplied the software, were running around trying to figure out what had to be done to fix it all, while staff resorted to phone, fax and probably carrier pigeon to get work done. Fortunately the back-office systems which actually pay people their money were still working, so only new claims and updates were affected done properly. This is bad enough for those affected, but it does mean that the impact is not devastating for millions of pensioners. I am sure regular readers will be expecting one of my usual diatribes against poor software, badly specified systems and inadequate disaster recovery plans. Although the full story has not yet been told, it seems that the problem started when a plan to upgrade some of the computers from Windows 2000 to Windows XP went wrong, and XP code was inadvertently copied to thousands of machines across the network. This is certainly unfortunate, but I have a lot of sympathy for the network managers and technology staff involved. Today's computer networks are large, complex and occasionally fragile. The interconnectedness that we all value also gives us a degree of instability and unpredictability that we cannot design out of the systems. It is the network equivalent of Godel's Theorem - any system sufficiently complex to be useful is also able to collapse catastrophically. So I will reserve judgment on the technology aspects until we all know what actually happened and whether it was a consequence of software failure or just bad luck. What is really disturbing, and cannot be excused, is the fact that it took four days for news of this systems failure to leak out into the technical press. It is, without a doubt, a major story and was the second or third lead item on BBC Radio 4's Today programme throughout Friday morning. So why did not the prime minister's official spokesman mention it at any lobby briefings before Friday? Why was not the pensions minister in Parliament to make an emergency statement on Tuesday, when it was clear that there was a serious problem? If there had been an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease in the air conditioning system we would have been told, but it seems that major technology problems do not merit the same treatment. While EDS and Microsoft will no doubt be looking for technical lessons to learn from their week of pain, we can learn some political lessons too. And the most important is that in this digital world, technology failures are matters of public interest, not something that can be ignored in the hope that nobody will notice, care or understand. That means we need a full report on what went wrong and what was done to fix it. It would be unacceptable for any of the parties involved to hide behind commercial confidentiality or even parliamentary privilege. A major system has evidently collapsed and we need to know what went wrong and what is being done differently. Anything less is a betrayal of public trust. Bill Thompson is a regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Go Digital.	tech
"The US Securities and Exchange Commission announced the settlements, the latest in an industry-wide clean-up of US mutual funds. The SEC also said it had brought fraud charges against two ex-senior executives of Columbia Distributor. Columbia Distributor was part of FleetBoston, bought by BOA last year. Three other ex-Columbia executives agreed settlements with the SEC. The SEC has set itself the task of stamping out the mutual funds' use of market-timing, a form of quick-fire, short-term share trading that harms the interests of small investors, with whom mutual funds are particularly popular. In the last two years, it has imposed penalties totalling nearly $2bn on 15 funds. The SEC unveiled two separate settlements, one covering BOA's direct subsidiaries, and another for businesses that were part of FleetBoston at the time. In both cases, it said there had been secret deals to engage in market timing in mutual fund shares. The SEC agreed a deal totalling $375m with Banc of America Capital Management, BACAP Distributors and Banc of America Securities. It was made up of $250m to pay back gains from market timing, and $125m in penalties. It is to be paid to the damaged funds and their shareholders. Separately, the SEC said it had reached a $140m deal - equally split between penalties and compensation - in its probe into Columbia Management Advisors (CAM) and Columbia Funds Distributor (CFD) and three ex-Columbia executives. These businesses became part of BOA when it snapped up rival bank FleetBoston in a $47bn merger last March. The SEC filed civil fraud charges in a Boston Federal court against James Tambone, who it says headed CFD's sales operations, and his alleged second in command Robert Hussey. The SEC is pressing for the highest tier of financial penalties against the pair for ""multiple violations"", repayment of any personal gains, and an injunction to prevent future breaches, a spokeswoman for the SEC's Boston office told the BBC. There was no immediate comment from the men's' lawyers. The SEC's settlement with CAM and CFD included agreements with three other ex-managers, Peter Martin, Erik Gustafson and Joseph Palombo, who paid personal financial penalties of between $50-100,000."	business
"The much trailed decision was ratified by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee in a break with the traditional choice of a seaside venue. It will be the first time since 1917 that the party has chosen Manchester to host the annual event. Blackpool will get the much smaller February spring conference instead in what will be seen as a placatory move. For years the main political parties have rotated between Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton. And the news the much larger annual conference is not to gather in Blackpool will be seen as a blow in the coastal resort. In 1998 the party said it would not return to Blackpool but did so in 2002. The following year Bournemouth hosted the event before the party signed a two year deal for Brighton to host the autumn conference. Colin Asplin, Blackpool Hotel Association said: ""We have tried very hard to make sure they come back to Blackpool. ""Obviously we have failed in that. I just hope Manchester can handle the crowds. ""It amazes me that the Labour Party, which is a working class party, doesn't want to come to the main working class resort in the country."" The exact cost to Blackpool in terms of lost revenue for hotel accommodation is not yet known but it is thought that block bookings will be taken at the major Manchester hotels after the official announcement."	politics
"Five public sector unions met Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at the Labour spring conference in Gateshead. They want the government to withdraw regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65. Up to 1.4 million workers could take part in strikes earmarked for 23 March. Discussions will resume next week. A spokesman for Unison, Britain's biggest union, said after Saturday's meeting: ""At least we are still talking."" All sides are anxious to avoid a major confrontation in the run up to the general election, said BBC labour affairs correspondent Stephen Cape. In four days, Unison will start balloting 800,000 local government workers on strikes. Other public sector unions have pledged to follow. The five unions which met Mr Prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations. This would allow months of tough negotiations to follow, said our correspondent. But a spokesman for Mr Prescott warned that the changes to the local government pension scheme would have to go ahead in April. Privately ministers believe this will be the ""less painful"" option, our correspondent added. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will co-ordinate any industrial action with up to six other public sector unions. PCS leader Mark Serwotka warned last week that there could be further walkouts unless there was a government rethink. ""For a government that lectures everyone on choice - choice on public service, choice on this and choice on that - isn't it ironic that they're saying to public sector workers there is no choice,"" he said. ""If you want the pension you were promised when you started you must work for an extra five years - that is working until people drop. ""In the 20th century, it's completely unacceptable."" Unison's 800,000 workers, the Transport and General Workers' Union's 70,000 and Amicus' 20,000 are among those being balloted about a 23 March walkout. Mr Prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures last week. It is understood no deal was offered in that meeting but there was room for further negotiations."	politics
"The 18-year-old, who has played in 13 of the club's last 14 games, had surgery to repair a double hernia. A club spokesman confirmed: ""It is a bilateral sportsman's hernia, which was operated on yesterday."" Morrison was sent for scans after being substituted at half-time during Boro's 2-1 UEFA Cup win over Graz AK in which he scored the equaliser. His injury is the latest blow for the Teessiders, who have been without Gaizka Mendieta, George Boateng and Mark Viduka for extended periods. Meanwhile, the kick-off time for Boro's Uefa Cup match at Sporting Lisbon on 17 March has been brought forward from 2115 GMT to 1945 GMT."	sport
The blocking of browsers sited outside the US began in the early hours of Monday morning. Since then people outside the US trying to browse the site get a message saying they are not authorised to view it. The blocking does not appear to be due to an attack by vandals or malicious hackers, but as a result of a policy decision by the Bush camp. The international exclusion zone around georgewbush.com was spotted by net monitoring firm Netcraft which keeps an eye on traffic patterns across many different sites. Netcraft said that since the early hours of 25 October attempts to view the site through its monitoring stations in London, Amsterdam and Sydney failed. By contrast Netcraft's four monitoring stations in the US managed to view the site with no problems. The site can still be seen using anonymous proxy services that are based in the US. Some web users in Canada also report that they can browse the site. The pattern of traffic to the website suggests that the blocking was not due to an attack by vandals or politically motivated hackers. Geographic blocking works because the numerical addresses that the net uses to organise itself are handed out on a regional basis. On 21 October, the George W Bush website began using the services of a company called Akamai to ensure that the pages, videos and other content on its site reaches visitors. Mike Prettejohn, president of Netcraft, speculated that the blocking decision might have been taken to cut costs, and traffic, in the run-up to the election on 2 November. He said the site may see no reason to distribute content to people who will not be voting next week. Managing traffic could also be a good way to ensure that the site stays working in the closing days of the election campaign. However, simply blocking non-US visitors also means that Americans overseas are barred too. Akamai declined to comment, saying it could not talk about customer websites.	tech
"Curfews and community service orders were other options which could be used if court orders to allow parental access were defied, Lord Falconer said. The constitutional affairs secretary outlined some of the plans on Tuesday. He denied fathers' activists had forced the changes, telling the BBC ""there is a recognition that something is wrong"". Between 15,000 and 20,000 couples go to court to resolve access disputes each year, although in nine out of 10 separations there is no court intervention. Lord Falconer told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he hoped voluntary mediation could help solve disputes before they reached court. But he opposed compulsory mediation, saying that it would lead to many people taking part with the wrong attitude. Other plans include: - Parenting plans to give advice on access arrangements, based on real-life examples that have worked in the past   - Extending in-court conciliation - more informal hearings before contested court cases   - Better access to legal, emotional and practical advice by telephone and internet   - Legal aid changes to give incentives for early resolution of disputes. Judges can already jail parents who breach contact orders but that was a ""nuclear option"" which was rarely used as it was not seen as being in the child's interests, a spokesman said. The aim of the new legislation was to provide a ""medium range"" of penalties, such as fines, community service orders, compulsory anger management or parenting classes or curfews. Failure to comply with these measures could result in offenders being electronically tagged. On the possibility of tagging uncooperative parents, Lord Falconer said: ""Tagging may be going too far, but let's have a debate about that."" Full details of the new powers will not be revealed until a bill is published ""in the next two weeks,"" a spokesman said. The government's proposals have met with disapproval from fathers' rights groups. John Ison, from the controversial group Fathers 4 Justice, said: ""It is very disappointing. What we have got is a cynical case of recycling existing legislation."" Jim Parton, from Families Need Fathers, said the new proposals ""lacked compulsion"". ""We would like to see couples develop a plan and then have it as a source of a court order - then you know where you stand, you know what the minimum access is. ""Otherwise, you see people make agreements which then fall apart."" Mr Parton said he had been told by Children's Minister Margaret Hodge there was not enough time to pass the bill through parliament before the general election, which is likely to take place in May. The Conservatives have called for an equal split between parents on access to be made law. Theresa May, shadow secretary for the family, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the government's plans were ""inadequate"" and were ""papering over the cracks of the current system"". She said a Conservative government would bring a ""radical reform"" of the family courts, as well as enforcing a ""legal presumption of co-parenting and compulsory mediation"". ""We want to make courts the last resort, rather than the first resort,"" she added. The government says children cannot simply be divided up ""like property"" when a marriage collapses. The Liberal Democrats have argued for flexibility in deciding access rules, rather than having ""rigid targets""."	politics
"The 23-year-old has a minor injury and has pulled out of international meets in Madrid and Lievin this week as well as warm-weather training in Lanzarote. ""It's nothing serious,"" said his coach Peter Stanley. ""He strained a muscle in his abdomen at the Birmingham meeting but is back in full training."" Sprinter Mark Lewis-Francis will also not compete in Madrid on Thursday. The Birmingham athlete, who clocked a season's best of 6.61 seconds over 60m in Birmingham last week, also prefers to focus his attentions on next month's European Indoor Championships. Lewis-Francis, who was runner-up to British team-mate Jason Gardener at the Europeans three years ago, will continue his training at home. Meanwhile, Tomlinson is still searching for this first major medal and this season he has shown he could be in the sort of form to grab a spot on the podium in Madrid. The Middlesbrough athlete jumped a season's best of 7.95m at the Birmingham Grand Prix - good enough to push world indoor champion Savante Stringfellow into second."	sport
"Rowlands starred in nine of the popular Carry On films, alongside fellow regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Barbara Windsor. She also carved out a successful television career, appearing for many years in ITV's well-loved comedy Bless This House. Rowlands died in Hove on Saturday morning, her agent said. Born in January 1934, Rowlands won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Speech and Drama scholarship when she was just 15. After spending several years at the Players Theatre in London, she made her film debut in 1963 in Tom Jones, directed by Tony Richardson. She made her first Carry On film in 1969 where she appeared in Carry On Again Doctor. Rowlands played the hard-done-by wife or the put-upon employee as a regular Carry On star. She also appeared in Carry On at your Convenience, Carry On Matron and Carry On Loving, as well as others. In recent years she appeared in BBC mini-series The Cazalets and played Mrs Potts in the London stage version of Beauty and the Beast. Agent Simon Beresford said: ""She was just an absolutely favourite client She never complained about anything, particularly when she was ill, she was an old trouper. ""She was of the old school - she had skills from musical theatre and high drama, that is why she worked with the great and the good of directors. ""She didn't mind always being recognised for the Carry On films because she thoroughly enjoyed making them. She was a really lovely person and she will be much missed."" Her last appearance on stage was as Mrs Pearce in the award-winning production of My Fair Lady at the National Theatre. Previously married, she leaves one son, Alan. Her funeral will be a private, family occasion, with a memorial service at a later date."	entertainment
"Financial newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun claimed that the firms will join up next year and already have held discussions with Japanese regulators. The firms denied that they are about to link up, but said they are examining ways of working more closely together. SMFG shares climbed by 2.7% to 717,000, and Daiwa added 5.3% to 740 yen. Combining SMFG, Japan's third-biggest lender, and Daiwa, the country's second-largest brokerage firm, would create a company with assets of more than $1,000bn (£537bn). SMFG President Yoshifumi Nishikawa said that the companies needed to bolster their businesses. ""Both companies need to strengthen retail and other operations,"" he said, adding that ""it's an issue we have in common"". Daiwa said that ""although it is true that the two groups have been engaging in various discussions to enhance cooperation, there are no plans to enter into negotiations to consolidate the two businesses"". Analysts said that consolidation in Japan's financial sector was likely to continue and that it was likely to have a positive impact on earnings. ""Cross-selling opportunities between banks and brokers are increasing thanks to deregulation, so we can expect the relationship to get even stronger,"" said Heronry Nozaki, an analyst at NikkoCitigroup. The merger ""would be a good move,"" he added."	business
