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1018,qpr keeper day heads for preston queens park rangers keeper chris day is set to join preston on a month s loan.  day has been displaced by the arrival of simon royce  who is in his second month on loan from charlton. qpr have also signed italian generoso rossi. r s manager ian holloway said:  some might say it s a risk as he can t be recalled during that month and simon royce can now be recalled by charlton.  but i have other irons in the fire. i have had a  yes  from a couple of others should i need them.   day s rangers contract expires in the summer. meanwhile  holloway is hoping to complete the signing of middlesbrough defender andy davies - either permanently or again on loan - before saturday s match at ipswich. davies impressed during a recent loan spell at loftus road. holloway is also chasing bristol city midfielder tom doherty.
1319,software watching while you work software that can not only monitor every keystroke and action performed at a pc but also be used as legally binding evidence of wrong-doing has been unveiled.  worries about cyber-crime and sabotage have prompted many employers to consider monitoring employees. the developers behind the system claim it is a break-through in the way data is monitored and stored. but privacy advocates are concerned by the invasive nature of such software.  the system is a joint venture between security firm 3ami and storage specialists bridgehead software. they have joined forces to create a system which can monitor computer activity  store it and retrieve disputed files within minutes. more and more firms are finding themselves in deep water as a result of data misuse. sabotage and data theft are most commonly committed from within an organisation according to the national hi-tech crime unit (nhtcu) a survey conducted on its behalf by nop found evidence that more than 80% of medium and large companies have been victims of some form of cyber-crime. bridgehead software has come up with techniques to prove  to a legal standard  that any stored file on a pc has not been tampered with. ironically the impetus for developing the system came as a result of the freedom of information act  which requires companies to store all data for a certain amount of time.  the storage system has been incorporated into an application developed by security firm 3ami which allows every action on a computer to be logged. potentially it could help employers to follow the trail of stolen files and pinpoint whether they had been emailed to a third party  copied  printed  deleted or saved to cd  floppy disk  memory stick or flash card. other activities the system can monitor include the downloading of pornography  the use of racist or bullying language or the copying of applications for personal use. increasingly organisations that handle sensitive data  such as governments  are using biometric log-ins such as fingerprinting to provide conclusive proof of who was using a particular machine at any given time. privacy advocates are concerned that monitoring at work is not only damaging to employee s privacy but also to the relationship between employers and their staff.  that is not the case   said tim ellsmore  managing director of 3ami.  it is not about replacing dialogue but there are issues that you can talk through but you still need proof   he said.  people need to recognise that you are using a pc as a representative of a company and that employers have a legal requirement to store data   he added.
1138,d arcy injury adds to ireland woe gordon d arcy has been ruled out of the ireland team for saturday s six nations clash against scotland in murrayfield.  like skipper brian o driscoll  d arcy failed to recover from a hamstring injury. the side will now be led by munster lock paul o connell. shane horgan switches from wing to centre where he will be joined by ulster s kevin maggs. girvan dempsey comes into the team to take the right wing spot while gavin duffy is called up to the replacements.   we gave gordon a chance but it didn t work out    said ireland coach eddie o sullivan.   in terms of the risk element  it was a sensible precaution. he should be fine for the next game but we do not want to tempt fate.    maggs  who will win his 67th cap  was the obvious replacement at centre while shane horgan was always likely to be moved from the wing. the only other change to the ireland side from last weekend s win in rome 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  dempsey  horgan  maggs  hickie  o gara  stringer  corrigan  byrne  hayes  o kelly  o connell  capt  s easterby  o connor  foley.  : sheahan  horan  o callaghan  miller  g easterby  humphreys  duffy.
459,india s reliance family feud heats up the ongoing public spat between the two heirs of india s biggest conglomerate  reliance group  has spilled over to the board meeting of a leading company within the group.  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.
1020,boro suffer morrison injury blow middlesbrough midfielder james morrison has been ruled out for up to eight weeks after an operation on tuesday.  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.
51,lewsey puzzle over disallowed try england s josh lewsey has claimed he was denied a late try in his side s six nations loss to ireland.  the wasps wing insisted he grounded the ball when he was bundled over the line and said referee jonathan kaplan had made a wrong decision.  i m positive i touched the ball down over the line   lewsey told bbc sport.  it certainly wasn t a turnover.  i was driven over and i put the ball on the ground. the whistle went and i let go of the ball.  lewsey added:  one of the irish players scooped it back after the whistle and to our surprise the referee then gave a turnover.  as far as i m concerned  that incident and mark cueto s effort from charlie hodgson s cross-field kick that led to what looked like a good try were the two key elements in the game.   cueto was also puzzled as to why his try had been disallowed by kaplan.  i don t think i could have been offside for  without a doubt  i was behind the ball   said the sale player.  the move was a planned technique  it was not off the cuff. we rehearse it time and time again.  i wouldn t say we were robbed  some decisions go with you and some go against you. today they went against us and that s tough at international level.
2025,blair blasts tory spending plans tony blair has launched an attack on conservative spending plans  saying they are a  ludicrous improbability .  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
1479,former ni minister scott dies former northern ireland minister sir nicholas scott has died at a london hospice  his family has announced.  the former conservative mp for kensington and chelsea  died after a long illness diagnosed as alzheimer s. the 71-year-old served in northern ireland from 1981 to 1987 during the premiership of margaret thatcher. as a northern ireland minister he dealt with education and later security where he rode out the mass ira escape from the maze in 1983.  in education  he encountered criticism over school closures and the future of the catholic training colleges. he also merged the new university of ulster and the ulster polytechnic to create the university of ulster. sir nicholas was a strong defender of the anglo-irish agreement and was held in esteem in dublin government and sdlp circles. but he experienced hostility from unionists some of whom dubbed him  minister of discord . after leaving northern ireland in a reshuffle  he became a uk disability minister. sir nicholas was replaced as the member for kensington and chelsea by the flamboyant alan clark  after being deselected by his constituency in december 1996. his deselection followed a series of scandals including being found slumped in the street by police during the tory party conference in bournemouth and taken back to his hotel.  sir nicholas claimed strong painkillers he was taking for a back problem had reacted badly with a small amount of alcohol. after his sacking  he bitterly said that despite the support of cabinet ministers and tory backbenchers  the eurosceptics in his constituency were  absolutely determined to get rid of me . his colourful career also included a very public disagreement with daughter victoria over civil rights for the disabled. sir nicholas admitted he misled mps when he denied his department had been involved in wrecking tactics designed to kill the disability bill in 1994. victoria  a lobbyist for disabled rights  denounced her father s actions and heaped insult on injury when she joined the calls for him to resign. he joined the backbenches two months later.
27,career honour for actor dicaprio actor leonardo dicaprio s  exceptional career  has been honoured at the santa barbara international film festival.  the star was presented with the award by martin scorsese  who directed him in oscar-nominated movie the aviator.  it s a lifetime achievement award  which is completely and utterly surreal  given i m only 30 years old   dicaprio said.  but what has it been  almost 17 years now. i ve done quite a few films.  a retrospective of his movies was shown.   what s really exciting  for me  is that this is what i really love doing   he added.  it s what i want to do for the rest of my life.  dicaprio began his movie career in horror film critters 3  before moving onto roles in the basketball diaries  romeo and juliet  titanic and gangs of new york. the achievement award was created to commemorate the california festival s 20th anniversary and coincided with dicaprio s portrayal of millionaire howard hughes in the aviator.  veteran actress jane russell  who starred in hughes  1943 film the outlaw  said was impressed by dicaprio s quest for authenticity when he previously discussed the role with her.  i was very happy that (dicaprio) came and cared to come up and find out what (hughes) was really like   she said. the aviator has taken pole position in this year s oscars race with 11 nominations  including nominations for best film  best actor for dicaprio and best director for scorsese.
397,tsunami  to hit sri lanka banks  sri lanka s banks face hard times following december s tsunami disaster  officials have warned.  the sri lanka banks association said the waves which killed more than 30 000 people also washed away huge amounts of property which was securing loans. according to its estimate  as much as 13.6% of the loans made by private banks to clients in the disaster zone has been written off or damaged. state-owned lenders may be even worse hit  it said.  the association estimates that the private banking sector has 25bn rupees ($250m; £135m) of loans outstanding in the disaster zone. on one hand  banks are dealing with the death of their customers  along with damaged or destroyed collateral. on the other  most are extending cheap loans for rebuilding and recovery  as well as giving their clients more time to repay existing borrowing. the combination means a revenue shortfall during 2005  slba chairman - and commercial bank managing director - al gooneratne told a news conference.  most banks have given moratoriums and will not be collecting interest  at least in this quarter   he said. in the public sector  more than one in ten of the state-owned people s bank s customers in the south of sri lanka were affected  a bank spokesman told reuters. he estimated the bank s loss at 3bn rupees.
1644,us economy still growing says fed most areas of the us saw their economy continue to expand in december and early january  the us federal reserve said in its latest beige book report.  of the 12 us regions it identifies for the study  11 showed stronger economic growth  with only the cleveland area falling behind with a  mixed  rating. consumer spending was higher in december than november  and festive sales were also up on 2003. the employment picture also improved  the fed said.   labour markets firmed in a number of districts  but wage pressures generally remained modest   the beige book said.  several districts reported higher prices for building materials and manufacturing inputs  but most reported steady or only slightly higher overall price levels.  the report added that residential real estate activity remained strong and that commercial real estate activity strengthened in most districts.  office leasing was especially brisk in washington dc  and new york city  two of the nation s strongest commercial markets   the fed said.
263,digital uk driven by net and tv the uk s adoption of digital tv and broadband has helped make it the fourth most digitally-savvy nation in europe  according a report by jupiter research.  but the uk still lags in terms of broadband speeds compared to others. the most digitally sophisticated europeans  in terms of use of digital goods such as mobiles  tv  net and cameras  are the scandinavians. about 14 million households in the uk  60%  have digital tv  according to the communications regulator ofcom. the least digital of the european nations was greece  in 17th position  according to the digital life index.  scandinavian countries sweden  denmark and norway came out top in the report  but there were some differences in technology trends.  the european digital life index demonstrates that digital lifestyles are common today  but across europe there is no single digital lifestyle   said nate elliott  jupiter analyst.  consumers adopt different digital products and services in different countries.   although there are differences between different european nations  the gap between them is closing  the report concluded. the trend for gadgets and technologies  such as digital video recorders (dvr)  broadband  and video-on-demand will continue across europe  he added. more than six million uk households now have broadband net. by the middle of 2005  it is estimated that 50% of all uk net users will be on broadband. cable company ntl is trialling faster adsl (asymmetric digital subscriber line) broadband technology using adsl2+ which can give speeds of 18mbps compared to current speeds which are usually around 1mbps or 2mbps. bt is set to trial the technology later in the year. super-fast broadband will be necessary to the delivery of services such as high-definition tv (hdtv) and video-on-demand  already very popular in france and other european countries.  a separate survey by gmipoll last week found that  globally  people s appetite for technology and gadgets continues unabated. the poll of 20 000 people in 20 countries found that 59% wanted more technology.  the computer was the  must-have  gadget for most people (75%). the tv took second place (67%)  while the mobile was ranked in third position with 54%. digital cameras were the most popular choice of gadget for 2005  said the survey  with nearly 40% choosing this over wireless  home printing and dvr technologies. however  only 25% of britons said a digital camera would be their top gadget purchase of the year. almost a quarter  22%  said they would be buying some sort of wireless device. forty-four percent said they would be buying something  other . this might include digital music players  or gaming devices. the nintendo ds  sony s psp and gizmondo all hit the shops in 2005  and the first of the next generation of games consoles  xbox 2  is set to launch later this year. jupiter research s index is calculated using 40 different variables across net users  digital tv adoption  wireless and mobile  online activity  and digital devices.
765,blunkett tells of love and pain david blunkett has spoken of his love for married publisher kimberly quinn for the first time.  the home secretary described how it affected his friends and personal life  but said he was a great believer in personal responsibility. mr blunkett is taking legal action to gain access to mrs quinn s two-year-old son. she denies he is mr blunkett s. the interview with bbc radio sheffield was made before allegations he fast-tracked a visa for mrs quinn s nanny. the allegations  which he has denied  are being investigated by sir alan budd. mr blunkett talked about how he fell in love - but that she resisted his desire to go public.  in an apparent reference to his court action to gain access to her son  he says he was a great believer in responsibility and consequences  even when they were painful. mr blunkett told bbc radio sheffield:  i fell in love with someone and they wouldn t go public and things started to go very badly wrong in the summer  and then the news of the world picked up the story.  i tried for three years to make something work.  i haven t spoken about it and i don t intend to. even in the biography that s being written about me i ve ensured that there s as little as possible.  bbc political correspondent carole walker said the timing of the broadcast was unlikely to help his efforts to show that he is concentrating on getting on with the job of home secretary. shadow home secretary david davis says mr blunkett should quit if he is found to have influenced the visa process even indirectly.  reports have claimed mr blunkett chaired a meeting to discuss delays in the visa system after he learned of nanny leoncia casalme s wait. the home office has said it would be up to sir alan s inquiry to decide if any such meeting was relevant. home office minister fiona mactaggart said she hoped mr blunkett would survive in his job.  i work with him every day and i have always been surprised by how focused he is on the job in hand  on working to deal with things   she said. she told bbc one s breakfast with frost programme:  he is just really down for the job and i hope he does (survive).
2134,ibm puts cash behind linux push ibm is spending $100m (£52m) over the next three years beefing up its commitment to linux software.  the cash injection will be used to help its customers use linux on every type of device from handheld computers and phones right up to powerful servers. ibm said the money will fund a variety of technical  research and marketing initiatives to boost linux use. ibm said it had taken the step in response to greater customer demand for the open source software.  in 2004 ibm said it had seen double digit growth in the number of customers using linux to help staff work together more closely. the money will be used to help this push towards greater collaboration and will add linux-based elements to ibm s workplace software. workplace is a suite of programs and tools that allow workers to get at core business applications no matter what device they use to connect to corporate networks. one of the main focuses of the initiative will be to make it easier to use linux-based desktop computers and mobile devices with workplace. even before ibm announced this latest spending boost it was one of the biggest advocates of the open source way of working. in 2001 it put $300m into a three-year linux program and has produced linux versions of many of its programs. linux and the open source software movement are based on the premise that developers should be free to tinker with the core components of software programs. they reason that more open scrutiny of software produces better programs and fuels innovation.
297,cage film s third week at us top nicolas cage movie national treasure has topped the us and canada box office for the third week in a row.  national treasure made $17.1m (£8.8m) in ticket sales from friday to sunday  according to studio estimates  taking its total to $110.2m (£56.7m). comedy christmas with the kranks  starring tim allen and jamie lee curtis  was in second place. the polar express entered in third place while jude law film closer made its debut at number six.  oliver stone s big-budget epic alexander  starring colin farrell  followed last week s disappointing sixth-place opening with a slump to seventh place and takings of $4.7m (£2.4m). critics have savaged the three-hour epic  which reportedly cost $150m (£77m) to make. national treasure  which sees cage s character ben gates chase a hidden fortune  has been made by disney studios. it is cage s fourth collaboration with jerry bruckheimer  who is usually noted for his male-orientated action films.
1712,souness backs smith for scotland graeme souness believes walter smith would be the perfect choice to succeed berti vogts as scotland manager.  souness s former assistant at rangers is hot favourite to take over from vogts  who resigned on monday.  walter is most definitely the ideal candidate for that job. he d be perfect for it   souness told bbc sport. the scottish football association has appointed tommy burns as provisional caretaker-boss for the friendly against sweden on 17 november.  he fits the bill because of his knowledge and understanding of the scotland team and football. he is experienced and has been successful.  souness added:  walter is a real football person  as i know from working with him at ibrox.  on top of all that he is a proper human being who would command the instant respect of the players and everyone involved in scottish football.  souness joined sir alex ferguson in backing smith s claims. the scottish football association is about to embark on the search for vogts successor after appointing tommy burns in a caretaker capacity. ferguson said:  he (smith) would be the outstanding candidate as far as i m concerned.  you need somebody who knows what they re doing and walter would bring a wealth of experience to the job.  the man utd boss continued:  i don t know what credentials are needed to do the job but it s a job that needs a lot of experience.  he was my assistant with scotland and here at manchester united and he has also managed glasgow rangers.  he would need to change the whole shape of scottish football and radical changes are needed.  smith was assistant to ferguson at the world cup in mexico in 1986. the former everton and rangers boss has been out of the game since a spell as manchester united assistant last term. bbc sport understands that smith would be willing to discuss taking over if he was approached by the scottish fa.  if he is tempted to take over  it seems almost certain smith s long-time right-hand man archie knox would also play a part in the national team set-up. smith already has the backing of many pundits and fans  including former scotland manager craig brown. brown said:  walter is an outstanding candidate without doubt.  he would be admirable choice. i spoke to him on sunday and i got the impression he would take it. he was asking me about it and i was positive.  other candidates for the job include former scotland midfielders gordon strachan and gary mcallister and vogts  assistant tommy burns.
1631,ukip mep attacked german  empire  a uk independence party mep suggested germany saw the eu as an  empire  and was cheaper than using tanks  a new documentary has revealed. mike nattrass  ukip s deputy leader  made the comments to an audience at a meeting during last september s hartlepool by-election campaign. but challenged on the remark  he denied accusing germany of using the eu as cover for a  4th german reich . he says he was not  german-bashing  but saying peace was the eu s founding aim. the meeting was shown in a bbc 3 film on ex-ukip mep robert kilroy-silk. the former chat show host quit the party earlier this month  calling it a joke.  the documentary showed mr nattrass  apparently talking about the eu  telling the meeting:  the germans are the big losers here but they don t care because to them the project is worthwhile.  it s like an empire for them spreading in all directions away from germany into hungary  into what they call the sudetenland - czechoslovakia  places like that.  so it s cheaper for them to do it this way than roll the tanks in.  on tuesday  he told the bbc news website he did not think the comments were offensive and worked happily with meps of different nationalities in the european parliament. he argued that peace was the only reason for having the  outdated  eu as there was no economic justification. pointing to germany s trade interests as a country in the centre of europe  mr nattrass said:  the fact is that the eu benefits germany but it does not benefit britain.  i m not at all german-bashing. it s the truth.  a ukip spokesman said:  mike has some passionate beliefs and sometimes uses excessively colourful language with which to express them.   the documentary showed some of the tensions between mr kilroy-silk and his fellow meps after ukip took third place in last year s european elections. he denied wanting to be leader until october 2004  when he told bbc one s breakfast with frost programme he aspired to the job. asked by the documentary makers why he had lied about his leadership ambitions  mr kilroy-silk said:  there was one thing i said that i shouldn t have said at the time.  i was trying to be helpful to the party and it was the wrong thing to do  i should have told the truth.  the film also included footage of a row between mr kilroy-silk  mep nigel farage and party leader roger knapman about rumours that he was about to resign the ukip whip in the european parliament. mr kilroy-silk told them he had not left the ukip group - a move he announced shortly after the meeting. he told mr farage:  don t tell lies nigel  now you ve told too many. most of the trouble had been caused by you.  ukip officials claim it was in fact mr kilroy-silk  not mr farage  who briefed newspapers he was leaving the group of meps.  later in unguarded  off-air comments in a television studio  mr kilroy-silk was heard saying he was irritated by  defending some of these right-wing fascist nutters . mr kilroy-silk separately said he had argued against ukip working with such groups which believed homosexuality was a sin. a ukip spokesman said there were more than 40 meps in the same group in the european parliament. they were from a broad spectrum - some right-wing  some left-wing - but with a shared belief in the  unfeasibility of the eu as it is now . he did not defend other groups  religious beliefs but argued it was their right to hold such views - just as mr kilroy-silk had a right to criticise arab states. london ukip mep gerard batten said:  robert has made a variety of comments about ukip and its meps.  there are of course two sides to every story. what robert does not say is that he was offered several positions which would have given him effective control of the party  but not the title of leader.  mr kilroy-silk is to launch his own parry  veritas  in westminster on wednesday.
942,cheaper chip for mobiles a mobile phone chip which combines a modem and a computer processor on one bit of silicon instead of two could make phones cheaper and more powerful.  the specially-designed chip  developed by texas instruments  could drive down the cost of making mobiles capable of 3d gaming and 30-frame-a-second video. currently  rich multimedia features tend to be on more expensive handsets. the technology  omap-vox  is being tested by firms in europe and asia and could appear by the end of the year. texas  which makes computer chips for more than half the world s mobile phones  said it was keen to make multimedia functions like video and gaming more affordable.  we re going to drive them down into meat-and-potatoes phones that have the largest market share   said doug rasor  a marketing vice president at texas. the chip also uses much less power than conventional chips  said texas  which means less strain on mobile battery life.  more than 50 million people own a mobile in the uk  but mobile operators are keen to encourage people to move onto more sophisticated handsets that can do more. texas is keen to cash in on the third generation (3g) of mobile technology  which offers high-speed networks for video streaming and other multimedia functions. but it faces stiff competition from the likes of intel which is also looking to provide better chips for high-end mobiles.  competition to get people using 3g mobiles will grow in the next year as almost all of the uk s operators have now launched third generation networks. a recent survey by sony ericsson predicted that the number of 3g handsets sold in 2005 would double from 2004 to account for 10% of all phones sold. many consumers are still to be convinced though. a further recent survey said that only 4% of mobile owners were thinking of upgrading to 3g phones. many said they were confused about the different ways to pay for phones and the vast array of features most have onboard.  but there will be continued demand for better chips as the industry continues to develop new standards and future networks. earlier in january  ntt docomo and vodafone joined forces to develop the next generation of high-speed networks  known as  super 3g   intended to be 10 times faster than 3g services. the first stage of development is to be completed by 2007  but no date has been set for a commercial launch the newly-designed omap-vox chip set was announced ahead of the start of a major mobile industry conference  3gsm  which takes place in cannes  france this week.
1549,usher leads soul train shortlist chart-topping r&b star usher is leading the field at this year s soul train awards  with five nominations.  the singer  whose album confessions has sold close to eight million copies in the us alone  is already in the running for eight grammy awards. newcomer ciara - who recently beat elvis presley to the uk number one spot - has four nominations  while alicia keys has three. the soul train awards ceremony will take place in hollywood on 28 february.  usher has already swept the board at the american music awards with four titles  including two best album awards. his soul train nominations include best male r&b-soul album and best male r&b-soul single for confessions part ii. usher s work with rappers ludacris & lil jon won him nominations for best r&b-soul or rap music video and best r&b-soul or rap dance cut for the song yeah!  while his duet with keys  my boo  earned the pair a nod for best r&b-soul single. keys  album the diary of alicia keys was also up for best r&b-soul album by a female. her song if i ain t got you received a best single nomination in the female r&b-soul category. newcomer ciara s four nominations include best female r&b-soul album and best r&b-soul or rap by a new artist. beyonce  prince  destiny s child  jill scott and new edition all received two nominations each. the soul train music awards  which started 18 years ago  celebrates artists in r&b  hip-hop  rap and gospel music.
516,india to deport bollywood actress india has ordered the deportation of iranian-born model and actress negar khan to norway after saying she was working illegally on her visa.  khan has had raunchy roles in music videos and bollywood films over the past two years. the distressed actress told media she was being driven straight to the airport after a routine appointment at the bombay immigration office. immigration officials said she had been warned about her visa last year.  khan told an indian news channel on her mobile phone:  they are not even letting me go home to get my bags. i have no clothes or money on me.  they did not give me any notice. i don t know why they are taking me away like this. there is nothing wrong with my visa. it says i work here... they are not allowing me to even call a lawyer.  bipin bihari  deputy police chief in bombay  said khan was being sent back to norway  from which she holds a passport  on the first available flight.  she was on a visitor s visa but she has engaged in several commercial ventures   he said.  we issued notices last year  in view of which she had gone back to norway  but she has returned again this year to work.  one of khan s biggest successes was the steamy hindi song chadti jawani (rising youth). khan was involved in controversy when topless photos alleged to be of her appeared in a norwegian magazine.
2215,bush budget seeks deep cutbacks president bush has presented his 2006 budget  cutting domestic spending in a bid to lower a record deficit projected to peak at $427bn (£230bn) this year.  the $2.58 trillion (£1.38 trillion) budget submitted to congress affects 150 domestic programmes from farming to the environment  education and health. but foreign aid is due to rise by 10%  with more money to treat hiv/aids and reward economic and political reform. military spending is also set to rise by 4.8%  to reach $419.3bn. the budget does not include the cost of running military operations in iraq and afghanistan  for which the administration is expected to seek an extra $80bn from congress later this year.  congress will spend several months debating george w bush s proposal.  the state department s planned budget would rise to just under $23bn - a fraction of the defence department s request - including almost $6bn to assist us allies in the  war on terror . however  the administration is keen to highlight its global effort to tackle hiv/aids  the bbc s jonathan beale reports  and planned spending would almost double to $3bn  with much of that money going to african nations. mr bush also wants to increase the amount given to poorer countries through his millennium challenge corporation. the scheme has been set up to reward developing countries that embrace what the us considers to be good governance and sound policies. yet mr bush s proposed spending of $3bn on that project is well below his initial promise of $5bn.  a key spending line missing from proposals is the cost of funding the administration s proposed radical overhaul of social security  the pensions programme on which many americans rely for their retirement income.  some experts believe this could require borrowing of up to $4.5 trillion over a 20-year period. neither does the budget include any cash to purchase crude oil for the us emergency petroleum stockpile. concern over the level of the reserve  created in 1970s  has led to rises in oil prices over the past year. the bush administration will instead continue to fill the reserve by taking oil - rather than cash - from energy companies that drill under federal leases.  the outline proposes reductions in budgets at 12 out of 23 government agencies including cuts of 9.6% at agriculture and 5.6% at the environmental protection agency. the spending plan for the year beginning 1 october is banking on a healthy us economy to boost government income by 6.1% to $2.18 trillion. spending is forecast to grow by 3.5% to $2.57 trillion. but the budget is still the tightest yet under mr bush s presidency.  in order to sustain our economic expansion  we must continue pro-growth policies and enforce even greater spending restraint across federal government   mr bush said in his budget message to congress. mr bush has promised to halve the us s massive budget deficit within five years. the deficit  partly the result of massive tax cuts early in mr bush s presidency  has been a key factor in pushing the us dollar lower. the independent congressional budget office estimates that the shortfall could shrink to little more than $200bn by 2009  returning to the surpluses seen in the late 1990s by 2012. but its estimates depend on the tax cuts not being made permanent  in line with the promise when they were passed that they would  sunset   or disappear  in 2010. most republicans  however  want them to stay in place. and the figures also rely on the  social security trust fund  - the money set aside to cover the swelling costs of retirement pensions - being offset against the main budget deficit.
531,labour s core support takes stock tony blair has told labour supporters he s  back  and still hungry for the job of prime minister - but does that sum up the mood at the party s spring conference in gateshead    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.
1541,hodges announces rugby retirement scarlets and usa eagles forward dave hodges has ended his playing career to pursue a coaching role in the states.  the 36-year-old  who has 54 caps  was llanelli s player of the season in 2001/2  but has battled injury for the last two of his seven years at stradey. he tore a pectoral muscle against the ospreys on boxing day  an injury that would have kept him out for the season.  realising i would be unable to play this season  the club and i agreed to end my contract early   said hodges.   it allows me to move back to the us and pursue opportunities there and allows the scarlets to look to the next generation.  the scarlets have begun to rebuild their squad for next season after a disappointing heineken cup campaign  with plenty more signings and departures expected in the coming weeks.  scarlets chief executive stuart gallacher confirmed that 17 of the current squad would be out of contract in the summer.  we have a deliberate policy whereby around half the squad are coming out of contract and they know they won t all be re-signed  it s a chance to invigorate the squad   he said.  i m positive about the future of the scarlets both on and off the field.  gallacher was keen to pay tribute to the role back-five forward hodges has played at stradey park  though.  david has been a highly influential member of our squad for seven years   said gallacher.  he is a real professional and we thank him for the part he has played in our success.  i am sure he has an enormous contribution to make to the development of rugby in the us and we wish him and his family well.  hodges described his years at stradey as  the best time of my life.
1340,latin america sees strong growth latin america s economy grew by 5.5% in 2004  its best performance since 1980  while exports registered their best performance in two decades.  the united nations  economic commission for latin america and the caribbean said the region grew by 5.5% this year. the inter-american development bank (iadb) said regional exports reached $445.1bn (£227bn;331bn euros) in 2004. doubts about the strength of the us recovery and overheating of the chinese economy do however pose risks for 2005. both organisations also warned that high oil prices raise the risk of either inflation or recession.  nevertheless  the economic commission for latin america and the caribbean (eclac) still forecasts growth of 4% for 2005. strong recovery in some countries  such as venezuela and uruguay  boosted the overall performance of the region. eclac also said that the six largest latin american economies (argentina  brazil  chile  colombia  mexico and venezuela) grew by more than 3% for only the second time in 20 years. chinese and us economic strength helped boost exports  as did strong demand for agricultural and mining products. in fact  latin american exports to china grew 34%  to $14bn. higher oil prices also helped boost exports  as mexico and venezuela are important oil exporters. regional blocs as well as free trade agreements with the us contributed to the region s strong performance  the iadb said.
56,vouchers  to cut winter deaths  pensioners are being promised energy savings by the liberal democrats  as snow and cold temperatures continue.  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.
2138,captains lining up for aid match ireland s brian o driscoll is one of four six nations captains included in the northern hemisphere squad for the irb rugby aid match on 5 march.  france s fabien pelous  gordon bullock of scotland and italy s marco bortolami are also in the northern party. sir clive woodward will coach the northern team against rod macqueen s southern hemisphere team in a tsumani fund-raising match at twickenham.  i m looking forward to working with such outstanding players   he said. it will be a chance for woodward to assess some of his options before unveiling his british and irish lions touring party  who will visit new zealand in the summer.  the game promises to be a great spectacle   he said.  both teams are fielding top-quality sides and i really hope that the rugby public and community get behind this game to raise as much money as possible for such a deserving cause.   l dallaglio (england)  b cohen (england)  a rougerie (france)  d traille (france)  f pelous (france)  r ibanez (france)  p de villiers (france)  b o driscoll (ireland  capt)  p o connell (ireland)  d humphreys (ireland)  c paterson (scotland)  c cusiter (scotland)  g bullock (scotland)  s taylor (scotland)  a lo cicero (italy)  m bortolami (italy)  s parisse (italy)  d peel (wales)  c sweeney (wales)  j thomas (wales)  r williams (wales)  j yapp (wales).  c latham (australia); r caucaunibuca (fiji)  j fourie (s africa) t umaga (new zealand)  s bobo (fiji); a mehrtens (new zealand) g gregan (australia  capt); t kefu (australia)  p waugh (australia)  s burger (s africa); i rawaqa (fiji)  v matfield (s africa); k visagie (s africa)  j smit (s africa)  c hoeft (new zealand). reserves: b reihana (new zealand)  b lima (samoa)  e taukafa (tonga)  o palepoi (samoa)  s sititi (samoa)  m rauluni (fiji)  a n other.
338,yukos heading back to us courts russian oil and gas company yukos is due in a us court on thursday as it continues to fight for its survival.  the firm is in the process of being broken up by russian authorities in order to pay a $27bn (£14bn) tax bill. yukos filed for bankruptcy in the us  hoping to use international business law to halt the forced sale of its key oil production unit  yuganskneftegas. the unit was however sold for $9.4bn to state oil firm rosneft but only after the state auction had been disrupted.  yukos lawyers now say the auction violated us bankruptcy law. the company and its main shareholders have vowed to go after any company that buys its assets  using all and every legal means. the company wants damages of $20bn  claiming yuganskneftegas was sold at less than market value. judge letitia clark will hear different motions  including one from deutsche bank to throw out the chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. the german lender is one of six banks that were barred from providing financing to gazprom  the russian state-owned company that was expected to win the auction for yuganskneftegas. deutsche bank  which is also an advisor to gazprom  has called on the us court to overturn its decision to provide yukos with bankruptcy protection.  lifting the injunction would remove the uncertainty that surrounds the court case and clarify deutsche bank s business position  analysts said.  analysts are not optimistic about yukos  chances in court. russian president vladimir putin and the country s legal authorities have repeatedly said that the us has no jurisdiction over yukos and its legal wranglings. on top of that  the firm only has limited assets in the us. yukos has won small victories  however  and is bullish about its chances in court.  do we have an ability to influence what happens  we think we do   said mike lake  a yukos spokesman.  the litigation risks are real   said credit suisse first boston analyst vadim mitroshin the dispute with the russian authorities is partly driven by president putin s clampdown on the political ambitions of ex-yukos boss mikhail khodorkovsky. mr khodorkovsky is in jail on charges of fraud and tax evasion.