"The Kremlin said on Tuesday that the $6bn which Russian state bank VEB lent state-owned Rosneft to help buy Yugansk in turn came from Chinese banks. The revelation came as the Russian government said Rosneft had signed a long-term oil supply deal with China. The deal sees Rosneft receive $6bn in credits from China's CNPC. According to Russian newspaper Vedomosti, these credits would be used to pay off the loans Rosneft received to finance the purchase of Yugansk. Reports said CNPC had been offered 20% of Yugansk in return for providing finance but the company opted for a long-term oil supply deal instead. Analysts said one factor that might have influenced the Chinese decision was the possibility of litigation from Yukos, Yugansk's former owner, if CNPC had become a shareholder. Rosneft and VEB declined to comment. ""The two companies [Rosneft and CNPC] have agreed on the pre-payment for long-term deliveries,"" said Russian oil official Sergei Oganesyan. ""There is nothing unusual that the pre-payment is for five to six years."" The announcements help to explain how Rosneft, a medium-sized, indebted, and relatively unknown firm, was able to finance its surprise purchase of Yugansk. Yugansk was sold for $9.3bn in an auction last year to help Yukos pay off part of a $27bn bill in unpaid taxes and fines. The embattled Russian oil giant had previously filed for bankruptcy protection in a US court in an attempt to prevent the forced sale of its main production arm. But Yugansk was sold to a little known shell company which in turn was bought by Rosneft. Yukos claims its downfall was punishment for the political ambitions of its founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Once the country's richest man, Mr Khodorkovsky is on trial for fraud and tax evasion. The deal between Rosneft and CNPC is seen as part of China's desire to secure long-term oil supplies to feed its booming economy. China's thirst for products such as crude oil, copper and steel has helped pushed global commodity prices to record levels. ""Clearly the Chinese are trying to get some leverage [in Russia],"" said Dmitry Lukashov, an analyst at brokerage Aton. ""They understand property rights in Russia are not the most important rights, and they are more interested in guaranteeing supplies."" ""If the price of oil is fixed under the deal, which is unlikely, it could be very profitable for the Chinese,"" Mr Lukashov continued. ""And Rosneft is in desperate need of cash, so it's a good deal for them too."""	business
"Liverpool were reported to have bid £3.5m for the 28-year-old Spanish international this week. But the Liverpool Echo newspaper has said Anfield boss Rafa Benitez will avoid a bidding war and instead turn his attentions to Nicolas Anelka. Real are believed to still want £7m before selling Morientes. Monaco are also in the race for the player they had on loan last season. Reports suggest Liverpool will lift their offer to £5m - the highest they are willing to go before bowing out of any deal. On Tuesday, Morientes had said: ""I like Liverpool and I am pleased that a club of their stature want to buy me. I have told Madrid that I want it to happen. ""Madrid know my situation and they know they must do something about me. They must sort out the situation by being sensible. ""I am in a position where I want to play, and I will have to look elsewhere to do that. If Madrid do not want me then it's in the best interests of everyone that they are realistic. ""I haven't spoken to Rafa Benitez but I have always appreciated his work and I would like to play for him. But Benitez could yet turn his attentions to the younger Anelka should Morientes be reluctant to pledge his future to Liverpool. Anelka previously played at Anfield under Gerard Houllier before sealing his permanent switch to Manchester City."	sport
"The fall came as Indonesia said it expected debt repayments of up to 30 trillion rupiah ($3.2bn; £1.7bn) to be frozen to help pay for the recovery. By Monday's close, the Jakarta Stock Exchange was down 2.1% at 1,011.15. Bar a slight dip at the New Year, The JSE had risen steadily by 4.7% since the tsunami hit on 26 December. Construction and property companies in particular have gained ground, although banks were among the main fallers on Monday. So far, more than 100,000 people are believed to have been killed in Indonesia, the country closest to the earthquake which triggered the great wave. On Friday, the government said its five-year estimate of rebuilding costs for Banda Aceh province - much of which was flattened by the quake and the tsunami - was 20 trillion rupiah ($2.2bn; £1.1bn), twice what it had previously estimated. That cost could be defrayed by temporary debt relief. On Monday, Indonesian economy minister Aburizal Bakrie told reporters that the Paris Club group of creditor countries was expected to freeze 20-30bn rupiah in payments due in 2005 and 2006. ""We hope we can resume the repayments at least from 2007,"" Mr Bakrie said. French finance minister Herve Gaymard said on Sunday that the Paris Club had already agreed to a moratorium on repayments for tsunami-hit countries ahead of its meeting on 12 January."	business
"Easy-to-play titles that do not require too much time and that are playable online or downloadable to mobile devices will see real growth in the coming year. The trend shows that gaming is not just about big-hitting, games console titles, which appeal more to ""hardcore"" gamers, said a panel of experts. They were speaking before the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas which showcases the latest trends in gadgets and technologies for 2005. The panel also insisted that casual gamers were not just women, a common misconception which pervades current thinking about gamer demographics. Casual games like poker, pool, bridge, bingo and puzzle-based titles, which can be played online or downloaded onto mobile devices, were ""gender neutral"" and different genres attracted different players. Greg Mills, program director at AOL, said its figures suggested that sports-based games attracted 90% of 18 to 24-year-old males, while puzzle games were played by 80% of females. Games like bridge tended to attract the over-50 demographic of gamers. But hardcore gamers who are more attracted to blockbuster gamers which usually require hi-spec PCs, like Half-Life 2, or Halo 2 on Xbox, also liked to have a different type of gaming experience. ""When hardcore gamers are not playing Halo, they are playing poker and pool, based on our research,"" said Geoff Graber, director of Yahoo Games, which attracts about 12 million gamers a month. With the growth of powerful PC technology and ownership, broadband take-up, portable players and mobile devices, as well as interactive TV, casual gaming is shaping up to be big business in 2005, according to the panel. The focus for the coming year should be about attracting third-party developers into the field to offer more innovative and multiplayer titles, they agreed. ""We are at a time where we are on the verge of something much bigger,"" said Mr Graber. ""Casual games will get into their stride in 2005, will be really big in 2006 and will be about community."" With more people finding more to do with their gadgets and high-speed connections, casual games would start to open up the world of gaming as a form of mass-market entertainment to more people. Key to these types of titles is the chance they give people who may not see themselves as gamers to dip in and out of games when they liked. Portal sites which offer casual games, like AOL, Yahoo, and RealArcade, as well as other games-on-demand services, allow people to build up buddy lists so they can return and play against the same people. This aspect of ""community"" is crucial for gamers who just want to have quick access to free or cheap games without committing long periods of time immersed in £30 to £40 console or PC titles, said the panel. About 120,000 people are expected to attend the CES trade show which stretches over more than 1.5 million square feet and which officially runs from 6 to 9 January. The main theme is how new devices are getting better at talking to each other, allowing people to enjoy digital content, like audio, video and images, when they want, and where they want."	tech
"The first-time initiative is restricted to the UK and to users with pre-installed copies of the operating system in PCs bought before November. Until December Microsoft said software can be sent to it for analysis if there are doubts about its legitimacy. The company aims to detect illegal traders and turn users of fake versions of Windows into legitimate ones. The Windows XP Counterfeit Project will mean that software that is found to be counterfeit will be replaced for free, subject to certain conditions, until the end of the year. It is the first time Microsoft has launched a counterfeit product replacement scheme in the world, the company told the BBC News website. In June, the software giant said that the major security update to Windows XP, Service Pack 2, would not work with the most widely pirated versions of its operating system. The upgrade closed security loopholes in XP and added features that made it easier to keep machines safe from viruses and other types of malicious computer code. The US company invited anyone who had suspicions about their version of Windows XP to submit it for testing as soon as possible. The procedure consists of a series of computer checks, collating documents, and filling out a witness statement. ""This is a great opportunity for users to confirm the authenticity of Windows XP software whilst helping gather vital information about illegal traders"", said Alex Hilton, licence compliance manager at Microsoft. The scheme has also been welcomed by the technology and commerce industry. ""It is important that users ensure that they are legally licensed to avoid the risks of purchasing and using counterfeit products"", said David Frost, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce. The plan would enable Microsoft to gather intelligence about illegal traders in a prompt way, which would allow it to take action against software pirates. Microsoft said it would evaluate the results of the UK programme before setting up similar schemes in other countries."	tech
"The 5,808 Academy voters had until Tuesday afternoon to return their ballots - any late submissions will not be included in the count. The next five days will be spent counting the voting forms and preparing the winners' envelopes. Best actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio is to present a statuette for the first time at the LA ceremony on Sunday. The 30-year-old actor, who is nominated for playing Howard Hughes in The Aviator, will join other hopefuls such as co-star Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman and Kate Winslet as Oscar presenters. The only people who will know the Oscar winners before they are revealed at the ceremony will be the auditors who are in charge of looking after the ballot count. After collating the results, they are responsible for sealing the results in the famous golden envelopes which will be revealed by a host of celebrity presenters at the ceremony. Former Academy Award winners Gwyneth Paltrow, Dustin Hoffman and Halle Berry will also present prizes. The event at the Kodak Theatre will be attended by 3,300 people, including some of the best-known names in film, and organisers say they expect it will be watched on television by one billion people around the world. One current concern is the torrential rain which has lashed Los Angeles for the past week, flooding suburbs and causing mudslides. It is hoped the forecast for Sunday, for cool weather but no rain, will prove accurate. ""The last time it rained on Oscars night was in the mid-to-late 1980s,"" said Oscars communications director John Pavlik. ""We have had rain up until the day before the show many times, but for some reason the Oscar gods always shine on Sunday and we hope they will do so again this year,"" he added."	entertainment
"He said ensuring every child in Britain had the best start in life could be a legacy to match the NHS's creation. The chancellor has previously planned the party's election strategy but this time the role will be filled by Alan Milburn - a key ally of Tony Blair. The premier insisted Mr Brown will have a key role in Labour's campaign, and praised his handling of the economy. Writing in the Guardian newspaper, Mr Brown outlined his view of the direction New Labour should be taking. ""As our manifesto and our programme for the coming decade should make clear, Labour's ambition is not simply tackling idleness but delivering full employment; not just attacking ignorance, disease and squalor but promoting lifelong education, good health and sustainable communities."" BBC political editor Andrew Marr said that Mr Brown's article was ""a warning shot"" to Mr Blair not to try and cut him out of the manifesto writing process. ""It was, as always, coded and careful... but entirely deliberate,"" was Mr Marr's assessment. The prime minister was asked about Mr Brown's article and about his election role when he appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Mr Blair said a decision had yet to be taken over how the election would be run but the chancellor's role would be ""central"". Mr Blair argued that under New Labour the country had changed for the better and that was ""in part"" because of Mr Brown's management of the economy. And he pledged childcare would be a ""centrepiece"" of Labour's manifesto. He also predicted the next general election will be a ""tough, tough fight"" for New Labour. But the prime minister insisted he did not know what date the poll would take place despite speculation about 5 May. Mr Blair said he was taking ""nothing for granted"" ahead of the vote - warning that the Tory strategy was to win power via the back door by hinting they were aiming to cut Labour's majority instead of hoping for an outright win."	politics
"Last year saw the emergence of portable media players, such as the Windows-based Creative Zen portable media player, the Samsung Yepp, the iRiver PMC-100, and the Archos AV400 series among others. But this year, they are set to get smarter and more connected, to allow people to find more video to watch on them. Archos launched its latest range of its Linux-based portable media devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Friday. Dubbed the Pocket Media Assistant PMA430, it crucially has wi-fi capability built-in for the first time. ""Consumers are showing a great thirst for devices that store all their media in one place for anywhere access,"" said Henri Crohas, chief of Archos. ""And now those consumers can stay connected and productive at the same time."" Archos said the focus for the device is to be the second gadget in people's pockets, after the mobile. Unlike Windows-based players, the Archos AV400 series devices have always been able to record from any video source, such as TVs, as well as playback. The content put onto the devices is copy protected so cannot then be swapped to another device. Recording is perhaps a crucial functionality for those who have not seen the point of portable video if there is not a lot of video to watch on it. And wi-fi connectivity opens up the possibility of content delivery via a high-speed wireless link. Archos also announced that it would open up the software development kit to Linux developers so that more applications could be created for the device. Microsoft also made some announcements in the portable media arena at CES, primarily for US consumers though. It has agreed a content deal with personal video recorder company TiVo, which Bill Gates also showcased in his keynote speech at CES. The TiVo To Go service means that US consumers will be able to take any programmes they record on their TiVos and transfer it for free to watch on any of the Windows-based portable media players or smartphones. It also said it had launched a service with MTV to let people watch Comedy Central, VH1 and Country Music TV on its devices. And a service is launching with MSN to provide people with shortened versions of news, entertainment and other video on a subscription basis for download via the PC onto the portable devices. But the ability to record directly from TV, VCR, and digital cable and satellite boxes, which Windows-based devices do not offer, certainly gives people more content to watch on the go too. The increased capability of these devices, and the content deals that are being done, may go some way to persuading people to use them. Recent research by Jupiter suggested that people would prefer a device that was dedicated to music. Only 13% of Europeans wanted to watch video while on the move. More seemed interested in spending their cash on music-only devices. ""This year, we are ready for an explosion of portable media,"" Microsoft's Mike Coleman told the BBC News website. ""We are very bullish about it. The fact that I can put photos on here too and share them is super-cool to the consumer,"" he added. The fact that Europeans are far larger public transport users than Americans is one reason why portable media will take off in the coming year too. There is a burgeoning market there for commuters to watch news and other programmes on their way to work. Although Microsoft's content distribution deals are for the US market at the moment, talks were ""always on-going"" with European content suppliers to offer similar services. Various rights management issues have to be ironed out first however. But that does not prevent people from finding ways to create their own content to share online and swap on portable devices, particularly via those which are wi-fi enabled. The possibility is open for non-professional makers of video and audio to take advantage of the growing portable media market to distribute their work. CES, which runs from 6 to 9 January, showcases more than 50,000 new gadgets that will be hitting the shelves in 2005."	tech
The win for Hearts means they will play Asante Kotoko in the two-leg final, after the Kumasi team qualified from Group A on Saturday. In the other Group B game Cameroon's beat of South Africa 3-2 in Douala, neither side could have qualified for the final. Hearts of Oak started the game needing a win to qualify for the final while Cotonsport only needed to avoid defeat to go through. Louis Agyemang scored the first two goals for Hearts either side of half time before Ben Don Bortey scored the third. Hearts looked set for a comfortable win but Cotonsport staged a late fight back scoring twice late on. First of all Boukar Makaji scored in the 89th minute and then 3 minutes into injury time at the end of the game Andre Nzame III was on target. But it was too little too late for the Cameroonians and Hearts held on to win the game and a place in the final. The first leg of the final will be played in Accra on the weekend of 27-28 November and the second leg two weeks later on the 11 December in Kumasi. In the other Group B game Cameroon's Sable Batie took the lead in the 35th minute through Kemadjou before Santos equalised on the hour mark thanks to Thokozani Xaba . Bernard Ngom put Sable ahead just five minutes later and then Ernest Nfor settled the game on 68 minutes. Ruben Cloete scored the South African sides consolation with just three minutes left on the clock.	sport
"He will be without a host of big names for the Six Nations as the intensity of professional rugby union hits players. ""Injuries are part of the sport but we have to have a look at the amount of injuries that occur in the English season,"" Robinson told BBC Sport. ""I think players are probably going to have three or four years taken off their careers."" Robinson will be missing an entire midfield for the Six Nations with the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood injured. Rugby union has become far more physically demanding since the game went professional nearly 10 years ago. As a result three of the major stakeholders in English rugby have launched an ""injury audit"" to find out how players are coping. The audit is jointly funded by the Professional Rugby Players' Association, the Rugby Football Union and Premier Rugby. As far as Robinson is concerned its findings must not be ignored. ""I think there's an injury audit coming out in March that's got some great information in there that I think everybody in the English game has got to look at,"" he said. ""If we don't the situation is going to get worse and not better, so I think rugby as a whole has got to look at this."""	sport
Friday, 25 February 2000 GMT They make just one change, with Tim Collier replacing Phil Murphy in the second row. In contrast, Sale are missing 14 players due to a combination of international call-ups and injuries. John Payne and Chris Rhys Jones come into the centres while scrum-half Richard Wigglesworth looks set to play on the wing. Delport; Pieters, Rasmussen, Lombard, O'Leary; Brown, Powell; Windo, Van Niekerk, Horsman; Collier, Gillies; Hickey, Sanderson, MacLeod- Henderson. Replacements: Fortey, Murphy, Daly, Vaili, Cole, Hayes, Trueman. Hanley; Mayor, Payne, Rhys Jones, Wigglesworth; Hercus, Redpath (capt); Turner, Roddam, Stewart; Day, Schofield; Caillet, Carter, Chabal. Replacements (from): Bozzi, Coutts, Anglesea, Lund, Martens, Riley, Duffy, C Jones.	sport
"The singer banked $56.5m (£30.4m) from concerts, album and publishing sales with his Musicology tour and album. He kept Madonna in second place, as she earned $54.9m (£29.5m) while embarking on her global Re-Invention Tour. Veterans Simon and Garfunkel were in 10th place, their comeback tour helping them earn $24.9m (£13.4m) last year. ""Prince returned to centre stage after a decade in the commercial wilderness,"" the magazine reported. The singer's 2004 tour took $90.3m (£48.5m) in ticket sales and he sold 1.9 million copies of his latest album Musicology. Although she grossed more than Prince last year, Madonna remained in second place because of the ""monumental"" production costs of her tour. Heavy metal band Metallica's Madly in Anger with the World tour helped push their 2004 earnings up to $43.1m (£23.1m). They were ahead of Sir Elton John, who took fourth place and almost $42.7m (£23m) from performances including a debut on the Las Vegas Strip. Other seasoned performers in the list included Rod Stewart, whose sold-out shows and third volume of The Great American Songbook covers album helped net him £35m (£19m). The highest-ranking rap act in the list was 50 Cent, who at number 19 took $24m (£13m) to the bank."	entertainment
"Sale host Bath in the Powergen Cup on Friday, but the Frenchman has endured a ""difficult week"" with six players away on England's Six Nations training camp. ""It's an important game but we've just the one full session. It's the same for everyone but we need to manage it. ""If five players or more are picked for your country they should move the date of the game,"" he told BBC Sport. Unless the authorities agree to make changes, Saint-Andre believes England's national team will suffer as clubs opt to sign foreigners and retired internationals. ""That's not good for the politics of the English team or for English rugby,"" he argues. It is an issue he has taken up before, most notably during the autumn internationals when Sale lost all three Zurich Premiership matches they played. Now he fears it could derail the club's hopes of cup silverware after eight players, including captain Jason Robinson and fly-half Charlie Hodgson, were away with their countries. ""We're in the quarter-finals, it's always better to play at home than away and it's a great opportunity,"" he added. ""But we have to be careful. Bath have just been knocked out of Europe and will make it a tough game. It also comes at the end of a very, very difficult week. ""Sebastien Bruno's been with France, Jason White with Scotland and there are six with England, that's eight players plus injuries - 13 players out of a squad of 31. ""We'll have just one session together and will have to do our best to make that a good one on Thursday afternoon."" Gloucester have also been caught in a club-versus-country conflict after England sought a second medical opinion on James Simpson-Daniel's fitness. The winger is carrying a shoulder injury and the national team management believe he requires time on the sidelines. As a result he misses the Cherry and White's quarter-final at home to Bristol. ""Under the Elite Player Squad agreement, England wanted a second opinion, which they can do,"" director of rugby Nigel Melville told the Gloucester Citizen. ""They obviously want him for international rugby and we want him for club rugby in what is a very important game for us. There is a conflict of interests. ""The surgeon who carried out his operation said he was fine for us but England say he is still vulnerable to be damaged again and want him on a full rehab programme."" Simpson-Daniel added: ""I've said to Nigel I want to be back playing and that means if everything goes well this week, I can target the Worcester game (on 29 January) for a return."""	sport
The game - arguably the highlight of the draw - is a potential money-spinner for non-League Yeading, who beat Slough in the second round. Conference side Exeter City, who knocked out Doncaster on Saturday, will travel to Old Trafford to meet holders Manchester United in January. Arsenal were drawn at home to Stoke and Chelsea will play host to Scunthorpe. The only other non-League side in the draw are Hinckley United, who held Brentford to a goalless draw on Sunday. They will meet League One leaders Luton if they win their replay against Martin Allen's team at Griffin Park. A number of Premiership teams face difficult away games against Championship sides on the weekend of 8/9 January. Third-placed Everton visit Plymouth, Liverpool travel to Burnley, Crystal Palace go to Sunderland, Fulham face Carling Cup semi-finalists Watford, Bolton meet Ipswich, while Aston Villa were drawn against Sheffield United. Premiership strugglers Norwich, Blackburn, West Brom are away at West Ham, Cardiff and Preston North End respectively. Southampton visit Northampton, having already beaten the League Two side in the Carling Cup earlier this season. Middlesbrough were drawn away against either Swindon or Notts County, while Spurs entertain Brighton at White Hart Lane. Arsenal v Stoke Swindon/Notts Co v Middlesbrough Man Utd v Exeter Plymouth v Everton Leicester v Blackpool Derby v Wigan Sunderland v Crystal Palace Wolves v Millwall Yeading v Newcastle Hull v Colchester Tottenham v Brighton Reading v Stockport/Swansea Birmingham v Leeds Hartlepool v Boston Milton Keynes Dons v Peterborough Oldham v Man City Chelsea v Scunthorpe Cardiff v Blackburn Charlton v Rochdale West Ham v Norwich Sheff Utd v Aston Villa Preston v West Brom Rotherham v Yeovil Burnley v Liverpool Bournemouth v Chester Coventry v Crewe Watford v Fulham Ipswich v Bolton Portsmouth v Gillingham Northampton v Southampton QPR v Nottm Forest Luton v Hinckley/Brentford Matches to be played on weekend of 8/9 January.	sport
"Independent faith schools were singled out by Ofsted chief, David Bell, for not doing enough to promote the ""wider tenets of British society"". Mr Bell said Muslim, Jewish and Evangelical Christian schools must be ""intolerant of intolerance"". Diversity ""certainly must not mean segregated or separate"", he said. Mr Bell's speech called for a much greater effort in all types of schools to teach citizenship - with an accompanying survey showing that young people knew little about politics and had no enthusiasm to find out more. Badly-taught citizenship lessons have previously been criticised by Mr Bell, and in a speech to the Hansard Society, he warned that it was failing to pass on an understanding of democracy, public service and shared values. He highlighted his particular concern for citizenship in the growing number of independent faith schools - which he said included about 100 Muslim, 100 Evangelical Christian and 50 Jewish schools. Mr Bell expressed concern about schools which did not teach children enough about a ""common heritage"" and needed to do more to promote principles of mutual tolerance and social inclusion. ""I worry that many young people are being educated in faith-based schools, with little appreciation of their wider responsibilities and obligations to British society,"" said Mr Bell. The Ofsted chief said his forthcoming annual report would make particular reference to Muslim schools. ""Many must adapt their curriculum to ensure that it provides pupils with a broad general knowledge of public institutions and services in England and helps them to acquire an appreciation of and respect for other cultures in a way that promotes tolerance and harmony."" Mr Bell said such questions of religion and cultural identity were ""tricky issues"". But he argued that ""we must not allow our recognition of diversity to become apathy in the face of any challenge to our coherence as a nation"". ""I would go further and say that an awareness of our common heritage as British citizens, equal under the law, should enable us to assert with confidence that we are intolerant of intolerance, illiberalism and attitudes and values that demean the place of certain sections of our community, be they women or people living in non-traditional relationships,"" said Mr Bell."	politics
"The EU's own institutions have noted the uneven way EU customs rules are applied but failed to act, the US Trade Representative's Office said. Small and mid-sized US firms were worst-hit, it added. The EU expanded from 15 to 25 member states in May. The US said it filed the complaint after talks failed to find a solution. The move came in the same week that the US and EU stepped back from confrontation in a tense dispute over aircraft subsidies to European manufacturer Airbus and US firm Boeing. New EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson said on Tuesday that the two sides had agreed to reopen talks in the aircraft subsidies row, which led to tit-for-tat WTO filings in last autumn. Explaining why it has asked the WTO to set up a dispute settlement panel on customs barriers, the US Trade Representative's Office said that it wants to tackle the issue ""early in the EU's process of dealing with the problems of enlargement"". Ten countries, mostly in Eastern Europe, joined the EU in May. The US said its trade with the 25 EU member countries was worth $155.2bn (£82.8bn) in 2003. ""Although the EU is a customs union, there is no single EU customs administration,"" a statement issued on behalf of Robert Zoellick, US Trade Representative, said. Lack of uniformity, coupled with lack of procedures for prompt EU-wide review can hinder US exports, especially for small to mid-sized businesses"", An EU spokesman in Washington dismissed the US complaint. ""We think the US case is very weak. They haven't come up with any evidence that US companies are being harmed,"" said Anthony Gooch. It could take several months for the WTO's dispute settlement panel to report its findings."	business
"Messages are circulating widely that purport to have evidence of the England captain in a compromising position. But anyone visiting the website mentioned in the message will not see pictures of Mr Beckham but will have their computer infected by a virus. The pernicious program opens a backdoor on a computer so it can be controlled remotely by malicious hackers. The appearance of the Beckham Windows trojan is just another example in a long line of viruses that trade on interest in celebrities in an attempt to fuel their spread. Tennis player Anna Kournikova, popstars Britney Spears and Avril Lavigne as well as Arnold Schwarzenegger have all been used in the past to try to con people into opening infected files. The huge amount of interest in Mr Beckham and his private life and the large number of messages posted to discussion groups on the net might mean that the malicious program catches a lot of people out. ""The public's appetite for salacious gossip about the private life of the Beckhams might lead some into an unpleasant computer infection,"" said Graham Cluley from anti-virus firm Sophos. Simply opening the message will not infect a user's PC. But anyone visiting the website it mentions who then downloads and opens the fake image file stored on that site will be infected. The program that installs itself is called the Hackarmy trojan and it tries to recruit PCs into so-called 'bot networks that are often used to distribute spam mail messages or to launch attacks across the web. Computers running Microsoft Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT and XP are vulnerable to this trojan. Many anti-virus programs have been able to detect this trojan since it first appeared early this year and have regularly been updated to catch new variants."	tech
"Ruddock says the players will benefit from the rest, and their absence will give youngsters a chance to impress. ""We've got the WRU charter in place now which outlines exactly what happens,"" Ruddock told BBC Wales Sport. ""Once we're in the Six Nations, the players will only be released in his and the WRU's best interests."" The Ospreys and Scarlets say they are happy to support the Wales cause, but the Dragons have expressed disappointment at not being able to use their national squad players in Friday's game with Ulster. Ceri Sweeney, Gareth Cooper, Ian Gough and Kevin Morgan have been used sparingly by Ruddock in the opening two Six Nations wins and captain Jason Forster believes they would benefit from a game with the Dragons. ""I'm sure the guys would want to come back to get some game time,"" Forster told BBC Wales Sport. ""It would also be a timely reminder to Mike [Ruddock] as to what they can do. ""And the supporters want to see the star players - no disrespect to the other guys - performing on the pitch."" Ruddock, though, is keen to protect his players from injury and fatigue. ""At this stage, there's nothing more [the players] can do in games to impress me further. ""We've got to look at it at another angle and see the opportunities that are provided for the younger players in the region. ""For example, the Dragons might use James Ireland this weekend. I've been looking at the lad - he's a great prospect for the future."" French and English clubs have requested to have all their international players available which means Stephen Jones, Gareth Thomas and Mefin Davies will play this weekend. The majority of Ireland and Scotland players have also been released for provincial duty."	sport
"I'm not really comfortable with the word urban. It's a word that's been manufactured in this country and America to describe black music. The word urban seems to cover such a broad range of black music that it's wrong. How far are the Brits removed from inner-city music and what people are doing? It's so far removed that I don't expect them to get it bang on. The music industry isn't championing music from our particular genre very well anyway. People don't feel like that's anything to do with us. I don't feel like urban music's just been celebrated by [Joss Stone] winning or her being nominated, or by the Brits acknowledging that there's an urban music scene because it's all a kick in the teeth at the end of the day. It's not really relevant. If Joss Stone is the closest thing that they feel comfortable championing because of what she looks like and how she sounds and who she's signed to, then so be it. It's got nothing to do with what's really going on. Urban as a genre is very broad. If you look underneath urban, there are a number of core elements that include hip-hop, R&B, garage and into that obviously comes soul. Joss Stone is a soul artist. Her first album was called The Soul Sessions. So urban is a very broad brushstroke that is the umbrella over the top of sub-genres, and there are offshoots of all of those. Joss Stone has had amazing success [in the US] given that she's a UK artist. What has really captured everybody's imagination is that here you have a 17-year-old from Devon with a voice to die for and a bunch of really, really good tunes and she looks good - I think that's what's done it. The award for best British urban act was voted for by viewers of MTV Base. I don't think Joss was not a worthy winner. She makes soul music and that definitely comes under the category of what we describe as urban. The fact that she's from Devon is the interesting thing because most of the music we cover is made in large cities and she's literally rural. The great thing about urban music is that there's a big range. If there is some sort of root with black music or dance music in Britain, I think that's where you can call it urban - that's where this new sub-category, or uber-category, has come from. Joss Stone is certainly not old enough to have had some of the experiences of an older soul singer, but you couldn't argue that she was being inauthentic with her emotions - it is coming from somewhere genuine. It has to come across as real. That's the only cut-off point we have here and that's the only way by which we judge people. What urban means to us as an organisation is the politically correct term to describe music which originated from a black background. Music should become inclusive and if we are fighting for a multi-cultural Britain, then we should be fighting for inclusion rather than exclusion. If Joss Stone can be accepted within the urban music community, I think acts from other ethnicities doing classical music and rock should be accepted too. Race doesn't make a difference if everyone is included. Out of all the awards dished out yesterday, I'm still trying to find out what people of other races received any sort of recognition or award. A type of music (especially street music) that originates from a city, and typically reflects or is characteristic of urban life. She might not be urban, but when did R&B become the hip hop tainted thing it is now? R&B stands for Rhythm And Blues, remember! That Joss Stone is rubbish is certain. If anyone deserves to win an award for urban music (I think probably should include Hip-Hop, Soul & Funk at least but not rock or pop) this year its the Streets, although Dizzee Rascal stakes a good claim She definitely deserved to win a prize, Joss Stone's albums are quite simply amazing, easily better than anything else that was released last year. This whole debate about what is urban, what isnt urban is completely pointless and probably fueled by urban artists who weren't nominated or didn't win. I cant see why people can't just congratulate her for the talent that she is. She did deserve it, but I agree with the comments about urban music. Its a stupid phrase, and particularly British. In the states they tend to use hip hop and R&B, if I say hip hop here a lot of people have no idea what I'm talking about. Very strange. What's in a name? A rose by any other name etc... If people want to call it urban, why not? If we really analysed it, the term 'dance music' is misleading because it doesn't describe everything you can dance to. Whilst I agree that the term 'urban' is open to interpretation, it strikes me as simply weird that Joss Stone has won. 