133,wales get williams fitness boost wales are hopeful that openside flanker martyn williams could be fit for saturday s rbs 6 nations championship opener against england in cardiff.  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.
215,ireland v usa (sat) saturday 20 november  lansdowne road  dublin  1300 gmt  the irish coach knows a repeat of the record 83-3 victory over the states in 2000 is not on the agenda and expects a real test at lansdowne road.  their coach tom billups will have them very organised   said o sullivan.  they ran five tries past the french in the summer  so we will not take them for granted. we have guys coming into the team who are chomping at the bit.  the irish line-up shows nine changes from the team which started against south africa with winger tommy bowe and flanker denis leamy making their international debuts. the other changes see recalls for backs david humphreys  kevin maggs and guy easterby with eric miller  marcus horan  donnacha o callaghan and frank sheehan all returning to the pack.  o sullivan said the players coming in had the opportunity to stake claims for inclusion against argentina on 27 november. easterby gets a rare start at scrum-half while humphreys  now effectively ronan o gara s deputy at fly-half  wins his 65th cap.  we have got to get the focus right on the day   said ulster man humphreys.  the us may be classed as weaker opposition  but we will treat them with the respect they deserve.  the states lost 39-31 against france in their last international and are ranked 16th in world rugby. the americans have made three changes  plus one positional switch from the game in july against the french. lock alec parker  blind-side flanker brian surgener and right wing al lakomskis return and captain kort schubert of the cardiff blues shifts to number eight. schubert is the only eagles player remaining from the sides  meeting four years ago.  g murphy; s horgan  b o driscoll (capt)  k maggs  t bowe; d humphreys  g easterby; m horan. f sheahan  j hayes  d o callaghan  p o connell  s easterby  d leamy  e miller.  s byrne  s best  l cullen  a foley  p stringer  r o gara  g dempsey.  viljoen; lakomskis  emerick  sika  fee  hercus  timoteo; macdonald  wyatt  waasdorp  parker  klerck  surgener  petruzzella  schubert (capt).  hobson  osentowski  gouws  mo unga  williams  sherman  tuipulotu.
521,fiat chief takes steering wheel the chief executive of the fiat conglomerate has taken day-to-day control of its struggling car business in an effort to turn it around.  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.
1777,labour accused of  eu propaganda  a  taxpayer subsidised propaganda exercise  on the eu is being used to lull the british public into a false sense of security  say the tories.  shadow foreign secretary michael ancram told mps a new white paper was part of trying to soften up opinion ahead of the referendum on the eu constitution. his claims were denied by foreign secretary jack straw  who accused the tories of  running scared  of debate. eu cooperation would help get better uk immigration controls  he argued.  mr straw used thursday s commons debate to launch the new white paper on the prospects for the eu in 2005. security  stability and prosperity would be the key themes when the uk took over the chairmanship of the eu in july  said mr straw. africa and climate change would also feature highly. he said the uk was trying to ensure future eu budgets were limited to 1% of europe s economic output and were spent  where it adds most value . mr straw promised to continue to ensure the uk s budget rebate  secured in 1984 by margaret thatcher  was  fully justified .  we  like all other countries  have a veto on any changes proposed in this area   he said.  mr ancram condemned the document  which the foreign office says has cost about £2 500 to design  print and deliver.  isn t the reason that the government is now involved in a taxpayer subsidised propaganda exercise to try to sell the new eu to the country in advance of the forthcoming referendum and general election    he asked. the tory spokesman also criticised the government for claiming the eu constitution would make europe easier to understand.  the government  last week  had to publish a commentary of 500 pages to try and explain this  easy and simple  constitution to the british people   he said.  who are they trying to kid   the proposed question for the constitution referendum is:  should the united kingdom approve the treaty establishing a constitution for the european union   the electoral commission on thursday said it was satisfied the question was easy to understand. the government has suggested the referendum on the constitution could take place in spring 2006  with the tories set to campaign for a  no  vote.  mr ancram said ministers were prolonging uncertainty by putting the vote off until the latest date possible. the foreign secretary hit back by saying tory attitudes to europe had helped keep the party out of power for more than a decade. mr straw argued cooperation with european partners could bring a  level playing field  on immigration and asylum controls.  you are setting your face against all of these things   he added. for the liberal democrats  sir menzies campbell said the uk should not ignore the need to reform the eu common agricultural policy. change was particularly important for developing countries wanting access to markets  he argued. sir menzies was among those worried about plans  backed by the uk  to lift the arms embargo imposed on china after the tiananmen square massacre. mr straw said no decisions had been taken - chinese human rights had improved but not by enough.
185,sony wares win innovation award sony has taken the prize for top innovator at the annual awards of pc pro magazine.  it won the award for taking risks with products and for its  brave  commitment to good design. conferring the award  pc pro s staff picked out sony s pcg-x505/p vaio laptop as a  stunning piece of engineering . the electronics giant beat off strong competition from toshiba and chip makers amd and intel to take the gong.  paul trotter  news and features editor of pc pro  said several sony products helped it to take the innovation award.  he said sony s clie peg ux50 media player with its swivel screen and qwerty keyboard  broke the design rules yet again . other sony products that helped included the vaio w1 desktop computer and the ra-104 media server. mr trotter said sony s combining of computer  screen and keyboard in the w1 was likely to be widely copied in future home pcs. the company has also become one of the first to use organic leds in its products.  while not always inventing new technology itself  sony was never afraid to innovate around various formats   said mr trotter.  other awards decided by pc pro s staff and contributors included one for canon s eos 300d digital camera in the most wanted hardware category.  microsoft s media player 10 took the award for most wanted software. this year was the 10th anniversary of the pc pro awards  which splits its prizes into two sections. the first are chosen by the magazine s writers and consultants  the second are voted for by readers. mr trotter said more than 13 000 people voted for the reliability and service awards  twice as many as in 2003. net-based memory and video card shop crucial shared the award for online vendor of the year with novatech.
2105,house prices rebound says halifax uk house prices increased by 1.1% in december  the first monthly rise since september  the halifax has said.  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. the average price of a house in the uk now stands at £162 086  halifax said. the survey seems to fly in the face of recent evidence that the uk housing market has been slowing substantially in response to interest rate rises.  last week  the nationwide said that house prices fell 0.2% in december  with annual inflation running at a three year low.  on tuesday  figures from the bank of england showed that the number of mortgages approved in the uk has fallen to the lowest level for nearly a decade. new loans in november fell to 77 000  from 85 000 in october  the lowest rate since september 1995  the bank of england said. growth in unsecured lending  such as personal loans and credit cards  also slowed last month. capital economics  which has in the past predicted a sharp fall in uk house prices  branded halifax s findings a  temporary surprise   which would be reversed over the coming months.  the month by month volatility of the halifax house price data should not distract from the fact that there is a clear downward trend in house prices   a capital economics statement said.  experts believe five interest rate rises since november 2003 are cutting borrowers  appetite for debt.  despite recording a price rise in december  the halifax survey concluded that there was  continuing signs of a genuine slowdown in the housing market.  martin ellis  halifax chief economist  said that there was no need to revise the bank s prediction  made last month  that prices would fall by 2% in 2005.  sound housing market fundamentals will continue to underpin the market in 2005  ensuring that the market remains healthy and that house prices fall only slightly   mr ellis said. if the bank s prediction of a 2% price drop comes true  it will be the first annual fall in nine years.  the bank said that the recent pattern of house prices rising the fastest in the north of england continued in december. in the north west and yorkshire and the humber  halifax said prices rose by 3% and 1.2% in the two regions respectively during the month. at the other send of the scale  prices in the south east and london fell by 1.6% and 0.5% respectively. the biggest decline was seen in wales where prices fell by 6.2%  an area that had experienced strong house price growth during most of 2004. overall  halifax said prices in the final quarter of 2004 were 0.1% higher than in the previous quarter. this was the smallest quarterly rise since the second quarter of 2000  the bank said. as a result  annual house price inflation dipped below 20% during the final few months of 2004.
1556,us bank in $515m sec settlement five bank of america subsidiaries have agreed to pay a total of $515m (£277m) to settle an investigation into fraudulent trading share practices.  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.
659,kirwan demands italy consistency italy coach john kirwan has challenged his side to match the performance they produced in pushing ireland close when they meet wales on saturday.  despite losing 28-17 in sunday s six nations encounter  the italians confirmed their continuing improvement.  our goal is to match every side we face and against ireland we showed we could do that   said kirwan.  but the most important thing is that we build on that performance when we play wales on saturday.  italy s half-backs had a mixed afternoon  with recalled scrum-half alessandro troncon impressing but fly-half luciano orquera having an off-day with the boot. kirwan said:  i was very happy with troncon. he had an incredible game - he was very good in attack and defence.  orquera s kicking was off but he showed great courage in defence.  he also followed the game plan. we have to give him confidence because he has the capability to do well.
1837,saint-andre anger at absent stars sale sharks director of rugby philippe saint-andre has re-opened rugby s club-versus-country debate.  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.
59,scotland v italy (sat) murrayfield  edinburgh  saturday  26 february  1400 gmt  bbc1  five live and this website  victory for the azzurri in rome last year saw scotland end their campaign without a victory. and the pressure is on scotland coach matt williams as he seeks a first six nations victory at the eighth attempt. italy have lost both their opening games at home to ireland and wales  but travel to edinburgh with high hopes.  their coach john kirwan has warned his side they must eradicate the errors that blighted their loss to wales however or risk suffering a third successive defeat.  if the defeat against wales has taught us anything  it s that at this level we can t make any mistakes   kirwan said.  in the six nations  every error you make will come at a high price.  we have to be aggressive for 80 minutes  keep calm in every situation and display great maturity on the pitch.   it will be fundamental to keep cool in the difficult moments - in the key situations of the game.  kirwan has recalled the experienced cristian stoica at centre and drafted in david dal maso at open-side after star flanker mauro bergamasco was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. scotland have also made two changes  simon webster replacing simon danielli on the wing and simon taylor returning for his first test in a year  for injured flanker jason white. taylor s recovery from a serious knee injury is a major boost to scottish hopes.  he is one of the world-class players in the tournament and you want them in your team   acknowledged williams.  despite a record of only two victories from 14 tests  williams insists he is revelling in the pressure.  i actually really enjoy seeing how you cope with such pressure as a coach   he said  optimistic despite opening defeats to france and ireland.  we were confident for those two first games and we are confident we can beat italy too   he added.  : c paterson; s webster  a craig  h southwell  s lamont; d parks  c cusiter; t smith  g bulloch (capt)  g kerr; s grimes  s murray; s taylor  j petrie  a hogg.  r russell  b douglas  n hines  j dunbar  m blair  g ross  b hinshelwood.  r de marigny; mirco bergamasco  c stoica  a masi  l nitoglia; l orquera  a troncon; a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni; s dellape  m bortolami (capt); a persico  d dal maso  s parisse.  g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  s orlando  p griffen  r pedrazzi  kp robertson.
383,argentina  venezuela in oil deal argentina and venezuela have extended a food-for-oil deal  which helped the former to overcome a severe energy crisis last year.  argentine president nestor kirchner and venezuelan president hugo chavez signed the deal in buenos aires on tuesday. last april  argentina signed a $240m agreement to import venezuelan fuel in exchange for agricultural goods and this deal has now been extended. venezuela will now import cattle  medicines and medical equipment. last year  argentina s severe energy crisis forced president kirchner to suspend gas exports to chile. argentina fears that rising demand could spark another crisis and wants to prevent it by signing this deal. the two countries also formalised a co-operation deal between venezuelan energy firm pdvsa and argentina s enarsa. under this deal  the argentine market will be opened to venezuelan investment. president chavez added that brazil s petrobras could join soon the co-operation deal. president chavez is an ardent promoter of the concept of a south american oil company  which could include the state-owned companies of venezuela  argentina  brazil and bolivia. the two presidents also agreed to create  television sur   a latin american network of state-owned television channels.
1581,bookmakers back aviator for oscar the aviator has been tipped by uk bookmakers as the favourite to win the best film award at this year s oscars.  ray star jamie foxx is clear favourite in the best actor category while million dollar baby s hilary swank is tipped to win the best actress prize. bookmakers predict cate blanchett will be named best supporting actress. william hill and ladbrokes have given the aviator 4/9 and 8/13 odds of winning best film  with million dollar baby in second place at 9/4.  bet direct and bet 365 also tip the aviator  with the majority of bookmakers regarding finding neverland as the outsider. the aviator is also widely tipped to win the best director prize for martin scorsese. british star clive owen is second favourite at william hill to take the best supporting actor award  for his performance in closer. the favourite in that category is sideways star thomas hayden church. vera drake star imelda staunton has 5/1 odds of winning the best actress oscar at bet 365 and william hill  ahead of fellow uk star kate winslet who has odds of 25/1 at william hill.  mike leigh is the outsider in the best director category for vera drake  a position he holds jointly with ray s taylor hackford at bookmakers vc bet. this year s academy awards will be handed out in hollywood on 27 february. x factor judge sharon osbourne will present sky television s live coverage of the event. meanwhile  clive owen s best supporting actor nomination has led a bookmaker to shorten his odds of becoming the next james bond. he has moved from 4/1 to 5/2 favourite to play 007  with hugh jackman and ewan mcgregor joint second favourite.  clive owen s nomination has sparked a betting frenzy from james bond fans  who feel that his heightened global recognition will have done his chances of becoming the next bond a world of good   said william hill spokesman rupert adams.
2167,us  to raise tv indecency fines  us politicians are proposing a tough new law aimed at cracking down on indecency and bad language on us tv.  fines of up to $500 000 (£266 582) could be imposed each time broadcasters transmit nudity or profanities. the proposal  unveiled in the house of representatives  also seeks to revoke a broadcaster s licence after three violations have been committed. the exposure of janet jackson s breast at last year s superbowl landed cbs with a $550 000 (£293 264) fine. entertainers could also be liable for fines under the proposed legisation from both us politcians and officials from the federal communications commission (fcc). a republican senator from kansas  sam brownbeck  is set to call for a maximum $3 million (£1.6 million) fine for repeated violations.  the current maximum fine stands at $32 500 (£17 320) - 20 of the stations in the cbs network were each penalised these lesser amounts for the jackson incident. republican politician fred upton  who chairs the committee responsible for broadcasting  said current fines are  more of a cost of doing business rather than a deterrent . last year s janet jackson  wardrobe malfunction  encouraged the fcc to impose tougher rules  but the us congress adjourned last year without agreeing on a new level of fines. new figures have to be decided before new legislation can be put before president bush. certain broadcasters  like fox  claim the material they carry does not violate indecency laws and is protected under the right to free speech.
1593,iran jails blogger for 14 years an iranian weblogger has been jailed for 14 years on charges of spying and aiding foreign counter-revolutionaries.  arash sigarchi was arrested last month after using his blog to criticise the arrest of other online journalists. mr sigarchi  who also edits a newspaper in northern iran  was sentenced by a revolutionary court in the gilan area. his sentence  criticised by human rights watchdog reporters without borders  comes a day after an online  day of action  to secure his release. iranian authorities have recently clamped down on the growing popularity of weblogs  restricting access to major blogging sites from within iran. a second iranian blogger  motjaba saminejad  who also used his website to report on bloggers  arrests  is still being held.  a spokesman for reporters without borders  which tracks press freedom across the globe  described mr sigarchi s sentence as  harsh  and called on iranian president mohammed khatami to work to secure his immediate release.  the authorities are trying to make an example of him   the organisation said in a statement.   by handing down this harsh sentence against a weblogger  their aim is to dissuade journalists and internet-users from expressing themselves online or contacting foreign media.  in the days before his arrest mr sigarchi gave interviews to the bbc persian service and the us-funded radio farda. iranian authorities have arrested about 20 online journalists during the current crackdown. they accused mr sigarchi of a string of crimes against iranian state  including espionage  insulting the founder of iran s islamic republic  ayatollah ruhollah khomenei  and current supreme leader ayatollah ali khamenei. mr sigarchi s lawyer labelled the revolutionary court  illegal and incompetent  and called for a retrial in a public court.  mr sigarchi was sentenced one day after an online campaign highlighted his case in a day of action in defence of bloggers around the world.  the committee to protect bloggers designated 22 february 2005 as free mojtaba and arash day. around 10 000 people visited the campaign s website during the day. about 12% of users were based in iran  the campaign s director told the bbc news website. curt hopkins said mr sigarchi s sentence would not dent the resolve of bloggers joining the campaign to help highlight the case.  the eyes of 8 million bloggers are going to be more focused on iran since sigarchi s sentence  not less.  the mullahs won t be able to make a move without it be spread across the blogosphere.
1849,mps  murder sentence concern murder sentences should not be reduced automatically simply because of a guilty plea  says a new mps  report.  the influential commons home affairs committee was responding to sentencing guidelines issued this summer. the mps also call for tougher sentences for crimes committed under the influence of drink or drugs. they say the influence of drugs and alcohol should be introduced as an aggravating factor when judges and magistrates sentence offenders. committee chairman john denham said drugs of alcohol were sometimes used as an excuse.   the committee believes that these arguments should be rejected by sentencers and that being under their influence should instead be an aggravating factor.  at present judges  when sentencing murderers to the mandatory life sentence  can reduce the tariff - the minimum term they must serve - if the defendant pleads guilty. but although they are spared the ordeal of a trial many murder victims  relatives are unhappy. in july this year amanda champion s killer  james ford  pleaded guilty to her murder and was jailed for at least 15 years - it would have been longer had he denied the charge.  amanda s uncle  lewis champion  told the bbc news website ford did not deserve any credit for his plea  saying:  nothing at all is worth taking five years off a murder sentence.  mps criticised home secretary david blunkett last year for introducing last-minute rules allowing reduced sentences for murderers who pleaded guilty.  the measures passed into law virtually unnoticed after mr blunkett introduced them at a late stage of the criminal justice bill.  as a result  says the committee  the government may need to re-legislate to  remove ambiguity  over how murderers should be sentenced. it is also calling on the senior judge in england and wales  lord woolf  to abandon draft guidelines he proposed in september to reduce sentences of murderers who plead guilty. the committee said the plans had not reflected the  public disquiet  expressed over the possibility of significantly reduced prison terms for murderers. lord woolf s sentencing guidelines council (sgc) caused further controversy by suggesting a one third discount off sentences for early guilty pleas in all types of crime. as a result murderers who face a 15-year tariff could get five years knocked off if they give themselves up to the police.  mr denham believes the sgc should reconsider its proposals to reflect parliament s wish that murder should be treated as a separate and especially grave category of offence. he said:  we want to see sentencers advised that in the case of murder  reduction in sentence for a guilty plea should not normally be granted in addition to reductions for other mitigating circumstances.  but a spokesman for the home office defended the proposals. he said:  by making express provision for murder tariffs in the criminal justice act  parliament sent a clear signal that it expects murder to be treated differently to other offences.  we stand by the provisions in the act that cover guilty plea discounts  which have potential benefits for victims and witnesses of avoiding the trauma of a trial.   shadow home secretary david davis echoed criticisms of the way mr blunkett introduced the murder tariff rules.  there is genuine concern about potential reductions in murder sentences - such action sends out the wrong signals to violent criminals and completely undermines the government s claim to be tough on crime   he said. but liberal democrat spokesman mark oaten warned the mps  committee that binding judges too much might look like political interference.  the danger of having a prescriptive approach is that whilst every murder is awful  it is also different   he told bbc news.
1691,rapper 50 cent scores chart first rapper 50 cent has become the first solo artist to have three singles in the us top five in the same week.  his track candy shop remained at the top of the charts  while disco inferno crept up from six to five. 50 cent also appears on rap protege the game s song how we do  number four in the us but now outside the uk top ten. the pair had a recent dispute which saw the game thrown out of 50 cent s rap collective g-unit  accusing him of disloyalty in an ongoing feud.  50 cent  who burst onto the music scene in 2003  has had less success in the uk charts  with three singles making the top ten. his debut album  get rich and die tryin   narrowly missed out on becoming a uk chart topper.  but in the us  he headed the 2003 end of year charts for the album and r&b and hip hop artists. newcomer the game s debut reached the top of the charts five weeks ago  while 50 cent s second collection the masscre was released in the us at the end of last week. last may  r&b star usher scored a chart first  with three concurrent singles in the us top 10  a feat which was previously matched only by the bee gees and the beatles. the hit songs were taken from the 24-year-old s confessions album  which topped the american chart for eight weeks.
2033,search sites get closer to users search sites want to get to know you better.  not content with providing access to the millions of websites  many now offer ways that do a better job of remembering  cataloguing and managing all the information you come across. some of the latest to update their search systems are ask jeeves and blinkx  which have both released a series of utilities that try to help people get more from the web.  the future is all about developing your own personal web   said tony macklin  spokesman for ask jeeves.  mr macklin said that too often when people use a search engine it was like the first time they ever used it  because there was no memory of what they had searched for before.  each time you go back in you have to start all over again   he said. the series of updates to its service  collected under the my ask jeeves banner  would help people remember where they had been before.  ask jeeves has added the ability to  save  websites of interest so the next time a users visits the site they can search through the sites they have previously found. sites saved in this way can be arranged in folders and have notes attached to them to explain why they were saved. mr macklin said many people wanted to save sites they had seen but did not want to add them to their bookmarks or favourites not least because such lists cannot be easily searched. on average  said mr macklin  users conduct between five and 10 searches per day and the tools in my ask jeeves should stop them having to do searches twice and get to what they want much more easily. under my ask jeeves users can search the web or through the results they have already noted as interesting.  it s about finding again what you found before   he said. the my ask jeeves service lets people store up to a 1000 web links or 5000 if they sign up to the free service. by way of comparison google s desktop search tool catalogues search histories informally and lets people look through the sites they have visited.  at the same time  search start-up blinkx has released a second version of its eponymous software. blinkx is desktop search software that watches what someone is working on  be it a document or e-mail  and suggests websites  video clips  blogs or documents on a pc that are relevant to it.  since blinkx launched it has faced increased competition from firms such as google  copernic  enfish  x1 and apple all of whom now have programs that let people search their pc as well as the web.  the competition has validated the problem we tackle   said suranga chandratillake  co-founder of blinkx. in the latest release of blinkx  the company has added what it calls smart folders. once created the folders act as persistent queries that automatically sweep the web for pages related to their subject and catalogues relevant information  documents or incoming e-mails  on hard drives too. what users do with blinkx and other desktop search engines shows that people tend to be very promiscuous in their use of search engines.  blinkx users do not stop using other web search systems   he said.  they might use google to look up a company  or yahoo for travel because they know they are good at that   he said.  the classic thing we have seen recently  is people using blinkx to look at the things they have searched on   he said. the variety of ways to search data was only helping users  said mr chandratillake and that it was likely that in the future people would use different ones for different tasks.
2092,collins named uk athletics chief uk athletics has ended its search for a new performance director by appointing psychologist dave collins.  collins  who worked with the british teams at the 2000 and 2004 olympics  takes over from max jones. six candidates were interviewed for the job  including denise lewis  coach charles van commenee and former british triple jumper keith connor.  we ve searched long and hard to ensure we have found the right person   said uka chief executive david moorcroft.  we have thoroughly tested the candidates. i believe david will make a great leader and i have great faith in what he will achieve.  collins said:  it s a great challenge. over the next few months i will spend time listening to those who already make a significant contribution to athletics and other elite sports in the uk.  collins  who has worked with javelin thrower steve backley in the past  started his career as a royal marine before becoming a pe teacher. he is currently professor of physical education and sport performance at edinburgh university  where he helps competitors across many sports  including rugby  athletics  judo and football.  he has specialised in helping competitors fulfil their potential through psychology and has worked with the great britain women s curling team  who won gold at the 2002 winter olympics. mark lewis-francis sought collins  advice in athens when he was looking for inspiration before he ran the final leg of britain s surprise triumph in the 4x100m relay. collins has played rugby at regional level  was captain of the great britain american football team  and competed at national level in judo and karate. he arrives with british athletics at a crossroads. despite kelly holmes  golden double and the success of the sprint relay squad  the gb team failed to live up to expectations in athens. many older competitors have retired or are coming to the end of their careers  and britain failed to win a single medal at the world junior championships in italy this year. collins will not have day-to-day coaching contact with the athletes  but will be expected to make changes to the system and coaching set-up in order to secure medals at the beijing olympics in 2008. the appointment of a new performance director was one of the main recommendations in sir andrew foster s review of the sport  which was published in may. it was commissioned by uk sport and sport england  which wanted uk athletics to justify funding of more than £40m from the government following the failure to hang on to the 2005 world championships  which are now being held in helsinki. van commenee dropped out of the selection process to take on the same role with the dutch olympic committee  while connor s application was rejected after an arduous interview process. foster  however  declared himself satisfied with how the appointment was made.  the appointment of david collins  with his strong mix of leadership skills and managerial experience  is testament to the professional and detailed recruitment process   he said.
849,slimmer playstation triple sales sony playstation 2 s slimmer shape has proved popular with uk gamers  with 50 000 sold in its first week on sale.  sales have tripled since launch  outstripping microsoft s xbox  said market analysts chart-track. the numbers were also boosted by the release of the ps2-only game grand theft auto: san andreas. the title broke the uk sales record for video games in its first weekend of release. latest figures suggest it has sold more than 677 000 copies.   it is obviously very  very encouraging for sony because microsoft briefly outsold them last week   john houlihan  editor of computerandvideogames.com told bbc news.  and with halo 2 [for xbox] out next week  it really is a head-to-head contest between them and xbox.   although xbox sales over the last week also climbed  ps2 sales were more than double that. the figures mean sony is reaching the seven million barrier for uk sales of the console. edinburgh-based developer  rockstar  which is behind the gta titles  has seen san andreas pull in an estimated £24m in gross revenues over the weekend. in comparison  blockbuster films like harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban took £11.5m in its first three days at the uk box office. the lord of the rings: the return of the king took nearly £10m over its opening weekend  although games titles are four to five times more expensive than cinema tickets.  gangster-themed gta san andreas is the sequel to grand theft auto vice city which previously held the record for the fastest-selling video game ever. the xbox game halo 2  released on 11 november in the uk  is also widely tipped to be one of the best-selling games of the year. the original title won universal acclaim in 2001  and sold more than four million copies.  mr houlihan added that sony had done well with the ps2  but it definitely helped that the release of san andreas coincided with the slimline ps2 hitting the shelves. the run-up to christmas is a huge battlefield for games consoles and titles. microsoft s xbox had been winning the race up until last week in sales. the sales figures also suggest that it may be a largely adult audience driving demand  since gta san andreas has an 18 certificate. sony and microsoft have both reduced console prices recently and are preparing the way for the launches of their next generation consoles in 2005.  both have hit crucial price points at around £100 and that really does open up new consoles to new audience  plus the release of two really important games in terms of development are also driving those sales   said mr houlihan.
1780,tv presenter deeley drops cd:uk cat deeley has resigned as host of itv1 s saturday morning children s music show cd:uk after six years.  the 28-year-old host who also presents stars in their eyes said she wanted to concentrate on new television projects.  i ve had a great few years  met some really incredible people and been given some wonderful opportunities   the presenter said. deeley will host her last show on 5 march and guest presenters will stand in until a replacement is found.  the long-running presenter said:  i would like to take this opportunity to thank the cd:uk team and all the viewers that have watched  supported the show and let me gate crash their saturday morning.  whilst obviously i am really sad to say goodbye  i m immensely excited about the future.  deeley formerly co-hosted sm:tv  the children s show which airs before cd:uk on a saturday morning  alongside hit presenters ant and dec. she won a children s bafta award for best presenter in december 2001 and also fronted bbc one s fame academy series.
1747,french consumer spending rising french consumers increased their spending by 1.5% in january  a figure which bodes well for the country s economic growth  figures revealed.  the national statistic institute (insee) added that consumer spending in january rose 3.8% on a year-on-year basis. rising sales of household equipment were behind the increase. the insee also said that french consumer prices fell 0.6% in january  but were up 1.6% on an annual basis.  despite the general increase in spending in january  french households bought fewer cars in january. according to the insee  car sales fell 2.8% in january  following a fall of 0.6% in december. but on a year-on-year basis  the sector still saw a sales increase of 6.5%. consumer spending fuelled france s economic growth in the last quarter of 2004 and analysts expect that it will continue to support the economy.  it s a growth that will remain fragile and vulnerable to risks like a strong rise in long-term interest rates  tension in the oil price   emmanuel ferry  from exane bnp paribas told reuters news agency.  meanwhile in italy  consumer confidence rose to its highest level since october 2004. economic research group isae has said that italian consumer confidence rose to 104.4 from 103.3  despite a slight deterioration in short-term sentiment.
1509,kennedy s cautious optimism charles kennedy is far too canny to make any grand claims about how his party may fare at the general election.  in his 22 years in the commons  he has seen his fair share of such claims dashed on the rocks of bitter experience and  he might say  the uk s political and electoral system. but even his caution cannot hide the fact that this is a party and a leader that believes it may well be on the way to something special in a few months  time.  look  i have already said i am not going to put any artificial limits on our ambitions this time around   he said. he still seems to accept that the most likely outcome is another labour victory of some sort. and his general election pitch is designed around the notion of the lib dems as the  real  opposition.  but doesn t that lead to the jibe that his is a party actively bidding to come second  he is prepared to go this far:  a clear conclusion has been reached  including by conservatives  that the conservatives are not going to win this election.  therefore the potential is there for the liberal democrat advance to be one of the big stories of the election  given that we have the capacity to take on labour and win as well as take on the conservatives and win.  this is really going to be the first modern three party uk election that we have all experienced . but haven t we been here before  with suggestions in the 1980s that labour was finished. won t voters looking for an alternative to labour still naturally gravitate to the conservatives   the problem is that  geographically  the conservative party has melted away in about a third of britain.  we have supplanted them as the main alternative to labour in whole tracts of mainland britain. and they are a party with an ageing and declining membership base and they just do not look vibrant or vital or in touch any longer with contemporary britain .  mr kennedy is also eager to dispel any impression his party is the new party of the left and is likely to attract mostly disillusioned labour voters.  he insists his three headline commitments  to be financed from a 1% tax increase on those earning over £100 000 a year  will appeal right across the political spectrum. they are to replace the council tax with a local income tax  provide free long term care for the elderly and scrap student fees. he also believes being the only major party promising to increases taxes will not land him in the same trouble a similar policy did to old labour.  i think the tax argument has moved on a lot in british politics particularly in the context of the forthcoming general election   he said. under a labour government the tax burden would have to rise  while the tories  plans to increase spending in some areas while also reducing taxes is just incredible  he claims.   we are being straightforward with people  saying you know there is likely to be an increase in the tax burden  we are only recommending one specific tax rise for the top end of income scale earners to fund three specific policies .   that is a clear cut choice for people  one i am very comfortable with and i think will distinguish us from the others . as to his own future  he is clear. if  as expected  his party increases its showing at the election  he intends to go into the next parliament  on the front foot with a view to leading it right through that parliament into the next election because i see that as the decisive opportunity for us . that last remark reflects a view gaining ground in westminster that  if the tories do as badly as some fear  the election after next might really see that historic breakthrough by the third party. perhaps then mr kennedy will be ready to put some of the caution to one side.