'Urban' to me is what I hear being played in parties in the inner cities - I live in Brixton and have never heard The Soul Sessions pumping out of of a bass heavy sound system in any parties I've been to. Good luck to Joss Stone, let's celebrate her victory - let's also question why, with artists so successful and talented as Jamelia, Lemar, Kanye West, Dizzee Rascal, Alicia Keys and Outkast - we didn't see a single black artist on stage collecting an award. So, what you're saying is that any music that has black heritage is not allowed to be sung by anyone who isn't black. And, if it is, then they shouldn't be acknowledged for it even if they're pretty dam good at it? She's 17, has an amazing voice, and won. Good on her. Oh, but she's not ""black"" well, let's make her feel real bad about it then. How dare she! Though hang on, didn't the so-called 'public' vote on this one? This idea of pigeonholing whatever is popular at the time is no different than what was happening in the 1940s and 50s in relation to what ""Jazz"" was. The media then called anything that had a swinging beat, syncopated melody or soulful feeling ""Jazz"", much to the chagrin of the artists. It would mean that ""blues"" would be put in the same mould as ""bebop"", ""cool"" and ""ragtime"", all very different styles at that time. Jazz was and remains such a massively misunderstood term. And so what of ""Urban"" music? In truth it's a lazy term to categorise music that you don't really understand. Soul and garage are worlds apart musically (Marvin Gaye v Tuff Jam?), but no doubt have their connections. If we just let the music speak for itself and not judge the success of an artist by the number of awards won, then maybe we can enjoy the music for what it is, rather than what it represents. I demand a prize for rural music! Sucks to the cities- it's way better out here. We have hay, for one thing. Excluding her from what has become known as urban music would be as bad as excluding Lenny Kravitz or Hendrix from rock music for being black surely? I dont understand the point that Ty is making. If Lemar, who makes music which is less soulful than Joss' work won, he might have said nothing. (btw i'm black too) How can she be ""urban"" if she spent most of her life in the Devon countryside? Nonsense. I love Joss to bits and don't care what her branding is - it's amazing music, full stop. Stop puting it all in brackets and let's just call it music, and let's especially drop the black / urban tag - nearly all music came from black origin, this just sets an example that it is ok to pigeonhole people and their music by their colour. Surely the point of having an urban music category is simply to acknowledge artists that are making what is (historically) considered urban music, irrelevent of the colour of their skin, or where they originate from. Joss Stone is simply singing a certain type of music that can be considered urban in style, just as someone from an inner city, and indeed not from the USA could sing country music. If that person was good at it and authentic in sound, would we criticise it being referred to as country music or the artist for representing that style? The term urban in reference to a music genre in UK has developed, in part, from the controversy surrounding the branding of the MOBO Awards. The very term 'Music of Black Origin' has confused and offended many people. This is particularly strange given the existence of the Asian Music Awards. It appears that the use of 'black' or 'white' in relation to music makes people feel uncomfortable. The term 'urban' therefore, has been invoked to sidestep the debate of which type of music came first 'black' or 'white' thereby rendering the issue colourblind. The result is now a redundant new debate as to what 'urban' also means. Perhaps we should have created a new term altogether to describe the various strains of soul/RnB and Hip-Hop, one which does not also mean something else - as we have done with 'Crunk'. Urban is just a word that's come about recently to describe ""black"" music that's become popular now. The word wasn't even in use, or common use five of six years ago. It's just a way of the industry clumping it all together without having to call it black music, because some people are oversensitive and might call them racist for it. I'm in a band that has been called ""urban"", and I despise the label. I'd hate to think I belonged to any neat marketing niche, because that's all it is. Ever since the music channels and record comapnies tried to fracture what they consider 'music of black origin', these labels have been used to undermine the status of good music into a commodity. Look at all the TV broadcasters, unable to reach young people without condesending, they simply play some 'urban' music on the soundtrack as if its some dreadful cheap lift music. Ignore the labels, it is what it is, just music. As a black man, I think I agree with some of the statements at least the statements made by the key executives. Black people should lead the music they invented . We should stop calling a genre meaningless, northing is meaningless. The real question is would Joss Stone would have been that successful doing the music she was doing if she were black? Same thing, with Streets, Amy Winehouse, etc. Who's ever heard of Terri Walker or Rhian Benson.. They are both 10 times better than Joss Stone and both of them have won Urban Music Awards and i think Mobos , but why not Brits???? So what if Joss Stone won the Urban awards. Her music is great soul and surely that is under the 'Urban' banner? What if The Streets had won? Would people be whining because Mike Skinner is white... It seems that a lot of the fuss is about race where the real issue should be music and nothing else. Urban is PC version for saying black music. I'm not doubting Ms Stone's talent, but why didn't Jamelia or Lemar get a Brit? This reminds me of what happened to Craig David and Soul II Soul in the past, getting nominations are easy to get, but picking up a Brit seems to be the hardest thing. Refreshing to see people making reasonable, intelligent comments on any topic these days. More power to you, people! You have said it: there is music you like and music you don't like - who cares what label you put on it? That entire category was a mess. How can you have people like Dizzee Rascal up against Joss Stone? Its like putting Eminem against Bob Geldof. She should have been nominated for Best British R & B act. Joss Stone deserved to win an award for her talents, but I don't think it was very 'urban' of her to sing angels with Robbie Williams. Urban is a nonsense term - music of black origin? Well doesn't that include rock? Music made in the inner cities? Well almost all bands end up making music in London/Manchester etc. And doesn't that make some weird implication that all black people live in cities? It doesn't make any sense. Why does music have to be put into a genre? It's music, you like it or you don't. Simple as that. I play in a heavy metal band. We are urban music as far as I'm concerned. We live in cities and spend our working life in an urban environment; It therefore directly shapes what we write musically. ""Urban"" seems to be the new name for all styles of black music. Why it needed a rebrand I don't know as the name is misleading. Oasis originate from a city and characterise the urban life they know, therefore more than fit the term ""urban"" yet as they're a white rock band they won't be described as such. Joss Stone has a fantastic voice and great timing and delivery - what other reason do they need to award her the Brit? All this ""urban"" and other such categorisation is just the red-tape of the music business and is best ignored. Yeah, she deserved it. She is talented. Urban is a crap, meaningless, politically correct and probably actually racist marketing term though. There's only two kinds of music: good and bad."	entertainment
The film-maker will reportedly meet executives from New Line Cinema this week to discuss the 12th film in the long-running 'stalk and slash' series. The original film, released in 1980, has spawned ten sequels based around mask-wearing murderer Jason Voorhees. The most recent, Freddy Vs Jason, was released in summer 2003. That film saw Jason battle Freddy Krueger, star of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. According to the industry newspaper, New Line had been trying to make another sequel involving Ash, the hero of the Evil Dead movies, but was unable to agree terms with director Sam Raimi. Tarantino is said to be intrigued by the prospect of building a new film around one of the horror genre's most recognised figures. First, however, he is scheduled to direct the season finale of US television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Filming is due to start in early April. Tarantino's episode, for which he also wrote the original story, will be broadcast in the US on 19 May.	entertainment
"Hazel Blears said innocent Muslims would be targeted because of the search for Islamic extremists. Qualifications for religious leaders to enter the UK could also be made tougher, she told a Commons inquiry. Her comments have been described as ""irresponsible"" and ""outrageous"" by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC). ""The threat is most likely to come from those people associated with an extreme form of Islam, or who are falsely hiding behind Islam,"" the Salford MP told the Commons home affairs committee. ""It means that some of our counter-terrorism powers will be disproportionately experienced by the Muslim community."" It was a reality that should be recognised, she said. ""If a threat is from a particular place then our action is going to be targeted at that area,"" she added. On ministers of religions, such as imams, she said faith groups would be asked what other qualifications and skills, such as civic knowledge and ability to engage the community, should be demanded. Last year, ministers introduced a requirement that ministers should speak English to a certain level. IHRC chairman Massoud Shadjareh accused Ms Blears of ""playing an Islamophobia card"" in the run-up to a general election. ""She is demonising and alienating our community,"" he said. ""It is a legitimisation for a backlash and for racists to have an onslaught on our community. ""This sort of comment is just music to the ears of racists."" Later, the prime minister's official spokesman urged people to put Ms Blears' comments into context. The minister had been saying she understood there was a perception that stop and search was aimed at one community, but that was not what was happening, the spokesman said. ""What is happening is that those powers are aimed at those who are suspected of carrying out or planning certain activity who happen to come from one community. ""It is not aimed at a particular community, it is not police policy to aim these powers at a particular community,"" he added. Statistics showed that of the 17 people found guilty of terrorist acts in the UK since the 11 September attacks, only four of the 12 whose ethnic backgrounds were known were Muslim, he added Figures published last week showed that people from ethnic minorities were increasingly likely to be targeted by police stop and search tactics. Figures showed that, for 2003/2004, Asians were 1.9 times more likely to be stopped and searched, compared with 1.7 times more likely in the previous year. Separate figures on police searches in England and Wales carried out under the Terrorism Act 2000 showed that ethnic minorities were more likely to be targeted. Muslim groups have repeatedly claimed that their communities are being victimised under terror laws. In 2003/2004, 12.5% searches under the laws were on Asian people, even though they make up 4.7% of the population. Last July, the police were accused of Islamophobia by Muslim groups after stop and search figures showed the numbers of Asians targeted had risen by 300% since the introduction of anti-terror laws."	politics
"The Sunday Times and The Sunday Telegraph say they will oppose any formal £800m takeover bid from US tycoon Malcom Glazer. Mr Glazer got permission to look at the club's accounts last week. Irish billionaires Mr McManus and Mr Magnier are said to believe that an £800m bid undervalues club prospects. Mr Magnier and Mr McManus, who hold their stake through their Cubic Expression investment vehicle have the power to block a bid. Mr Glazer's financial backers, including JP Morgan, the US investment bank have said they won't back a bid unless it receives backing from the owners of at least 75% of the club's shares. However, there has been much speculation that the Irish duo simply do not think the price offered - 300p a share - is high enough. Mr Glazer has been stalking the premier league football club since 2003. Mr Magnier and Mr McManus issued a statement late on Friday saying that they remained ""long-term investors"" in Man Utd. The Sunday Telegraph says the board of Manchester United also considered a management buyout at just over 300p but did not go ahead with it."	business
"In its first overview of the disaster, the ADB said the impact on economic growth would be slight because major cities and factories escaped damage. But the blow to many low-income people could be ""enormous"". The Paris Club of rich creditor nations on Wednesday offered to freeze debts owed by tsunami-hit countries. The move was aimed at helping South Asian governments find budgets to rebuild devastated coastal areas, though so far only Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Seychelles have indicated that they will take it up. Other countries believe their economies are strong enough to cope or wish to avoid being viewed as credit risks. ""Poverty is potentially the most important impact of this natural disaster,"" said ADB chief economist Ifzal Ali. Donor nations have promised to give $717m (£379m) in disaster relief over the next six months, according to the United Nations. Mr Ali added his voice to those warning that aid pledges must be promptly delivered, saying the number of people at risk of poverty hinged on ""concerns over sanitation and health conditions, and other basic needs"" being ""properly and quickly addressed"". There are 1.9 billion people in Asia living on less than $2 a day. The ADB fears that 1 million Indonesians could join them, while in India just over half a million people - 645,000 - are at risk of falling into poverty. A quarter of a million Sri Lankans and 23,500 people in the Maldives are also facing poverty. In the Maldives, where 43% of the population already lives on less than $2 a day, this could rise to half. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are the two countries the ADB fears are most at risk of suffering lasting economic damage from the tsunami. Sri Lanka's government has estimated reconstruction costs at nearly $3bn. A government task force held meetings to discuss an emergency rebuilding plan with the ADB, World Bank and Japanese aid agencies on Wednesday, and promised to publish the plan within 10 days. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and India have enjoyed strong economic growth in recent years, which should cushion them against reconstruction costs. Although Indonesia's northern province of Aceh suffered the worst death toll, the region's oil and natural gas production facilities ""have survived intact"", the report said. However, it remains too soon to asses the damage to poor people's livelihoods in Aceh because it would depend on how much farm land had been flooded by seawater. ""This is a profoundly tragic event for the region and for the millions who are suffering. But the economies of the affected countries except Sri Lanka and the Maldives should emerge with minimal damage,"" the ADB report said. Some businesses may even gain from the reconstruction efforts, thereby creating jobs. At a meeting in Thailand, ABD president Thadao Chino said he was confident of the country's ""own capabilities to restore normalcy to the affected areas and meet the rehabilitation requirements"". Thailand has said it does not wish to opt for a debt repayment freeze, while India has also rejected international aid, saying it can cope on its own resources. Debt repayment holidays carry the risk of credit ratings downgrades, making it more expensive to borrow money in future. Indonesia, however, is pressing for greater help with its debts than the current freeze would bring. It is one of the world's most indebted countries."	business
"St Fintian's High School says it is clearly identified in the video, while McFadden never went there. McFadden makes claims that he was beaten at his own school in the song's lyrics, saying it had ""cell blocks"". The performer's record label Sony BMG has withdrawn the video and issued replacements to television stations. The label believed the school name was fictitious until they received the complaint. They have said the reference to the school was unintentional and coincidental. The head of Christian Brothers' school St Fintian's, Richard Fogarty, said the video implied that the 24-year-old pop star had attended his school and was abused there. ""The school has always treated its pupils with respect,"" Mr Fogarty said in a statement. McFadden makes specific references to the Christian Brothers in his song, but did not attend St Fintian's. Corporal punishment was outlawed in Irish schools in 1982 when McFadden was two years old. McFadden, whose debut solo album is released next week, has said that every song is autobiographical and ""a true story"". Alcoholism and domestic violence are among the other topics dealt with in his songs, half of which have been written with Robbie Williams' former collaborator, Guy Chambers. McFadden, who quit chart-topping group Westlife in March, went to number one in September with his first solo single Real To Me. He enjoyed 12 chart-toppers with the boy band before parting company with them."	entertainment
"The pirated DVD market is enormous because current copy protection was hacked more than five years ago. Macrovision says its new RipGuard technology will thwart most, but not all, of the current DVD ripping (copying) programs used to pirate DVDs. ""RipGuard is designed to... reduce DVD ripping and the resulting supply of illegal peer to peer,"" said the firm. Macrovision said the new technology will work in ""nearly all"" current DVD players when applied to the discs, but it did not specify how many machines could have a problem with RipGuard. Some BBC News website users have expressed concerns that the new technology will mean that DVDs will not work on PCs running the operating system Linux. The new technology will be welcomed by Hollywood film studios which are increasingly relying on revenue from DVD sales. The film industry has stepped up efforts to fight DVD piracy in the last 12 months, taking legal action against websites which offer pirated copies of DVD movies for download. ""Ultimately, we see RipGuard DVD... evolving beyond anti-piracy, and towards enablement of legitimate online transactions, interoperability in tomorrow's digital home, and the upcoming high-definition formats,"" said Steve Weinstein, executive vice president and general manager of Macrovision's Entertainment Technologies Group. Macrovision said RipGuard would also prevent against ""rent, rip and return"" - where people would rent a DVD, copy it and then return the original. RipGuard is expected to be rolled out on DVDs from the middle of 2005, the company said. The new system works specifically to block most ripping programs - if used, those programs will now most likely crash, the company said. Macrovision has said that Rip Guard can be updated if hackers find a way around the new anti-copying measures."	tech