1305,uk homes hit £3.3 trillion total the value of the uk s housing stock reached the £3.3 trillion mark in 2004 - triple the value 10 years earlier  a report indicates.  research from halifax  the country s biggest mortgage lender  suggests the value of private housing stock is continuing to rise steadily. all regions saw at least a doubling in their assets during the past decade. but northern ireland led the way with a 262% rise  while scotland saw the smallest increase of just 112%.  the core retail price index rose by just 28% in the same period  underlining how effective an investment in housing has been for most people during the past decade. more than a third of the uk s private housing assets - representing more than a trillion pounds in value - are concentrated in london and the south east  the halifax s figures indicate. tim crawford  group economist at halifax  said:  the value of the private housing stock continues to grow and the family home remains  by a large margin  the most valuable asset of the majority of households in the uk.  halifax s own monthly figures on house sales - issued on thursday - suggest the average price of a british property now stands at £163 748 after a 0.8% rise in january. housing experts are split on prospects for the market  with some saying price growth will slow but not fall  while others predict a sharp drop in values.
2055,tories leave door open for archer the conservative party would deal  sympathetically  with any application by disgraced peer lord archer to rejoin its ranks  its co-chairman has said.  dr liam fox told bbc one s breakfast with frost programme there was no place for  vindictiveness  in politics. lord archer spent two years in prison after being convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice. the former tory deputy chairman s five-year suspension from the party has just elapsed.  a jury ruled that lord archer lied during a libel trial against the daily star at the high court in london in 1987.  he won damages after the newspaper printed allegations about involvement with a prostitute. dr fox was asked if he would say yes or no if lord archer applied to rejoin.  i m sure that in line with people having served their sentence and having done some reparations for what they did wrong  we would look at that sympathetically.  i don t believe in vindictiveness  i don t think that has any place in politics  unlike the prime minister and alastair campbell.   tory peer lord tebbit said he agreed with dr fox s view  and said the case should be looked at on its merits.  after all  he is far from being the worst perjurer in the world   he added. meanwhile  senior conservative mp sir teddy taylor warned that moves bring lord archer back into the fold could be controversial. he said:  i suppose  on a sunday in particular  we should always make provision for forgiving sinners. but there is no doubt it would be controversial.  lord archer  who was not available for comment  remains a popular figure among constituency tory parties and is a successful fundraiser. he has not been seen in the house of lords since his release from prison in july 2003  although there is nothing in the rules to prevent him from attending.
2139,libya takes $1bn in unfrozen funds libya has withdrawn $1bn in assets from the us  assets which had previously been frozen for almost 20 years  the libyan central bank has said.  the move came after the us lifted a trade ban to reward tripoli for giving up weapons of mass destruction and vowing to compensate lockerbie victims. the original size of libya s funds was $400m  the central bank told reuters. however  the withdrawal did not mean that libya had cut its ties with the us  he added.   we are in the process of opening accounts in banks in the united states   the central bank s vice president farhat omar ben gadaravice said. the previously frozen assets had been invested in various countries and are believed to have included equity holdings in banks. the us ban on trade and economic activity with tripoli - imposed by then president ronald regan in 1986 after a series of what the us deemed terrorist acts  including the 1988 lockerbie air crash - was suspended in april. bankers from the two country s had been working on how to unfreeze libya s assets.
57,ukraine trims privatisation check ukraine is to review  dozens  of state asset sales as the country s new administration tackles corruption.  the figure announced by president viktor yushchenko is less than the 3 000 cases mentioned last week  but will cover many of the biggest deals. ukraine recently ousted long-serving leader leonid kuchma and has said it wants closer european union links. in a separate statement  the eu said that the us should back ukraine s entry into the world trade organisation. the comments came as viktor yushchenko prepared to head to brussels to meet with us president george w bush and other north atlantic treaty organisation (nato) leaders. he is the only non-nato member leader invited to attend the summit.  mr yushchenko recently defeated moscow-backed presidential candidate and prime minister viktor yanukovych at the polls  and has made no secret of his wish to fight corruption and make ukraine more transparent.  earlier this month  new prime minister yulia tymoshenko said as many as 3 000 firms may have their privatisations put under the spotlight. her comments raised concerns among a number of investors and mr yushchenko was seen on monday as trying to soothe their frayed nerves.  we acknowledge that business in ukraine is now shaped and 98% of privatisations were carried out according to the law   mr yushchenko said on monday.  we have trust in this business and want to defend it by law   he continued  adding that any review would focus on  dozens of companies  not hundreds or thousands . he cited last year s sale of ukrainian steel producer krivorizhstal as one that had raised concerns. it was sold in june 2004 to a consortium that included viktor pinchuk  son-in-law of former-president kuchma  and rinat akhmetov  the country s richest man  for $800m (£424m) - despite other higher offers.  vice-prime minister oleg rybachuk called on the eu to recognise the steps that ukraine was taking  fearing that should the country not be rewarded for its efforts there may be a backlash against closer relations with brussels. he said that while he understood that ukraine was not ready for eu membership  the country needed to see progress on topics such as trade and visa requirements.  we deserve an honest response   mr rybachuk told the associated press in an interview.  we understand the difficulties. we refuse to understand double standards.  ukraine may find it has a sympathetic ear in brussels  the eu has reiterated that we support (ukraine s) fast accession to the wto and if possible we would like that to happen some time during the year   said claude veron-reville  a spokesman for eu trade commissioner peter mandelson.  we have said as much to the americans. we feel that it is important for us all to pull together for ukraine to be allowed into the wto. mr yushchenko was careful not to turn his back on russia  which borders the country to the east  saying it was important to maintain  pragmatic  ties with moscow.  russia is ukraine s eternal strategic partner   mr yushchenko said.
1496,asian quake hits european shares shares in europe s leading reinsurers and travel firms have fallen as the scale of the damage wrought by tsunamis across south asia has become apparent.  more than 23 000 people have been killed following a massive underwater earthquake and many of the worst hit areas are popular tourist destinations. reisurance firms such as swiss re and munich re lost value as investors worried about rebuilding costs. but the disaster has little impact on stock markets in the us and asia.  currencies including the thai baht and indonesian rupiah weakened as analysts warned that economic growth may slow.  it came at the worst possible time   said hans goetti  a singapore-based fund manager.  the impact on the tourist industry is pretty devastating  especially in thailand.  travel-related shares dropped in europe  with companies such as germany s tui and lufthansa and france s club mediterranne sliding. insurers and reinsurance firms were also under pressure in europe.  shares in munich re and swiss re - the world s two biggest reinsurers - both fell 1.7% as the market speculated about the cost of rebuilding in asia. zurich financial  allianz and axa also suffered a decline in value.  however  their losses were much smaller  reflecting the market s view that reinsurers were likely to pick up the bulk of the costs. worries about the size of insurance liabilities dragged european shares down  although the impact was exacerbated by light post-christmas trading. germany s benchmark dax index closed the day 16.29 points lower at 3.817.69 while france s cac index of leading shares fell 5.07 points to 3.817.69. investors pointed out  however  that declines probably would be industry specific  with the travel and insurance firms hit hardest.  it s still too early for concrete damage figures   swiss re s spokesman floiran woest told associated press.  that also has to do with the fact that the damage is very widely spread geographically.   the unfolding scale of the disaster in south asia had little immediate impact on us shares  however. the dow jones index had risen 20.54 points  or 0.2%  to 10 847.66 by late morning as analsyts were cheered by more encouraging reports from retailers about post-christmas sales. in asian markets  adjustments were made quickly to account for lower earnings and the cost of repairs. thai airways shed almost 4%. the country relies on tourism for about 6% of its total economy. singapore airlines dropped 2.6%. about 5% of singapore s annual gross domestic product (gdp) comes from tourism. malaysia s budget airline  airasia fell 2.9%. resort operator tanco holdings slumped 5%.  travel companies also took a hit  with japan s kinki nippon sliding 1.5% and his dropping 3.3%. however  the overall impact on asia s largest stock market  japan s nikkei  was slight. shares fell just 0.03%. concerns about the strength of economic growth going forward weighed on the currency markets. the indonesian rupiah lost as much as 0.6% against the us dollar  before bouncing back slightly to trade at 9 300. the thai baht lost 0.3% against the us currency  trading at 39.10. in india  where more than 2 000 people are thought to have died  the rupee shed 0.1% against the dollar analysts said that it was difficult to predict the total cost of the disaster and warned that share prices and currencies would come under increasing pressure as the bills mounted.
671,dvd copy protection strengthened dvds will be harder to copy thanks to new anti-piracy measures devised by copy protection firm macrovision.  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. 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 was designed to plug the  digital hole  that was created by so-called decss ripper software. it circumvents content scrambling system measures placed on dvds and let people make perfect digital copies of copyrighted dvds in minutes. those copies could then be burned onto a blank dvd or uploaded for exchange to a peer-to-peer network. 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.
1193,eu rules  won t stop uk spending  the shape of the uk s economy in graphics  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.
2104,ds aims to touch gamers the mobile gaming industry is set to explode in 2005 with a number of high-profile devices offering a range of gaming and other features such as movie and music playback. market leader nintendo  however  is releasing a handheld console that it says will revolutionise the way games are played.  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.
872,dvd review: spider-man 2 it s a universal rule that a film can either be a superhero special effects extravaganza or it can be good. but spider-man 2 breaks that rule in two.  it s not fantastically deep but you get quickly drawn into the tale of spidey versus doc ock and more so into the fate of poor peter parker. gigantic action set pieces seamlessly work with more brooding personal torment and it all looks stunning. a few effects look false but tobey maguire  kirsten dunst and alfred molina make this compelling. the other universal rule is that dvds of superhero films will have making of features only about the effects. this disc covers those special effects enough but as just one part of a detailed look at the film. then there are commentaries  trailers and a blooper reel.  sometimes quality comes in bulk: this set contains no less than 34 john wayne films ranging from the westerns and war movies to the quiet man.  now is that a christmas present or what  give this to someone on 24 december and you won t see them again until early in the new year. it s not truly a complete collection and leans more toward wayne s earlier films: there s no true grit  for instance  though there is hellraisers. the films look well transferred to dvd  though none has extras.  it was very daft but it knew it was and somehow this famous 1979 series became a cult favourite that s been long awaited on dvd. this set has the first season of buck (gil gerard) and wilma s (erin gray) tongue-in-cheek adventures and it s all as camp and gaudy as you remember. but it s also a disappointment. the us dvd has this and the more po-faced second season - and you can import it for just about the same price. the bigger omission  though  is that there are no extras. that s particularly disappointing because originally there were meant to be commentaries and stars gerard and gray had agreed to do them.
606,parry firm over gerrard listen to the full interview on sport on five and the bbc sport website from 1900 gmt.  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.
1502,broadband soars in 2004 if broadband were a jumbo jet  then 2003 would have seen it taxiing down the runway  firing up its engines and preparing for take-off. but this year has seen it soar.  in the spring it literally took to the skies as lufthansa and british airways trialled it on flights. this perhaps said more about how indispensable people were beginning to perceive the technology  rather than how useful sky-high broadband would actually be. it was flying high and by the autumn  five million britons had signed up for high-speed net access at home.  such enthusiasm is unlikely to dampen any time soon and experts predict that by the end of next year the numbers will have risen to more than eight million  or more than 30% of homes. the two key factors in whetting people s appetite were falling prices and a huge marketing push. when operators such as bt and telewest offered standard 512k broadband for less than £20 at the beginning of the year  it was as if an invisible barrier had been breached - broadband had truly gone mass market. a feeding frenzy followed as firms vied for eyeballs in a price war reminiscent of that following the mass market take-up of dial-up. broadband for less than £10 was even touted by some firms  although such a low price raised eyebrows among more established companies questioning how they are able to sustain such business models.  for those who became broadbanders in 2004 there was no turning back and the days of waiting for the modem to kick in began to seem as outdated an idea as a jungle without celebrities. the rest of the world was also falling in love with the benefits of fast internet access  to the tune of 100 million connections worldwide by april  prompting research firm point topic to declare it one of the fastest growing technologies ever. by september  the number of broadband connections in the uk finally overtook dial-up and in december bt announced that it was making a new broadband connection every 10 seconds.  broadband was being mentioned on the 10 o clock news and in the tabloids; the sun even carried a cartoon joke about it. but two of the most significant pieces of news for broadband were items that did not make the headlines. in may  bt quietly announced that it was shaving 70% off the cost of allowing other operators access to its telephone exchanges  so-called local loop unbundling. the vital local loop is the crucial link between telephone exchanges and homes. at the moment bt has a stranglehold on more than 80% of these lines making it the key voice in deciding what adsl products get into homes. with cheaper local loop unbundling  rivals to bt can offer faster services that will leave the broadband of today looking positively tortoise-like. it will mean the uk will finally catch up with countries such as france and the netherlands  where homes are routinely enjoying speeds of up to 15mb (megabits per second). and the major price fall means that  rather than just talk about it  companies are actually starting to get their own equipment into bt s exchanges. it may not seem that exciting but it is a remarkable transition given that just a few years ago the arguments over local loop unbundling bore more than a passing resemblance to the northern ireland peace talks - fraught  bitter and with no end in sight.  another big piece of news for broadband users in 2004 was the extension of bt s reach  meaning more than 95% of the population could get broadband  regardless of how far away from the exchange they lived.  there was a slight caveat for those wanting to upgrade to 1mbps broadband  they still have to live within six kilometres of a broadband-enabled exchange. for thousands frustrated by their inability to get the technology  the news meant they could finally join in. broadband is not just about fast access over the telephone and cable operators ntl and telewest also had a bumper year. the biggest news for them was increased speeds  introducing 2mb and 3mb services for users and offering a free upgrade to those on 512k. the cable operators are limited in their reach and it is perhaps testament to how big a deal local loop unbundling could become that even they are considering extending their range via this route. broadband can seem confusing for consumers  with the huge amount of operators offering so many different products  some with capped bandwidth and different length contracts and set-up fees. it is unlikely to get any less easy to understand in 2005 but remains a plane worth catching. as it gets faster and offers extras such as cheap telephone calls online  the only real thing to remember for the coming year is to enjoy the ride.
244,tindall wants second opinion england centre mike tindall is to seek a second opinion before having surgery on a foot injury that could force him to miss the entire six nations.  the bath player was already out of the opener against wales on 5 february because of a hand problem.  mike had a specialist review on a fracture in his right mid foot   said england doctor simon kemp.  before a final decision is made on surgery... medical teams have decided he should see a second specialist.   england coach andy robinson is already without centre will greenwood and flanker richard hill while fly-half jonny wilkinson is certain to miss at least the first two games. robinson is expected to announce his new-look england line-up on monday for the match at the millennium stadium. and newcastle s 18-year-old centre mathew tait is set to stand in for tindall alongside club team-mate jamie noon.  meanwhile  tindall is targeting a return to action before the end of the regular zurich premiership season on 30 april. he will also aim to be back to full fitness before the lions tour to new zealand this summer.
381,stallone evicted from big brother jackie stallone  mother of actor sylvester  has become the first star to be evicted from celebrity big brother.  she and john mccririck faced the public vote on friday - 67% of people voted to keep the racing pundit in the house. stallone  71  appeared not to have enjoyed her time in the house saying:  i m a total wreck  i need a vacation  this was a nightmare . but she was pleased to have patched things up with actress brigitte nielsen  her former daughter-in-law.  that alone was worth $1m   she said. stallone joined the channel 4 show on monday as a surprise for nielsen. she was hot favourite to be evicted first  with odds of 1/4 to leave.  but mccririck has made some enemies with his outspoken views about women. ladbrokes spokesman warren lush said:  we may have underestimated the power of the anti-mccririck brigade  but it s so hard to call with him  there are people out there who either love him or hate him  there is no middle ground.  the bookmakers have made former happy mondays dancer bez favourite to win the show at 7/4  while blazin  squad singer kenzie is second at 2/1.  bez has wooed the viewers and looks the one to beat  he s kept his nose clean and doesn t take anything too seriously   mr lush said. earlier on friday 15 protesters from the fathers 4 justice campaign group were arrested after entering the big brother compound at 0300 gmt and throwing fireworks. feminist icon germaine greer quit the show earlier in the week over what she called  bullying  tactics used by the programme s producers. the show is currently attracting an average audience of about 4.2 million viewers a night.
1944,apple sues to stop product leaks computer firm apple has issued a lawsuit to prevent online leaks of information about future products.  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.
725,tory expert denies defeat warning the conservatives  campaign director has denied a report claiming he warned michael howard the party could not win the next general election.  the times on monday said australian lynton crosby told the party leader to focus on trying to increase the tories  commons presence by 25 to 30 seats. but mr crosby said in a statement:  i have never had any such conversation... and i do not hold that view.  mr howard later added there was not  one iota  of truth in the report. the strategist helped australia s pm  john howard  win four elections. mr howard appointed mr crosby as his elections chief last october. mr crosby s statement said:  the conservative party has been making an impact on the issues of lower tax and controlled immigration over the past week.  it added:  the labour party will be wanting to do all they can to distract attention away from the issues that really matter to people.
369,emi shares hit by profit warning shares in music giant emi have sunk by more than 16% after the firm issued a profit warning following disappointing sales and delays to two album releases.  emi said music sales for the year to march will fall 8-9% from the year before  with profits set to be 15% lower than analysts had expected. it blamed poor sales since christmas and delays to the releases of new albums by coldplay and gorillaz. by 1200 gmt on monday  emi shares were down 16.2% at 235.75 pence.  emi said two major albums scheduled for release before the end of the financial year in march - one by coldplay and one by gorillaz - have now had their release dates put back.   emi music s sales  particularly re-orders  in january have also been lower than anticipated and this is expected to continue through february and march   the company added.  therefore  for the full year  at constant currency  emi music s sales are now expected to be 8% to 9% lower than the prior year.  the company said it expected profits to be about £138m ($259.8m). alain levy  chairman and chief executive of emi music  described the performance as  disappointing   but added that he remained optimistic over future trends in the industry.  the physical music market is showing signs of stabilisation in many parts of the world and digital music  in all its forms  continues to develop at a rapid pace   he said.  commenting on the delay to the release of the coldplay and gorillaz albums  mr levy said that  creating and marketing music is not an exact science and cannot always coincide with our reporting periods .  while this rescheduling and recent softness is disappointing  it does not change my views of the improving health of the global recorded music industry   he added. paul richards  an analyst at numis securities  said the market would be focusing on the slump in music sales rather than the timing of the two albums.  it s unusual to see this much of a downgrade just because of phasing   he said.
211,lost doors frontman movie found historians in florida have discovered a 40-year-old clip of a clean-cut jim morrison appearing in a promotional film for his university.  the 1964 film shows the doors frontman  who died aged 27 in 1971  playing the part of a young man who had been rejected by florida state university. morrison is seen quizzing a college administrator on why he was refused.  but what happened  how come my parents and the state and the university didn t look ahead   he is seen asking.   it s incredible. he s so clean cut and soft-spoken   said florida state archivist jody norman.  we know he was at florida state university for a period of time and he did some acting when he was there   norman added. the doors were one of the most influential bands of the 1960s  with hits including light my fire and riders on the storm. morrison was notorious for his wild lifestyle - and was accused of exposing himself and simulating a sex act at a miami concert in 1969. he was found dead in the bath of his paris apartment and died from heart problems  aggravated by alcohol. a coroner recorded a verdict of death by natural causes and his grave at the city s pere lachaise ceremony has become a shrine for fans.
1861,leeds v saracens (fri) headingley  friday  25 february  2000 gmt  the tykes have brought in newcastle prop ed kalman and tom mcgee from the borders on loan while fly-half craig mcmullen has joined from narbonne. raphael ibanez is named at hooker for saracens in one of four changes. simon raiwalui and ben russell are also selected in the pack while kevin sorrell comes in at outside centre.  - friday s game at headingley got the go-ahead on friday after passing an early pitch inspection. leeds: balshaw; rees  christophers  bell  doherty; mcmullen  dickens; mcgee  rawlinson  gerber; murphy  palmer (capt)  morgan  parks  popham. replacements: kalman  regan  hyde  rigney  mcmillan  rock  vickerman. saracens: bartholomeusz; castaignede  sorrell  harris  vaikona; jackson  bracken; yates  ibanez  visagie; raiwalui  fullarton; randell  russell  vyvyan (capt). replacements: cairns  lloyd  broster  chesney  johnston  rauluni  little.
1044,video phones act as dating tools technologies  from e-mail  to net chatrooms  instant messaging and mobiles  have proved to be a big pull with those looking for love.  the lure once was that you could hide behind the technology  but now video phones are in on the act to add vision. hundreds have submitted a mobile video profile to win a place at the world s first video mobile dating event. the top 100 meet their match on 30 november at london s institute of contemporary arts (ica). the event  organised by the 3g network  3  could catch on as the trend for unusual dating events  like speed dating  continues.  it s the beginning of the end of the blind date as we know it   said graeme oxby  3 s marketing director. the response has been so promising that 3 says it is planning to launch a proper commercial dating service soon. hundreds of hopefuls submitted their profiles  and special booths were set up in a major london department store for two weeks where expert tips were given on how to visually improve their chances. the 100 most popular contestants voted by the public will gather at the ica in separate rooms and  meet  by phone.  dating services and other more adult match-making services are proving to be a strong stream of revenue worth millions for mobile companies. whether it does actually provide an interesting match for video phone technologies remains to be seen. flic everett  journalist and dating expert for company magazine and the daily express  thinks technology has been liberating for some nervous soul-mate seekers. there are currently about 1.3 million video phones in use in the uk and three times more single people in britain than there were 30 years ago  with more people buying video mobiles  3g dating could be the basis for a successful and safe way to meet people.   one of the problems with video phones is people don t really know what to video. it is a weird technology. we have not quite worked out what it is for. this gives it a focus and a useful one   she told bbc news.  i would never have thought online dating would take off the way it did   she said.  lots of people find it easier to be honest writing e-mail or text than face-to-face. lots people are quite shy and they feel vulnerable.   when you are writing  it comes directly onto the page so they tend to be more honest.  but the barrier that comes with sms chat and online match-making is that the person behind the profile may not be who they really are. scare stories have put people off as a result  according to ms everett. many physical clues  body language  odd twitches  are obviously missing with sms and online dating services. still images do not necessarily provide all those necessary cues.  it could really take off because you do get the whole package. with a static e-mail picture  you don t know who the person is behind it is.  so checking out a potential date by video phone also gives singletons a different kind of barrier  an extra layer of protection; a case of wlts before wltm.  if you are trapped in real-life blind date context  you can t get away and you feel embarrassed.  with a video meeting  you really have the barrier of the phone so if you don t like them you don t have to suffer the embarrassment.   there is a more serious side to this new use of technology though. with money being made through more adult-themes content and services which let people meet and chat  the revenue streams for mobile carriers will grow with 3g  thinks paolo pescatore mobile industry specialist for analysts idc.  wireless is a medium that is being exploited with a number of features and services. one is chatting and the dating element is key there   he said.  the foundation has been set by sms and companies are using media like mms and video to grow the market further.  but carriers need to be wary and ensure that if they do launch such 3g dating services  they ensure mechanism are in place to monitor and be aware who is registers and accesses these services on regular basis  he cautioned. in july  vodafone introduced a content control system to protect children from such adult content. the move was as a result of a code of practice agreed by the uk s six largest mobile phone operators in january. the system means vodafone users need to prove they are over 18 before firewalls are lifted on explicit websites or chat rooms dealing with adult themes. the impetus was the growing number of people with handsets that could access the net  and the growth of 3g technologies.
976,zambia confident and cautious zambia s technical director  kalusha bwalya is confident and cautious ahead of the cosafa cup final against angola on saturday in lusaka.  bwalya said:  nothing short of victory will do.  however bwalya warned his side not to be too complacent.  i don t want my team to be too comfortable or too sure of victory as it is going to be a difficult game.  for me the main aim of the game is to enjoy and to win.  zambia have shown their determination to win this final by recalling nine of their foreign-based players. however the 41 year-old bwalya  who became the oldest player to appear in the competition when he played and scored against mauritius  is uncertain whether he will take to the field or not. the chipolopolo fans however are not being so cautious with a  victory  concert already scheduled for after the match featuring some of the country s top musicians. both sides are hoping to win the competition for a record third time  and so keep the trophy for good. the chipolopolo won the first two editions of the regional tournament for southern african nations in 1997 and 1998. they were prevented from a third straight win by angola who knocked out the zambians at the semi-final stage in 1999. that victory for angola also marked a first defeat in 14 years for zambia at lusaka s independence stadium  where saturday s game is being played. angola named just four overseas-based players in their preliminary squad. the palancas negras have been unable to secure the release of many of their portugal-based players.
1673,real will finish abandoned match real madrid and real socieded will play the final six minutes of their match  which was abandoned on sunday because of a bomb scare.  the bernabeu was evacuated with the score at 1-1 and two minutes of normal time remaining in the game. the teams will now play the final two minutes  plus four minutes of injury time  on 5 january. brazilian ronaldo and england captain david beckham had to wait in the street in their kit after the abandonment. real sociedad president jose luis astiazaran said:  we thought the best thing was to play the time remaining.   hundreds of fans streamed across the pitch on their way to the exits after the game was called off. tourists and fans took advantage of the opportunity for a photograph between the famous stadium s goalposts. the two clubs met the spanish fa on monday and astiazaran added:  we thought about giving the game as concluded but after talking with the fa we decided there was no precedent for that and the best thing was to play the time that was remaining.  real madrid director of sport emilio butragueno praised the spectators inside the ground for their conduct.  i d like to highlight the behaviour of the fans  who showed great maturity and it was an example of good citizenship   he said. butragueno confirned  before confirming that tuesday s charity match - which has been billed as  ronaldo s friends against zidane s friends  - will go ahead as planned.  i d also like to take the chance to say that tomorrow s game will take place   butragueno declared of the  partido contra la pobreza  (game against poverty). he added:  football is important for society and we want to show that.  we also think that football should be a fiesta  we had programmed and people deserve to enjoy the game.
442,news corp eyes video games market news corp  the media company controlled by australian billionaire rupert murdoch  is eyeing a move into the video games market.  according to the financial times  chief operating officer peter chernin said that news corp is  kicking the tires of pretty much all video games companies . santa monica-based activison is said to be one firm on its takeover list. video games are  big business   the paper quoted mr chernin as saying. we  would like to get into it .  the success of products such as sony s playstation  microsoft s x-box and nintendo s game cube have boosted demand for video games.  the days of arcade classics such as space invaders  pac-man and donkey kong are long gone. today  games often have budgets big enough for feature films and look to give gamers as real an experience as possible. and with their price tags reflecting the heavy investment by development companies  video games are proving almost as profitable as they are fun. mr chernin  however  told the ft that news corp was finding it difficult to identify a suitable target.  we are struggling with the gap between companies like electronic arts  which comes with a high price tag  and the next tier of companies   he explained during a conference in phoenix  arizona.  these may be too focused on one or two product lines.
144,greene sets sights on world title maurice greene aims to wipe out the pain of losing his olympic 100m title in athens by winning a fourth world championship crown this summer.  he had to settle for bronze in greece behind fellow american justin gatlin and francis obikwelu of portugal.  it really hurts to look at that medal. it was my mistake. i lost because of the things i did   said greene  who races in birmingham on friday.  it s never going to happen again. my goal - i m going to win the worlds.  greene crossed the line just 0.02 seconds behind gatlin  who won in 9.87 seconds in one of the closest and fastest sprints of all time. but greene believes he lost the race and his title in the semi-finals.  in my semi-final race  i should have won the race but i was conserving energy.  that s when francis obikwelu came up and i took third because i didn t know he was there.  i believe that s what put me in lane seven in the final and  while i was in lane seven  i couldn t feel anything in the race.   i just felt like i was running all alone.  i believe if i was in the middle of the race i would have been able to react to people that came ahead of me.  greene was also denied olympic gold in the 4x100m men s relay when he could not catch britain s mark lewis-francis on the final leg. the kansas star is set to go head-to-head with lewis-francis again at friday s norwich union grand prix. the pair contest the 60m  the distance over which greene currently holds the world record of 6.39 seconds. he then has another indoor meeting in france before resuming training for the outdoor season and the task of recapturing his world title in helsinki in august. greene believes gatlin will again prove the biggest threat to his ambitions in finland. but he also admits he faces more than one rival for the world crown.  there s always someone else coming. i think when i was coming up i would say there was me and ato (boldon) in the young crowd   greene said.  now you ve got about five or six young guys coming up at the same time.
1954,business confidence dips in japan business confidence among japanese manufacturers has weakened for the first time since march 2003  the quarterly tankan survey has found.  slower economic growth  rising oil prices  a stronger yen and weaker exports were blamed for the fall. december s confidence level was below that seen in september  the bank of japan said. however  september s reading was the strongest for 13 years.  the economy is at a pause but unlikely to fall   the economy minister said.  it will feel a bit slower (next year) than this year  and growth may be a bit more gentle but the situation is that the recovery will continue   said economy minister heizo takenaka. in the bank of japan s december survey  the balance of big manufacturers saying business conditions are better  minus those saying they are worse  was 22  down from 26 in september.  japan s economy grew by just 0.1% in the three months to september  according revised data issued this month. with the recovery slowing  the world s second biggest economy is now expected grow by 0.2% in 2004. the tankan index is based on a survey of 10 227 firms. big manufacturers were even more pessimistic about the first quarter of 2005; their views suggest the march reading could go as low as 15 - still in positive territory  but weaker. the dollar s decline has strengthened the yen  making japanese exports more expensive in the us. china s attempts to cool down its fast-growing economy have also hit japanese industry s sales abroad. confidence among non-manufacturers was unchanged in the final quarter of 2004  but it is forecast to drop one point in the march survey. nonetheless  japanese firms have been stepping up capital investment  and the survey found the pace is quickening. companies reported they expect to invest 7.7% more in the year to march 2005 than the previous year - up from expectations of 6.1% increase in the september tankan.
48,campaign  cold calls  questioned labour and the conservatives are still telephoning the millions of people who have signed up to make sure they do not get marketing  cold calls .  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.
608,swap offer for pirated windows xp computer giant microsoft has launched a pilot scheme to replace counterfeit versions of windows xp with legal ones.  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.
2165,murray to make cup history andrew murray will become britain s youngest-ever davis cup player after it was confirmed he will play in the doubles against israel on saturday.  the 17-year-old will play alongside fellow debutant david sherwood against israel s jonathan erlich and andy ram. murray will eclipse the record set by roger becker back in 1952. greg rusedski takes tim henman s place as first choice in the singles  while alex bogdanovic will play in the second singles clash. rusedski will take on former world number 30 harel levy and bogdanovic - who has previously played in two singles rubbers against australia - will face noam okun.  murray is the brightest young hope in british tennis  after winning the us open junior title last year and the bbc young sports personality of the year. british number one tim henman  who announced his davis cup retirement earlier this year  believes britain can win the tie in tel aviv.  it s going to be as really tough match. israel have some really good players - and their doubles pair of andy ram and jonathan erlich are among the top eight in the world - but i fancy our chances   he said. but henman urged bogdanovic  who has had run-ins with british tennis officials in the past  to seize his chance.  alex is a quality player - he s young but he s got to keep pushing forward.  he s got to be stronger  he s got a lot of ability but he s got to be more disciplined mentally and physically and if he does that he s got a good chance.
913,confusion over high-definition tv now that a critical mass of people have embraced digital tv  dvds  and digital video recorders  the next revolution for tv is being prepared for our sets.  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.
1580,voters flock to blog awards site voting is under way for the annual bloggies which recognise the best web blogs - online spaces where people publish their thoughts - of the year.  nominations were announced on sunday  but traffic to the official site was so heavy that the website was temporarily closed because of too many visitors. weblogs have been nominated in 30 categories  from the top regional blog  to the best-kept-secret blog. blogs had a huge year  with a top us dictionary naming  blog  word of 2004. technorati  a blog search engine  tracks about six million blogs and says that more than 12 000 are added daily. a blog is created every 5.8 seconds  according to us research think-tank pew internet and american life  but less than 40% of the total are updated at least once every two months.  nikolai nolan  who has run the bloggies for the past five years  told the bbc news website he was not too surprised by the amount of voters who crowded the site.  the awards always get a lot of traffic; this was just my first year on a server with a bandwidth limit  so i had to guess how much i d need   he said. there were many new finalists this year  he added  and a few that had won bloggies before. several entries reflected specific news events.  there are four nominations for the south-east asia earthquake and tsunami blog  which is a pretty timely one for 2005   said mr nolan.  the big bloggies battle will be for the ultimate prize of blog of the year. the nominated blogs are wide-ranging covering what is in the news to quirky sites of interest. fighting it out for the coveted award are gawker  this fish needs a bicycle  wonkette  boing boing  and gothamist. in a sign that blogs are playing an increasingly key part in spreading news and current affairs  the south-east asia earthquake and tsunami blog is also nominated in the best overall category. greenfairydotcom  londonist  hicksdesign  plasticbag and london underground tube blog are the nominees in the best british or irish weblog.  included in the other categories is best  meme . this is for the top  replicating idea that spread about weblogs . nominations include flickr  a web photo album which lets people upload  tag  share and publish their images to blogs. podcasting has also made an appearance in the category. it is an increasingly popular idea that makes use of rss (really simple syndication) and audio technology to let people easily make their own radio shows  and distribute them automatically onto portable devices.  many are done by those who already have text-based blogs  so they are almost like audio blogs. three new categories have been added to the list this year  including best food  best entertainment  and best writing of a weblog. one of the categories that was scrapped though was best music blog. the winners of the fifth annual bloggies are chosen by the public. public voting closes on 3 february and the winners will be announced sometime between 13 and 15 march.
1061,apple ipod family expands market apple has expanded its ipod family with the release of its next generation of the digital music players.  its latest challenges to the growing digital music gadget market include an ipod mini model which can hold 6gb compared to a previous 4gb. the company  which hopes to keep its dominant place in the digital music market  also said the gold coloured version of the mini would be dropped. a 30gb version has also been added to the ipod photo family. the latest models have a longer battery life and their prices have been cut by an average of £40. the original ipod took an early lead in the digital music player market thanks to its large storage capacity and simple design.  during 2004 about 25 million portable players were sold  10 million of which were apple ipods. but analysts agree that the success is also down to its integration with the itunes online store  which has given the company a 70% share of the legal download music market. mike mcguire  a research director at analyst gartner  told the bbc news website that apple had done a good job in  sealing off the market from competition  so far.  they have created a very seamless package which i think is the idea of the product - the design  function and the software are very impressive   he said. he added that the threat from others was always present  however.  creative  other microsoft-partnered devices  real  sony and so on  are ratcheting up the marketing message and advertising   he said. creative was very upbeat about how many of its creative zen players it had shipped by the end of last year  he said. its second-generation models  like the creative zen micro photo  is due out in the summer. it will have 5gb of memory on board.  digital music players are now the gadget of choice among young americans  according to recent research by the pew internet and american life project. one in 10 us adults - 22 million people - now owns a digital music player of some sort. sales of legally downloaded songs also rose more than tenfold in 2004  according to the record industry  with 200 million tracks bought online in the us and europe in 12 months. the ifpi industry body said that the popularity of portable music players was behind the growth. analysts say that the ease of use and growth of music services available on the net will continue to drive the trend towards portable music players.  people are also starting to use them in novel ways. some are combining automatic syncing functions many of them have with other net functions to automatically distribute diy radio shows  called podcasts. but 2005 will also see more competition from mobile phone operators who are keen to offer streaming services on much more powerful and sophisticated handsets. according to mr mcguire  research suggests that people like the idea of building up huge libraries of music  which they can do with high-capacity storage devices  like ipods and creative zens. mobiles do not yet have this capacity though  and there are issues about the ease of portability of mobile music. mr mcguire said apple was ensuring it kept a foot in the mobile music door with its recent deal with motorola to produce a version of itunes for motorola phones.
529,us charity anthem is re-released we are the world  the american charity anthem inspired by the success of band aid  has been re-issued to raise money for aids research and tsunami victims.  more than 40 stars sang as group usa for africa  including lionel richie  diana ross  ray charles  bob dylan  michael jackson and bruce springsteen. it topped the charts in the us and uk  raising millions of dollars for african famine relief. the re-release also marks the 20th anniversary of the original recording. it has been re-issued as part of a two-disc dvd set  which will also feature footage from the recording session of the track in january 1985. the single was originally released in the us on 7 march 1985 and sold 800 000 copies in its first week. it went on to win grammys for song of the year and record of the year.
2137,fido  to be taken off vote lists the risk of pets and children being given votes could be cut by changing how people register to vote  the uk elections watchdog has said.  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.
1284,wales critical of clumsy grewcock wales coach mike ruddock says england lock danny grewcock needs to review his actions after he kicked dwayne peel.  trouble flared at a ruck in the first half of wales  11-9 win in cardiff as grewcock came recklessly over the top with his boot  leaving peel bloodied. grewcock was sin-binned with wales captain gareth thomas for retaliation.  it s up to the citing commissioner   said ruddock.  i m not saying it s deliberate  but grewcock did a similar thing for bath against leinster.  last june grewcock was banned from rugby for two months for reckless use of a boot in a match against new zealand.  six years earlier  also in new zealand  grewcock became only the second england player to be sent off in tests. the player himself and his captain jason robinson have both said that the clash with peel was accidental.  if the ball is at the back of the ruck and i feel i can step over and disrupt it then i will do that   said grewcock. but ruddock feels that the england man should be more careful.  the boy himself should look at his actions  it was a clumsy piece of footwork   he said.  he s a great player and i don t want to knock him  we won t be calling for the match commissioner to review the incident.  i m not going to go too far with the lad. it could just be a clumsy action and dwayne had just a minor cut.  the referee s interpretation was that grewcock was attempting to step over the ruck.  ruddock also warned his rbs 6 nations championship rivals that his team can make massive improvements.  we created more opportunities and also squandered them by taking more contact and playing more individually   said the coach.  we ve looked through things on the video debrief and there were definitely a lot of chances that we wasted.  in the forthcoming games  ruddock may use penalty hero gavin henson as his first-choice kicker in place of stephen jones.  our first aim was to get gavin settled into the team  but it s something we ll talk about in selection this week   said ruddock.
2040,russian film wins bbc world prize russian drama the return (vozvrashchenie) has been named winner of the bbc four world cinema award.  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. the winner of the world cinema award last year was the french animated feature belleville rendezvous
349,rapper 50 cent ends protege feud rapper 50 cent has ended his public feud with his protege the game as the pair said they wanted to be good role models for their communities.  the row blew up when 50 cent threw the game out of his g-unit crew and accused him of being disloyal. a member of the game s entourage was reportedly shot outside a radio station where 50 cent was being interviewed. but the pair shook hands as they handed over money to music projects for new york s deprived areas on wednesday.  the game  whose real name is jayceon taylor  told a news conference:  i want to apologise. i m almost ashamed to have participated in the things that went on over the last few weeks.  chart-topper 50 cent  real name curtis jackson  said the truce came on the anniversary of the death of the notorious big in 1997  who was part of a volatile feud between the east and west coast rap scenes.  we re here today to show that people can rise above the most difficult circumstances and together we can put negativity behind us   50 cent said.   a lot of people don t want to see it happen  but we re responding to the two most important groups - our family and our fans.  the boys choir of harlem got a cheque for $150 000 (£77 800) from 50 cent  while the game handed over $103 500 (£53 400). the game also made a contribution to the compton schools music programme. 50 cent announced he has launched the g-unity foundation  to help people overcome obstacles and make a chance for the better in their lives .   i realised that if i m going to be effective at that  i have to overcome some of my own   he said.  game and i need to set an example in the community.  50 cent is no stranger to feuds  with rapper ja rule among the targets for ridicule in his songs. on his latest album  released earlier this month  he turned his attentions to fat joe and nas  who have both worked with ja rule. both he and the game have admitted drug dealing in the past and have both been shot.
1385,air passengers win new eu rights air passengers who are unable to board their flights because of overbooking  cancellations or flight delays can now demand greater compensation.  new eu rules set compensation at between 250 euros (£173) and 600 euros  depending on the length of the flight. the new rules will apply to all scheduled and charter flights  including budget airlines. airlines have attacked the legislation saying they could be forced to push prices higher to cover the extra cost. the european commission is facing two legal challenges - one from the european low-fare airlines association (elaa) and the other from the international air transport association (iata)  which has attacked the package as a  bad piece of legislation . previously  passengers could claim between 150 euros and 300 euros if they had been stopped from boarding.  however  only scheduled flight operators were obliged to offer compensation in cases of overbooking and they did not have to offer compensation for flight cancellations.  the eu decided to increase passenger compensation in a bid to deter airlines from deliberately overbooking flights. overbooking can often lead to  bumping  - when a passenger is moved to a later flight. when this happens against a passenger s will  airlines will now have to offer compensation. in addition  if a flight is cancelled or delayed for more than two hours through the fault of the airline  all passengers must be paid compensation.  however  airlines do not have to offer compensation if flights are cancelled or delayed due to  extraordinary circumstances . airlines fear that  extraordinary circumstances  may not include bad weather  security alerts or strikes - events which are outside of their control. all eu-based airlines and operators of flights which take off from the eu will have to adhere to the new compensation regime which came into force on thursday. low-cost airlines have criticised the new compensation levels  arguing that the pay-out could be worth more than the ticket.  it s a preposterous piece of legislation  we among all airlines are fighting this   ryanair deputy chief executive michael cawley told radio 4 s today programme.  the european regions airline association (eraa) claims that neither airlines nor consumers were consulted over the changes. andy clarke  eraa director of air transport  said that the ec advice misleads customers as it leads them to believe that airlines could be liable for payouts if flights are delayed because of bad weather.  ec spokeswoman marja quillinan-meiland conceded there were  grey areas  but said  these are not as big as the airlines are making out . in cases of dispute  national enforcement bodies would decide whether the passenger had a case  she said. new technology means it is easier for airlines to take off and land in bad weather  she added. the eraa s mr clarke also warned that while airlines would comply with the new rules  the extra costs would be passed onto passengers.  we reckon it s going to cost european air passengers - not the airlines  the airlines have no money  it has to be paid by passengers - 1.5bn euros  that s over £1bn a year loaded onto european passengers   mr clarke said.  that s basically a transfer of money from passengers whose journeys are not disrupted to passengers whose journeys are disrupted.   on wednesday  jacques barrot  vice president of the european commission and also commissioner for transport  said that the changes were necessary.  the boom in air travel needs to be accompanied by proper protection of passengers  right.   this is a concrete example of how the union benefits people s daily lives   he added. the ec has launched an information campaign in airports and travel agencies to inform airline passengers of their new rights.
1307,us  afflicted  with awards fatigue the film world and media may be wild about the oscars but cinema-goers and the tv-viewing public are sick of watching award ceremonies  according to some la film critics.  bob strauss  from the la daily news  thinks there are just too many televised gatherings of stars showering praise on each other. he came up with a colourful but unprintable description for these glitzy events  which roughly translates a  celebrity love-in . this echoed the views of oscars host and comedian chris rock  who whipped up a media storm for saying he rarely watched them  calling award shows  idiotic .  as chris rock accurately said  they re about celebrity and fashion   mr strauss said. the recent grammy music awards proved to be a ratings loser  and it seems oscars organisers are determined not to go the same way.  recently announced changes to the ceremony include lining up all five nominees on stage before announcing the winner.  unsurprisingly  this prompted press speculation that the changes were aimed at boosting flagging advertising revenue. but entertainment weekly s dave karger maintained the oscars only generated excitement outside the industry when a blockbuster  such as titanic or lord of the rings  was nominated. the near constant flow of us film awards  representing directors  actors and producers  guilds  also means  few surprises  are left by the time the oscar ceremony is upon us  he said. a quick scan of the los angeles times and los angeles daily news bears this out - speculation about who will win seems to have ground to a halt.  on thursday  the times simply printed a picture of the plastic tents going up outside the kodak theatre to protect the red carpet from rain. variety and the hollywood reporter have also kept their focus firmly on industry-related news  while in the uk bets have closed on the best actor category  with ray star jamie foxx a dead cert to win.  screen international s us editor mike goodridge thinks 2004 s films have simply not grabbed the public s imagination.  film-makers haven t produced films that people adore this year   he said.  they adored saving private ryan for example - people loved it and it made a ton of money.  2004 s films could be a reaction to 9/11 - there was a realisation in america that things might not be so rosy after all.  audiences don t necessarily want to see darker films such as million dollar baby  aviator and finding neverland  which end with casualty.  as to whether rock could pep up the awards  the critics were not hopeful.  mr strauss doubted whether rock would make an impact  but added:  i m all for lower ratings though - there are far more important things going on than the oscars.  mr karger said the comic might boost younger viewers  but mike goodridge thought rock s humour could prompt america s conservative states to switch off. so despite all this  did the critics have any views on who would win    clint eastwood s million dollar baby affected people emotionally  which is why it will beat aviator  which was about technical artistry not feelings   mr karger said.  eastwood has it in the bag   added mr strauss.  oscar voters often vote with their hearts not their heads.  and mr goodridge said best film and director were between martin scorsese s aviator and million dollar baby. mr karger  whose favourite film of the year was mike leigh s abortion drama vera drake  stayed upbeat about the awards despite his other comments.  i hope this is the year for small films to triumph   he said.  after all  it s still one of the biggest tv events of the year.
807,china keeps tight rein on credit china s efforts to stop the economy from overheating by clamping down on credit will continue into 2005  state media report.  the curbs were introduced earlier this year to ward off the risk that rapid expansion might lead to soaring prices. there were also fears that too much stress might be placed on the fragile banking system. growth in china remains at a breakneck 9.1%  and corporate investment is growing at more than 25% a year. the breakneck pace of economic expansion has kept growth above 9% for more than a year. rapid tooling-up of china s manufacturing sector means a massive demand for energy - one of the factors which has kept world oil prices sky-high for most of this year. in theory  the government has a 7% growth target  but continues to insist that the overshoot does not mean a  hard landing  in the shape of an overbalancing economy. a low exchange rate - china s yuan is pegged to a rate of 8.28 to the dollar  which seems to be in relentless decline - means chinese exports are cheap on world markets. china has thus far resisted international pressure to break the link or at least to shift the level of its peg. to some extent  the credit controls do seem to be taking effect. industrial output grew 15.7% in the year to october  down from 23% in february  and inflation slowed to 4.3% - although retail sales are still booming.
333,jarre joins fairytale celebration french musician jean-michel jarre is to perform at a concert in copenhagen to mark the bicentennial of the birth of writer hans christian andersen.  denmark is holding a three-day celebration of the life of the fairy-tale author  with a concert at parken stadium on 2 april. other stars are expected to join the line-up in the coming months  and the danish royal family will attend.  christian andersen s fairy tales are timeless and universal   said jarre.  for all of us  at any age there is always - beyond the pure enjoyment of the tale - a message to learn.  there are year-long celebrations planned across the world to celebrate andersen and his work  which includes the emperor s new clothes and the little mermaid. denmark s crown prince frederik and crown princess mary visited new york on monday to help promote the festivities. the pair were at a manhattan library to honour us literary critic harold bloom  the international icon we thought we knew so well .   bloom recognizes the darker aspects of andersen s authorship   prince frederik said. bloom is to be formally presented with the hans christian andersen award this spring in anderson s hometown of odense. the royal couple also visited the hans christian anderson school complex  where queen mary read the ugly duckling to the young audience. later at a gala dinner  danish supermodel helena christensen was named a hans christian andersen ambassador. other ambassadors include actors harvey keitel and sir roger moore  athlete cathy freeman and brazilian soccer legend pele.
786,fresh hope after argentine crisis three years after argentina was hit by a deadly economic crisis  there is fresh hope.  the country s economy is set to grow about 8% this year after seeing 9% growth last year  a sharp turnaround from 2002 when output fell 11%. the unemployment rate is improving  too: it is set to slip below 13% by the end of the year  down from 20% in may 2002. true  problems remain  but the overall picture is one of vast improvement. even the international monetary fund (imf) admits this.  the argentine authorities are proud  should be proud  of the strong performance of the economy   thomas dawson  an imf director  said earlier this month.  argentina has made a remarkable recovery from a hideous and lengthy recession which in 2001 culminated in the government halting debt repayments to its private creditors. the debt default sparked a deep and prolonged economic crisis which  at least initially  was made worse by the government s decisions. pension payments were halted and bank accounts frozen as part of austerity measures introduced by the government to deal with the country s massive debts. in response  angry crowds of ordinary argentines took to the streets where dozens of lives were lost in clashes with the police. two presidents and at least three finance minister resigned in less than a month. argentina was on the brink of collapse. the fix was found in the currency markets with the abandonment of the peso s decade-long peg to the us dollar in february 2002. the subsequent devaluation saw thousands of people s life savings disappear. scathes of companies went bust.  three years ago  every sector [of the economy] was hit by the crisis   said entrepreneur drayton valentine. it really was dire.  but since then  the general mood on the ground has improved dramatically  in part because the devaluation helped attract fresh direct investment from abroad and stimulate business within brazil.  agriculture and tourism are helping   said entrepreneur drayton valentine.  mr valentine  who was born in the united states but grew up in argentina  was fortunate: at the time of the crisis  his savings were held in dollar accounts abroad. but now he is using his money to help with the start-up a trading company. he explained that initially  his firm is going to export building materials to spain and united states. then  he would like to diversify to other areas  depending on the market.  locally there is a sense of recovery  many companies are exporting now   he said  noting that a lot of firms  which were closed during the crisis  are re-opening.  but not all that shines is gold. argentina is still burdened by its failure to pay private creditors at the end of 2001. president nestor kirchner s administration is still trying to hammer out an agreement with the creditors  but with the debts  nominal value standing at around $100bn it is not proving easy. debt defaults make further lending agreements both difficult and expensive to negotiate. argentina s current offer implies that the creditors would get just 25 cents for each dollar they are owed  according to the creditors. understandably  they want more and until they do  both they and others are loath to continue lending. for president kirchner  this proves a hopeless challenge. real losses have been suffered and somebody has to pay  observed jack boorman  adviser to imf s managing director  rodrigo rato.  everyone needs to keep in mind the enormous cost on the part of both creditors and the argentine society and people that will have been endured by the time a settlement is reached   he said.  the cost is enormous  and continues to be paid  and will not be reversed by any restructuring.   with the international negotiations being troubled  it is of little help to president kirchner that the domestic situation remains strained as well.  this is partly because there are still bank account holders who are waiting to recover some of their deposits.  the situation is bad for those who had previously chosen to save in argentina    said carlos baez silva  president of aara  an association that represents bank account and bond holders. few people have recovered more than about half their savings  mr baez silva estimated  pointing out that many of the savers who have lost out are pensioners or others who once trusted the government  people who set aside money for the future in the belief that their investment would be safe.  a lot of them invested in good faith   he said.  the argentine state responded by taking most of their investments.  the affair has made mr baez silva disillusioned with the country s legal system. on occasion  the supreme court has ruled against the interests of the people he represents  he says  insisting that the system cannot be trusted.  people have to deposit their money in the banks  not necessarily because they trust them but because crime is so high that people cannot have their money in their homes beneath their mattresses.  mr valentine  who was born in the united states but grew up in argentina  agreed.  if i have to save pesos [the local currency] there is not much problem  but i will think twice before i deposit dollars in a bank .
1775,warning over tsunami aid website net users are being told to avoid a scam website that claims to collect cash on behalf of tsunami victims.  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.
558,us bank boss hails  genius  smith us federal reserve chairman alan greenspan has given a speech at a scottish church in honour of the pioneering economist  adam smith.  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.
592,david blunkett in quotes david blunkett - who has resigned as home secretary - built his reputation as a plain-speaking yorkshire man.      i fell in love with someone and they wouldn t go public and things started to go very badly wrong in the summer  and then the news of the world picked up the story.  i tried for three years to make something work.      trust  plain-speaking and straight talking is something which matters so much to me as a politician and as a man that i have decided  of my own volition  to request an independent review of the allegations that i misused my position.    i don t think anyone can say i have said one thing in public and done another in private.   it would be dangerous territory if i wasn t practising what i preach which is to always accept responsibility  always accept the consequences of your actions.     none of us believe countering terrorism is about party politics.    i accepted by necessity we have to have prevention under a new category which is to intervene before the act is committed  rather than do so by due process after the act is committed when it s too late   he said in reference to new anti-terrorism measures.     our work with the french government...has been hugely successful   said mr blunkett.  the number of illegal immigrants detected in dover has dropped dramatically.      strengthening our identity is one way or reinforcing people s confidence and sense of citizenship and well-being.      i foolishly thought as this was a celebrity edition it would be more relaxed than normal.      you wake up and you receive a phone call - shipman s topped himself. you have just got to think for a minute: is it too early to open a bottle
2172,palace threat over cantona masks manchester united fans wearing eric cantona masks will not be allowed in selhurst park on saturday.  united fans are planning to mark the 10th anniversary of cantona s infamous kung-fu kick on crystal palace fan matthew simmons by wearing the masks. but palace stadium manager kevin corner has warned:  if they wear them inside selhurst park they will be immediately rejected on safety grounds.  and no fans wearing cantona masks will be allowed entry to the stadium.  united fans had declared saturday as  cantona day  and had planned to wear masks  that were popular during the frenchman s time as a player at the old trafford club. cantona received a nine-month ban following the incident and palace are keen to avoid an incident that would stir up ill feeling between the two sets of supporters. four months after the cantona incident a palace fan  paul nixon  was killed prior to an fa cup semi-final at villa park.
1735,disney backs sony dvd technology a next generation dvd technology backed by sony has received a major boost.  film giant disney says it will produce its future dvds using sony s blu-ray disc technology  but has not ruled out a rival format developed by toshiba. the two competing dvd formats  blu-ray developed by sony and others  and toshiba s hd-dvd  have been courting top film studios for several months. the next generation of dvds promise very high quality pictures and sound  as well as a lot of data. both technologies use a blue laser to write information. it has a shorter wavelength so more data can be stored. disney is the latest studio to announce which technology it is backing in a format battle which mirrors the 1980s betamax versus vhs war. sony lost out to jvc in that fight.  the current battle for hollywood s hearts and minds is a crucial one because high-definition films will bring in billions of revenue and the studios would prefer to use one standard. last month  paramount  universal and warner brothers said they were opting for the toshiba and nec-backed format  hd-dvd high-definition discs.  those studios currently produce about 45% of dvd content. sony pictures entertainment and mgm studios have already staked their allegiance with the blu-ray disc association  whose members also include technology companies dell  samsung and matsushita. twentieth century fox is still to announce which technology it will be supporting. if fox decided to go with blu-ray too  it would mean the format would have a 47% share of dvd content. disney said its films would be available on the blu-ray format when dvd players for the standard went on sale on north america and japan  expected in 2006. universal is to start producing films on the hd-dvd format in 2005  and paramount will start releasing titles using the standard in 2006. toshiba expects sales of hd-dvds to reach 300bn yen ($2.9bn  £1.5bn) by 2010.
1188,newcastle to join morientes race newcastle have joined the race to sign real madrid striker fernando morientes and scupper liverpool s bid to snap up the player  according to reports.  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.
511,davenport hits out at wimbledon world number one lindsay davenport has criticised wimbledon over the issue of equal prize money for women.  reacting to a disputed comment by all england club chairman tim phillips  the american said:  i think it is highly insulting if prize money is taken away.  somebody  i think it was mr phillips  said they won t have money for flowers at wimbledon. that s insulting.  an all england club spokesperson denied phillips made the remark  insisting:  he definitely didn t say it.  the statement added:  it was said by someone else and was a humorous aside at the end of a radio interview when the conversation had moved to talking about the wimbledon grounds.   davenport was speaking following the announcement that this week s dubai duty free event will join the us and australian opens in offering equal prize money for women.  you hear about women playing only three sets while men play five   said daveport.  and the best women are never going to beat the best men.  but it s a different game you go to watch with the women - it doesn t make it better or worse.  hopefully we will be able to change people s minds.  serena williams  who is also in dubai  added:  i m obviously for equal prize money.  women s tennis is exciting. men s tennis is exciting as well  but the women have it right now.  if you are bringing in the spectators you should be able to reap what everyone else is able to reap.
157,lomu relishing return to action former all black star jonah lomu says he cannot wait to run out on the pitch for former england rugby union captain martin johnson s testimonial on 4 june.  the 29-year-old had a kidney transplant in july 2004 but will play his first full match for three years  leading a southern hemisphere side at twickenham.  i actually started training three weeks after my operation but i was very limited until a few months ago.  now it s basically bring it on!  said the giant winger.  the match on 4 june will be my first 15-man game but i have a training schedule which is quite testing and combines with sevens and a whole lot of things   said lomu.  i have got so much energy since my operation that i train three times a day  six days a week.   mohammed ali has always been my ideal. coming back to rugby  people said  you are dreaming  but it always starts off with a dream.  it s up to you whether you want to make it a reality.  opinion has been divided on whether lomu should attempt to return to the game after such a major operation. but when lomu was asked whether he was taking a risk he replied:  as much as someone going down the road being hit by a bus.  there are a lot of people in the world with one kidney who just don t know it.  i have talked this over  had a chat with the donor and this is to set my soul at peace and finish something i started in 1994 [when he made his all blacks debut].  at his lowest ebb lomu was so ill he could barely walk  but he says he is now getting stronger every day and his long-term target is to play for new zealand again.  the only person who saw me at my worst was my wife   he added.  i used to take two steps and fall over but now i can run and it is all coming back  and a lot more quickly than i ever thought it would.  to play for the all blacks would be the highest honour i could get. that is the long-term goal and you have to start somewhere.
646,mcclaren targets champions league middlesbrough boss steve mcclaren believes his side can clinch a top-four spot in the premiership and secure qualification for the champions league.  after their 3-2 win over manchester city  mcclaren said:  we are playing exciting football  it s a magnificent result to keep us in the top five.  but how well we do depends how often we can get our best team out.  once we got the third goal it should have been four or five but we nearly paid for it in the end.  mcclaren also praised winger stewart downing and strikers jimmy floyd hasselbaink and mark viduka  who both ended barren runs in front of goal. he added:  if stewart keeps playing like this sven-goran eriksson has got to pick him.  and the strikers scored great goals  the combination play between them shows they want to play with each other and they are trying.
8,henman hopes ended in dubai third seed tim henman slumped to a straight sets defeat in his rain-interrupted dubai open quarter-final against ivan ljubicic.  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.
821,hantuchova in dubai last eight daniela hantuchova moved into the quarter-finals of the dubai open  after beating elene likhotseva of russia 7-5 6-4  and now faces serena williams.  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.
1001,parties warned over  grey vote  political parties cannot afford to take older uk voters for granted in the coming election  says age concern.  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%.
309,ruddock backs yapp s credentials wales coach mike ruddock says john yapp has what it takes as an international.  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.
1732,crossrail link  to get go-ahead  the £10bn crossrail transport plan  backed by business groups  is to get the go-ahead this month  according to the mail on sunday.  it says the uk treasury has allocated £7.5bn ($13.99bn) for the project and that talks with business groups on raising the rest will begin shortly. the much delayed crossrail link bill would provide for a fast cross-london rail link. the paper says it will go before the house of commons on 23 february.  a second reading could follow on 16 or 17 march.  we ve always said we are going to introduce a hybrid bill for crossrail in the spring and this remains the case   the department for transport said on sunday. jeremy de souza  a spokesman for crossrail  said on sunday he could not confirm whether the treasury was planning to invest £7.5bn or when the bill would go before parliament.  however  he said some impetus may have been provided by the proximity of an election.  the new line would go out as far as maidenhead  berkshire  to the west of london  and link heathrow to canary wharf via the city. heathrow to the city would take 40 minutes  dramatically cutting journey times for business travellers  and reducing overcrowding on the tube. the line has the support of the mayor of london  ken livingstone  business groups and the government  but there have been three years of arguments over how it should be funded. the mail on sunday s financial mail said the £7.5bn of treasury money was earmarked for spending in £2.5bn instalments in 2010  2011 and 2012.
1291,hanks greeted at wintry premiere hollywood star tom hanks was in london s leicester square for the uk premiere of polar express.  the west end landmark was turned into a festive landscape complete with snow and carol singers to celebrate the arrival of the animated film.  this is leicester square like you ve never seen it before   said hanks  who plays five roles in the movie. polar express is based on a children s book which tells the story of a young boy s journey to meet santa claus. the 48-year-old actor crossed a three-metre high bridge built in the square  which he said was  almost impossible to get across . hundreds of fans greeted the star  all wearing santa hats  and mince pies were on offer. hanks said that the new film has an  elegant message .  christmas is a special time of the year and you get out of it what you put into it   added the two-time academy award winner.   i believe in the spirit of christmas and i think that s embodied in santa claus   he said. polar express uses technology similar to that used in lord of the rings to bring gollum to life. the  performance capture  technique enables hanks to play a number of roles  including the eight-year-old boy who is at the centre of the story  and father christmas. it is directed by robert zemeckis  who has previously worked with hanks on forrest gump and castaway.
2136,boeing secures giant japan order boeing is to supply japan airlines with up to 50 of its forthcoming 7e7 planes in a deal that could be worth as much as $6bn (£3.1bn) for the us giant.  japan airlines has made a firm order for 30 of the aircraft  at $120m each  with the option to buy 20 more. asia s biggest airline joins japanese rival all nippon as one of the first carriers to order the mid-size 7e7  which boeing says is super-economical. airbus this week announced the first pre-sale of its 7e7 rival - the a350. boeing s great european competitor is to sell 10 of its forthcoming a350 to spanish carrier air europe  which has the option to buy two more in a deal that could be worth more than $1.8bn. both the 7e7 and the a350 are being designed to be as fuel-efficient as possible in the 200- to 300-seat sector  and each will be available in both short and long range versions.  japan airlines said it had looked at both aircraft before choosing the 7e7  also known as the dreamliner.  we chose the 7e7 after carefully considering both it and airbus  aircraft   said a japan airlines spokesman.  the 7e7 fits better for what we needed and it could be delivered when we hoped to get it.  boeing continues to enjoy a dominance over airbus in japan  and japanese companies are taking key roles in building the 7e7. the first 7e7s will be delivered to japan airlines in april 2008. boeing has set itself a target of getting 200 firm commitments for the 7e7 by the end of this year  and has orders for 56 so far. airbus hopes to have 50 orders in place for the a350 by mid-2005.
999,dawson wins england squad recall wasps scrum-half matt dawson has been recalled to england s training squad ahead of the rbs six nations and been reinstated in the elite player squad.  coach andy robinson dropped dawson for the autumn tests after he missed training to film  a question of sport.   i always said i would consider bringing matt back if i felt he was playing well   robinson said.  he merits his return on current form.  newcastle s 18-year-old centre mathew tait is also in the training squad.  it s obviously an honour to be asked to train with england   said tait  who has burst into contention recently.  i look forward to going down and doing the sessions  but the most important thing at the moment is sunday s game against newport  so i m not looking any further than that.  robinson has invited 42 players to attend a three-day session in leeds next week  in which his squad will train in part with the leeds rhinos rugby league squad.  with mike tindall ruled out of the opening two matches and will greenwood sidelined for the entire six nations  tait is one of six or seven contenders for the two centre berths. stuart abbott  jamie noon  ollie smith  olly barkley and henry paul - who retains his place despite his early substitution against australia - are also in the mix. ben cohen could also be considered after switching from the wing for his club northampton recently. prop phil vickery and lock simon shaw both return to the squad after missing the autumn tests through injury  while wasps wing tom voyce is recalled. the group also includes bath flanker andy beattie and leicester hooker george chuter.  beattie has matured greatly as a player these past two seasons   robinson said. jonny wilkinson  tindall and martin corry have all been included despite their unavailability for the opening two matches against wales and france.  the revised 56-man elite squad includes wasps hooker phil greening  who replaces the retired mark regan  and sale wing mark cueto. cueto was selected for the november internationals despite not being part of the group  but scored four tries in three england appearances. leicester scrum-half harry ellis has also been promoted from the senior national academy  and will contest the number nine jersey with dawson and gloucester s andy gomarsall. the players in robinson s elite squad can only play 32 matches for club and country. they can be called up for a total of 16 training days in addition to the recognised international weeks for each of the years leading up to the next world cup.  balshaw  cohen  cueto  lewsey  robinson  simpson-daniel  voyce  abbott  noon  paul  smith  tait  tindall  barkley  hodgson  king  wilkinson  dawson  ellis  gomarsall.  chuter  thompson  titterrell  rowntree  sheridan  stevens  vickery  white  borthwick  brown  l deacon  grewcock  kay  shaw  beattie  corry  forrester  hazell  jones  moody  vyvyan  j worsley.  abbott  balshaw  borthwick  a brown  chuter  cohen  corry  cueto  dawson  ellis  flatman  gomarsall  greening  greenwood  grewcock  hazell  hill  hodgson  kay  king  lewsey  moody  noon  paul  robinson  rowntree  shaw  simpson-daniel  thompson  tindall  titterrell  vickery  vyvyan  white  wilkinson  j worsley  m worsley.  barkley  beattie  christophers  l deacon  forrester  c jones  palmer  rees  sheridan  skinner  smith  stevens  tait  voyce.  dowson  haughton  monye  roques  p sanderson.