"A survey carried out by PC Pro magazine looked at which of 100 home photo printers offered a better deal than handing your snaps to a photo lab. The tests found that images from top PC printers kept their colour longer than professionally produced photographs. But using the wrong printer cartridge could means snaps fade in months, warned the magazine. The group test of 100 home photo printers for PCs discovered how much it costs to create images using the devices compared to online developers as well as High Street names such as Jessops, Boots and Snappy Snaps. The comprehensive test also revealed how quickly different printers produced images, the quality of the finished image and how resistant finished pictures were to smudging or water damage. It found that although some ink for printers now costs more than £2 per millilitre it can still be cheaper to produce prints from photographs at home than it is to send them off to a High Street store. ""If you really like your photos, then it's definitely worth printing at home instead of going to the high street, but only if you choose the right printer,"" said Nick Ross, top tester at PC Pro. Mr Ross said that a new generation of printers produced images with brighter colours and that were less likely to fade than many High Street developers or even some professional wedding photographers. Some High Street photo shops can be the cheapest when it came to developing prints that were 6x4in, said Mr Ross, but the test revealed that images 7x5in and 8x10in in size were cheaper to produce at home. According to PC Pro, producing a print 8x10in on an Epson R800 printer using top quality paper costs £1.87. At Jessops the same image would cost £2.50 and at Snappy Snaps £9.99. A 10x7in snap at Boots would cost £4.99. ""Considering how inconvenient it can be to go to the High Street and how silver-halide prints can fade in the sun, we're adamant that it's now better, cheaper and more convenient to print at home,"" he said. Ann Simpson, marketing manager at Snappy Snaps believes the convenience of high street printing will continue to attract customers. ""Some people will want to do their own thing on their computer but the feedback to us is that customers often have to print two or three pictures at home in order to get a good one,"" she said. ""Many people are not skilled at getting the colour, contrast and cropping right and they don't want the hassle,"" she added. The magazine test found that which ink consumers use determined how long their prints lasted before they started fading. It recommended avoiding so-called third-party inks not produced by printer makers because they tended to produce prints that fade the quickest."	tech
"It is launching a test service to allow people to publish blogs, or online journals, called MSN Spaces. Microsoft is trailing behind competitors like Google and AOL, which already offer services which make it easy for people to set up web journals. Blogs, short for web logs, have become a popular way for people to talk about their lives and express opinions online. MSN Spaces is free to anyone with a Hotmail or MSN Messenger account. People will be able to choose a layout for the page, upload images and share photo albums and music playlists. The service will be supported by banner ads. ""This is a simple tool for people to express themselves,"" said MSN's Blake Irving. This is Microsoft's first foray into blogging, which has taken off as a web phenomenon in the past year. Competitors like Google already offer free services through its Blogger site, while AOL provides its members with journals. Accurate figures for the number of blogs in existence are hard to come by. According to blog analysis firm Technorati, the so-called blogosphere, has doubled every five and a half months for the last 18 months. It now estimates that the number of blogs in existence has exceeded 4.8 million, although some speculate that less than a quarter are regularly maintained."	tech
"Fry will provide the voice of The Guide, an electronic book which accompanies the story's hero Arthur Dent on his travels around the galaxy. Martin Freeman, John Malkovich, Bill Nighy and Alan Rickman are co-starring in the film, due for release in May. The late Douglas Adams' original 1977 scripts have also been turned into a series of successful books. ""Being asked to do the voice of The Guide is like having your birthday on Christmas Day, discovering a winning lottery ticket in your stocking and having chocolate poured all over you,"" said Fry, a self-confessed fan of the book. The film's executive producer Robbie Stamp said that Adams, who died in 2001, would have been ""delighted"" with the choice of Fry for the role. ""His humour and intelligence are perfect for the voice of The Guide,"" added Mr Stamp. Adams wrote the screenplay based on his book before his premature death, while a new radio series was aired 26 years after the first broadcast and included many of the original cast members. Hollywood star Malkovich will play religious cult leader Humma Kavula, which was especially created by Adams for the new film. Freeman, who starred in hit BBC comedy The Office, will play the role of Arthur Dent, who begins his intergalactic voyage following the destruction of the Earth."	entertainment
"The draft law was not adopted by EU ministers as planned at a Brussels meeting on Monday during which it was supposed to have been discussed. The fresh delay came after Polish officials had raised concerns about the law for the second time in two months. Critics say the law would favour large companies over small ones and could impact open-source software innovation. ""There was at one point the intention to put the item on today's agenda. But in the end we could not put it on,"" an EU spokesman told the Reuters agency. He added that no date had been chosen for more discussion of the law. In December, Poland requested more time to consider the issue because it was concerned that the law could lead to the patenting of pure computer software. Its ministers want to see the phrasing of the text of the Directive on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions changed so that it excludes software patenting. Poland is a large EU member, so its backing for the legislation is vital. The EU says the law would bring Europe more in line with how such laws work in the US, but this has caused some angry debate amongst critics and supporters. In the US, the patenting of computer programs and internet business methods is permitted. This means that the US-based Amazon.com holds a patent for its ""one-click shopping"" service. Critics say a similar model in Europe would hurt small software developers which do not have the legal and financial might of larger companies. But supporters say current law does not let big companies protect inventions which they have spent years developing."	tech
"They were given provisional suspensions by athletics' ruling body the IAAF in December for failing to take drugs tests before the Athens Olympics. The pair arrived with former coach Christos Tzekos to give evidence at the Hellenic Olympic Committee's offices. A decision is expected to be announced before the end of February. Whatever the ruling, all parties will have the right to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Yiannis Papadoyiannakis, who was head of the Greek Olympic team at the Athens Games last year, also testified at the tribunal, along with other Greek sports officials and athletes. ""I believe the tribunal will reach a decision that will uphold the standing of the institution,"" said Papadoyiannakis. ""Whatever the athletes have done, we must not forget that they have offered us great moments."" Kenteris won 200m gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, while Thanou won silver in the 100m. They withdrew from the Athens Games last August after missing drugs tests on the eve of the opening ceremony. The pair spent four days in a hospital, claiming they had been injured in a motorcycle crash. The five-member tribunal, assembled by the Hellenic Association of Amateur Athletics, is also examining allegations that Kenteris and Thanou avoided tests in Tel Aviv and Chicago before the Games. Tzekos was also banned for two years by the IAAF. He faces charges of assisting in the use of prohibited substances and tampering with the doping inspection process. All three, who have repeatedly denied the allegations, have also been charged by a Greek prosecutor and face trial for doping-related charges. A trial date has not been set. In imposing two-year suspensions on the duo on 22 December, the IAAF described their explanations for missing the tests as ""unacceptable"". But Kenteris' lawyer Gregory Ioannidis told BBC Sport earlier this week he was confident the sprinters would be cleared of the charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to testing. ""We refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical,"" he said. ""There have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials, and these procedural breaches have also violated my client's rights. ""There is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted."""	sport
"A second-half try from captain Brian O'Driscoll and 14 points from Ronan O'Gara kept Ireland on track for their first Grand Slam since 1948. England scored first through Martin Corry but had ""tries"" from Mark Cueto and Josh Lewsey disallowed. Andy Robinson's men have now lost nine of their last 14 matches since the 2003 World Cup final. The defeat also heralded England's worst run in the championship since 1987. Ireland last won the title, then the Five Nations, in 1985, but 20 years on they share top spot in the table on maximum points with Wales. And Eddie O'Sullivan's side banished the ghosts of 2003 when England were rampant 42-6 victors in claiming the Grand Slam at Lansdowne Road. In front of a supercharged home crowd on a dry but blustery day in Dublin, Ireland tore into the white-shirted visitors from the kick-off and made their intentions clear when O'Gara landed a fourth-minute drop-goal. England took their time to settle but their first real venture into Ireland's half produced a simple score for Corry. The number eight picked up the ball from the back of a ruck and found an absence of green jerseys between himself and the Irish line, racing 25 yards to touch down. England fly-half Charlie Hodgson nailed the conversion from out on the left, but almost immediately O'Gara, winning his 50th cap, answered with two penalties in quick succession. England were awarded a penalty of their own on the halfway line after 20 minutes, and Hodgson, the villain at Twickenham, coolly bisected the posts. The first quarter was marked by periods of tactical kicking, but it was Ireland who were showing more willingness to spread the ball wide to their eager and inventive backs. A series of probes led by the talismanic O'Driscoll, back from hamstring injury, resulted in a penalty but Ireland chose to kick for touch. From the line-out, the ball was recycled back to O'Gara, who stroked his second drop-goal, this time off the right upright. As the interval approached, wing Josh Lewsey was the catalyst for England's most promising attack. The Wasps star raced up his touchline and Hodgson's cross-kick put in Mark Cueto for an apparent score, but the Sale wing was ruled to have started in front of the kicker. England began the second half well and had Ireland pinned in their own half. But another English indiscretion on a rare Irish break-out awarded O'Gara a kick at goal, which he missed. England's pressure continued, and a wave of attacks saw centre Jamie Noon dragged down yards from the line before Hodgson landed a drop-goal. The lead was shortlived, however. Ireland raced upfield, deft handling from the backs, including a clever dummy from Geordan Murphy on Hodgson, ending with O'Driscoll going over in the right corner and touching down close to the posts. O'Gara missed a penalty which would have put Ireland nine points clear, and the home crowd breathed a sigh of relief when Hodgson's cross-kick was fumbled by lock Ben Kay near the line. Anticipation of a home win sent the noise level sky-high, but O'Gara missed another chance to seal the game with a wayward drop-goal attempt. Inside the last 10 minutes, England poured forward, spurred on by scrum-half Matt Dawson, who replaced Leicester's Harry Ellis. But despite one near miss with the pack over the line - not checked on the TV replay by referee Jonathan Kaplan - England were unable to pull off a face-saving win. Ireland next face France at Lansdowne Road in two weeks' time before the potential title decider against Wales in Cardiff. England are still to meet Italy at Twickenham, in what is now a wooden spoon decider, and Scotland. G Murphy; G Dempsey, B O'Driscoll, S Horgan, D Hickie; R O'Gara, P Stringer; R Corrigan, S Byrne, J Hayes; M O'Kelly, P O'Connell; S Easterby, J O'Connor, A Foley. F Sheahan, M Horan, D O'Callaghan, E Miller, G Easterby, D Humphreys, K Maggs. J Robinson (capt); M Cueto, J Noon, O Barkley, J Lewsey; C Hodgson, H Ellis; G Rowntree, S Thompson, M Stevens; D Grewcock, B Kay; J Worsley, L Moody, M Corry. A Titterrell, D Bell, S Borthwick, A Hazell, M Dawson, A Goode, O Smith."	sport
"The Sydney Olympic gold medallist says Conte damaged her reputation and she is seeking $25m (£13m) in the suit. Conte, whose company is at the centre of a doping investigation, made the claims in a US television programme. He and three others were indicted in February by a federal grand jury for a variety of alleged offences. In an email to the Associated Press on Wednesday, Conte said: ""I stand by everything I said"". Jones won three gold medals and two bronzes in Sydney in 2000. Her lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in San Francisco, said the sprinter had passed a lie detector test and that she ""has never taken banned performance-enhancing drugs"". Conte's statements, the suit added, were ""false and malicious"". After the ABC television program earlier this month, Jones' lawyer Richard Nicholls said: ""Marion has steadfastly maintained her position throughout: she has never, ever used performance-enhancing drugs. ""Victor Conte is a man facing a 42-count federal indictment, while Marion Jones is one of America's most decorated female athletes. Mr Conte's statements have been wildly contradictory. ""Mr Conte chose to make unsubstantiated allegations on television, while Marion Jones demanded to take and then passed a lie detector examination. ""Mr Conte is simply not credible. We challenge him to submit to the same lie detector procedure that Marion Jones passed."" The sport's ruling body, the IAAF, is taking a cautious approach to Conte's allegations but contacted the US Anti-Doping Agency. Communications director Nick Davies said the IAAF would seek to contact Conte ""for further information"". But Davies stressed it would be up to the American authorities to decide whether they will take action against Jones in light of Conte's television interview and the world governing body would monitor the situation closely. ""If it is felt there is case to answer, it would be for its national governing body (USA Track and Field) to take the appropriate disciplinary action,"" he added. ""The US Anti-Doping Agency has proved itself to be very diligent in its anti-doping war. ""And I am sure, like ourselves, they will be watching the television programme with great interest."" Jones, who is under investigation for steroid use by the US Anti-Doping Agency, has continually denied ever taking illegal substances since being investigated in the Balco scandal, although she praised a zinc supplement Conte marketed. Jones, who did not win any medals in Athens in August, has never failed a drugs test. Meanwhile, Conte, who has been charged along with three other men of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering, is due to face trial in March."	sport
"The club have confirmed that the Glazer Family Partnership have submitted proposals of a third bid. ""A lot of people want the club's interest to be with people who have grown up with the club and have got its interests at heart,"" said Ferdinand. ""No one knows what this guy will be bringing to the table."" The central defender added on BBC Radio Five Live: ""We will have to wait and see what Glazer comes with. ""I would like to see the situation resolved either way. ""I think people are getting bored with him coming in and out of the news with new proposals. ""The other stuff off the pitch takes the shine off what is going on the pitch."" Glazer, currently owns a 28.1% stake in the club, and United's statement to the stock exchange said: ""The board has noted the recent press speculation on this subject. ""The board can confirm that it has now received a detailed proposal subject to various pre-conditions which may form the basis of an offer for Manchester United from Glazer. ""A further announcement will be made in due course."" Glazer's previous bids for the club, which United supporters opposed, were rejected by the board because of the high level of debt they would incur. But it is believed that Glazer has substantially reduced the borrowing required for his latest move. He will still need the approval of major shareholders John Magnier and JP McManus, who own 28.9% of the club to succeed. But the Irish duo have cut off talks with Glazer over the proposed sale of their stake, while fans remain opposed to his involvement."	sport
Elected in a safe Labour seat in 2001 his previous job was school standards minister - a role he won in May 2002. Prior to the last election he was a key figure in New Labour as the head of the Downing Street policy unit where he was a key member of the manifesto writing team. Seen as one of the more intellectual figures in the government, he was also working for Tony Blair in his policy unit when he was leader of the opposition. A brief glance at Mr Miliband's family background reveals an impressive socialist pedigree in the form of his father Ralph, who died in 1994. He was an eminent and influential leftwing academic. And while David Miliband is seen as a key Blair lieutenant his brother Ed is a special advisor to Chancellor Gordon Brown. Prior to working for Mr Blair, David Miliband spent time at the left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research. He then became secretary of the Commission on Social Justice. The 39-year-old was educated at Haverstock Comprehensive before going on to Oxford to study politics, philosophy and economics. He also took an MSc in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.	politics
"A Windows virus called Bofra is turning infected machines into distributors of its malicious code. Those clicking on the poisoned links in e-mail messages sent out by infected machines may fall victim to the virus. The trick is being used to prevent the progam being caught by anti-virus software that combs through code contained in e-mail attachments. The virus that uses this trick is called Bofra and the first member of the family of worms appeared on 10 November. They exploit a Windows vulnerability that was discovered only a few days earlier. Like many other recent viruses, Bofra plunders the address book in Microsoft Outlook for e-mail addresses and scours other files on an infected machine for fresh target addresses. The virus uses its own mail sending software to despatch e-mail messages to potential victims but, unlike many other recent viruses, does not itself travel via mail. Instead the body of the mail messages sent out contain fake weblinks that, when clicked on, connect back to the machine that distributed that e-mail. Essentially, Bofra turns infected machines into small web servers that happily dole out copies of the virus. The messages try to trick people into clicking on the links by promising pornographic videos and images or by posing as payment confirmation for a Paypal transaction. Copies of the messages seen by the BBC News website had bright yellow and green backgrounds. Those clicking on the links will inadvertently download the Bofra virus which will then start searching for new addresses to send itself to. Filtering firm Clearswift said this tactic of creating thousands of mini web servers was designed to help the virus spread quickly and avoid attempts to shut it down. In the past other malicious programs have relied on a single web server that downloads viral code to target machines. Shutting down this central server usually stops the virus spreading. Clearswift said that fact that no viral code travels in the e-mail messages sent out by machines infected by Bofra could hamper effects to limit its spread. Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure said that, so far, it had not seen many copies of the Bofra virus and its variants in circulation. Tim Warner, spokesman for anti-virus firm Finjan, said: ""You have people getting very creative now to deliver the virus and get it propagating."" Mr Warner said organisations needed to prepare deep defences to keep out the modern form of malicious mobile code. ""Most firms have secured their e-mail gateway,"" said Mr Warner, ""but the irony is that most of them let malicious content through the web gateways."" He said behavioural systems that monitor what users do can help to spot when viruses have penetrated organisations and have started hunting for other victims. The Bofra family of viruses, which were originally thought to be offshoots of the MyDoom bug, can infect machines running Windows 2000, 95, 98, Me, NT, XP and Server 2003. Users running Windows XP that have applied the SP2 update are not vulnerable to the loophole that Bofra exploits."	tech
"Save the Scottish Regiments will also field a candidate against Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram in East Kilbride. The group, which is unhappy at defence merger plans, is endorsing opposition candidates in nine seats. The marginals are Aberdeen South, Dumfriesshire, Dundee East and West, South West Edinburgh, Ochil, Stirling, East Renfrewshire and Western Isles. The campaigners unveiled a huge poster featuring Black Watch soldiers fighting the war in Iraq before they announced their election plans. Former Scots Guardsman Allan Hendry will challenge Mr Ingram. The group said it is well organised, with 350 volunteers, and will be announcing at least one other candidate later. It added that it can only be stopped from inflicting serious damage on Labour if the government reverses its plan to merge the six Scottish regiments. Scotland's only Conservative MP Peter Duncan said the Save the Scottish Regiments had done a ""superb job"" in fighting against defence cuts. He added: ""Their actions have reflected the pride that most people in this country have in our troops, and have shown a steely determination to make Labour pay for their betrayal. ""I have been honoured to speak at their rallies throughout Scotland."" Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond said it had received a ""big boost"" from the campaign's decision to endorse SNP candidates in four marginal seats. ""Labour's arrogance has been their undoing. In trying to get rid of Scotland's historic regiments, Labour MPs will end up being scrapped themselves,"" he said. However, Labour MP George Foulkes said the campaigners would not make any difference to the outcome of the election and would not win the argument. ""A serving soldier knows that what Labour is proposing is right,"" he said. As well as their election move, Save the Scottish Regiments will join other campaigners at a rally in London in the spring. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon announced last year that Scotland's regiments would be combined into a single unit. The move was part of overall Army reforms."	politics
"The move is a surprising one because China is struggling to increase energy supplies for its booming economy. Last year 24 provinces suffered black outs. The State Environmental Protection Agency said the 26 projects had failed to do proper environmental assessments. Topping the list was a controversial dam on the scenic upper Yangtze River. ""Construction of these projects has started without approval of the assessment of their environmental impact... they are typical illegal projects of construction first, approval next,"" said SEPA vice-director Pan Yue, in a statement on the agency's website. Some of the projects may be allowed to start work again with the proper permits, but others would be cancelled, he said. Altogether, the agency ordered 30 projects halted. Other projects included a petrochemicals plant and a port in Fujian. The bulk of the list was made up of new power plants, with some extensions to existing ones. The stoppages would appear to be another step in the central government's battle to control projects licensed by local officials. However, previous crackdowns have tended to focus on projects for which the government argued there was overcapacity, such as steel and cement. The government has encouraged construction of new electricity generating capacity to solve chronic energy shortages which forced many factories onto part-time working last year. In 2004, China increased its generating capacity by 12.6%, or 440,700 megawatts (MW). The biggest single project to be halted was the Xiluodi Dam project, designed to produce 12,600 MW of electricity. It is being built on the Jinshajiang - or 'river of golden sand' as the upper reaches of the Yangtze are known. Second and third on the agency's list were two power stations being built at the $22bn Three Gorges Dam project on the central Yangtze - an underground 4,200 MW power plant and a 100 MW plant. The Three Gorges Dam has proved controversial in China - where more than half a million people have been relocated to make way for it - and abroad. It has drawn criticism from environmental groups and overseas human rights activists. The damming of the Upper Yangtze has also begun to attract criticism from environmentalists in China. In April 2004, central government officials ordered a halt to work on the nearby Nu River, which is part of a United Nations world heritage site, the Three Parallel Rivers site which covers the Yangtze, Mekong and Nu (also known as the Salween), according to the UK-published China Review. That move reportedly followed a protest from the Thai government about the downstream impact of the dams, and a critical documentary made by Chinese journalists. China's energy shortage influenced global prices for oil, coal and shipping last year."	business
"Tony Blair sailed across the lake in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, while on a visit with Education Secretary Ruth Kelly to back school outings. Mr Blair later stressed Labour's election pledge to focus on education, when he met parents in the area. The Conservatives and Lib Dems both say his pledges are ""worthless"". All the parties are stepping up campaigning ahead of a General Election widely expected to be held on 5 May. Mr Blair, looking a little windswept, joined two girls from St Egwin's Middle School in Evesham and an instructor for a trip in the Wayfarer dinghy, closely followed by a boat full of photographers. Afterwards he said outdoor activities were beneficial for children but accepted that lots of teachers now worried about taking part for fear of being sued if something went wrong. ""What we're doing is introducing some simple guidelines so if teachers follow those they are not going to be at risk of legal action,"" Mr Blair said. ""When you are doing these types of activities you've got to exercise some common sense there obviously. ""You can't have a situation where parents or teachers end up being worried that they're going to be subject to all sorts of legal action if they take children sailing or doing outdoor activity that is actually good for the kids and good for their health and their character."" The pledge on education - ""your child achieving more"" - was one of six election pledges unveiled by Mr Blair last week. If it wins a third term in the general election expected this year, Labour is committed to giving parents more choice between schools; allowing all secondary schools to take on specialist status; opening 200 city academies and creating 100,000 more sixth-form places. It aims to improve discipline in schools by adopting a ""zero tolerance"" approach to disruption of classes and introducing fixed penalty notices for truants. Labour also plans to give head teachers at groups of local schools control over funding for units to handle disruptive pupils. Parents and teachers who met Mr Blair on Tuesday were invited to the informal discussion after writing to their MPs to raise concerns about education. It is the latest in a series of events designed to show the prime minister is speaking directly to voters in the run-up to the election - and that he has not lost touch. For the Conservatives, shadow education secretary Tim Collins said: ""Mr Blair¿s government is all talk. He must be judged on what he has done in two terms, not what he mendaciously claims he would do in a third. That judgment will be damning."" The Liberal Democrats are promising to cut class sizes for the youngest children and ensure all children are taught by a qualified teacher in each subject."	politics
Anil Ambani, vice-chairman of India Petrochemicals Limited (IPCL), stayed away from a gathering of senior managers on Thursday. The move follows a decision earlier this month by Anil - the younger brother of Reliance Group president Mukesh Ambani - to resign from his post. His resignation was not accepted by his brother, who is also the boss of IPCL. The IPCL board met in Mumbai to discuss the company's results for the October-to-December quarter. It is understood that the board also considered Anil's resignation and asked him to reconsider his decision. However, Anil's demand that Anand Jain - another IPCL board member accused by Anil of creating a rift in the Ambani family - be thrown out, was not met. Anil has accused Anand Jain, a confidant of his brother Mukesh, of playing a negative role in the Ambani family, and being responsible for the trouble between the brothers. On Wednesday, the board of Reliance Energy, another Reliance Group company, reaffirmed its faith in Anil, who is the company's chief. Reliance Group acquired the government's 26% stake in IPCL - India's second-largest petrochemicals company - in 2002, as part of the privatisation drive. Meanwhile, the group's flagship company, Reliance Industries, has its board meeting on Friday to consider its financial results. Mukesh is the company's chairman and Anil its deputy, and it is expected that both brothers will come face to face in the meeting. The Ambani family controls 48% of the group, which is worth $17bn (£9.1bn; 745bn Indian rupees). It was founded by their father, Dhiru Bhai Ambani, who died two years ago.	business
"Vince Cable, the party's Treasury spokesman, said raising the threshold to £150,000 would prevent over 400,000 home-buyers from paying the tax. He said first-time buyers were being ""squeezed out"" of the housing market. The Labour party said the Liberal Democrats needed to explain how they would pay for the plan. The plan forms part of a wider Lib Dems policy to encourage first time buyers and those on lower incomes into the market. Under the proposals, the average saving for a new buyer would be more than £1,000, according to Mr Cable. ""First time buyers are being squeezed out of the housing market not only by higher house prices but also by being swept into the stamp duty net,"" he said. ""By failing to uprate the stamp duty threshold Gordon Brown has hit first time buyers and those on low incomes the hardest. ""By pledging to increase the threshold to £150,000, the Liberal Democrats will make it possible for many first time buyers to buy a property without facing this tax."" Paul Boateng MP, Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury, said: ""The Lib Dems' sums don't add up. ""They can have no credibility until they can say how they would fund their ever growing list of tax and spending commitments."" Mr Cable will publish his ""Alternative Budget"" on Monday."	politics
"Victor Conte, of Balco Laboratories, claims the American sprinter regularly used drugs to enhance her performance. ""If she is found guilty she should be stripped of all her medals and banned for two years,"" said Pound. Asked if there was a timescale as to what medals could be taken, Pound said: ""That is not an issue at all."" However, under International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules, athletes can only be stripped of their medals if caught within three years of the event. Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Olympics, denies using drugs and says she will take legal action over Conte's allegations. Balco Laboratories is the firm at the centre of a wide-reaching investigation into doping in the US. Pound continued: ""If she has indeed taken drugs it is going to be a big disappointment for a lot of people."""	sport
"Lufthansa said that it may lose millions of euros as a result of Air Force One landing at Frankfurt airport. Flights were affected for an hour on Wednesday morning, double the time that had been expected, leading to cancellations and delays. Lufthansa accounts for six out of every 10 planes using Frankfurt's airport. ""We are doing research into the possibilities we have,"" Michael Lamberty, a Lufthansa spokesman told the BBC. ""We are checking if there is action to be taken and in which courts it could be taken."" Mr Lamberty explained that the company did not plan to pursue Germany's air traffic controllers' organisation or the airport authority but wanted instead to see if it was possible to sue the German federal agencies that gave the orders. The company said that it had to cancel 77 short and medium-distance flights, affecting about 5,000 passengers. Long-haul travellers were not disrupted. Central to the problem was that instead of half an hour, the arrival of President Bush on the German leg of his European tour took the best part of an hour, Lufthansa said. During that time, restrictions were put on planes taxiing, taking off and landing at Frankfurt's Rhein-Main airport. The extra time taken by President Bush and his entourage meant that there was a knock-on effect that led to significant delays. Mr Lamberty said that 92 outgoing flights and 86 income flights were delayed by an average of an hour following President Bush's arrival, affecting almost 17,000 passengers. Despite the problems, Mr Lamberty said that it was not certain that Lufthansa would take legal action."	business
"The British singer played to a 2,700-strong audience on Sunday at the French capital's Bastille opera house. The concert was also part of an attempt to bring a broader range of events to the famous venue. Money raised will go to the Fondation pour l'Enfance (Foundation for Childhood) which aims to rebuild a children's shelter in Sri Lanka. Sir Elton played hits from his vast back catalogue to a sell-out crowd which included former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing and his wife Anne-Aymone. The veteran pop star played piano accompaniment throughout the concert which lasted for three hours without an interval. He told the crowd: ""Throughout the years, I've done a lot of drugs and alcohol. It's true that I was a nightmare, impossible. For the last 14 years I've been normal. Now my drug is called David"" - a reference to David Furnish, his partner. The crowd, who greeted each song with a standing ovation, also included French singer Charles Aznavour and British ambassador Sir John Holmes. Sir Elton has also teamed up with Phil Collins to record a version of Eric Clapton's 1991 hit Tears In Heaven to raise money for the relief fund. A release date has yet to be set for the recording, which was organised by Sharon Osbourne."	entertainment
"""The electorate are keener on the government than some Labour Party members,"" is the dry assessment of Graham Lane, leader of the Labour group on Newham Council. The problem, according to Mr Lane, is not continuing divisions over Iraq, foundation hospitals or tuition fees, or even voter apathy, but Mr Blair himself. ""I have a new slogan. Vote Blair, Get Brown. That's what I am telling people on the doorstep. Don't worry, he will be gone soon."" His friend, Saxon Spence, leader of Devon county Labour group, lays the blame for any lack of campaigning zeal on one issue above all others. ""You cannot underestimate the impact of the war in Iraq. We lost people from our local party who had some key roles."" But the two friends were fired up by Gordon Brown's speech on Saturday, with its appeal to core Labour values on social justice, health and education. ""There was real passion. I think we have all felt a little jaded, but it reminded us why we joined the party in the first place,"" said Mrs Spence. ""If he hadn't have walked off the stage, they would still be clapping,"" added Mr Lane. But for every Brownite at the spring conference there was an equally ardent fan of Mr Blair. Stephen Douglas, 26, from Wales, said after the PM's speech on Sunday: ""I think it was a bit of a turning point, given the roasting he has had on some issues. The guy still has it."" Tony Martin, of Burnley, said: ""He is the first leader who has won us two terms. This bloke has delivered for us."" Malcolm Shipley, of Shipley, said it was ""as if he is coming round to the right approach again"". Katrina Bull, a prospective parliamentary candidate said Mr Blair had shown he could rouse the party's grassroots: ""I think if every voter was able to spend time in a room with Tony, the way we have today, we will have no problem with turnout."" She had just emerged from a Q&A session, in which Mr Blair - tieless and supremely at ease - answered questions posed via the party's website. A party of councillors from Nottingham agreed that there was nothing wrong with Mr Blair's leadership - and they were adamant that the campaigning strength of the party in their city was as strong as ever. Iraq, they insisted, would not be a factor for most voters. ""The biggest problem we have got at the moment is that we keep getting all these polls saying we are going to run away with the election. ""It might sound great, but it does create this sense of complacency among our own voters and I think that is the greater problem than Iraq,"" said Nottingham City Councillor Brian Parbutt. And even Mr Blair's most vocal critics seemed to agree on one thing - he is a master of the sort of glossy, high-profile campaigning that has become Labour's hallmark, epitomised by Friday's whistle-stop tour of marginal seats. A group of shop stewards from the Swan Hunter shipyard, who said they were facing redundancy, could barely suppress their anger at Mr Blair's failure to, as they saw it, shake off his Tory leanings and stand up for manufacturing in the North East. They were also scathing about the alleged benefits of showpiece projects such as conference venue Sage Centre, heralded by John Prescott and others this weekend as a symbol of Labour's success in urban regeneration. ""It is no good having the Sage or Baltic if you haven't got the money for the entrance fee,"" said Terry Telford. But when asked about Mr Blair's bravura performance on Friday, the men agreed he was ""brilliant"". And they would all be out on the doorstep pushing the Labour message come election time. ""If you are not fired up about the election, then what's the point? There is no complacency as far as I can see in the Labour Party. We are fired up. We are up for this election,"" said Richie Porterhouse. Mr Telford agreed, but added it was becoming increasingly difficult to think of an answer when people asked ""What has Labour done for the North East?"" ""I have had doors slammed in my face,"" he said. Every activist I spoke to said they were proud of what they believed Labour had achieved in their local communities - the new hospitals and schools, the better life chances for young people. The problem they faced, they said, was converting this local feelgood factor into votes. But they could at least rely on one ""secret weapon"", as one activist put it - Tory leader Michael Howard."	politics