1258,blair to face mps amid feud talk tony blair faces his first prime minister s questions of 2005 after a week of renewed speculation about his relationship with gordon brown.  meanwhile  the chancellor is leaving britain on a high-profile tour of africa to highlight poverty issues. but before doing so  he insisted he still trusted mr blair  despite claims to the contrary in a new book. labour mps have warned against disunity and tory leader michael howard may well take up the theme in the commons. the tories have already accused the prime minister and his chancellor of behaving like  schoolboys squabbling in a playground .  michael howard is likely to want to capitalise further on the spat when he goes head-to-head with the prime minister in the commons. at a campaign poster launch on tuesday  mr brown was joined by alan milburn  who mr blair controversially put in charge of election planning in place of the chancellor.  later this week the prime minister is due to set out the themes of his party s next election manifesto  which for the past two polls have been drawn up by the chancellor. mr brown  meanwhile  is visiting tanzania  mozambique and kenya to highlight the plight of many africans hit by aids  war and famine - issues which mr blair has also spoken out on. the prime minister and chancellor faced backbench discontent at monday s meeting of the parliamentary labour party over claims made in journalist robert peston s new book. mr blair told mps and peers:  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.  labour s paul flynn said the pair had had a  scorching  from mps.  on tuesday  deputy prime minister mr prescott told bbc news:  they told us very clearly  it was the troops telling the leaders: get in line.  the new book claims mr prescott hosted a dinner in november 2003 where the prime minister told mr brown he would stand down before the next election because he had lost trust over the iraq war. mr blair then changed his mind in june 2004  after cabinet allies intervened and amid suspicion the chancellor was manoeuvring against him  writes mr peston. in mr peston s book mr brown is alleged to have told the prime minister:  there is nothing you could ever say to me now that i could ever believe.
721,hansen  delays return until 2006  british triple jumper ashia hansen has ruled out a comeback this year after a setback in her recovery from a bad knee injury  according to reports.  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.
1922,talks held on gibraltar s future two days of talks on the future of gibraltar begin at jack straw s country residence later on wednesday.  officials at the two-day summit at the foreign secretary s official kent house  chevening  will plan a new forum on the rock s future. in october  mr straw and his spanish counterpart miguel moratinos agreed to establish a body that would give gibraltarians a voice in their future. most gibraltarians said in a referendum they wanted to remain british.  gibraltar s chief minister peter caruana will represent the british citizens living on the rock  while britain s europe director dominick chilcott will represent the uk. madrid is being represented by spain s director general for europe  jose maria pons. the initiative follows spain s socialist government s decision to put its long-standing sovereignty ambitions on hold. gibraltarians rejected plans for the rock s sovereignty to be shared between britain and spain in a referendum organised by gibraltar government.
954,hollywood hunts hits at sundance the sundance film festival  the movie industry s top destination for uncovering the next independent hits and new talent  opens on thursday.  the event will see screen executives decamp from hollywood to park city  utah  for 11 days to search for low-key movies that could make it big in 2005. open water  napoleon dynamite  garden state and super-size me were all snapped up at last year s festival. but stars like keanu reeves and pierce brosnan also have films showing there. the festival is being opened by a screening of quirky comedy happy endings  starring former friends actress lisa kudrow and maggie gyllenhaal  on thursday.  kudrow s friends co-star  david schwimmer  plays a divorced drunkard in duane hopwood  while brosnan stars as a hit man in comedy the matador. keanu reeves appears in coming-of-age tale thumbsucker while kevin costner and michael keaton are among the other big names whose films are involved. robert redford founded sundance in 1981 and it has gone on to showcase future successes such as reservoir dogs  the blair witch project and the full monty. but it has received criticism that it has become more commercial and mainstream over the years.  as much as the press argues that sundance has completely changed  it hasn t changed that much   festival director geoffrey gilmore said.  it s still a place for discovery. it s a place for common ground among film-makers and audiences more than it is the celebrity stuff.  other films generating interest before this year s festival include hustle & flow  about an aspiring rapper  the squid and the whale  an autobiographical film by writer-director noah baumbach  and comedy/drama pretty persuasion. it also has two new international cinema competitions.
847,slovakia seal hopman cup success slovakia clinched the hopman cup for the second time by beating argentina 3-0 in saturday s final in perth.  daniela hantuchova put the third seeds ahead  recovering from a terrible start to beat gisela dulko 1-6 6-4 6-4. dominik hrbaty  who had not lost a set in his three singles matches in the group stages  then upset world number seven guillermo coria 6-4 6-1. hantuchova and hrbaty then won the mixed doubles after coria was forced to withdraw because of a sore back. slovakia s win made up for last year s final defeat to the united states.  i would like to congratulate daniela   hrbaty said.  i was so nervous watching her today  i almost had a heart attack.  i also feel a little sorry for guillermo because i get very excited whenever i play for my country. i show lots of emotions and played such good tennis.   world number 31 hantuchova  ranked two places above dulko  looked nervous as she dropped the first four games of the match. dulko  who had lost all three of her singles matches in the group stages  grew in confidence and took the opening set in just 27 minutes. but hantuchova hit back to take the next two and the match.  i was so nervous because i really wanted to win for the team and for dominik as he played so well all week   she said.  i didn t think i was playing my best but i just tried to hang in there and fight hard for every point for my country.  slovakia won the cup on their first appearance in 1998 when karol kucera and karina habsudova beat france.
846,brazil jobless rate hits new low brazil s unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in three years in december  according to the government.  the brazilian institute for geography and statistics (ibge) said it fell to 9.6% in december from 10.6% in november and 10.9% in december 2003. ibge also said that average monthly salaries grew 1.9% in december 2004 from december 2003. however  average monthly wages fell 1.8% in december to 895.4 reais ($332; £179.3) from november. tuesday s figures represent the first time that the unemployment rate has fallen to a single digit since new measurement rules were introduced in 2001. the unemployment rate has been falling gradually since april 2004 when it reached a peak of 13.1%. the jobless rate average for the whole of 2004 was 11.5%  down from 12.3% in 2003  the ibge said.  this improvement can be attributed to the country s strong economic growth  with the economy registering growth of 5.2% in 2004  the government said. the economy is expected to grow by about 4% this year. president luiz inacio lula da silva promised to reduce unemployment when he was elected two years ago. nevertheless  some analysts say that unemployment could increase in the next months.  the data is favourable  but a lot of jobs are temporary for the (christmas) holiday season  so we may see slightly higher joblessness in january and february   julio hegedus  chief economist with lopes filho & associates consultancy in rio de janeir  told reuters news agency. despite his leftist background  president lula has pursued a surprisingly conservative economic policy  arguing that in order to meet its social promises  the government needs to first reach a sustained economic growth. the unemployment rate is measured in the six main metropolitan areas of brazil (sao paolo  rio de janeiro  belo horizonte  recife  salvador and porto alegre)  where most of the population is concentrated.
313,incredibles win animation awards the incredibles movie has beaten shrek 2 to the main prizes at hollywood s animation awards  the annies.  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.
1997,brentford v southampton griffin park  tuesday  1 march  1945 gmt  barry knight (kent)  home to manchester united in the quarter-finals  midfielder andrew frampton and striker deon burton are both slight doubts with hamstring injuries  but should be fit saints are missing their entire first-choice midfield of jamie redknapp  graeme le saux  nigel quashie and david prutton. anders svensson and matt oakley are likely replacements with kevin phillips also scheduled to start  with henri camara rested.  - brentford boss martin allen:  after conceding eight goals in our last three matches  i have to admit i m not very confident.  there s no doubt we re the underdogs and after defending so poorly recently it s not looking good.  southampton have just drawn with the premiership champions and that makes our task harder than it was already.    - southampton boss harry redknapp:  we know they can give us problems.  brentford have done well but we are the premiership side and should have the better players.  staying in the premiership is our priority. we want to win  of course we do. we ll battle but if it comes to a football match i think we ll win.  key match stats   - brentford are the lowest ranked club left in the fa cup. they re on their best run in the competition since reaching the quarter-finals for the fourth time in their history 16 years ago. now they have the carrot of the plum draw in the last eight dangling before them. victory over premiership strugglers southampton  would bring the mighty manchester united to griffin park and a gigantic pay day for the sole league one survivors.   - martin allen s brave side came back from two goals down at st mary s to earn a deserved replay. southampton striker henri camara scored twice from close range to put the saints in command  but isaiah rankin hit back just before half time  and sam sodje headed past a creaky defence on 58 minutes.   - the londoners have conceded six goals in their two subsequent league outings - three each in losing away to hartlepool and drawing at home to sheffield wednesday. but they haven t lost in six league and cup games on home turf - winning three and drawing three since the reverse to torquay on boxing day.   - southampton go into this tie on the back of an eventful premiership match with arsenal on saturday. an angry david prutton pushed referee alan wiley after being shown the red card  but his side still came back to draw 1-1. it was saints  fourth stalemate in succession in all competitions  but didn t lift them out of the relegation zone. the retention of their ever present premier league status must be the number one priority  irrespective of the rewards that success against brentford would bring.   - victory here would set up a repeat of the 1976 final  when saints astounded the football world by defeating tommy docherty s manchester united courtesy of bobby stokes  famous winner. they also knocked out the red devils in 1991 on penalties in the fourth round. but to write another chapter in their fa cup history  the solent side must avoid succumbing to lower division opposition for the first time since rotherham  from the second level  beat them 2-1 in a third round tie at millmoor on 16 january 2002. southampton were last humbled by a club from the third tier six years ago. fulham were then in the second division  when they won a third round replay at craven cottage 1-0 on 13 january 1999.   - to get to within two matches of a second visit to the millennium stadium in three years for the final  harry redknapp must guide his side past a club 36 places inferior on the league ladder  and a manager 19 years his junior  who played under him at west ham. head to head  10th league one  quarter-finals (four times)  18th prem  winners (once)
322,blair says mayor should apologise tony blair has urged london mayor ken livingstone to apologise for his  nazi  comment to a jewish reporter.  labour s mr livingstone  who says he is  standing by  his remarks  had accused an evening standard journalist of being like a  concentration camp guard . mr blair told five s wright stuff show:  let s just apologise and move on.  mr livingstone has said the remarks may have been offensive but were not racist  and said he would not apologise even if the prime minister asked.  mr blair  who was instrumental in returning mr livingstone to the labour party  insisted on wednesday it was time for the london mayor to say sorry.   a lot of us in politics get angry with journalists from time to time  but in the circumstances  and to the journalist because he was a jewish journalist  yes  he should apologise   he said.  let s just apologise and move on - that s the sensible thing.  tory leader michael howard  asked about mr livingstone s remark by reporters  said it was important for politicians to be mindful about the language they use.  it s particularly important that as we get close to the election that politicians talk with civility and courtesy about issues that we all face   he said.  i think it s a matter of sadness that we are not seeing that from the labour party. we had what ken livingstone said  we had what alastair campbell has said and we have what others have said. i think that s a matter of great regret.   the row blew up after mr livingstone was approached by evening standard reporter oliver finegold following a party marking the 20th anniversary of former culture secretary chris smith coming out as britain s first gay mp. on tape  mr livingstone  who once worked as a freelance restaurant critic on the paper  is heard asking mr finegold if he is a  german war criminal .  mr finegold replies:  no  i m jewish  i wasn t a german war criminal. i m quite offended by that.  the mayor then says:  ah right  well you might be  but actually you are like a concentration camp guard  you are just doing it because you are paid to  aren t you   at his weekly press conference on tuesday  mr livingstone said his comments were not racist and refused to apologise.  if you think they are racist  i think you are wrong   he told reporters. the dispute comes as an inspection team from the international olympic committee began a four-day tour to assess london s bid for the 2012 games. an official complaint has been made to local government watchdogs by the british jews  demanding an investigation by the standards board of england. it has the power to suspend or bar mr livingstone from public office.
1221,mccall earns tannadice reprieve dundee united manager ian mccall has won a reprieve from the sack  with chairman eddie thompson calling for an end to speculation over his future.  it is understood that mccall would have been sacked if sheffield wednesday manager paul sturrock had been willing to return to tannadice. but sturrock has distanced himself from the position.  we re in a difficult situation. we must get out of it through the efforts of current personnel   said thompson.  ian mccall and i have had a long and detailed talk about a number of areas including the current league position and the manner of the exit from the league cup   he added.  however  the continuing speculation is doing no one any good  especially as we have several crucial games coming up.  the minds of the coaching staff and the players have to be on those games and those games only.  our season would of course improve considerably if in the next few weeks we achieved some improved league results and there is also the potential of another cup semi-final  subject to the draw.   all that matters at the present time - is us all having a total focus on the games ahead and a positive series of results being achieved.  dundee united players had expressed their solidarity with mccall after their side s 3-0 scottish cup win over queen of the south.  we want the boss to stay  we don t want someone else coming in   said jim mcintyre.  hopefully now he gets the chance to stay.  keeper tony bullock echoed mcintyre s sentiments.  i think all the boys are behind ian mccall   he added.  at the moment it is all speculation and we have got to rise above all that and do a job on the pitch.   on saturday  sturrock insisted that he had unfinished business with wednesday  who are fourth in league one.  i ve only been here five months and i don t expect to be leaving very  very soon   he said.  i can appreciate the rumours because i ve emphasised my thoughts and ambitions to go back to dundee united.  i can assure you the timescale is not the right one.  it (dundee united) is my team. i had five years there as a coach  six as a player  two years as a manager - once you ve done that kind of thing  it s the result you look for.  the important thing now is i ve come here to do a job and i m going to try to finish it.
129,csa  could close   says minister ministers would not rule out scrapping the child support agency if it failed to improve  work and pensions secretary alan johnson has warned.  but he said replacing the controversial csa would be  the nuclear option . a report by the commons work and pensions committee called for the agency to be wound up unless it improved its service within weeks. chairman sir archy kirkwood said:  if the agency cannot be rescued  then it must be replaced.   the committee reached its conclusions after it found that nearly 250 000 cases have yet to be processed. it warned that it could be five years before the csa was  fit for purpose   describing it as  a failing organisation  and  in crisis  with parents facing payment delays and inaccurate maintenance calculations. the report urged the csa to draw up contingency plans  including the  abandonment option   to be presented to parliament by easter  in case the cs2 computer system could not be made to work.  and responding to calls for the agency to be scrapped  mr johnson told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  i certainly wouldn t rule out the nuclear option of moving to a completely new system.  but i think the select committee would agree with me we would only do that when we were absolutely convinced that this system just isn t going to work.   the mps launched their inquiry into the csa s performance after it became clear that  despite the introduction of a simpler system of calculating maintenance payments for new cases in 2003  a backlog of claims was building up. the mps found the £456m system from american it giant eds was  nowhere near being fully functional and the number of dissatisfied  disenchanted and angry customers continues to escalate . faced with the committee s criticism  the government has suspended its plan to cut the agency s staff by 25%. the csa has been surrounded in controversy since its introduction in 1993 to assess and enforce child support payments by absent parents.  it is currently chasing outstanding payments of more than £720m  while a further £947m has been designated as  unrecoverable .  michelle  a mother of twins  said she had not received a penny of the £57 a week she should be receiving from her ex-partner and had faced an  on-going battle  with the csa. her forms have twice been lost in the post  she said.  i don t receive correspondence  i don t receive phone calls  i have to chase them all the time   she said. theresa may  tory shadow work and pensions secretary  said:  we have got to find a way that s going to ensure those payments get through to the people who are due them.  the agency s former chief executive doug smith quit last autumn claiming he was  seriously disappointed  with its performance. the committee said the national audit office should investigate why the eds system had gone so badly wrong. it blamed the agency s senior management for a  multitude of problems  within the agency  including for an apparent lack of training of frontline staff.
981,claxton hunting first major medal british hurdler sarah claxton is confident she can win her first major medal at next month s european indoor championships in madrid.  the 25-year-old has already smashed the british record over 60m hurdles twice this season  setting a new mark of 7.96 seconds to win the aaas title.  i am quite confident   said claxton.  but i take each race as it comes.  as long as i keep up my training but not do too much i think there is a chance of a medal.  claxton has won the national 60m hurdles title for the past three years but has struggled to translate her domestic success to the international stage. now  the scotland-born athlete owns the equal fifth-fastest time in the world this year. and at last week s birmingham grand prix  claxton left european medal favourite russian irina shevchenko trailing in sixth spot.  for the first time  claxton has only been preparing for a campaign over the hurdles - which could explain her leap in form. in previous seasons  the 25-year-old also contested the long jump but since moving from colchester to london she has re-focused her attentions. claxton will see if her new training regime pays dividends at the european indoors which take place on 5-6 march.
330,blair  up for it  ahead of poll tony blair says his personal standing in the eyes of voters will be  an issue  in the general election.  the prime minister said he was  up for it  as the country waits to go to the polls  possibly in a matter of weeks. he told the observer government life was a  constant barrage of attack  but said he would not stay in charge if he felt unable to contribute. mr blair also spoke of meeting many people across the country with concerns about the compensation culture.  he said britain was in danger of needless panic over public safety issues.  speaking amid a flurry of pre-election campaigning  the prime minister said:  i am an issue  i always will be. whoever is the prime minister will be.  he added:  if you are afraid to take criticism  you should go and do another job.  asked if he would quit as leader if he felt like a liability to labour  he said:  it s important always not to do the job unless you feel you have something to contribute.  whether he still had something to offer  he said  was a judgement for people to make. mr blair s assessment is likely to be seen as a signal that replacing him would not bring an upsurge in fortunes for the labour administration.  his comments come as the co-chairman of the conservative party  liam fox  on saturday called him  a disappointment of historic proportions  as a prime minister. mr blair said he had learned from a series of at times tough encounters with members of the public  during question and answer sessions across the country in recent weeks. he pledged to clamp down on britain s growing compensation culture  which has brought concerns that doctors  teachers and other professionals are being hampered in their work by the fear of frivolous lawsuits.   i was quite shocked to be told by people who were running a nursery that they were worried about letting the kids out into the playground when it was wet in case one of them slipped and fell and they ended up having a legal case [against them]   he said.   we have got to look at a way of getting people protection on that.  mr blair said the government was also looking at  how to make sure that legal aid is not abused with actions against doctors and others   as part of a review being carried out by the lord chancellor s department. and there should be  real debate  about the risk posed by public safety threats  he said.  we are in danger of - depending on whatever is the media campaign of the day - ending up spending literally hundreds  sometimes millions of pounds meeting quite a small risk.   his comments come after the government announced it is to spend £200m on drugs to treat a possible outbreak of bird flu  and the sudan 1 food scare. meanwhile  commons leader peter hain has warned that on the campaign trail he has seen  dangerous complacency  being displayed by labour voters convinced of a general election victory. if labour voters  stayed at home  in marginal seats they could see tory leader michael howard  coming in the back door to number 10 with the tradesman s key to number 10  getting into power   he added.
1172,euronext  poised to make lse bid  pan-european group euronext is poised to launch a bid for the london stock exchange  uk media reports say.  last week  the lse rejected a takeover proposal from german rival deutsche boerse - the 530 pence-a-share offer valued the exchange at about £1.35bn. the lse  which saw its shares rise 25%  said the bid undervalued the business. euronext - formed after the brussels  paris and amsterdam exchanges merged - is reportedly working with three investment banks on a possible offer. the lse  europe s biggest stock market  is a key prize  listing stocks with a total capitalisation of £1.4 trillion.  euronext already has a presence in london due to its 2001 acquisition of london-based options and futures exchange liffe. trades on the lse are cleared via clearnet  in which euronext has a quarter stake.  euronext  which also operates an exchange in lisbon  last week appointed ubs and abn amro as additional advisors. it is also working with morgan stanley. despite the rejection of the deutsche boerse bid last week  werner seifert  chief executive of the frankfurt-based exchange  may well come back with an improved offer. it has long wanted to link up with london  and the two tried and failed to seal a merger in 2000. responding to the lse s rebuff  deutsche boerse - whose market capitalisation is more than £3bn - said it believed it could show its proposal offered benefits  and that it still hoped to make a cash bid.  last week the lse said not only was the bid undervalued  but that it had  been advised that there can be no assurance that any transaction could be successfully implemented . however  it has indicated it is open for further talks. meanwhile  german magazine der spiegel said part of mr seifert s negotiations with the lse were about where to base the future board of any merged exchange. while mr seifert has suggested a merged company would be run out of london  the mayor of frankfurt has raised concerns that such a move could cost german jobs. many analysts believe german boerse has more financial firepower than euronext if it came to a bidding war.
2123,spider-man creator wins profits spider-man creator stan lee is to get a multi-million dollar windfall after winning a court battle with comic book company marvel.  a judge has upheld lee s demand for 10% of marvel s profits from the hugely successful spider-man films. spider-man and its sequel made $1.6bn (£857m) at box offices worldwide. of the cut now due to lee  82  who created spider-man in 1962  his lawyer said:  it could be tens of millions of dollars  that s no exaggeration.  us district court judge robert w sweet ruled lee should get a tenth of profits generated since november 1998 by marvel tv and movie productions involving the company s characters. lee took legal action in 2002  saying marvel shut him out of  jackpot  profits from the first blockbuster film.  he said the company - where he worked for more than 60 years - had gone back on agreement to give him the 10%. as well as spider-man  lee co-created the incredible hulk  x-men  daredevil and fantastic four characters. he said:  i am gratified by the judge s decision although  since i am deeply fond of marvel and the people there  i sincerely regret that the situation had to come to this.  the ruling also means he is entitled to a slice of profits from dvd sales and certain merchandise. marvel said it would appeal and did not expect the decision to impact on financial forecasts for 2004 and beyond. the new york court did not rule on lee s claims to a share of profits from some spider-man and hulk movie merchandise  which will be decided at a future trial  marvel said.
1165,cactus diet deal for phytopharm a slimming aid made from a southern african cactus is set to be developed by uk firm phytopharm and unilever.  anglo-dutch food giant unilever will help the pharmaceutical firm develop the snacks containing hoodia extract. phytopharm shares jumped 10.7% on the news  with analysts saying sales of $600m (£309m) a year were possible. the plant  licensed to phytopharm in 1997  has been used for thousands of years by the sans bushmen of the kalahari desert to stave off hunger. studies have reportedly shown the plant curbs appetite instead of reducing calorific intake like many existing products.  phytopharm will receive an initial fee of £6.5m from unilever - out of a potential total of £21m - as well as future royalties on product sales. under the deal  production of the hoodia cactus at phytopharm s nursery in south africa will also rise from eight million plants to potentially hundreds of millions  said phytopharm chief executive richard dixey. the firm had initially hoped to market a slimming drug from hoodia with pfizer. but the research collaboration came to an end in 2003. analysts said unilever could launch the new products in 2007.  this deal goes a long way to restoring the market faith in phytopharm s pipeline after the pfizer exit   said analyst erling refsum at nomura.
1592,gervais writing simpsons episode the office s ricky gervais is writing an episode of hit us cartoon the simpsons  following an invitation from its creator matt groening.  gervais has already begun writing the script but is keeping its subject matter a closely guarded secret. he will also write a part for himself in the episode.  i ve got the rough idea but this is the most intimidating project of my career. the simpsons is the greatest tv show of all time   he said. groening recently heaped praise on the office  saying:  everybody on the simpsons is a fan of the office - it s one of the best shows on tv in the last decade.  gervais has already said he would not guest star in the show as his office character david  having left him behind for good in the christmas specials. the office became a surprise us success when it was screened on cable channel bbc america. the first series won two golden globes in 2004 for best comedy and best tv actor for gervais.  in winning it beat the likes of sex and the city and will and grace. an american version was produced  but so far only a pilot has been broadcast - to much criticism that it failed to live up to the original. at the british comedy awards on wednesday  gervais was handed a special achievement award for writing. but the office missed out in the best comedy show category to little britain. matt groening was also at the awards to collect the award for best international comedy for the simpsons.
2094,download chart debut is delayed the inclusion of downloaded music in the official singles chart has been delayed for a month.  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.
841,ban hits half-life 2 pirates hard about 20 000 people have been banned from playing the half-life 2 game.  game maker valve shut down the online accounts of the players because it had evidence that their copy of the game had been obtained illegally. copies of half-life 2 had been circulating on file-sharing systems soon after it was officially released. experts said the success of the half-life 2 anti-piracy system might tempt other game makers into creating their own version.  half-life 2 was officially released on 16 november but before gamers could get to grips with the long-awaited title they were forced to authenticate their copy of the game online. authentication involved setting up an account with valve s gaming community system called steam and letting that check which copy of the game was being run.  in a statement detailing the banning of the accounts valve said this system helped identify who had got hold of pirated copies.  the method used was extremely easy for valve to trace and confirm  and so there is no question that the accounts disabled were used to try and illegally obtain half-life 2   read the statement. valve spokesman doug lombardi said that the company had not yet released sales figures for the game and would not say what proportion of all steam players the 20 000 represented. one effect of steam s popularity has been to limit the copies of the game sold in shops and artificially depress the game s ranking in the top ten. even so the title debuted at no 3 in the uk charts. valve also said that a small number of accounts were closed because people were using stolen credit cards to buy copies of the game or were using stolen steam accounts. some of those who have been banned by the move protested their innocence in the online forums on the main steam site and said they were being punished for what other people did with their account.  some contributors to the forums wondered if the action might force more piracy as people tried to get hold of successive copies of the game to keep ahead of valve s anti-piracy actions.  in its statement valve also said that rumours that it distributed fake half-life 2 keys  copies of the game or instructions on how to hack the game  just to catch pirates and cheats were false. the company said:  the hack came from the  community  as do they all.  it added that most of those banned simply tried to use copies of half-life 2 circulating on file-swapping systems such as bit torrent rather than use hacks to get around the need for cd keys. rob fahey  editor of online news site gamesindustry.biz  said the mass banning showed off the power of the steam system. before now  he said  it has been hard for game makers to do anything about piracy once the game was being played.  but with this  valve is taking really effective steps against people using illegitimate copies of half-life 2   he said. if steam proves effective at cutting the piracy of games to a minimum  said mr fahey  other game makers may be tempted to set up copycat systems.  it s not hard to see a point in the near future when every publisher wants you to run an application on your system purely to allow you to play their games   he said. this could mean that computers get cluttered with poorly written steam-type systems that are used to batter people with adverts. unless game firms were careful  he said  they could face a backlash from consumers who soon get tired of maintaining different accounts for every game they play.
1224,fit-again betsen in france squad france have brought flanker serge betsen back into their squad to face england at twickenham on sunday.  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.
72,singapore growth at 8.1% in 2004 singapore s economy grew by 8.1% in 2004  its best performance since 2000  figures from the trade ministry show.  the advance  the second-fastest in asia after china  was led by growth of 13.1% in the key manufacturing sector. however  a slower-than-expected fourth quarter points to more modest growth for the trade-driven economy in 2005 as global technology demand falls back. slowdowns in the us and china could hit electronics exports  while the tsunami disaster may effect the service sector.  economic growth is set to halve in singapore this year to between 3% and 5%. in the fourth quarter  the city state s gross domestic product (gdp) rose at an annual rate of 2.4%. that was up from the third quarter  when it fell 3.0%  but was well below analyst forecasts.  i am surprised at the weak fourth quarter number. the main drag came from electronics   said lian chia liang  economist at jp morgan chase. singapore s economy had contracted over the summer  weighed down by soaring oil prices. the economy s poor performance in the july to september period followed four consecutive quarters of double-digit growth as singapore bounced back strongly from the effects of the deadly sars virus in 2003.
1176,director nair s vanity project indian film director mira nair has said she was thrilled to be given the chance to make william makepeace thackeray s novel vanity fair - as the book has been a favourite through her life.  the book is one of the classics of english literature - the story of scheming 19th century social climber becky sharp  played in the film by reese witherspoon. nair said that she jumped at the chance to work on the film  which she has - controversially - made in a bollywood style  including two song-and-dance routines in the film s second half.  it was serendipity really - i was offered vanity fair by the studio focus features  who had distributed monsoon wedding   nair told bbc world service s masterpiece programme.  they offered me their next-best thing  not realising that vanity fair had actually been one of my favourite novels since i was 16 years old in an irish catholic boarding school in india.   since her 1988 debut feature salaam bombay! - nominated for the best foreign language oscar and winner of best first feature at cannes - nair has become one of india s most famous and respected directors. she is not restricted to bollywood  however - she followed salaam bombay! with mississippi masala  starring denzel washington  and the perez family  her first hollywood film.  her career peaked with monsoon wedding in 2001  which won the golden lion award at venice. nair s indian-style adaptation of vanity fair  however  has been attacked by critics in the us - where it only reached number eight at the box office in its opening week - who described the bollywood elements as  jarring.  the film has a new ending  with becky sharp running off for a new life in india. but nair said that her film had picked up on the way thackeray - who was born in india but moved to england as a young man - had seen the world.  first  when i was 16  it was becky sharp  who is a completely memorable character  because i recognised myself in her - i recognised all the ladies who did not want to be ladies  who wanted to buck the system that they were in   she said.  but it was the sort of novel i somehow kept at the side of my bed for many years  and i would dip into every now and then and suddenly get completely mesmerised again.  as i got older and read it  i think it was thackeray s clarity - his clear-sightedness about his own society  the fact that he was born in india but came to england as a young man - that gave him the eyes of an outsider  and yet he was an insider.  that perspective was something i really loved.   nair also defended her decision to cast an american actress - reese witherspoon - as becky sharp  despite the fact that all the rest of the cast are british or irish.  i cast intuitively - in my films i cast as many non-actors as i cast actors   she said.  for me  it is intuition - i have to fall in love with an actor. it is a visceral response.   thackeray describes becky sharp as a minx. also she s described as someone who s tiny  red-headed and thin. reese had that completely minx-like irresistibility about her.  having won the role because she seemed physically perfectly suited to the part  however  witherspoon then became pregnant. but nair said that  though this had created the need for some filming tricks  it had in fact also helped the film.  it was a self-fulfilling prophesy - when i first met her husband [actor ryan philippe]  i said  knock her up  won t you  i need some flesh on the girl    she joked.  i m not a fan of the underfed los angeles actor at all. this was  for me  about becky sharp being  eventually  a full-blown woman through the course of the film.  i love the luminosity that pregnancy brings  i love the fleshiness  i love the ample bosom - it gave me much more to play with.  nair explained how camera tricks had been used to disguise witherspoon s  bump  in various scenes - including hiring a number of young boys in costumes to stand in front of her.  she runs  she gets off coal carts  she jumps off horses - she does everything   nair said.  but there s also a certain carriage with horses that is going to wipe the screen at a certain moment  because of the bump.
1285,deutsche boerse boosts dividend deutsche boerse  the german stock exchange that is trying to buy its london rival  has said it will boost its 2004 dividend payment by 27%.  analysts said that the move is aimed at winning over investors opposed to its bid for the london stock exchange. critics of the takeover have complained that the money could be better used by returning cash to shareholders. deutsche boerse also said profit in the three months to 31 december was 120.7m euros ($158.8m; £83.3m). sales climbed to 364.4m euros  lifting revenue for the year to a record 1.45bn euros.  frankfurt-based deutsche boerse has offered £1.3bn ($2.48bn; 1.88bn euros) for the london stock exchange. rival pan-european bourse euronext is working also on a bid. late on monday  deutsche boerse said it would lift its 2004 dividend payment to 70 euro cents (£0.48; $0.98) from 55 euro cents a year earlier.  there is a whiff of a sweetener in there   anais faraj  an analyst at nomura told the bbc s world business report.  most of the disgruntled shareholders of deutsche boerse are complaining that the money that is being used for the bid could be better placed in their hands  paid out in dividends   mr faraj continued. deutsche boerse is  trying to buy them off in a sense   he said.
1671,glasgow hosts tsunami benefit gig the top names in scottish music are taking part in a benefit concert in aid of the victims of the asian tsunami.  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.
67,deadline nears for fiat-gm deal fiat and general motors (gm) have until midnight on 1 february to settle a disagreement over a potential takeover.  the deadline marks the point at which fiat will gain the right to sell its car division to gm  part of an alliance agreed in 2000. gm  whose own european operations are losing money  no longer wants to own the unprofitable fiat unit. reports of deadlocked talks sent fiat shares down 1.2% on tuesday  after monday s 4% gain on hopes of a payoff. the us firm is thought to be offering about $2bn (£1.06bn) to extricate itself from the arrangement. it has argued the deal was voided by fiat s decision to sell off fiat s finance arm and halve gm s stake via a capital-raising effort.  the 2000 deal resulted from a race between gm and daimlerchrysler to ally with fiat. the german firm wanted to buy fiat outright. but gianni agnelli  the godfather of the group  wanted to keep control  and preferred gm s offer to buy a 20% stake and give fiat the right to sell in the future  known as a  put option . since then  however  fiat cars have lost market share and the firm has piled up losses  while a plan to raise new money in 2003 cut gm s stake in half to 10%. for its part  gm s european units opel and saab have both had trouble  with opel management threatening to cut 12 000 jobs.  the last thing they need is additional production capacity in europe   said patrick juchemich  auto analyst at sal oppenheim bank.
952,csa chief who  quit  still in job the head of the  failing  child support agency widely reported to have resigned three months ago is still at the helm of the troubled organisation.  doug smith s departure was announced by work secretary alan johnson on 17 november as mps grilled him over the agency s poor performance. his  resignation  was referred to by both tory and lib dem leaders during that day s prime ministers questions. officials now say he did not resign but will move on under civil service rules.  mr smith s departure was reported widely at the time as his shouldering the blame for the failings of the child support agency. in january the mps who make up the commons work and pensions committee published a highly critical report into the  failing  agency noting the chief executive  has now left  and hoping  the new leadership will bring a fresh approach to what is a failing organisation .  on that day s today programme mr johnson was asked why mr smith had been allowed to resign rather than be sacked. he replied:  the chief executive decided it was time to move on  there is a new chief executive coming in.  it now emerges that the widespread belief mr smith  made commander of the order of the bath in the new year honours  had left  was wrong. a department for work and pensions spokeswoman confirmed mr smith was still in post and that he would continue in the job until a replacement was found.  no date was ever given for doug smith s departure   she said adding that the post had been advertised.  tory work and pensions spokesman david willetts said families affected by csa failings would wonder why mr smith was still in his job three months after his departure was announced. the csa has been surrounded by controversy since its introduction in 1993 to assess and enforce child support payments by absent parents.  the work and pensions committee launched their inquiry into the csa s performance after it became clear that  despite the introduction of a simpler system of calculating maintenance payments for new cases in 2003  a backlog of claims was still building up. it is currently chasing outstanding payments of more than £720m  while a further £947m has been designated as  unrecoverable . the mps found american it giant eds  £456m system was  nowhere near being fully functional and the number of dissatisfied  disenchanted and angry customers continues to escalate .  in november  when he surprised mps and the watching media by announcing mr smith s departure  mr johnson said:  i should tell you that doug has decided that now is the time to stand aside and to allow a new chief executive to tackle the challenges ahead.  doug has exceeded the four years that senior civil servants are now expected to remain in a particular post.  so doug believes that we have reached the natural breakpoint at which he can hand over the reins.  lib dem sir archy kirkwood  who chairs the commons work and pensions committee  said that when mr johnson had announced mr smith was going he got the  clear impression  the csa chief was retiring though it had since emerged that was not the case  and he may be seeking new employment opportunities.  he added his committee was  duty bound  to allow the work and pensions secretary to get new management into place in the csa and it would be  premature  to say anything further on the issue at the moment. but committee member and tory mp nigel waterson said he was  amazed  mr smith was still in his job.  when mr smith and the secretary of state came to give evidence  we were led to believe he was going shortly   he said.  even if he was working out three months notice  he should have been clearing his desk by now.  asked on thursday about mr smith s position mr johnson told bbc radio 4 s world at one he thought it was a  non-story . he added that he had been absolutely open when he announced mr smith s departure to the select committee and how people chose to interpret it was a  different thing .  the major issue is have we got a new chief executive coming into this very important agency as quickly as possible and have we gone through the right selection process to make sure we ve got the right people   he added.
884,brown in appeal for labour unity gordon brown has made an appeal for unity after reports claimed mr blair went back on a pledge to stand down before the next general election.  the chancellor would not comment on the reports  but insisted he would not be  diverted or distracted  from tackling the challenges faced by the country. his only  motivation  was to ensure labour was re-elected  he insisted. mr blair earlier dismissed the claim he had reneged on a promise to stand aside for gordon brown as old news. according to a new book  brown s britain by sunday telegraph journalist robert peston  mr blair went back on a pledge to make way for mr brown after cabinet allies intervened in june 2004.  in an interview with bbc one s breakfast with frost  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.   in a separate interview with bbc political editor andrew marr  mr brown said:  it s very important that we all do what we can in a unified way to ensure the election of a labour government.  i think it is very important to stress that that is the motivation that i have.  that is my purpose in politics  and that is what every day i seek to do. and i am not going to be diverted or distracted  nor is tony blair  by newspaper stories or books or rumours or gossip.  the only reason why we are in government is to get on with the job in a unified way to deal with the challenges facing this country.  mr brown also said he had discussed the general election campaign with the prime minister on saturday and pledged to play his part as he had been asked to do.  but mr peston said the pair had  mutual animosity and contempt  for each other and that mr blair had decided in november 2003 he would quit because he felt he had lost voters  trust because of the iraq war. 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. andrew marr said:  this is enormously damaging. gordon brown knows it as well as tony blair.  i think the relationship is genuinely  privately  very poor indeed. things are very difficult.  he added:  lots of ministers believe tony blair will attempt to move gordon brown out of the treasury after the election.  that depends on whether there s still a labour government and their majority.   senior mps are expected to raise concerns about the latest reports of infighting at the regular meeting of labour backbenchers on monday.  health secretary john reid said those fuelling such reports were damaging labour s re-election chances and would not be easily forgiven. fresh speculation of a rift recently followed mr blair and mr brown s 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 . tory leader michael howard accused the prime minister and mr brown of squabbling like schoolboys . liberal democrat parliamentary chairman matthew taylor said the personal ambition of mr blair and mr brown was  getting in the way of good government .
2011,fast moving phone bugs appear security firms are warning about several mobile phone viruses that can spread much faster than similar bugs.  the new strains of the cabir mobile phone virus use short-range radio technology to leap to any vulnerable phone as soon as it is in range. the cabir virus only affects high-end handsets running the symbian series 60 phone operating system. despite the warnings  there are so far no reports of any phones being infected by the new variants of cabir.  the original cabir worm came to light in mid-june 2004 when it was sent to anti-virus firms as a proof-of-concept program. a mistake in the way the original cabir was written meant that even if it escaped from the laboratory  the bug would only have been able to infect one phone at a time.  however  the new cabir strains have this mistake corrected and will spread via short range bluetooth technology to any vulnerable phone in range. bluetooth has an effective range of a few tens of metres. the risk of being infected by cabir is low because users must give the malicious program permission to download on to their handset and then must manually install it. users can protect themselves by altering a setting on symbian phones that conceals the handset from other bluetooth using devices. finnish security firm f-secure issued a warning about the new strains of cabir but said that the viruses do not do any damage to a phone. all they do is block normal bluetooth activity and drain the phone s battery. anti-virus firm sophos said the source code for cabir had been posted on the net by a brazilian programmer which might lead to even more variants of the program being created. so far seven versions of cabir are know to exist  one of which was inside the malicious skulls program that was found in late november. symbian s series 60 software is licenced by nokia  lg electronics  lenovo  panasonic  samsung  sendo and siemens.
1979,venezuela reviews foreign deals venezuela is to review all foreign investment in its mining industries in an effort to strengthen its indigenous industrial output.  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.
519,yukos drops banks from court bid russian oil company yukos has dropped the threat of legal action against five banks it had accused of involvement in the sale of its key yugansk unit.  state-owned rosneft bought the unit for $9.3bn (£5bn) after yukos was forced to sell assets to meet a $27.5bn tax bill. yukos says the sale was illegal and is pursuing damages in a us court. its lawyers now accept abn amro  bnp paribas  calyon  jp morgan chase bank  and dresdner kleinwort wasserstein were not involved in the sale financing. however  yukos still has an outstanding complaint against deutsche bank  which it alleges to be the leader of a consortium that was behind a bid for yugansk by state gas monopoly gazprom. the company has also accused gazprom  the russian federation and two other russian firms.  gazprom had been expected to win the december auction  but ended up not bidding. 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. the firm  whose finance chief is now based in the us  filed for bankruptcy in houston  texas  and sought a court injunction against the sale. but deutsche bank has suggested yukos artificially manufactured a legal case to stop the sale of its main asset. a hearing scheduled for february 16 and 17 will rule on whether the us court has jurisdiction in the case.
1132,ministers lose slopping out case the scottish executive has lost an appeal against an inmate s compensation for being forced to slop out in prison.  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.
1782,game firm holds  cast  auditions video game firm bioware is to hold open auditions for people to become cast members for future games.  the company  which makes role playing games such as knights of the old republic and neverwinter nights  is seeking people aged 18 to 99. the canada-based company says it was looking for  a wide variety of people to use as face models for characters . everyone chosen to appear in a video game will receive a performer s fee for the use of their image. the company is inviting people to come along to a shopping mall in west edmonton  alberta  on friday and saturday  bringing along a piece of photo identification.   there are hundreds and hundreds of characters in a typical bioware game   said shauna perry  bioware s audio and external resources producer.  those people live in any city and village and so we need ordinary people  people with interesting faces.  she added:  not everyone is a model in the world so we don t want just models in our games.  people chosen to appear in a game will have their head scanned in three dimensions. hundreds of photos of the person s head are taken so that a model of the head can be generated in 3d.  the 3d model will look exactly like the person - it s really quite incredible how detailed they are   said ms perry. she said chosen participants will have no control over how the image is used in a computer game.  we cannot give people any control over how the images are used.  but their face could be used in multiple games - so they could be the hero in one  the villain in another and just a merchant in a third.
112,rapper jay-z becomes label boss rap star jay-z is to become a record company executive after being put in charge of one of hip-hop s most influential labels  def jam.  jay-z  who said he would make no more music after 2003 s the black album  will become the company s president and chief executive from january. def jam s parent company  universal  made the appointment after buying jay-z s roc-a-fella label. def jam s artists include ll cool j  dmx  ludacris  ja rule and ashanti. jay-z will continue to run roc-a-fella  which he founded with damon dash in 1995 and has kanye west and beanie sigel on its roster. universal said on wednesday it had bought the 50% of roc-a-fella it did not already own.  antonio  la  reid  chairman of the island def jam music group  said:  i can think of no-one more relevant and credible in the hip-hop community to build upon def jam s fantastic legacy.  he hoped jay-z would  move the company into its next groundbreaking era   he added. jay-z  real name shawn carter  said:  i have inherited two of the most important brands in hip-hop  def jam and roc-a-fella.   i feel this is a giant step for me and the entire artist community.  one of the most successful and respected rap stars of the last eight years  jay-z s hits have included hard knock life  dirt off your shoulder and 03 bonnie and clyde with his girlfriend beyonce knowles. he said he would retire after the black album  but has just released an album and been on an ill-fated tour with r kelly. def jam was founded in 1984 by russell simmons and producer rick rubin and signed artists including run-dmc  the beastie boys and public enemy.
1996,cole refuses to blame van persie ashley cole has refused to blame robin van persie for leaving arsenal with no fully-fit strikers for the fa cup fifth round replay at sheffield united.  van persie is suspended alongside dennis bergkamp and jose antonio reyes after being sent off at southampton when arsenal had a numerical advantage. thierry henry is ruled out with an achilles tendon injury but cole said:  no-one is putting the blame on robin.  it s just something that happens on the spur of the moment.  cole added:  i ve done it before and i hope they didn t blame me for anything.  of course he ll learn. i ve been sent off a couple of times now and it s just one of those things when you go a bit crazy for one or two seconds. freddie ljungberg is likely to be used in an emergency striking role and will be partnered by either arturo lupoli  quincy owusu-abeyie or jeremie aliadiere. gunners boss arsene wenger said:  freddie is an option but we need a second striker.  i have to decide whether it will be aliadiere  quincy or lupoli who will start with him up front. those three will be involved.  arsenal are also without winger robert pires  who sustained an ankle injury at st mary s. wenger added:  it doesn t look like anything is fractured  but it is a good ankle sprain.  it does not look like pires will be ready for two to three weeks.
683,europe blames us over weak dollar european leaders have openly blamed the us for the sharp rise in the value of the euro.  us officials were talking up the dollar  they said  but failing to take action to back up their words. meeting in brussels  finance ministers of the 12 eurozone countries voiced their concern that the rise of the european currency was harming exports. the dollar is within touching distance of an all-time low reached earlier in november. at 0619 gmt on tuesday  the dollar was up slightly at just above $1.29 to the euro  and buying 105.6 yen in tokyo. it rallied briefly on monday amid signs that oil prices are easing.  but analysts said the respite was likely to be only temporary. the european ministers  comments  said junya tanase of jpmorgan chase bank in tokyo  were  generally too weak to produce a market reaction .  still  by the standards of diplomacy the european ministers were forthright. nicolas sarkozy of france said he and his colleagues were unanimous in their worry that the decline of the dollar would hit europe s economies by eating into their exports.  we are concerned about these developments  which are destabilising  and which are linked to the accumulation of deficits by our american friends   he said. the comments come a day after us treasury secretary john snow said a strong dollar was  in america s interest .  but that was not enough for mr sarkozy.   if the americans were to change their policy  it s up to them to say so   he said. and the european union s monetary affairs commissioner  made it clear that action was necessary.  i fully welcome the words of mr snow   said joaquin almunia   but we will need to see decisions adopted in that direction.  if the imbalances in the us economy are not adjusted in the future  the decision in the market will be as in the past weeks.  economists point out that whatever europe says  in the short term a weaker dollar is a boon to president george w bush s administration. not only does it boost us exports  but it also makes the budget deficit easier to fund. on the other hand  slower european exports would mean slower eu growth - potentially reducing the demand for us goods.
1447,mobile picture power in your pocket how many times have you wanted to have a camera to hand to catch an unexpected event that would make headlines   with a modern mobile phone that has a camera built in  you no longer need to curse  you can capture the action as it happens. already on-the-spot snappers are helping newspapers add immediacy to their breaking news stories headlines  where professional photographers only arrive in time for the aftermath. celebrities might not welcome such a change because they may never be free of a new breed of mobile phone paparazzi making their lives a bit more difficult. already one tabloid newspaper in la is issuing photographers with camera phones to help them catch celebrities at play. it could be the start of a trend that only increases as higher resolution phone cameras become more widespread; as video phones catch on and millions of people start carrying the gadgets around.  only last week  the world media highlighted the killing of the dutch film maker theo van gogh  notorious after making a controversial film about islamic culture.  one day later de telegraaf  a daily amsterdam newspaper  became news on its own when it published a picture taken with a mobile phone of mr van gogh s body moments after he was killed.  this picture was the story   said de telegraaf s image editor  peter schoonen. other accounts of such picture phone users witnessing news events  include:    - a flight from switzerland to the dominican republic which turned around after someone took a picture of a piece of metal falling from the plane as it took off from zurich (reported by the swiss daily le matin).   - two crooks who robbed a bank in denmark were snapped before they carried out the crime waiting for the doors of the building to be opened (reported by the danish regional paper aarhus stiftstidende).     but this is not just about traditional media lending immediacy to their stories with content from ordinary people  it is also about first-hand journalism in the form of online diaries or weblogs.  it has been called  open source news  or even  moblog journalism  and it has flourished in the recent us election campaign.  not many people walk around with their cameras  but they always have their mobile phones with them. if something happens  suddenly all these mobiles sort of appear from nowhere  and start taking pictures   said digital artist henry reichhold. he himself uses mobile phone pictures to create huge panoramic images of events and places.  you see it in bars  you see it everywhere. it s a massive thing   mr reichhold told the bbc news website.  with some picture agencies already paying for exclusive phone pictures  especially of celebrities  there are also fears about the possible downside of this phenomenon.  it could become a nuisance for public figures as higher resolution picture phones hit the market  with five megapixel models already being launched in asia. already on us photojournal site  buzznet  there is a public album full of snaps of celebrities  many of which were taken with camera phones. tabloid newspapers in the uk and many monthly magazines invite readers to send in images of famous people they have seen and snapped. but there are other positive uses of picture mobile phones that may balance these uses. for instance  in alabama  in the us  camera phones will be used to take snaps at crime scenes involving children  and help the authorities to arrest and prosecute paedophiles. and in china s capital beijing  courts have adopted mobile phone photos as formal evidence. for henry reichhold  this is progress:  that s the whole thing about the immediacy of the thing. i can see that happening a lot more.
472,parry puts gerrard  above money  listen to the full interview on sport on five and the bbc sport website from 1900 gmt.  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.
562,totp turns to elvis impersonator top of the pops has turned to the star of elvis presley musical jailhouse rock after the late rock legend scooped the uk s 1 000th number one single.  mario kombou  who plays the presley role on stage  will sing one night on friday s bbc one show as producers are unable to use presley video footage. it is his second number one in a row. the show used presley photos last week. presley will feature in the charts for several more months as all 18 of his original uk chart-toppers are reissued.  a top of the pops spokesperson said:  it s a very special number one as it s the uk s 1 000th.  we wanted to pay tribute to elvis in the best way we knew how  so we thought getting a professional would be the best way for top of the pops to do that.  kombou is likely to appear on the show again next week as the next presley re-release  a fool such as i  is on course to give him his third number one in three weeks. kombou plays vince everett in jailhouse rock - the same role presley played in the 1957 film of the same name.
1476,nhs waiting time target is cut hospital waiting times for patients in wales are to be cut  but not to the same extent as those in england.  welsh health minister jane hutt said no patient would wait more than 12 months for an outpatient appointment by march 2006  against a current target of 18 months. but she said the target for an inpatient appointment would remain at 12 months for march 2006. the announcement came as new monthly waiting figures showed a drop. this current inpatient target was set when the assembly government extended its second offer guarantee scheme  which gives patients the option of having their treatment outside wales.  details about funding to resource the new targets are expected in the new year. in england  the current target for inpatients - seeing a consultant to having an operation - is six months. dr richard lewis  welsh secretary of the british medical association (bma)  welcomed the new targets  to make further and faster progress on waiting lists .  however  much remains to be done on waiting lists and waiting times because wales still lags a long way behind england   he said.  capacity must be built into the system with sustained investment to ensure that welsh patients don t receive a worse service than patients over the border.  health analyst tony beddow  from the welsh institute for health and social care  called the new targets  reasonably impressive .  on wednesday  ms hutt also announced £264m for health services will be spent reducing waiting times  improving key areas and modernising staff pay structures in wales.  ms hutt said major achievements had been made in cutting  unacceptably long waits for treatment over the past year .  we are turning the corner on long waits in wales. now we need to see those reductions in long waiters being improved again   she said. she added the targets intended to ensure no-one waits more than a year for treatment or to see a consultant.  but let us not forget two thirds of those waiting for treatment now are waiting less than six months  and these targets affect the small minority of patients in wales that are waiting far too long.  rhodri glyn thomas  plaid cymru health spokesman said:  it s exactly the same target she set in 1999  with the qualification that it s dependent on a second offer. it s a failed target  from a failed minister..with a failed policy.  for the welsh liberal democrats  kirsty williams called the new target  hugely unambitious .  it leaves patients in wales still waiting two years before they re treated.  conservative health spokesman jonathan morgan said:  we re spending more money but waiting lists have gone through the roof.  the audit commission has said that the money is not being spent efficiently or effectively  and that s quite a criticism.  meanwhile  the latest monthly waiting list figures showed the total number of people waiting more than 18 months as an inpatient in wales has fallen by 9.8%. statistics to the end of november showed a decline since october from 785 to 708. the number waiting over 12 months also fell from 7 613 to 6 630  or 12.9%. ms hutt said they were  excellent figures . there are 305 775 people on a waiting list of some kind  down from 311 764 last month.
1339,mcilroy wins 800m indoor title james mcilroy motored to the aaa s indoor 800m title in sheffied on sunday in a time of one minute  47.97 seconds.  the larne athlete dominated the race from start to finish although he had to hold off a late challenge from welshman jimmy watkins in the final 100 metres.  i had to go out and go through all the gears before the europeans and i won t run again until then   said mcilroy.   i though if i got lucky i d get close to the british record but i blew up in the end.   mcilroy has been in superb form at the start of the season and will now start his build-up for the european indoors at madrid on 4-6 march. meanwhile  paul brizzel and anna boyle reached the semi-finals of the 60m hurdles with boyle setting a season s best of 7.48. in the women s 60m final  ailis mcsweeney broke michelle carroll s long-standing irish record by clocking 7.37 which left her in third place. david gillick showed that he is a genuine medal contender in the european indoor championships by claiming an impressive 400m victory. gillick was more than half-a-second clear when taking gold in 46.45 - .02 outside his personal best set in saturday s semi-finals.  the irishman is now the fastest european this season. derval o rourke broke her own irish 60m hurdles record by clocking 8.06 which left her third behind new british record holder sarah claxton (7.96). james nolan (3:46.04) took second in the men s 1500m behind neil speaight (3:45.86) but the offaly man was outside the european indoor standard. colin costello was seventh in the 1500m final in 3:48.82). deirdre ryan was second in the women s high jump with a clearance of 1.87m while aoife byrne took silver in the 800m in a personal best of 2:06.73. lisburn s kelly mcneice reid (4:31.34) was seventh in the women s 1500m while gary murray (8:11.22) was 11th in the men s 3000m. meanwhile  stephen cairns and jill shannon claimed the individual titles at saturday s northern ireland cross country championship in coleraine. cairns came in ahead of paul rowan and allan bogle in the men s race. willowfield claimed their first men s team title in 72 years while shannon helped lagan valley win the women s team honours.
1972,thanou desperate to make return greek sprinter katerina thanou says she is eager to compete again after being cleared of missing a drugs test by an independent greek tribunal.  thanou  30  was provisionally suspended for missing a test before the olympics  but the decision was overturned.  the iaaf will decide if we can compete again in greece and abroad   thanou told to vima newspaper in her first interview since the athens olympics.  if given the green light i will run again - that s the only thing i want.  thanou  30  and her compatriot kostas kenteris were provisionally suspended by the iaaf in december for missing three drugs tests. the third was alleged to have been on the eve of the opening ceremony of the athens olympics.  but an independent tribunal of the greek athletics federation overturned the provisional ban on 18 march. the iaaf - which said it was  very surprised  by the decision of the greek tribunal - is deciding whether to appeal against the decision at the court of arbitration for sport. however  dick pound  the chairman of the world anti-doping authority  has said he will appeal against the decision if the iaaf does not. and thanou and kenteris face a criminal trial later this year for allegedly avoiding the test and then faking a motorcycle accident. thanou said:  i can see how people can think the accident seemed like a childish excuse.  i cannot deny that we made a lot of mistakes during that time. i always said we needed a pr person.  an athlete would have to be very stupid to take illegal substances when he or she knows that they will undergo tests at any given moment.  i am a champion. i cannot risk everything i ve achieved in such a silly way.
875,a-listers flock to gervais sitcom hollywood actors samuel l jackson and ben stiller have signed up for ricky gervais  new sitcom  the comedian has told bbc news.  he said they had both seen the scripts and had agreed to appear in an episode each of the sitcom extras. they join british stars jude law and kate winslet who have been booked for guest roles. the comic and actor said he had drawn up an a-list of stars he wanted and all had agreed to be in it.  we wanted actors who had iconic status but that we could also deconstruct   gervais told bbc news.   it s not about the zeitgeist. we wanted people who would still be around in 20 years  not just the winner of big brother to take part.  gervais admitted he was cautious about revealing who would be taking part until they had all signed on the dotted line. but he has met with stiller and jackson and they enjoyed the scripts enough to commit to it.   i didn t want to start revealing names until it was all sorted because people just mention people who haven t even been asked.  i have been linked with ridiculous stories recently such as i m going to be in a remake of 10 taking dudley moore s part. i haven t been approached and i wouldn t take it anyway.   he said stiller and jackson would be playing  twisted  versions of themselves in extras and that the jokes about them  would sail pretty close to the bone . gervais and his writing partner stephen merchant are currently refining the scripts for the six-part series  in which gervais plays a struggling actor who bitches about the stars. meanwhile  gervais is gearing up to promote his cartoon book flanimals which is released in the us in march  around the same time as nbc begin showing the us version of the office. the film rights to flanimals have already been snapped up but gervais is keen for the project to be taken slowly.  a film will happen over the next three years but i don t want it to be a $50m movie straight away because it is not well enough known and it wouldn t be another spider-man or batman. i would like to do something small on tv with it first.
1067,famed music director viotti dies conductor marcello viotti  director of venice s famous la fenice theatre  has died in germany at 50.  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.
1442,mobile games come of age the bbc news website takes a look at how games on mobile phones are maturing. a brief round-up follows but you can skip straight to the reviews by clicking on the links below. part two will follow on monday.  reviews of call of duty  splinter cell - pandora tomorrow  lord of the rings and pocket kingdom will follow on monday 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.
708,m&s cuts prices by average of 24% marks & spencer has cut prices in london and the regions by an average of 24%  according to research from a city investment bank.  dresdner kleinwort wasserstein said:  in spite of the snow in the uk  it still feels very early to be cutting prices of spring merchandise.  stuart rose  head of m&s  said last year its prices were too high.  we are bringing in ranges at new price points to compete against mid-market retailers like next   said m&s.  next is one of m&s s biggest competitors and the move may force it to lower prices. drkw said the cuts are either to clear stock or could indicate a longer term  step change in pricing in certain areas  at m&s.  either way  this cannot be good news for m&s  margin   it added.  we have brought in quite a lot of new clothing at new price points as part of stuart rose s strategy of quality  style -and price   said the m&s spokesman. many analysts believe february is proving to be a difficult month for retailers and british retail consortium figures  due in a few weeks  are expected to reflect the tough trading environment. separately  investment bank goldman sachs produced reseach showing that a basket of 35 m&s goods is now 11% above the high-street average  compared with 43% higher last year.  it has been a strange week for m&s  which on tuesday received a statement from philip green  the billionaire bhs owner  confirming he was not rebidding for the company. this was followed the same day by mark paulsmeier  a south african financier  issuing a press release saying his paulsmeier group was interested in m&s. a sudden spike in m&s s share price followed. however  an m&s spokesman said on sunday it had no evidence that mr paulsmeier had lined up sufficient finance for a bid. he also said the takeover panel and the uk s financial watchdog the financial services authority had been in touch with m&s at the beginning of the week to find out what it knew about the paulsmeier developments.
515,net regulation  still possible  the blurring of boundaries between tv and the internet raises questions of regulation  watchdog ofcom has said.  content on tv and the internet is set to move closer this year as tv-quality video online becomes a norm. at a debate in westminster  the net industry considered the options. lord currie  chairman of super-regulator ofcom  told the panel that protecting audiences would always have to be a primary concern for the watchdog. despite having no remit for the regulation of net content  disquiet has increased among internet service providers as speeches made by ofcom in recent months hinted that regulation might be an option. at the debate  organised by the internet service providers  association (ispa)  lord currie did not rule out the possibility of regulation.   the challenge will arise when boundaries between tv and the internet truly blur and then there is a balance to be struck between protecting consumers and allowing them to assess the risks themselves   he said. adopting the rules that currently exist to regulate tv content or self-regulation  which is currently the practice of the net industry  will be up for discussion.  some studies suggest that as many as eight million households in the uk could have adopted broadband by the end of 2005  and the technology opens the door to tv content delivered over the net. more and more internet service providers and media companies are streaming video content on the web. bt has already set up an entertainment division to create and distribute content that could come from sources such as bskyb  itv and the bbc. head of the division  andrew burke  spoke about the possibility of creating content for all platforms.  how risque can i be in this new age  with celebrity chefs serving up more expletives than hot dinners  surely i can push it to the limit   he said.  in fact  he said  if content has been requested by consumers and they have gone to lengths to download it  then maybe it should be entirely regulation free. internet service providers have long claimed no responsibility for the content they carry on their servers since the law commission dubbed them  mere conduits  back in 2002. this defence does not apply if they have actual knowledge of illegal content and have failed to remove it. the level of responsibility they have has been tested in several high-profile legal cases. richard ayers  portal director at tiscali  said there was little point trying to regulate the internet because it would be impossible. huge changes are afoot in 2005  he predicted  as companies such as the bbc offer tv content over the net. the bbc s planned interactive media player which will give surfers the chance to download programmes such as eastenders and top gear will make net tv mainstream and raise a whole new set of questions  he said.  one of these will be about the vast sums of money involved in maintaining the network to supply such a huge quantity of data and could herald a new digital licence fee  said mr ayers. as inappropriate net content  most obviously pornography viewed by children  continues to dominate the headlines  internet regulation remains a political issue said mp richard allan  liberal democrat spokesman on it. mr allan thinks that the answer could lie somewhere between the cries of  impossible to regulate  and  just apply offline laws online . in fact  instead of seeing regulation brought online  the future could bring an end to regulation as we know it for all tv content. after lord currie departed  the panel agreed that this could be a reality and that for the internet people power is likely to reign.  if content is on-demand  consumers have pulled it up rather than had pushed to them  then it is the consumers  choice to watch it. there is no watershed on the net   said mr burke.
118,chancellor rallies labour voters gordon brown has issued a rallying cry  telling supporters the  stakes are too high  to stay at home or protest vote in the forthcoming general election.  the chancellor said the vote - expected to fall on 5 may - will give a  clear and fundamental  choice between labour investment and conservative cuts. speaking at labour s spring conference in gateshead  mr brown claimed the nhs was not safe in conservative hands. he said tory plans to cut £35bn tax would  cut deep into public service .  to a packed audience at gateshead s sage centre  the chancellor said the cuts proposed by shadow chancellor oliver letwin were the equivalent of sacking every teacher  gp and nurse in the country  he told activists. laying into the conservative s record in government he said:  i give you this promise - with labour  britain will never return to the mistakes of erm and 10% inflation  15% interest rates  £3bn in lost reserves  250 000 repossessed  one million in negative equity and three million unemployed.  never again tory boom and bust.   this will be the central dividing line at the election  between a conservative party taking britain back and planning deep cuts of £35bn in our services  and a labour government taking britain forward  which on a platform of stability will reform and renew our hospitals  schools and public services and  i am proud to say  spend by 2008 £60bn more.  turning to the economy  the chancellor pledged to continue economic stability and growth in a third term in power.  he said after seven years labour had transformed from a party not trusted with the economy to  the only party trusted with the economy . it was now a  party not just of employees  but of employers and managers   he said. in the speech - which prompted a standing ovation from an audience clearly  warm  to mr brown - he also promised to end teenage unemployment within the next five years. he also highlighted plans for 100% debt relief for the world s poorest countries  a national minimum wage for 16 and 17-year-olds and the creation of a network of children s centres and flexibility in maternity leave. the prime minister is to take part later on saturday in an interactive question and answer session  fielding queries sent in by e-mail  text message and telephone as part of labour s attempt to engage the public in their campaign.