"Five public sector unions will hold private talks with Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott at Labour's spring conference in Gateshead. They want the government to withdraw regulations - due to be introduced in weeks - which would raise the pension age for council workers from 60 to 65. Up to 1.4m workers could take part in a strike already earmarked for 23 March. However, all sides are anxious to avoid a major confrontation in the run up to the general election, said BBC labour affairs correspondent Stephen Cape. In four days, Britain's biggest union Unison will start balloting 800,000 local government workers on strikes. Other public sector unions have pledged to follow. It is just weeks before new regulations are introduced to raise the pension age of local government workers. The five unions meeting Mr Prescott want the government to withdraw these regulations. This would allow months of tough negotiations to follow, said our correspondent. But a spokesman for Mr Prescott warned that the changes to the local government pension scheme would have to go ahead in April. Privately ministers believe this will be the ""less painful"" option, our correspondent added. The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) will co-ordinate any industrial action with up to six other public sector unions. PCS leader Mark Serwotka warned last week that there could be further walkouts unless there was a government rethink. ""For a government that lectures everyone on choice - choice on public service, choice on this and choice on that - isn't it ironic that they're saying to public sector workers there is no choice,"" he said. ""If you want the pension you were promised when you started you must work for an extra five years - that is working until people drop. ""In the 20th century, it's completely unacceptable."" Unison's 800,000 workers, the Transport and General Workers' Union's 70,000 and Amicus' 20,000 are among those being balloted about a 23 March walkout. Mr Prescott held a private meeting with senior union figures last week. It is understood no deal was offered in that meeting but there was room for further negotiations."	politics
"But he denied that he was ruling out British membership of the euro despite saying there would be no assessment of the five economic tests this year. Mr Brown said that it was vital the UK continued to invest in infrastructure, science, and education in the future. Otherwise it would be overtaken by the likes of China, he told MPs. The chancellor said that the EU's planned changes in the growth and stability pact - designed to ensure that countries in the euro zone do not borrow too much - would force Britain to run a budget surplus of 1% over the economic cycle. Under Mr Brown's rules, the UK current budget must be in balance over the economic cycle, but public investment is not counted as part of that deficit. He told the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee that the EU rules ""make it difficult for a low debt country to run the investment programmes that are necessary to improve its infrastructure"". But he argued that the EU was moving in the direction of the UK principles, and would eventually recognise the need to consider budget deficits over a longer period than one year, to include investment, and to take more account of the total size of government debt as well as the balance each year. Under Mr Brown's ""sustainable investment"" rule, government debt should be under 40% - in contrast to the 60% allowed under the growth and stability pact. Mr Brown vigorously denied Conservative claims that he had in effect fiddled the figures to ensure that he met his own fiscal rules. In March the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reclassified £3.4bn of spending on road repairs as public investment - shortly before the chancellor announced in the Budget that he would meet his own fiscal budget rule by only £6bn. Conservative Michael Fallon asked Mr Brown whether the Treasury had leaned on ONS to make this change, and said that the ONS had received a written paper from the Treasury on this matter. But the chancellor said Mr Fallon was ""impugning the integrity"" of the Office of National Statistics and said the decision had been made completely independently. Mr Brown also denied that he was increasing taxes to fund his spending gap. He told the Treasury Select Committee that a growing economy meant more people in work and more profits for companies which would boost Treasury coffers. Earlier, ex-Conservative chancellor Ken Clarke welcomed a relaxation of the rules governing the euro zone. Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Clarke said political give and take would replace more ""rigid"" rules. But fellow Tory David Heathcoat-Amory said the folly of the system was in trying to run Europe's varied economies on one set of rules. ""The essential point here is that the stability and growth pact has turned out to be a fake,"" he said. ""The warning is about the European constitution, which we are going to have a vote on in a year or two, and that centralises and entrenches these rules in a constitution. It gives more powers to Brussels to co-ordinate things like employment and economic policy."" But, speaking to the Treasury Select Committee, Gordon Brown said that the new stability pact rules were not part of a binding Treaty and could be changed again the future - potentially opening the way for future euro membership. ""The conditions for euro entry are unchanged by this new decision about the stability and growth pact,"" Mr. Brown said."	politics
Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan appears to have done that quite successfully in the run-up to this season's Six Nations Championship. He decreed after the 2003 World Cup that players should have a decent conditioning period during the year. That became a reality at the end of last summer with a 10-week period at the start of the this season. It may have annoyed his Scottish, and in particularly Welsh, cousins who huffed and puffed at the disrespect apparently shown to the Celtic League. We will say nothing of Mike Ruddock ''poaching'' eight of the Dragons side that faced Leinster on Sunday. But, like O'Sullivan, he was well within his rights, particularly when you are talking about the national side and pride that goes along with it. The IRFU has thrown their weight behind O'Sullivan, who must be glad that in the main, there is centrally-controlled contracts. Bar Keith Gleeson who is just returning from a broken leg, everyone of O'Sullivan's squad is fit, fresh and standing at the oche ready to launch this season's campaign. But I doubt whether O'Sullivan is going to gloat about the handling of his players. He is not that sort of person. However, he may look at the overworked and injury-hit England, Wales and France squads whose players have been overworked, and then pat himself on the back for his foresight. But there is still the question of turning up and transferring that freshness into positive results when the referee signals the start of the game. Already Ireland are being earmarked as hot favourites in many quarters to go the whole hog this season. A first Grand Slam since Karl Mullen's led the team to a clean sweep in 1948. With England and France visiting Lansdowne Road for the last time before the old darling is pulled down, everything looks perfectly placed. But in the days of yore that frightened the life out of any Irishman. Under the burden of great expectations, Ireland have crumpled. Take the Triple Crown-winning side of 1985 under Mick Doyle. They were expected to up the ante further for a Grand Slam, only the second in Ireland's history. What happened in 1986? Whitewashed. You see, Ireland, in any sport, love to be downsized. Then they can go out and prove a point to the contrary. It is the nature of the beast. But O'Sullivan's side are very capable of proving a salient point this season. After their first Triple Crown for 19 years, they can live up to their success and take a further step up the ladder. O'Sullivan has kept faith and displayed loyalty to his players, and they have repaid him in spades ... and there is more to come. He has some old dogs in his squad, but he will come to this season's championship with a different box of tricks, and a new verve to succeed. Ireland can indeed succeed, but just whisper it.	sport
Athletics Ireland have hinted that the 35-year-old Cobh runner may be included in the official line-up for the event in France on 19-20 March. Provincial teams were selected after last Saturday's Nationals in Santry and will be officially announced this week. O'Sullivan is at present preparing for the London marathon on 17 April. The participation of O'Sullivan, currentily training at her base in Australia, would boost the Ireland team who won the bronze three years agio. The first three at Santry last Saturday, Jolene Byrne, Maria McCambridge and Fionnualla Britton, are automatic selections and will most likely form part of the long-course team. O'Sullivan will also take part in the Bupa Great Ireland Run on 9 April in Dublin.	sport
"Morris will direct and co-write Nathan Barley - a character from cult website TV Go Home - for Channel 4. It is a send-up of the stereotypical ""cool"" metropolitan media scene, with Nicholas Burns in the title role. A Brass Eye satire of the media handling of paedophilia sparked 2,500 complaints in 2001. Nathan Barley will be ""a character-driven comedy"", according to Charlie Brooker, who created TV Go Home in 1999 and has co-written the series. Barley is described as a ""webmaster, guerrilla film-maker, screenwriter, DJ and in his own words, a 'self-facilitating media node"". The story will also feature Dan Ashcroft, a style magazine columnist, and his sister Claire, a film-maker who hates the ""cool"" scene. As well as Brass Eye, Morris was behind another news show satire, The Day Today, and dark sketch comedy Jam. The new show is expected to begin in February."	entertainment
Its sharp graphics and novel gameplay, with the main character able to pause, slow, rewind and fast-forward time, were meant to lure many fans to the new machine. But poor design meant the game became a very frustrating affair with players often stranded half-way through a level without the required tools to finish. Thankfully, the sequel has fixed many of the original faults. This time around you do not play as Blinx but instead you are given the chance to create two unique cat characters and two pig characters. The character generator is very detailed and a few minutes of tweaking and adjusting will create a unique personality to unleash on the game. As the game progresses you swap between the two rival factions, pig and feline, assuming the role of your created characters. The thrust of the game sees the two factions competing to recover pieces of a missing Time Crystal. As in the original, your feline persona can control time, but this time the pigs get to control space. There are a number of puzzles which require control over time to solve while the pigs can create things such as warps, space bubbles and void traps in order to progress. The control over space and time is achieved through a number of VCR-style icons and is quite intuitive. Annoyingly, the puzzles are a little too obviously flagged up and most gamers will find it more of a chore than a challenge to solve them. The game has also tried to emulate franchises such as Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank on PS2 and so there are a number of combat elements. These are a little predictable and tend to drag the general polish of the game down to a more dulled affair. But the game's excellent graphics, easily the best-looking platform game around, sound and dollops of humour make it an attractive game for younger platform fans. Blinx 2 is out on Xbox now.	tech
"The world 60m champion got off to a rolling start and had to dig deep to dip ahead of Mark Findlay and Darren Chin, who both set personal bests. ""It was a close race,"" admitted Gardener. ""I stumbled out the blocks but my experience told through. ""I still feel there's more life in me and I believe I can go faster."" Gardener's performance in Sheffield could have been affected by the news, which he heard before his semi-final, that his European record had been broken Frenchman Ronald Pognon, who will be a real threat at the European Championships, set a new time of 6.45, one-hundreth of a second faster than Gardener's previous mark. Favourite delivered a powerful performance to take the women's 60m title in 7.27 seconds. ""You'll see me in Madrid and I feel there is a lot more to come along,"" said the 22-year-old. Katherine Endacott battled hard to take second and dip under the European qualifying mark. Defending champion Joice Maduaka had pulled out of the final with a chest infection. was on record-breaking form as she stormed to the women's 60m hurdles crown. The 25-year-old set a new British record for the second time in seven days, clocking 7.96 seconds to finish ahead of rival Diane Allahgreen. ""I'm so happy,"" a tearful Claxton told BBC Sport. ""All the years I've been running and I'm getting recognition."" Claxton's time was also good enough to qualify for the European Championships. The men's 800m went to form in Sheffield as dominated the race from start to finish. The Northern Ireland athlete went off at a startling pace but had to hold off the challenge of Welshman Jimmy Watkins over the final 200m to win in one minute, 47.96 seconds. Both McIlory and Watkins, who set a life-time best of 1:48.32, had already booked their places in Madrid and were again well within the qualifying time. ""I had to go out and go through all the gears before the Europeans and I won't run again until then,"" said McIlroy. could not reach the European mark in the women's race as she crossed the line to win in 2:04.45. Olympic bronze heptathlon medallist rounded off a useful weekend with two more personal bests in Sheffield. The 28-year-old reached 1.80m in the high jump and clocked 8.47secs in the heats of the 60m hurdles. ""I've surprised myself,"" said Sotherton. ""I'm starting to thrive on the pressure but if I don't perform then it's not the end of the world."" Pole vaulter made a winning return to major competition after a drugs ban. The Trafford athlete, who has served a two-year ban after testing positive for anabolic steroids, clinched the title with a championship record 4.25m. also set a new championship mark in the men's triple jump title in Sheffield. The 26-year-old, who has been training in Australia over the winter, landed 17.30m with his final effort - the longest leap in the world this year. ""I didn't have a clue,"" said Idowu. ""I've not jumped indoors before and I just wanted the qualifying mark. ""But this isn't a bad start and hopefully I'll come back from Madrid with a gold medal."" Nathan Douglas continued his steady progress this season as he set a life-time best of 16.76m in second while Jonathan Moore took third. and resumed their rivalry in the long jump competition, both achieving the European standard. Commonwealth champion Morgan reached a personal best of 7.96m on his very first jump and then promptly retired with a bruised heel. Olympian Tomlinson tried to play catch up with his six jumps but had to settle for a season's best jump of 7.91m. ""I was advised not to jump by my doctor and so I'm pleased to come here and get the qualifying mark,"" said Tomlinson. , now based at Loughborough, sprinted past front runner Catherine Murphy in the final 100m to steal the women's 400m title. The 21-year-old ran a personal best of 53.45 seconds to win her first indoor title. Wall's time was just short of the qualifying mark - something Murphy already has. Ireland's took the men's title in 46.46 ahead of promising Channel Islands decathlete Dale Garland. Sudanese 18-year-old Rabah Yusuf, who is seeking British citizenship, showed his raw talent as he burst through in third. cleared the required 1.90m to qualify for the European championships and claim the AAAs title in the women's high jump. In the men's 3,000m, powered to a new personal best of seven minutes, 56.86 seconds to defend his AAAs title in style. It was the first time in 11 years the eight-minute barrier has been broken at the championships and was just within the European mark. took the women's 1500m AAAs title in the absence of Kelly Holmes. Her time of 4:19.11 was not good enough to qualify for Madrid but Ovens had already opted out of the championships. The men's race was won by , who had to fight off a closing pack to claim the title in 3:45.87."	sport