1513,half-life 2 sweeps bafta awards pc first person shooter half-life 2 has won six bafta awards  including best game and best online game.  the title  developed by valve  was released last year to universal acclaim - receiving special praise for its immersive plot and physics engine. the game also won baftas for best action adventure  best pc game  art direction and animation. burnout 3 won three awards in the categories for racing  technical direction and best playstation 2 game. grant dean  chairman of the bafta games awards  said at a ceremony in london on tuesday:  the last year has been a great year for the interactive entertainment industry.   these awards reflect the enormous achievements  progress and diversity that we have seen in that time.  halo 2 won the best xbox game category  while prince of persia: warrior within was adjudged the best gamecube title. the sports award went to konami s pro evolution soccer 4. bafta said the  significant feature  of this year s awards was the number of  non-traditional games . the originality award was won by playstation 2 title singstar while the children s award went to gamecube bongo rhythm game donkey konga. the handheld award went to colin mcrae rally 2005 while the mobile category was won by blue tooth byplanes. the audio award was won by call of duty: finest hour and hitman: contracts won the music award.
1227,jol joy at  professional  cup win tottenham manager martin jol acclaimed his players for their patience in their 3-0 fa cup fifth-round victory over a determined nottingham forest side.   we had the initiative but it wasn t easy. it was a professional sort of performance   the dutchman said.  forest played with a lot of players behind the ball in the first half  but at 2-0 they were dead and buried.  looking ahead to the quarter-final  jol said:  newcastle have got a very good side and they are always difficult.  however  he added that his side  who are four places above the magpies in the premiership  were  not afraid of anyone . robbie keane  skipper for the night and scorer of the crucial second goal  echoed his manager s sentiments on the last-eight match.  they re on a high  but we re confident and in the last few games we ve played well and hopefully we can go there and get the win   he said.  he conceded the win over forest  which included goals from noe pamarot and mido  was not pretty to watch.  it wasn t the best display but it s all about the result   the irishman said.  we knew it was going to be difficult with the conditions. the pitch wasn t the best but we still tried to pass it.  we dug in and the gaffer said to us at half-time to keep being patient and that the goal will come.  forest manager gary megson conceded his team did not deserve anything after a poor performance.  if you play like we did and concede two goals from corners you re going to have an uphill battle against a very good team   he said.  if we defend in the championship like we did we ll not get another point.  we were organised but i felt at times we thought the system would be enough but we didn t look like scoring.
1196,duff ruled out of barcelona clash chelsea s damien duff has been ruled out of wednesday s champions league clash with barcelona at the nou camp.  duff sustained a knee injury in the fa cup defeat at newcastle and manager jose mourinho said:  he cannot run. his injury is very painful  so he is out.  but mourinho has revealed defender willian gallas and striker didier drogba will be in the starting line-up. the blues boss took the unusual step of naming his side a day before the match  with jole cole named in midfield. mourinho said:  we have one more session but i think drogba will play  and gallas will play.  drogba trained on monday with no problems and will do the same on tuesday. gallas feels he can play and wants to play. we are protecting him still but he will be okay to play.  drogba  chelsea s £24m striker  has missed the last three weeks through injury.  cech  ferreira  carvalho  terry  gallas  tiago  makelele  lampard  cole  drogba  gudjohnsen.
635,mutu to hold talks with juventus disgraced former chelsea striker adrian mutu is to begin talks with juventus as he looks for a new club.   mutu will be in our club s main stand to watch the match between juventus and fiorentina   said a juventus official  who declined to be named.  then he will meet some important people of the club   he added. mutu  25  sacked by chelsea and banned for seven months for taking cocaine  is now represented by alessandro moggi  son of juve manager luciano moggi. mutu  banned by the english fa  can resume playing next may. he is to undergo a drug education and rehabilitation programme. mutu wants to train with romanian side dinamo bucharest whilst serving his ban  say the bucharest side.
1669,johnson too strong for gb runners britain s kathy butler and hayley yelling were no match for benita johnson in the 51st cross international zornotza in amorebieta  spain.  butler and yelling finished fourth and fifth as australian world champion johnson romped to a five-second victory in the 6km race ahead of edith masai. masai s fellow kenyan alice timbilil finished third. johnson said:  i ran comfortably for the first 3km and then i tried to leave the others but it wasn t an easy task.  butler clocked a time of 22 minutes 45 seconds - 22secs behind the winner but four ahead of yelling  who last month succeeded paula radcliffe as european champion. johnson  will be one of the star attractions at the great edinburghinternational cross country on 15 january.
1823,corbett attacks  dumbed-down tv  ronnie corbett has joined fellow comedy stars victoria wood and david jason in attacking the declining standards of british television programmes.  speaking to the radio times  the two ronnies star said there is too much bad language and reality tv.  you get fed up watching shows with not much care and love   he complained. corbett  soon to reunite with ronnie barker for a new two ronnies series  also criticised quiz shows like the bbc s they think it s all over.  it s just laughing at each other and thinking   aren t we clever    said the 74-year-old comedian. corbett is the latest comedy star to bemoan the  dumbing down  of modern tv programmes. in an interview published in the radio times in january  victoria wood slated comedian sacha baron cohen for his character ali g s  horrible  brand of  victim  humour.   with so many good writers and good performers  it s a shame people can t just write a script and have other people learn it   she said. and last week only fools and horses star david jason criticised british tv for being  too safe and too cheap .  we ve got to be careful not to dumb down for the audience   he said.  they shouldn t be sitting at home on the sofa vegetating.  corbett said he and barker were always mindful of their family audience while making the two ronnies.  our material was good-natured   he said.  we knew what would upset the average man in the street.  there s a lot of swearing on tv today. they even have documentaries with the f-word.   corbett goes on to criticise  reality programmes where they put people in a house for a fortnight and film them doing everything . the two ronnies ran from 1971 to 1987 and attracted 17 million viewers at its peak. its bespectacled stars will return later this year in the two ronnies sketchbook  which will combine classic sketches with newly recorded material. corbett claims he and barker differ from today s celebrities in that they did not allow their success to go to their heads.  we were never temperamental  fractious or walked out slamming doors   he said.  we were fussy though   he added.  we wanted everything done properly.
483,losing yourself in online gaming online role playing games are time-consuming  but enthralling flights from reality. but are some people taking their fantasy lives too seriously   when video game world of warcraft hit the shops in europe last week fans wrote in to the bbc website to express their delight - and to offer a warning.  an addiction to a game like this is far more costly in time than any substance could impair - keep track of time   wrote travis anderson  in texas. some of the comments were humorous:  this game is so good i m not going to get it  there s no way i could limit the hours i d spend playing it   wrote charles macintyre  from england.  but some struck a more worrying tone about the massively multiplayer online role playing game (mmorpg):   you need to get out more  could be the motto of any mmorpg. shame they are getting more popular  as you know this problem is just going to mushroom   wrote stuart stanton-davies  in huddersfield. scare-mongering articles about  addictive video games  have existed since the days the first game of pong stopped everyone from working at the atari offices.  gaming is like any other pastime - it can quickly become an unhealthy obsession  whether it is spending too much time in the gym  in front of the television  or reading poetry.  unfortunately  gaming and addiction is a far too easy association to make. however  stories about gamers spending 10 to 15 hours a day in front of some video games are becoming more frequent. and the impact that is having on their families is quite distressing for some.  massively multiplayer online role playing games - mmorpgs - allow thousands of gamers to share a common experience of sharing fantasy or science fiction worlds. the scope of these games - like warcraft  everquest  ultima among others - is epic  and exploration and adventure is almost infinite. part of the  problem  is grinding - by which gamers have to perform long-winded  mindless tasks  to bring up their levels and gain access to more adventure. such open-endedness brings with it a desire to keep playing; not for no reason is everquest (eq) nicknamed evercrack. e hayot  writing in the culture blogzine print culture  said recently:  i used to play the online role-playing game everquest a lot.  by  a lot   i mean probably 15 to 20 hours a week on average  and on weeks where i didn t have to work  as many as 30 or 40 hours.   he says that in the world of online gaming such behaviour  wasn t that unusual; lots of people i knew in the game played eq that much .  you lie; you don t go into work because you  had stuff to do at home ; you cancel or refuse invitations to dinner  you spend much less time watching tv (a good thing  presumably)   he wrote  explaining how everquest took over his time. he quit the game  he says  because he realised life was more fun than everquest.  let us be clear - such obsession is rare. but the huge growth in online gaming means a growth in the numbers of people who take their passion for a hobby too far. almost 400 000 people bought a copy of world of warcraft in the first two days on sale earlier this month. only a fraction will descend into obsessives. the thoughts of families and friends of gamers who have been affected by everquest can be found on one blog everquest daily grind. jane  who runs the website  compiles a chronicle of heart-rending stories.  i am actually convinced at this point that there are more than  some  people who spend more times in mmoprgs than in reality   she said. one unnamed correspondent - all are anonymous - wrote:  on the rare nights when my husband does come to bed at the same time as i do  i find that i am so used to sleeping by myself that it is difficult to get to sleep with another body laying next to me.   i can t talk to him while he is playing. there is absolutely no point as he doesn t hear me or is so distracted that i get a  ummm... ya  a few minutes after i ask him a question.    gaming widows  has become a comedic term for women who have been shut out by male gamers. but for some it is not in the least funny. another correspondent wrote:  i believe that he is addicted to the online gaming  and that is the cause of his depression and restlessness.  and some of them are even sadder:  today our son was five days old.  the sad truth is my husband spent 11 hours today playing his warcraft game. he did not interact with our sweet tiny baby because there were important quests waiting online.  video game fans often complain that their hobby is misunderstood or marginalised. but as gaming becomes ever more mainstream  and games ever more immersive  there will be no hiding place for social problems.    i wish 30-40 hours a week was unusual but i think it probably isn t. an 11 hour stretch isn t that surprising - i ve known people to play 15+ hours at a stretch. i know of people who are spending their week s holiday from work playing warcraft. i know of people who would play ever[crack] in shifts...waking at 3am to take over from their friends and resume waiting for an item they  needed  to appear. i understand that the key sign of an addiction is if you alter your life around it rather than fit it into your life. by all standards many of us are addicts. so is the solution to force ourselves to stop playing..or do we just need to make real life a bit more interesting   sadly with all the talk of people becoming obsessed with gaming  i find myself longing to have the time to join them. i have been in a long term relationship for over 4 years - since that began  games have become more and more complex. and more and more so i find i have less and less time to play them  with and marriage and work being the main drag on my time.  i think the line between playing a game a lot and a gaming addiction is really quite distinct. i play games a lot  definately over 20 hours a week  but i don t go missing work or other commitments in order to play games.  i have  about a year ago  deleted every game on my computer. rpgs are the worst - the real world fades and all your worries sorround a new magic staff or mighty sword. unlike books  or perhaps even tv  you gain absolutely nothing. when you stop playing you re at the same point as when you started; all the achievements of your 10 hour session are irretrievably locked in the game and  since you ve gained nothing in the real world  you may as well pile on more achievement in the fake one.  despite having little monetary value  the  rewards  and encouragement offered by these mmorpgs is enough to hook games for hours daily. if only business could learn to leverage that very simply human need for easily measurable progress and recognition. perhaps the unhealthily obsessed simply need more recognition for their achievements in reality   my advice to gaming widows is  if you can t beat  em  join  em . that is  try playing it yourself. if he wants to play as well  well at least you ll be together somewhere...  i was an addict and it cost me my relationship. i still play now  but without the guilt   hehe  how long have i played in one sitting  from morning till the early hours of the next day  the birds were singing out side and i had to hobble to the bath room cos my bladder was so full i was in pain  i would hardly eat  perhaps some toast  smoke endlessly and drink. now  thankfully the fascination has worn off and i have a girlfriend but still no job. for the most part online gaming give me an adiction to illusory achievement  and as there is no end in sight you keep going for the mirage of the ultimate.  obsessive behaviour is  of course  always cause for concern  but it always bothers me when articles about gaming talk in terms of  reality . obviously  somebody who spends thirty hours a week playing everquest has a problem. this problem  however  has nothing to do with a dysfunctional sense of reality. an obsessive eq player does not consider the game to be  real  any more than - for example - an obsessive automotive tinkerer considers their car to be human. if mmorpgs have a unique danger  in terms of encouraging obsessive behaviour  it is not that they create an absorbing virtual world  but rather that they can be easily accessed 24/7. the problem here does not lie with the nature of gaming  but with the nature of modern 24 hour culture.  the problem with these so called mmorpgs is that you can never really complete them  there s always another quest to do. a few of my friends have only had about 10 hours sleep since it was released friday...  championship manager consumed my life for years. one particular session started at about 2pm on a sunday  paused for a brief sleep at 5am on the monday and after visit to university for classes restarted at about midday for another 10 hour session. the people who tend to hark on about about the problems of  hardcore gaming  seem to be those who have rarely allowed themselves to become immersed in a game. i would expect their perspective to change if they were to do that.  i used to be an everquest addict while i was in college. it came to the point where the gaming world felt more real than the real one. i failed alot of my courses and was able to barely graduate. i was lucky that i came to my senses when i did  others were less fortunate and dropped out of college. now that i am holding a job  i avoid online rpgs like the plague.  when i was made redundant i told my partner i had a new job for three months whilst every day i played everquest from 7:30am till 5:pm. when she came home i pretended i had just got in as well  hence justifying playing it all evening. i have since quit playing mmorpg and have a good job.  when i got to the point where i was eating my dinner in front of the pc i realised things were getting silly so i m trying not to spend so much time on there. it s not easy. i feel as if i ve got a real addiction going on here.  for me the problem is that i love to complete a goal. once it is completed that is it  i am finished  time to move on. i become obsessed to complete the goal  so from that standpoint it is an addiction. in a game where you will never complete an  ultimate  goal  well it would be like falling into a black pit. it is easier to escape into a controlled fantasy world than face reality at times - in other words the goal offered in the pc game are  easier  and more fun than the real world. pretty scary implications if you think about it.  i can t buy world of warcraft as it would destroy my marrage  i just know it!!  i played star wars galaxies for about a year and can attest to the addictiveness of these games. they are all engineered in such a way that early on in the game you progress quickly  but this progress becomes exponentially slower  requiring more and more time to reach the next level. i m sad to say that at the peak of my addiction i was spending entire weekends in front of my monitor  slowly building up my character  stopping only for food and toilet breaks. thankfully i made a clean break  and actually managed to sell my jedi account for £800 - which is my only sanity check in an otherwise completely unproductive time vacuum.  seven years ago  i began playing ultima online. this game dominated 2 years of my life. they were 2 wonderful years and i still have vivid memories of the experiences and friends i had. online gaming can be a world of escapism where you can be yourself without fear of the thoughts of others. something that cannot always be achieved in the day to day running of a normal life. whilst i would warn against people giving to much of there life to these games  i believe they are a better way to spend your time than say watching tv.  gaming is addictive and should be made a recognised addiction. when i was single i used to play upto eight hours a night after work every night for about a year  building up my stats  completing evermore quests and battling ogres. but somehow i found time to get out  even met someone and got married! has my life changed  hell no! i still cast spells and battle till the early hours of the morning. on with the fun!  online gaming should be enjoyed just as much as you would enjoy watching television  or going to the cinema or the pub with your mates.  many people use recreational drugs on an occasional basis and are able to lead succesfull lives with families  relationships and good careers. a minority allow drugs to take over and destroy their lives and become addicted. according to this article the same is true of mmorpgs. the message to the government is clear  either legalise drugs  or outlaw online gaming!!  sounds like there are some sad stories here - and i can believe them all. i play alot of warcraft myself  and know full well how addictive it is. i am resolute that it will not take over my life. it certainly gets in the way though. i think that some people simply do not know how to draw this line  or lack the willpower to stop themselves stepping over it.  i think i m obsessed with gaming in general  i spend far too much time playing games like everquest 2 and football manager rather than going out and interacting with real people and when i do try to  i m always thinking in the back if my mind that i d rather be in front of the computer winning the league with cambridge united.  i am obsessed with online role playing games. it s not so much quests but it has the adrenaline of a real life situation - goals to achieve etc. i spend about five hours per day online playing it and i rarely get more than four to five hours sleep before getting up for work the next morning...  as many of the players spend their time in mmorpgs rather than in front of the tv i fail to see how it will affect players social lives negatively. furthermore these types of games contain a huge social aspect  whereas other games and some other pursuits (such as being a couch potato) the players could be indulging in are solitary by nature.  these games are like most things -- too much of anything is a bad thing  but as long as you can walk away from the computer to do other things too  they can be great fun.  living in korea at the moment  they have lots pc bangs (internet cafes). nearly most of south koreans are addicted to online games  and one korean died because of the lack of food and water he had through playing online games.  i play xbox live every day. i find my self lying and rescheduling everything around my gaming fix. the longest i played was a 24 hour straight session. i know i play for to long but it s an obsession that i can t control. can you reccomend a counsellor - this is not a wind up... but something i m increasingly concerned with...  me and my mate play online for an hour or two a day  we re both aware of how much time can disappear by sitting in front of a tv  trying to  frag  some individual. it s getting the balance between getting home and relasing the stress of a day by an hour or so gaming  and enjoying  real  life...  i bought the us version of world of warcraft when it came out. the longest period i played was 23 hrs straight. i gave up the game after a month because it was so addictive  but have subsequently just bought the european version (couldn t help myself). in future  i m going to regulate my time far more strictly. great game!  having played mmorpg games for some years i agree that these type of games can be life sucking. but my concern is for the younger generation of gamers that play for hours on end in an adult enviroment. most mmorpg games you need a credit card to play but i dont think parents know just what they are letting there children into.  unless there is undeniable medical proof that staring at a computer screens for hours at a time can damage a person¿s health  you can expect this not to decline but to get worse.  these people are pathetic. they need to get off their machines and notice that our world is being swiftly overcome by issues and troubles that make the trifling worries of and  online universe  absolutely meaningless.  24hours  when i was a kid at school and i was on half term  ultima online was the game  ahhhh them was the days ! lol
1477,dollar slides ahead of new year the us dollar has hit a new record low against the euro and analysts predict that more declines are likely in 2005.  disappointing economic reports dented the currency  which had been rallying after european policy makers said they were worried about the euro s strength. earlier on thursday  the japanese yen touched its lowest versus the euro on concerns about economic growth in asia. currency markets have been volatile over the past week because of technical and automated trading and light demand. this has amplified reactions  analysts said  adding that they expect markets to become less jumpy in january.   people want to go into the weekend and the new year positioned for a weaker buck   said tim mazanec  director of foreign exchange at investors bank and trust. the dollar slid to a record $1.3666 versus the euro on thursday  before bouncing back to $1.3636. against the yen the dollar was trading down at $103.05.  the yen  meanwhile  dropped to 141.60 per euro in afternoon trading. it later strengthened to 140.55. investors are concerned about the size of the us trade and budget deficits and are betting that george w bush s administration will allow the dollar to weaken despite saying they favour a strong currency. also playing on investors  minds are mixed reports about the state of the us economy. on thursday  disappointing business figures from chicago brought a sudden end to a rally in the value of the dollar. the national association of purchasing management-chicago said its index dropped to 61.2  more than analysts had expected. german chancellor gerhard schroeder and italian prime minister silvio berlusconi voiced concerns about the strength of the euro. mr berlusconi said the euro s strength was  absolutely worrying  for italian exports. mr schroeder said in a newspaper article that stability in foreign exchange markets required a correction of global economic imbalances.
509,when invention turns to innovation it is unlikely that future technological inventions are going to have the same kind of transformative impact that they did in the past.  when history takes a look back at great inventions like the car and transistor  they were defining technologies which ultimately changed people s lives substantially. but  says nick donofrio  senior vice-president of technology and manufacturing at ibm  it was not  the thing  itself that actually improved people s lives. it was all the social and cultural changes that the discovery or invention brought with it. the car brought about a crucial change to how people lived in cities  giving them the ability to move out into the suburbs  whilst having mobility and access.  when we talk about innovation and creating real value in the 21st century  we have to think more like this  but faster   mr donofrio told the bbc news website  after giving the royal academy of engineering 2004 hinton lecture.  the invention  discovery is likely not to have the same value as the transistor had or the automobile had.  the equivalent of those things will be invented or discovered  but by themselves  they are just not going to able to generate real business value or wealth as these things did.  these are not altogether new ideas  and academics have been exploring how technologies impact wider society for years. but what it means for technology companies is that a new idea  method  or device  will have to have a different kind thinking behind it so that people see the value that innovative technology has for them.  we are in a different phase now when it comes to technology  argues mr donofrio  industry week s 2003 technology leader of the year. the hype and over-promise is over and now technology leaders have to demonstrate that things work  make sense  make a difference and life gets better as a result.   in the dotcom era  there was something that was jumping up in your face every five minutes.  somebody had a new thing that would awe you. you weren t quite sure that it did anything  you weren t quite sure if you needed it  you weren t quite sure if it had value for it  but it was cool.  but change and innovation in technology that people will see affecting their daily lives  he says  will come about slowly  subtlety  and in ways that will no longer be  in your face . it will creep in pervasively. nanotechnologies will play a key part in this kind of pervasive environment in all sorts of ways  through new superconducting materials  to coatings  power  and memory storage.  i am a very big believer in the evolution of this industry into a pervasive environment  in an incredible network infrastructure   says mr donofrio. pervasive computing is where wireless computing rules  and where jewellery  clothes  and everyday objects become the interfaces instead of bulky wires  screens and keyboards. the net becomes a true network that is taken for granted and just there  like air.  people will not have to do anything to stay connected. people will know their lives are just better   says mr donofrio.  trillions of devices will be connected to the net in ways people will not know.  natural interfaces will develop  devices will shape your persona  and our technologically underused voices could be telling our jewellery to sort out the finances.  ultimately  there will be  says mr donofrio  no value in being  computer illiterate . to some  it sounds like a technological world gone mad. to mr donofrio  it is a vision innovation that will happen. behind this vision should be a rich robust network capability and  deep computing   says mr donofrio. deep computing is the ability to perform lots of complex calculations on massive amounts of data  and integral to this concept is supercomputing. it has value  according to ibm  because it helps humans work out extremely complex problems to come up with valuable solutions  like how to refine millions of net search results  finding cures for diseases  or understanding of exactly how a gene or protein operates.  but pervasive computing presumably means having technologies that are aware of diversity of contexts  commands  and requirements of a diverse world. as computing and technologies become part of the environment  part of furniture  walls  and clothing  physical space becomes a more important consideration.  this is going to need a much broader range of skills and experience.  i am confident that the set [science  engineering and technology] industry is going to be short on skills   he says.  if i am right about what innovation is  you need to be multidisciplinary and collaborative.  women tend to have those traits a lot better than men.  eventually  women could win out in both life and physical sciences  he says. in the uk  a dti-funded resource centre for women has set a target to have 40% representation on set industry boards. ibm  according to mr donofrio  has 30%.  our goal is for our research team to become the preferred organisation for women in science and technology to begin their career.  the whole issue of global diversity is as much a business matter as it is a moral and social concern to mr donofrio.  we believe in the whole issue of global diversity   he says.  our customers are diverse  our clients are diverse. they expect us to look like them.  as more and more women or underrepresented minorities succeed into leadership positions  it becomes and imperative for us to constantly look like them.
667,steady job growth continues in us the us created fewer jobs than expected in december  but analysts said that the dip in hiring was not enough to derail the world s biggest economy.  according to labor department figures  157 000 new jobs were added last month. that took 2004 s total to 2.2 million  the best showing in five years. job creation was one of last year s main concerns for the us economy. while worries still remain  the conditions are set for steady growth in 2005  analysts said. the unemployment rate stayed at 5.4% in december  and about 200 000 jobs will need to be created each month if that figure is to drop.   it was a respectable report   said michael moran  analyst at daiwa securities.   payroll growth in december was a little lighter than the consensus forecast  but we had upward revisions to the prior two months and an increase in manufacturing employment.   manufacturing is a cyclical area of the economy and if it s showing job growth  it s a good indication that the economy is on a solid growth track.  that means that the federal reserve is likely to continue its policy of raising interest rates. the fed lifted borrowing costs five times last year to 2.25%  citing evidence the us economic recovery was becoming more robust.  job creation was one of last year s main concerns for the us economy  and proved to be a main topic of debate in the us presidential election. while demand for workers is far from booming  the conditions are set for steady growth.  overall  compared to the previous year it looks great  it just keeps going stronger and stronger and i expect that to be the case  in 2005  said kurt karl  economist at swiss re in new york. meanwhile  economists cautioned against reading too much into data from the federal reserve showing an unexpected $8.7bn drop in consumer debt in november. a fall in consumer spending  which makes up about two-thirds of all us economic activity  could help limit the extent of any future interest rate rises. but economists said there could be a number of reasons for a fall in the borrowing  which include credit cards and personal loans  while noting that such figures can vary on a month-to-month basis.
127,ibm frees 500 software patents computer giant ibm says 500 of its software patents will be released into the open development community.  the move means developers will be able to use the technologies without paying for a licence from the company. ibm described the step as a  new era  in how it dealt with intellectual property and promised further patents would be made freely available. the patents include software for a range of practices  including text recognition and database management. traditional technology business policy is to amass patents and despite ibm s announcement the company continues to follow this route.  ibm was granted 3 248 patents in 2004  more than any other firm in the us  the new york times reports. for each of the past 12 years ibm has been granted more us patents than any other company. ibm has received 25 772 us patents in that period and reportedly has more than 40 000 current patents. in a statement  dr john e. kelly  ibm senior vice president  technology and intellectual property  said:  true innovation leadership is about more than just the numbers of patents granted. it s about innovating to benefit customers  partners and society.   our pledge today is the beginning of a new era in how ibm will manage intellectual property.  in the past  ibm has supported the non-commercial operating system linux although critics have said this was done only as an attempt to undermine microsoft.  the company said it wanted to encourage other firms to release patents into what it called a  patent commons . adam jollans  ibm s world-wide linux strategy manager  said the move was a genuine attempt to encourage innovation.  we believe that releasing these patents will result in innovation moving more quickly.  this is about encouraging collaboration and following a model much like academia.  mr jollans likened the plan for a patent commons to the way the internet was developed and said everyone could take advantage of the result of collaboration.  the internet s impact has been on everyone. the benefits are there for everyone to take advantage of.  stuart cohen  chief executive of us firm open source development labs  said the move could mean a change in the way companies deal with patents.   i think other companies will follow suit   he said. but not everyone was as supportive. florian mueller  campaign manager of a group lobbying toprevent software patents becoming legal in the european union dismissed ibm s move as insubstantial.  it s just diversionary tactics   wrote mr mueller  who leadsnosoftwarepatents.com  in a message on the group s website.  let s put this into perspective: we re talking aboutroughly one percent of ibm s worldwide patent portfolio. they filethat number of patents in about a month s time   he added. ibm will continue to hold the 500 patents but it has pledged to seek no royalties from the patents. the company said it would not place any restrictions on companies  groups or individuals who use them in open-source projects. open source software is developed by programmers who offer the source code - the origins of the program - for free and allow others to adapt or improve the software. end users have the right to modify and redistribute the software  as well as the right to package and sell the software. other areas covered by the patents released by ibm include storage management  simultaneous multiprocessing  image processing  networking and e-commerce.
1316,tokyo says deflation  controlled  the japanese government has forecast that the country s economic growth will slow to 1.6% in the next fiscal year starting in april 2005.  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.
1983,the gaming world in 2005 if you have finished doom 3  half life 2 and halo 2  don t worry. there s a host of gaming gems set for release in 2005.   world of warcraft   the us reception to this game from developers blizzard has been hugely enthusiastic  with the title topping its competitors in the area of life-eating  high-fantasy  massively multiplayer role-player gaming. solid  diverse  accessible and visually striking  it may well open up the genre like never before. if nothing else  it will develop a vast and loyal community. released 25 february on pc. ico 2 (working title) ico remains a benchmark for ps2 gaming  a title that took players into a uniquely atmospheric and artistic world of adventure. the (spiritual) sequel has visuals that echo those of the original  but promises to expand the ico world  with hero wanda taking on a series of giants. the other known working title is wanda and colossus. release date to be confirmed on ps2. the legend of zelda   the charismatic cel imagery has been scrapped in favour of a dark  detailed aesthetic (realism isn t quite the right word) that connects more with ocarina of time. link resumes his more teenage incarnation too  though enemies  elements and moves look familiar from the impressive trailer that has been released. horseback adventuring across a vast land is promised. release date to be confirmed on gamecube. advance wars ds the uk nintendo ds launch line-up is still to be confirmed at time of writing  but titles that exploit its two-screen and touch capacity  like warioware touched! and sega s feel the magic  are making a strong impression in other territories. personally  i can t wait for the latest advance wars  the franchise that has been the icing on the cake of nintendo handheld gaming during the past few years. release date to be confirmed on ds. s.t.a.l.k.e.r.   following in the high-spec footsteps of far cry and half-life 2  this looks like the key upcoming pc first-person shooter (with role-playing elements). the fact that it is inspired in part by andrei tarkovsky s enigmatic 1979 masterpiece stalker and set in 2012 in the disaster zone  a world of decay and mutation  makes it all the more intriguing. released 1 march on pc. metal gear solid: snake eater   more hideo kojima serious stealth  featuring action in the soviet-controlled jungle in 1964. the game see snake having to survive on his wits in the jungle  including eating wildlife. once again  expect cinematic cut scenes and polished production values. released march on ps2. dead or alive ultimate tecmo s team ninja are back with retooled and revamped versions of dead or alive 1 and 2. here s the big  big deal though - they re playable over xbox live. released 11 march on xbox. knights of the old republic ii looks set to build on the acclaimed original star wars role playing game with new characters  new force powers and a new set of moral decisions  despite a different developer. released 11 february on xbox and pc.
598,dvd review: harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban this third harry potter film brought a change of director and a dramatic visual shake-up that really shines on dvd.  gone are the warm  bright colours found in the two earlier films  alfonso cuaron brings in a bleak and cold feel that is simply gorgeous - and looks even better here than in the cinema. it is all part of the progression of harry s story into darker areas  but you ll spend time just marvelling at the beautiful hogwarts landscape.  this is the first potter film where you get so lost in the screen adaptation that you forget the book. it is the third year at hogwarts and studies are interrupted  as they always are  by a calamity that only harry  ron and hermione can put right.  it sounds corny. but harry is no longer the winsome hero  he is a moody teenager and daniel radcliffe pulls it off very well. emma watson is ever better as hermione  and the young stars are joined by the usual myriad famous actors including gary oldman and emma thompson. the film itself is the reason to buy this dvd. but it is laden with behind-the-scenes extras  including funny  if shallow  interviews with all the main cast. but what seems like a long list of features can be swiftly whittled down to the few that you are going to watch. younger viewers will go for the games which include a magic you may have missed memory test  and crookshanks chasing off after scabbers. adult viewers will ignore those and go straight to the deleted scenes. you will understand why they were deleted but it is fun to see more footage - and not have to hunt through endless menus to find it  as we did on the first harry potter dvd. the most interesting pieces are an interview with jk rowling in creating the vision and conjuring a scene  a short featurette about the making of the film s big moments.
1654,file-swappers ready new network legal attacks on websites that help people swap pirated films have forced the development of a system that could be harder to shut down.  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.
1232,hollywood campaign hits websites movie studio efforts to stop pirated films being shared on peer-to-peer networks have claimed a high-profile victim.  the campaign of legal action is thought to be behind the closure of the widely used suprnova.org website. the site was the most popular place for people swapping and sharing links for the bittorrent network. a recent study showed that more than half of the peer-to-peer traffic during june was for the bittorrent system.  in a message posted on suprnova.org on sunday  the site s controllers said the site was  closing down for good in the way that we all know it . if the site did return  the message said  it would not be hosting any more torrent links. it continued:  we are very sorry for this  but there was no other way  we have tried everything.   the only parts that would keep going  said the operators of the suprnova site  were the discussion forums and net chat channels. the site is thought to have closed following an announcement by the motion picture association of america that it was launching legal action against those operating bittorrent servers rather than end users. because of the way that bittorrent works  server sites do not host the actual file being shared  instead they host a link that points people to others that have it. by targeting servers  the mpaa hopes to cripple bittorrent s ability to share files. in the opening days of the mpaa campaign  the organisation filed 100 lawsuits against operators of bittorrent server site. the launching of the legal seems to be having an effect. phoenix torrents  another popular bittorrent site  has also decided to shut down and  though it gave no reasons for the closure  it is thought to be motivated by the threat of legal action. last week finnish police raided a bittorrent site based in the country that  according to reports  let 10 000 users shared pirated films  software  music and games.