"The first striking thing about the DS is how retro it looks. Far from looking like a mould-breaking handheld, it looks more like Nintendo dug out a mould from a 1980s handheld prototype. The lightweight clam shell device opens up to reveal two screens, and when switched on it instantly reveals its pedigree. Both screens are crisp and clear while the bottom of the two is touch sensitive. Nintendo has given developers free rein to utilise the dual screens and ability to control the action by simply touching the screen. The Japanese gaming giant hopes the DS will maintain the firm's pre-eminence in an increasingly-competitive mobile gaming market. Nintendo first launched its GameBoy console in 1989 and has dominated the market ever since. But its lead can no longer be taken for granted. Sony will enter the market later this year with its PlayStation Portable, while start-up companies Gizmondo and Tapwave Zodiac are also offering hybrid devices. ""We believe the DS will appeal to all ages, both genders and gamers of any skill,"" said David Yarnton, Nintendo Europe's general manager said at the recent press launch for the handheld. With its two screens, wireless connectivity and backwards compatibility with the GameBoy Advance, the DS certainly has a number of unique selling points. It went on sale in the US in mid-November priced $150 and Nintendo says sales have exceeded expectations, without giving detailed figures. Japan and Europe will have to wait until the first quarter of 2005 to get the device. With more than two million pre-orders for the device in Japan, Nintendo is confident it will keep its number one spot. But will the device prove to be as revolutionary as claimed? The game ships with a demo of Metroid Hunters - a 3D action title which can be played alone or with a group of friends using the machine's wireless capabilities. It certainly looks impressive on the small machine and plays smoothly even with a group of people. The game can be controlled by using the supplied stylus to aim. The top screen is used to navigate the action while the bottom screen offers a top-down map and the ability to switch weapons. It is certainly a unique control method and while it makes aiming more controlled it can be a little disorientating. Super Mario 64 DS is a faithful re-creation of the Nintendo 64 classic with a host of new mini-games and new levels. The game looks stunning on the portable machine and the sound too is impressive for such a small machine. One thing is for certain. Hardened gamers will have to learn to adapt to a new way of playing while it could prove to be an accessible way in to gaming for novices, Ultimately the success or failure of the device lies in the hands of developers. If they manage to create titles which use the Nintendo DS's key features then a whole new market of gamers could open up. The fear is that the touch screen and voice recognition are treated as little more than gimmicks."	tech
"If it gets its way, the Dutch government will conclude its presidency of the European Union by pushing through a controversial measure that has been rejected by the European Parliament, lacks majority support from national governments and will leave millions of European citizens in legal limbo and facing the possibility of court cases against them. If the new law was about border controls, defence or even the new constitution, then our TV screens would be full of experts agonising over the impact on our daily lives. Sadly for those who will be directly affected, the controversy concerns the patenting of computer programs, a topic that may excite the bloggers, campaigning groups and technical press but does not obsess Middle Britain. After all, how much fuss can you generate about the Directive on the Patentability of Computer-Implemented Inventions, and the way it amends Article 52 of the 1973 European Patent Convention? Yet if the new directive is nodded through at the next meeting of one of the EU's ministerial councils, as seems likely, it will allow programs to be patented in Europe just as they are in the US. Many observers of the computing scene, including myself, think the results will be disastrous for small companies, innovative programmers and the free and open source software movement. It will let large companies patent all sorts of ideas and give legal force to those who want to limit their competitors' use of really obvious ideas. In the US you cannot build a system that stores customer credit card details so that they can pay without having to re-enter them unless Amazon lets you, because they hold the patent on ""one-click"" online purchase. It is a small invention, but Amazon made it to the patent office first and now owns it. We are relatively free from this sort of thing over here, but perhaps not for long. The new proposals go back to 2002, although argument about patentability of software and computer-implemented inventions has been going on since at least the mid-1980s. They have come to a head now after a year in which proposals were made, endorsed by the Council of Ministers, radically modified by the European Parliament and then re-presented in their original form. Some national governments seem to be aware of the problems. Poland has rejected the proposal and Germany's main political parties have opposed it, but there is not enough opposition to guarantee their rejection. Early in December the British government held a consultation meeting with those who had commented on the proposals. Science Minister Lord Sainsbury went along to listen and outline the UK position, but according to those present, it was embarrassing to see how little the minister and his officials actually understood the issues concerned. The draft Directive is being put through the council as what is called an ""A"" item and can only be approved or rejected. No discussion or amendment is allowed. So why should we be worried? First, there is the abuse of the democratic process involved in disregarding the views of the parliament and abandoning all of their carefully argued amendments. This goes to the heart of the European project, and even those who do not care about software or patents should be worried. If coders are treated like this today, who is to say that it will not be you tomorrow? More directly, once software patents are granted then any programmer will have to worry that the code they are writing is infringing someone else's patent. This is not about stealing software, as code is already protected by copyright. Patents are not copyright, but something much stronger. A patent gives the owner the right to stop anyone else using their invention, even if the other person invented it separately. I have never, to my shame, managed to read Lord Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage. If it was pointed out that one of my articles contained a substantial chunk of the poem then I could defend myself in court by claiming that I had simply made it up and it was coincidence. The same does not hold for a patent. If I sit down this afternoon and write a brilliant graphics compression routine and it happens to be the same as the LZW algorithm used in GIF files, then I am in trouble under patent law, at least in the US. Coincidence is no defence. The proposed directive is supported by many of the major software companies, but this is hardly surprising since most of them are US-based and they have already had to cope with a legal environment that allows patents. They have legal departments and, more crucially, patents of their own which they can trade or cross-license with other patent holders. Even this system breaks down, of course, as Microsoft found out last year when they initially lost a case brought by Eolas which claimed that Internet Explorer (and other browsers) infringed an Eolas patent. That one was eventually thrown out, but only after months of uncertainty and millions of dollars. But small companies, and the free and open software movement do not have any patents to trade. Much of the really useful software we use every day, programs like the Apache web server, the GNU/Linux operating system and the fearsomely popular Firefox browser, is developed outside company structures by people who do not have legal departments to check for patent infringements. The damage to software will not happen overnight, of course. If the directive goes through it has to be written into national laws and then there will be a steady stream of legal actions against small companies and open source products. Eventually someone will decide to attack Linux directly, probably with some secret funding from one or two large players. The new directive will limit innovation by forcing programmers to spend time checking for patent infringements or simply avoiding working in potentially competitive areas. And it will damage Europe's computer industry. We can only hope that the Council of Ministers has the integrity and strength to reject this bad law. Bill Thompson is a regular commentator on the BBC World Service programme Go Digital."	tech
"Coria lost the semi-final 6-4 6-4 to Rochus, who goes on to face Czech Jan Hernych, a 6-4 7-5 winner over Jose Acasuso of Argentina. Fifth seed Fernando Gonzalez eased past American Robby Ginepri 6-3 6-4. The Chilean will meet sixth seed Juan Ignacio Chela next after the Argentine beat Potito Starace 6-1 7-6 (7-5). Rochus made the semi-finals at the Australian hardcourt championships in Adelaide last week and is naturally delighted with his form. ""It's been two unbelievable weeks for me,"" he said. ""Today I knew I had nothing to lose. If I beat him great, if I lost, I would be losing to a top-10 player."" Coria conceded that Rochus ""played just too good,"" and added: ""When you give your best out there you can't be too sad."""	sport
"""That's the last thing on our minds at the moment,"" said Williams, a second- half replacement in Saturday's 24-18 win over France in Paris. ""We all realise how difficult a task it is to go up to Scotland and beat them. ""We've come unstuck there a couple of times recently so our focus is on that game and we'll worry about Ireland hopefully after we've beaten Scotland."" With captain Gareth Thomas ruled out of the rest of the campaign with a broken thumb, Williams is vying for his first start in the championship so far. Kevin Morgan is probably favourite to replace Thomas at full-back, leaving Williams and Hal Luscombe to battle for the right wing berth. A hamstring injury denied Luscombe the opportunity to make a third successive start, but the Dragons winger is expected to be fit for the trip to Murrayfield on 13 March. Hooker Robin McBryde is doubtful after picking up a knee injury in Paris, but centre Sonny Parker and flanker Colin Charvis are set to recover from injury to be in contention for selection. Said Wales assistant coach Scott Johnson: ""They've worked through the weekend and the reports are a bit more positive. ""So we're getting a couple back and that adds to the depth of the squad."" Scotland secured their first win of the campaign on Saturday by grinding out an 18-10 win over Italy. Matt Williams' side has shown little in attack, but Johnson insisted the Scots will be difficult opposition to break down. ""Italy are really brave opposition and sometimes it's very hard to win,"" he said. ""So an ugly win can be just as effective as a 30 or 40 point victory. ""Scotland are a hard side and very underrated so we're not taking anything for granted. ""We're not basking in the glory of winning our first three games. We've got to be diligent in our preparation. ""That's my job and we've got to make sure we're focused."""	sport
"In his New Year message the Liberal Democrat leader said Labour and the Conservatives were united in relying on fear and ""populist scares"". He said his party was the one of hope and was ready for a 2005 poll. On the Asian tsunami he said it had been ""very heartening"" to learn of the generosity being shown by Britons. Mr Kennedy said his thoughts were with all those caught up in the disaster, which had dominated the Christmas and New Year period. At home he said many people were turning to the Liberal Democrats as they became disheartened with the politics of the other two main parties. The general election would be a three-party struggle, as the Conservative party ""fades away"" as a national force and the Liberal Democrats challenge Labour in its heartlands, he said. ""A clear division is emerging in British politics - the politics of fear versus the politics of hope. ""Labour is counting on the politics of fear, ratcheting up talk of threats, crime and insecurity. While the Conservatives are re-working their populist scares about asylum and the European 'menace',"" he said. He said the government was using this climate of fear to try to strip away civil liberties. It was already using detention without trial at Belmarsh Prison, ignoring a recent Law Lords judgement that this contravenes basic human rights, he said. He also criticised attempts to bring in trial without jury, plans to lower the burden of proof in some criminal trials, curbing of rights to protest, increased stop and search powers and ID card plans. He said while everyone had the right to be secure they also had the right to be protected against unfair discrimination. ""But at the same time, an overmighty state is a dangerous one,"" he said. His party ""instinctively"" understood the ""new liberal Britain"" which is no longer a nation with one family structure, and one colour, he said. ""We are less deferential; more inclined to think for ourselves; more open about sexuality and equality. ""Our national institutions are changing too. We are no longer a nation of one church; we are a nation of many faiths. In our attitudes and the way we live our lives, this is in many ways a liberal Britain."""	politics
"He will play the supervisor of a US pyjama factory who has a romance with a union activist during labour unrest. Jeffrey Richards, the show's co-producer, said Connick was ""an actor of enormous charisma and skill, a wonderful singer and a bona fide star"". He has recently starred in hit US comedy Will and Grace as the husband of Grace, played by Debra Messing. The musical will open in November, said Mr Richards, who added that no other casting had been announced yet. The original book by George Abbott and Richard Bissell will be revised by playwright Peter Ackerman, who co-wrote the screenplay for the movie Ice Age. It has a score by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and Adler is writing two new songs for the score, which includes numbers including Hey There, Small Talk and Steam Heat. Connick appeared with his band on Broadway in 1990, and he wrote the score for a musical based on Emile Zola's novel Therese Raquin, called Thou Shalt Not. It had a three-month run on Broadway in 2001."	entertainment
"Annual bonus rates on its with-profits life policies were cut from 2.5% to 2%, while bonuses on pension policies were reduced from 3.25% to 2.5%. It is the sixth time in three years Standard Life has made cuts to bonus rates, despite an 8.7% rise in the value of the with-profits fund in 2004. The insurer blamed the cuts on poor share returns and low interest rates. With-profits policies are designed to smooth out the peaks and troughs of stock market volatility. Profits made in good years are kept in reserve to pay investors an annual bonus even when the stock market performs badly. Slumping share prices throughout 2001 and 2002 forced most firms to trim bonus rates on their policies. Standard Life came in for criticism for sticking with stock market investments during 2001 and 2002. The insurer argued that shares outperformed other investments over the long term and that policyholders would feel the benefit when the stock market recovered. Recently, Norwich Union and Axa Sun Life both cut their with-profit bonus rates. John Gill, managing director of the insurer's life and pensions division, said that a strong stock market recovery in the past two years had only ""partly compensated for losses during 2001 and 2002"". In addition, low interest rates meant that ""long-term investment returns are well below historic levels"", Mr Gill added. However, Mr Gill maintained that with-profits continued to perform well over the long term. ""Our payouts continue to stand up well against other types of long-term investments over similar periods,"" he said. Standard Life has an estimated 2.4 million with-profits policyholders. Last year, the company announced that it was looking to float on the stock market in 2006."	business
"A spokesman said he had ""no idea"" where the reports in the Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph had come from. The papers suggest ministers believe the government could benefit from a ""Baghdad bounce"" following successful Iraq elections in January. A British general election was last held in February in 1974. In that election, Edward Heath lost and failed to build a coalition with the Liberals. Harold Wilson took over and increased his majority later in the year in a second election The latest speculation suggests the prime minister favours a February poll in order to exploit his current opinion poll lead over Conservative leader Michael Howard. But that strategy could prompt criticism he was seeking to ""cut and run"" after less then four years of a parliamentary term. The papers report that Alan Milburn, Labour's head of elections strategy, has played a key role in the plan for a February election, which would include a New Year advertising blitz. New Labour's campaign, both newspapers said, would be centred around the slogan ""Britain is Working"". A Labour Party spokesman said the election date was ultimately a matter for Mr Blair, but he was unaware of anything to suggest it would be in February. Most commentators have been expecting an election on 5 May. The last election was in June 2001."	politics
The charity record is also tipped to be this year's Christmas number one. It features vocals from the likes of Chris Martin, Dido, Robbie Williams and the Sugababes. The original version - which was the Christmas number one in 1984 - sold 750,000 copies in its first week and 3.5 million in total. It was released in the US, and reached number 13 in the singles chart. However, Band Aid 20 is not going to be released in the US, despite being sold in many countries around the world. US record shops are stocking an import version of Do They Know It's Christmas, which is said to be selling very well in Los Angeles and New York. British stars who appear on the current recording, such as Dido and Coldplay's Chris Martin, are well known to music fans across the Atlantic, along with U2 frontman Bono. Record company Universal is responsible for the global distribution of the single, which will be available across Europe, Asia, South America and Canada. But music fans in the US are still able to access the song and download it on Band Aid 20's official website. In 1985, a group of high-profile American stars known as USA For Africa came together to record their own fund-raising single, We Are The World. The song was written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, with Quincy Jones as producer. It topped the US charts for three weeks and went on win Grammy awards for best record and song. Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and Tina Turner were among the line-up of performers. Proceeds from the sales of the Band Aid 20 single will go towards aid relief in Africa, in countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan. The money raised will also be used to help combat HIV and Aids across the continent. The Band Aid Trust which was set up 20 years ago, when the original single was released, handed out $144m (£75m) to famine relief projects across Africa between January 1985 and November 2004.	entertainment
"Net income in the last quarter was 4.3bn rupees ($98m; £52m), against 2.7bn a year earlier. Profit had been forecast to be 4.1bn rupees. Wipro offers services such as call centres to foreign clients and has worked for more than half of the companies on the Fortune 500 list. Wipro said demand was strong, allowing it to increase the prices it charged. ""On the face of it, the results don't look very exciting,"" said Apurva Shah, an analyst at ASK-Raymond James. ""But the guidance is positive and pricing going up is good news."" Third-quarter sales rose 34% to 20.9bn rupees. One problem identified by Wipro was the high turnover of its staff. It said that 90% of employees at its business process outsourcing operations had had to be replaced. ""We have to get that under control,"" said vice-chairman Vivek Paul. Wipro is majority owned by India's richest man Azim Premji."	business