703,escaped prisoner report ordered first minister jack mcconnell has ordered a report on the decision to allow a paranoid schizophrenic knife attacker to go on a visit unguarded.  michael ferguson  36  escaped after being allowed out of the high-security carstairs unit. the snp s nicola sturgeon has demanded to know who was responsible for signing off the leave. the scottish executive said ministers would be notified but it would  not be common practice  to sign approval. an executive spokesman said the health department and the state hospital itself would work together on preparing the report. ministerial responsibility for carstairs rests with rhona brankin  the deputy health minister. ms brankin said:  the first minister has called for a review of what has happened  we need to talk to the state hospital and we need to reflect on this.  ms sturgeon has written to mr mcconnell asking for clarification on the move to allow the prisoner out. she said questions must be answered about his escape  if the public is to be reassured about safety. police are still searching for ferguson  who failed to return after a trip to east kilbride on monday.  the scottish national party s parliamentary leader argued that under the law  authorisation of ferguson s leave of absence would have come directly from ministers. she said:  the scottish executive seemed to indicate yesterday that the escape of mr ferguson was a matter for carstairs.  however  my understanding is that  under the mental health legislation  the decision to grant this patient - and any restricted patient - leave of absence  would have required direct and specific authorisation by scottish ministers.  she added:  i have written to the first minister today asking for confirmation of that fact. i have also asked him to confirm which minister would routinely take decisions of this nature and what information they are based on.  this is not an attempt to apportion blame  but to ensure a better understanding of the decision making process in such important and sensitive cases.   police said ferguson posed a danger to the public. bbc scotland political correspondent glenn campbell said the first minister had ordered an urgent report into the situation. he said:  we understand from the executive that in this case no individual minister signed off the approval for michael ferguson to be released unescorted from carstairs.  the executive concedes that it is up to scottish ministers  they have a legal responsibility for approving this sort of leave  but they say routinely it is specialised officials that make that decision and simply inform ministers that they have taken it.  but at that stage presumably ministers can ask hard questions and can ask for reassurances that the patient is not a serious danger to the public or that any risk has been minimised.  scottish conservative leader  david mcletchie  said earlier it was  almost beyond belief that this has been allowed to happen .  the executive spokeswoman said the recommendation for leave was agreed by a psychiatric advisor  in conjunction with officials on behalf of ministers . she said:  ministers were told of that  notified of it  but it would not be common practice for them to sign it off.  they do have statutory responsibility  but the common practice has been that people who work with the patient and have the best knowledge about risk would make that decision.  ferguson  who slashed a man in a doctors  surgery in coatbridge in 1994  had been out to see his fiancée annabella holmes  47  whom he met when she was a patient at the high security complex in south lanarkshire. he is described as being 5ft 9ins tall  slim  with blond hair  blue eyes and a fair complexion. ferguson was wearing a black jacket  grey jeans  black jumper and black shoes when he was last seen. he has multiple fading tattoos on his left hand and a very faded tear tattoo under his left eye. ms holmes is not missing but there have been no sightings of ferguson since monday. strathclyde police asked anyone who spots ferguson to contact sergeant keith mcdonald on  .
2051,novartis hits acquisition trail swiss drugmaker novartis has announced 5.65bn euros ($7.4bn; £3.9bn) of purchases to make its sandoz unit the world s biggest generic drug producer.  novartis  which last month forecast record sales for 2005  said it had bought all of germany s hexal. it also acquired 67.7% of hexal s us affiliate eon labs  and offered to buy the remaining shares for $31 each. novartis said that it would be able to make cost savings of about $200m a year following the acquisitions. novartis  shares rose 1% to 57.85 swiss francs in early trading.  the deal will see novartis  sandoz business overtake israel s teva pharmaceuticals as the world s biggest maker of generics. based on 2004 figures the newly merged producer would have sales of more than $5bn  the company estimated. novartis said that it would merge a number of departments  adding that there may be job cuts.   the strong growth outlook for sandoz  which will create jobs  is expected to partially compensate for necessary reductions in the work force   the firm said in a statement. generic drugs are chemically identical to their more expensive branded rivals. producers such as sandoz can copy the branded products usually after their patent protection expires and can sell them more cheaply as they do not have to pay research and development cost.  there are more than 150 generic drugmakers worldwide and analysts have predicted consolidation in a market that they call fragmented. however  not all analysts were initially convinced about the deal.  this is a very expensive acquisition   birgit kuhlhoff  from sal oppenheim investment bank  told reuters.  i find it strange that they are making acquisitions in exactly those markets where they suffered price pressure.
451,labour in constituency race row labour s choice of a white candidate for one of the uk s most multi-racial seats proves the need for all-black short lists  says a race group.  local councillor lyn brown was selected for west ham  east london  in a contest between two white and five ethnic minority women. an operation black vote spokesman said they now wanted to meet labour party chairman ian mccartney for discussions. mr mccartney recently announced party consultation on all-black shortlists. however  labour has so far unable been unable to comment on the implications of the west ham result.  ashok vishwanathan of operation black vote  which aims to increase ethnic minorities  participation in the political process and their representation  said the result again showed all-women shortlists were not effective in getting minority women selected.  i think all-black shortlists are the only way to cut to the chase and address the lack of minority candidates   mr vishwanathan said.  last month the chairman of the commission for racial equality (cre) also called for ethnic minority shortlists in certain circumstances. a cre spokesman said the organisation had nothing to add on the shortlist issue specifically but would be working with all the political parties to address the under-representation of ethnic minorities in parliament.  we will be raising it with each of the party leaders on a formal basis and helping them find the most appropriate way forward   the spokesman said. ethnic minorities make up 8% of the united kingdom population but only 2% of mps - 13 out of 659 - are from a visible minority group. twelve of them represent labour  and one is a liberal democrat. if ethnic minorities were represented in the house of commons in proportion to their numbers in the population  there would be 42 ethnic minority mps.
1924,deutsche telekom sees mobile gain german telecoms firm deutsche telekom saw strong fourth quarter profits on the back of upbeat us mobile earnings and better-than-expected asset sales.  net profit came in at 1.4bn euros (£960m; $1.85bn)  a dramatic change from the loss of 364m euros in 2003. sales rose 2.8% to 14.96bn euros. sales of stakes in firms including russia s oao mobile telesystems raised 1.17bn euros. this was more than expected and helped to bring debt down to 35.8bn euros.  a year ago  debt was more than 11bn euros higher. t-mobile usa  the company s american mobile business  made a strong contribution to profits.  it s a seminal achievement that they cut debt so low. that gives them some head room to invest in growth now   said hannes wittig  telecoms analyst at dresdner kleinwort wasserstein. the company also said it would resume paying a dividend  after two years in which it focused on cutting debt.
852,japan s ageing workforce: built to last in his twenties he battled tuberculosis for eight years  then went on to run his own clothing business before marrying in his late thirties. and the 101-year-old torao toshitsune has eaten raw fish pretty much every day throughout his life.  mr toshitsune is one of japan s 23 000 centenarians - a club that is growing by 13% annually  and where the oldest member is 114. at his neat osaka detached house  where he lives with one of his sexagenarian daughters  mr toshitsune keeps a regular routine of copying out buddhist sutras and preparing the traditional japanese tea ceremony. between tasks  this remarkably active senior citizen reveals what his next goal is:  well  what s most important for me is to be japan s number one.  mr toshitsune wants to outlive everyone. and when it comes to longevity  japan  as a country  appears to be doing just that. women can expect to live until 85  men until 78  four years longer than americans and europeans.  on the outskirts of kyoto  83-year-old yuji shimizu contemplates this phenomenon during a round of golf with his younger friends  who are in their seventies.   i think this is because the food industry and the environment have improved   he remarks.  on average  we can live longer.  whether it s the diet  or the traditional family structure where roles were clearly defined  or just something in the genes  japan s elderly are remarkable. but while life may be a game of golf for mr shimizu  his grandchildren have huge problems ahead. japan is the world s least fertile nation with childbirth rates of just two thirds of that in the us.  by 2007  japan s population is expected to peak at 127 million  then shrink to under 100 million by the middle of the century. this means 30 million fewer workers at a time when the number of elderly will have almost doubled.   in the year 2050  if the birth rate remains the same people over 60 will make up over 30% of the population   explains shigeo morioka of the international longevity centre in tokyo. so how will japan s finances stay on track  after a decade of economic stagnation and huge deficit spending  the public sector debt is already about 140% of the country s gross domestic product (gdp)  the highest rate among industrialised countries. the international monetary fund predicts that as the falling birth rate takes grip from 2010  the cost of running japan s welfare state will double to more than 5% of gdp  while current account balances will deteriorate by over 2%. but unfortunately  japan appears poorly prepared both financially and politically. glen wood  vice president of deutsche securities japan  asks;  who s going to fund the pension fund for the next generation and indeed who are going to be the new japanese worker   who is going to build the economy  who are going to be the leaders  who are going to be the producers of the gdp going forward   one option is further welfare reform. another is immigration  possibly from the philippines and indonesia. but so far  any emerging policy appears restricted to a limited number of nursing staff.  standing next to tokyo harbour is a version of new york s statue of liberty. but  as yet  japan is not ready for an ellis island.   japan has never really liked that option in its history and i think it s an option that s becoming more and more plausible and necessary   insists mr wood. in japan  as in europe which also faces a workforce decline  immigration is a very sensitive subject. but for the japanese economy  facing 8% fewer consumers by 2050 means slumping domestic sales of cars  hi-tech kit and home appliances  perhaps even another property crash.  of course the japanese could always have more children. the government is currently considering financial rewards for procreative couples similar to those in operation in australia. but there would be no pay back until 2030  when today s babies are taxpayers  and the demographic crisis  like in europe  starts to unfold in 2010. in contrast to japan - and of course the european union - the us population is expected to increase by 46% to 420 million by the middle of the century. although president bush must re-devise social security to take account of a 130% rise in america s over 65s  the imf foresees a positive contribution to the us current account balance from the combined forces of fertility and immigration.  some voices in japanese industry are calling for radical changes to the nature of the japanese labour market. they want a shift towards financial services  though doubts persist over the country s ability  let alone willingness  to move away from manufacturing.  japan still has problems getting a viable banking system  let alone shifting their auto business or their semi-conductor business or the broad based tech manufacturing business overseas   says mr wood. japan can either drive some radical reforms or else run the risk of a vicious ageing recession. falling demand and a lower tax take could result in soaring budget pressures and a basket case currency. come 2020  japan could be more dependent on a shrinking workforce than any other industrialised power. there are fears that the world s number two economy is doomed to a permanent recession. but none of this is mr toshitsune s concern anymore. at 101  he chuckles that  he feels fine.
1889,abba queen enters music rich list the woman behind the abba musical mamma mia! has joined a list of british-based music millionaires.  producer judy craymer is the highest new entry in the sunday times  music rich list  with a £67m fortune. ms craymer remortgaged her home to finance her idea of a musical based around abba s hits  which has since become a global triumph. teenage soul singer joss stone is a new entry on a list of britain s young music millionaires with £5m.  ms craymer  who developed mamma mia! with playwright catherine johnson and members of abba  is at number 31 on the music rich list. but taking the top spot for a second year is former record label boss clive calder  whose wealth has risen to £1.3bn. mr calder is the man behind acts including britney spears. he made his fortune by selling his independent label zomba to record giant bmg. former beatle sir paul mccartney is second on the list with £800m - up £40m on last year. andrew lloyd-webber s wealth rose an estimated £300m on last year  to £700m  while theatre impresario sir cameron mackintosh s fortune rose from £340m to £400m.  his recent hits have included the west end show mary poppins. but pop idol mogul simon fuller has seen his wealth plummet from £220m last year to £75m after selling his entertainment company 19 for less than expected  according to the sunday times. joss stone  the 17-year-old soul singer from devon  was a new entry in the young music millionaires list. the list also features charlotte church  coldplay  daniel bedingfield  will young and david and victoria beckham. at number one is dhani harrison  son of the late beatle george harrison  who has inherited £140m. the beckhams - who qualify thanks to victoria s former singing career - are in second place with £75 million between them - up £10m on last year.
1695,brown names 16 march for budget chancellor gordon brown will deliver his budget to the house of commons on 16 march  the treasury has announced.  the budget  likely to be the last before the general election  will be at about 1230 gmt on that wednesday  just after prime minister s question time. the annual event is when the chancellor outlines the government s taxation and broader economic predictions. the tories say it is likely the budget will contain measures to attract votes. the election is expected on 5 may.  next month s budget will be mr brown s ninth since labour came to power in 1997. if a may election is called  there could be as little as 18 days between the budget and the announcement of a date for the election. a shortened finance bill would have to be rushed through parliament with all-party support to allow the government to continue collecting revenue.  the full finance bill  with the budget measures in it  would then be returned to the commons after the election  if labour secures another term in office. tory shadow chancellor oliver letwin said:  we can be sure of two things: the budget will contain measures to attract votes  and it will not contain the £8 billion of tax rises which independent experts say are inevitable if labour wins the election.  as mr brown announced the budget date in a short ministerial statement  accountancy firm ernst & young urged him to put politics aside and focus on the long-term requirements of the economy.  in the budgets that were given immediately before the last six elections  taxes were cut by the incumbent chancellor and  in many cases  taxes were increased soon after the election result   said aidan o carroll  e&y s uk head of tax.
417,microsoft releases patches microsoft has warned pc users to update their systems with the latest security fixes for flaws in windows programs.  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.
2125,tate & lyle boss bags top award tate & lyle s chief executive has been named european businessman of the year by a leading business magazine.  iain ferguson was awarded the title by us publication forbes for returning one of the uk s  venerable  manufacturers to the country s top 100 companies. the sugar group had been absent from the ftse 100 for seven years until mr ferguson helped it return to growth. tate s shares have leapt 55% this year  boosted by firming sugar prices and sales of its artificial sweeteners.   after years of a sagging stock price and a seven-year hiatus from the ftse 100  one of britain s venerable manufacturers has returned to the vaunted index   forbes said. mr ferguson took the helm at the company in 2003  after spending most of his career at consumer goods giant unilever. tate & lyle  which was an original member of the historic ft-30 index in 1935  operates more than 41 factories and 20 more additional production facilities in 28 countries. previous winners of the forbes award include royal bank of scotland chief executive fred goodwin and former vodafone boss chris gent.
2087,beer giant swallows russian firm brewing giant inbev has agreed to buy alfa-eco s stake in sun interbrew  russia s second-largest brewer  for up to 259.7m euros ($353.3m; £183.75m).  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.
1274,millions to miss out on the net by 2025  40% of the uk s population will still be without internet access at home  says a study.  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.
579,isinbayeva heads for birmingham olympic pole vault champion yelena isinbayeva has confirmed she will take part in the 2005 norwich union grand prix in birmingham on 18 february.   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.
398,lawyer attacks anti-terror laws a senior barrister who has resigned in protest over the government s anti-terror laws says the current system is giving britain a bad name.  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.
1898,henry tipped for fifa award fifa president sepp blatter hopes arsenal s thierry henry will be named world player of the year on monday.  henry is on the fifa shortlist with barcelona s ronaldinho and newly-crowned european footballer of the year  ac milan s andriy shevchenko. blatter said:  henry  for me  is the personality on the field. he is the man who can run and organise the game.  the winner of the accolade will be named at a glittering ceremony at zurich s opera house. the three shortlisted candidates for the women s award are mia hamm of the united states  germany s birgit prinz and brazilian youngster marta.  hamm  who recently retired - is looking to regain the women s award  which she lost last year to striker prinz. fifa has changed the panel of voters for this year s awards. male and female captains of every national team will be able to vote  as well as their coaches and fipro - the global organisation for professional players.
87,uk pledges £1bn to vaccine effort uk chancellor gordon brown has offered £960m ($1.8bn) over 15 years to an international scheme aiming to boost vaccination and immunisation schemes.  in a speech  he called for action to reach the 2000 millennium declaration goals of halving global poverty and tackling child mortality rates. mr brown has just returned from a tour of african nations. the £1bn commitment is part of a five-point plan on debt relief  trade  aid  education and health.  the chancellor was speaking at an event jointly organised by the uk s department for international development and the un development programme on wednesday. mr brown welcomed news that the bill gates foundation and norway are joining up to put an extra £0.53bn ($1bn ) into the global alliance for vaccines and immunisation (gavi). britain  france  gavi and the gates foundation have drawn up proposals to apply the principles of the international finance facility (iff) to the area of immunisation. that could see donors making long-term  legally binding financial commitments which can then be used as collateral for raising extra funds from international capital markets. as well as pledging £960m over 15 years to the immunisation iff  britain urged other donors to contribute.  if gavi could increase its funding for immunisation by an extra £4bn ($7.4bn) over 10 years  then an extra five million lives could have been saved by 2015 and five million thereafter  mr brown argued. campaign groups including friends of the earth  the world development movement  and war on want said uk government policy on free trade was a major barrier to fighting poverty. war on want s john hilary said:  compassionate rhetoric cannot disguise the reality of the government s neo-liberal policies.  as long as mr blair and mr brown continue to push free trade and privatisation on developing countries  more and more people will be pushed deeper into poverty  not lifted out of it.
2024,humanoid robot learns how to run car-maker honda s humanoid robot asimo has just got faster and smarter.  the japanese firm is a leader in developing two-legged robots and the new  improved asimo (advanced step in innovative mobility) can now run  find his way around obstacles as well as interact with people. eventually asimo could find gainful employment in homes and offices.  the aim is to develop a robot that can help people in their daily lives   said a honda spokesman.  to get the robot running for the first time was not an easy process as it involved asimo making an accurate leap and absorbing the impact of landing without slipping or spinning. the  run  he is now capable of is perhaps not quite up to olympic star kelly holmes  standard. at 3km/h  it is closer to a leisurely jog. its makers claim that it is almost four times as fast as sony s qrio  which became the first robot to run last year. the criteria for running robots is defined by engineers as having both feet off the ground between strides. asimo has improved in other ways too  increasing his walking speed  from 1.6km/h to 2.5km  growing 10cm to 130cm and putting on 2kg in weight. while he may not quite be ready for yoga  he does have more freedom of movement  being able to twist his hips and bend his wrists  thumbs and neck.  asimo has already made his mark on the international robot scene and in november was inducted into the robot hall of fame. he has wowed audiences around the world with his ability to walk upstairs  recognise faces and come when beckoned. in august 2003 he even attended a state dinner in the czech republic  travelling with the japanese prime minister as a goodwill envoy. he is one of a handful of robots used by tech firms to trumpet their technological advances. technology developed for asimo could be used in the automobile industry as electronics increasingly take over from mechanics in car design. for the moment asimo s biggest role is an entertainer and the audience gathered to see his first public run greeted his slightly comical gait with amusement  according to reports. robots can fulfil serious functions in society and the united nations economic commission for europe predicts that the worldwide market for industrial robots will swell from 81 000 units in 2003 to 106 000 in 2007.
1927,norway upholds  napster  ruling a norwegian student who ran a website which linked to downloadable mp3 files has been ordered to pay compensation by the country s supreme court.  frank allan bruvik was ordered to pay 100 000 kroner (£8 000) to the music industry in norway. he was a student when he set up his napster.no site  which allowed users to submit and receive links to mp3 files. bruvik had earlier been cleared on appeal after a lower court had found for the music industry. music industry bosses in norway said the ruling would help build confidence in the internet as a distribution medium.  frank allan bruvik set up the napster.no website as part of a school project in 2001 while studying computer engineering in the norwegian town of lillehammer. the website was not associated with the napster.com site in the usa  which had been operating since 1999 and was already facing legal action.  bruvik s site was online between august and november 2001  and while it did not host any music  at its peak it was providing links to more than 170 free files on other servers. as well as providing links  the site allowed those visiting it to submit links that could later be accessed by other visitors. a legal complaint for copyright violation was filed by groups including norway s performing rights society  tono  and the norwegian branches of sony music and universal music  who saw it as an important test of principle.  a norwegian court ruled in 2003 that bruvik would have to pay 100 000 kroner to the music industry  but the country s court of appeal cleared him  saying that the copyright violation occurred when others posted the music. however  the supreme court stated that the music was clearly published in violation of copyright law it added that the case was decided based on the responsibility for abetting an illegal act  and that bruvik s actions were premeditated. norway s music industry said it was satisfied with the ruling  because showed that music piracy would not be accepted.  meanwhile  in the usa a further 717 lawsuits against people alleged to have traded copyrighted songs were filed this week by the recording industry association of america. the suits  brought on behalf of the major record companies  cite the individuals for illegally distributing music via unauthorized peer-to-peer services such as kazaa and edonkey. as with preceding cases  the fresh action was made against so-called  john doe  defendants  who are identified only by the codes given to their computers  internet connections.
1019,defection timed to hit tax pledge with impeccable and precisely-calculated timing  tory defector robert jackson and his new labour bosses have attempted to overshadow michael howard s latest announcement on taxation and spending.  with just about everyone in westminster now working towards a may general election  mr howard is eager to map out some clear and distinctive policies aimed at finally shifting the tories  resolutely depressing poll showings. the big idea is his £35bn savings on waste and bureaucracy which mr howard has pledged to plough back into public services and tax cuts. and it was virtually certain his pledge on tax cuts was meant to be the core message from his interview on the bbc one s breakfast with frost programme. he and his shadow chancellor oliver letwin have been edging towards an announcement on this front for some months now  but without any concrete pledges. but mr howard announced that  of the £35bn he has earmarked from savings  £12bn will be used to plug labour s claimed financial black hole with any left over going to tax cuts in mr letwin s first budget. he would not be precise  but there are already suggestions he is set to announce lifting the threshold on income tax and reforming or abolishing inheritance tax. but he did  for the first time  say there would be such tax cuts.   at this election  people will have a clear choice between mr blair who will waste more and tax more and the conservative party which will give value for money and tax less . it is the tories  attempt to open that famed  clear blue water  between them and the labour party and return to a traditional tory agenda that will both reassure the middle england voters who have abandoned him and appeal to core conservative voters. so it is a pretty safe bet to assume that  when robert jackson finally decided to jump ship and swim over to the labour benches  his new masters decided to time the announcement for the greatest possible impact. mr howard  however  was dismissive.  these things happen from time to time. there are disagreements between robert jackson and me.   the election is not going to be decided on what robert jackson did   he added. and that is certainly true. the election will be decided on  the economy stupid . other issues like the iraq war and the  trust  thing will also play a major part. but it is the economy that will probably be the greatest influence over the way people finally vote. and many on the tory benches have been crying out for mr howard to get back onto the old tory tax cuts agenda. mr howard knows that risks accusations that  as a result  he would slash public services  so he has attempted to shoot that fox first. with polls suggesting voters would rather any government cash surpluses were spent on schools and hospitals before tax cuts  he has suggested that is exactly what he will do. whether this will finally be enough to shift those polls remains to be seen.
1892,german economy rebounds germany s economy  the biggest among the 12 countries sharing the euro  grew at its fastest rate in four years during 2004  driven by strong exports.  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.
357,green fear for transport ballot the green party is concerned thousands of residents may not be able to vote in edinburgh s transport referendum.  edinburgh city council is to ballot constituents on proposals to introduce congestion charging in the capital. but green msp mark ballard fears people not on the council s edited electoral register may miss out. local authorities can only send ballot papers to those on the edited list over non-statutory matters  such as the transport referendum. therefore  residents who have exercised their right to have their details left off the list could miss the chance to vote.  however  there is still time for those who are not on the list to contact the council and make sure they are sent ballot forms ahead of february s voting deadline. mr ballard said:  this vote will set the future of transport in edinburgh for decades to come.  it is therefore vital that as many residents as possible in edinburgh city and the surrounding areas  are registered to vote in the ballot.  many people are not aware that they may miss out on their chance to have a say.  everyone involved in this debate - both for and against - wants the ballot to be as fair and representative as possible  and that means encouraging people to take part.  the ballot will ask residents to vote for or against the council s proposed congestion charge scheme and a host of transport improvements to be funded by it. the outcome of the referendum will be known next month after the ballot forms are sent out and returned to the council. towards the end of february  the council will meet to decide whether to proceed with an application to scottish ministers for approval for its planned congestion charging scheme and the other parts of its transport package.
1161,csi shows give  unrealistic view  people have unrealistic expectations of forensic science thanks to the success of the csi tv shows  real experts say.  evidence submitted to forensic labs has shot up as a result of the programmes  at a time when many have large backlogs  science investigators claim. lawyers also fear the effect because jurors have a distorted view of how forensic evidence is used. the issue was discussed at a major science conference in washington dc. crime scene investigation (csi) and its spin-offs  csi: miami and csi: new york  have proven exceptionally popular with audiences on both sides of the atlantic.  each episode  a team of forensic investigators goes about solving a crime through the ingenious appliance of science - and the extensive resources at their disposal.  the csi effect is basically the perception of the near-infallibility of forensic science in response to the tv show   said max houck  who runs a forensic science graduate course at west virginia university  us.  this tv show comes on and everyone starts watching it - including the cops and prosecutors - and submissions to forensic laboratories go through the roof   he told the annual meeting of the american association for the advancement of science (aaas). the american forensics expert said there were roughly 200 000-300 000 backlogged dna samples in us labs. yet these constituted just 10% of the total test backlog  said dr houck. forensic pathologist dr patricia mcfeeley said she had started to see the show s influence in dealing with the families of victims.  what i find is that families now are more dissatisfied with the investigation than was previously the case   she explained.  for example  on television  the toxicology results are available almost instantaneously. but when people find out that it can take several months  they can find that very difficult.   dr mcfeeley added that the accuracy with which forensic investigators can determine time of death was far lower than most people s perceptions. the show s influence can follow forensic investigators all the way into the courtroom  making lawyers jittery.  prosecutors fear the csi effect with juries because  for example  they wonder:  why wasn t everything tested   well  in fact  not everything needs to be tested   dr houck explained.  defence attorneys also worry about the csi effect because they think that jurors come in and have this view of science as a juggernaut; this objective method that s always accurate.  however  he admitted the show had had positive as well as negative effects on the field.  my university course started with four graduates in 1999; we re now the largest major on campus - with 400 students   he said. dr houck added that there was an urgent need for better funding of forensic science at the university level:  there s more money spent in this country on holistic medicine than there is on forensic science research.
52,strike threat over pension plans millions of public service workers could strike if ministers scrap their final salary pension scheme and make them work longer  warn union leaders.  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.
1798,standoff  on deutsche s lse bid deutsche boerse investors unhappy with its london stock exchange bid will have no chance to throw out the exchange s management until may  reuters says.  the sunday times reported that hedge funds tci and atticus were planning to demand the removal of the group s chairman and chief executive. but deutsche boerse told news agency reuters such a move would have to wait until may s annual general meeting. investors want deutsche to return cash to shareholders rather than bid.  we are long-term investors and are experienced in removing management. we are not scared to take this to its conclusion this time   atticus  david slager told the sunday times. however  deutsche boerse told reuters:  tci s request for the removal of the supervisory board will be considered at the annual general meeting on may 25.   the sunday times reported that tci had been drawing up a list of heavyweight executives to replace deutsche s chairman rolf breuer and chief executive werner seifert. the group owns more than 5% of deutsche - more than enough to demand an extraordinary general meeting to call on shareholders to oust the german exchange s management. under german law deutsche does not need investor backing to make a takeover bid. tci and atticus have opposed the lse bid for some time saying it would destroy shareholder value  and would be better spent on a share buyback. deutsche is in competition with pan-european bourse euronext to take over the london exchange. many commentators have suggested a bidding war between the two could break out. however  any such move would have to wait until march when the office of fair trading completes an investigation into the competition aspects of the pair s takeover proposals.
2028,hendrix guitar fetches £100 000 a much-loved guitar belonging to jimi hendrix has been sold for £100 000 at an auction in london.  the 1965 fender stratocaster was one of a number of guitars included in the sale dedicated to the rock legend. the vast archive of instruments  signed records and posters were collected by a dedicated fan who had become friendly with the star. the auction was billed as the biggest collection of hendrix memorabilia to go under the hammer. the majority of the items were collected by fan bob terry who began collecting at the age of 17. he later sold it on to another collector.  hendrix  widely considered one of the best guitarists of his era  died of a drug overdose in 1970 at the age of 27. the 1965 fender stratocaster was used by the musician on tour and in his studio. a poem written by hendrix two weeks after his infamous appearance at the monterey festival where he set light to his guitar went for £10 000. the jimi hendrix experience s first single hey joe  signed by all the band  was sold for £2 000. the sale  hosted by auctioneers cooper owen  was held at the hard rock cafe in london.
58,henson stakes early lions claim the six nations may be a glittering prize in itself but every player from the four home unions will also have one eye on a possible trip to new zealand with the lions this summer.  the player who staked the biggest claim for a place in the starting xv over the weekend was gavin henson. he s very confident. you just had to listen to his interview afterwards - he beamed with confidence - but although there s an element of arrogance it s good arrogance. he certainly showed some nice touches. he once showed a clean pair of heels to mathew tait when he got outside him  his defence was very good and he made some great kicks out of hand. and that s without even mentioning his majestic match-winning penalty. but i think we need to wait and see what happens because he needs to be put to the test. he needs to come up against brian o driscoll or a big french midfield. wales fly-half stephen jones was another player who impressed me. he gave good direction  he was very confident and he was a nice general for his side. he showed he can control a game. with jonny wilkinson not playing at the moment due to inury the number 10 shirt could be up for grabs and jones  or maybe even henson  could make the lions team at fly-half.  jones stuck his hand up and he certainly looks a better bet than charlie hodgson after saturday s game. some of the wales forwards surprised me because i thought they would be out-muscled in the tight five. england prop julian white is a capable player but when it comes down to selection gethin jenkins is now going to have the upper hand because he came out on top. however  i still think white and phil vickery will be in the frame. some english players did their cause no harm. i thought joe worsley had a solid game and jason robinson and josh lewsey both did nothing wrong. but it looked too soon for young mathew tait and i think it will be a while before we see him again. despite being written off beforehand several scots caught my eye against france.  tom smith has been there and done it before  but the likes of chris cusiter  jason white and ally hogg all made their mark. hogg made a couple of good runs while white had a pretty robust game - his defence is right up there. cusiter looked very lively and he could be a very good option for lions coach sir clive woodward. the star of ireland s win over italy in rome looks like a certainty to make the starting xv against new zealand. brian o driscoll is a class act. he ran some good lines against italy  made the breaks and fed his outside backs  although italy defended man on man which made it easy for him. gordon d arcy was unlucky to go off injured early on but i think you could get a henson  d arcy  o driscoll combination in the lions midfield. paul o connell just needs to add a hard edge to his game and malcolm o kelly keeps on going and seems to be putting his hand up  while shane byrne seems to be a lively character. but they will be a bit worried after the italian pack drove them off their own ball on sunday  although i used to play in italy and i know how difficult it can be. one player who didn t impress me was wales scrum-half dwayne peel. he choked late on in the second half when wales were trailing. they had good possession and he kicked the ball away - i wouldn t want him as my lions scrum-half after that.
258,sporting rivals go to extra time the current slew of sports games offers unparalleled opportunities for fans who like to emulate on-field action without ever moving from the couch.  the two giants in the field - espn and ea sports - have been locked in a heavyweight battle for years. the latter is the world s largest games manufacturer. years of experience mean that the titles in their steady flow of sport sims are finely honed  massively entertaining and ooze flair. sports broadcaster espn  meanwhile  has leant its name to a series of games that are similarly classy but lower in profile and price. but that status quo was changed forever - or for the next 15 years at least - by a deal earlier this year when espn sold ea the rights to its tv branding and on-air talent  meaning the espn games presently developed by sega will have to come to and end in their present form.  it was a massive-money deal that not only raised eyebrows but stirred active indignation in many quarters  with fans concerned that it is set to enable ea to monopolise the sports gaming landscape to an unhealthy degree. some particularly disgruntled fans set up an online petition that notched more than 18 000 virtual signatures. many of those clicking to complain were already rankled  for the espn coup happened just weeks after ea had pulled off another enormous licensing deal  controversially giving them exclusive rights to teams and personnel from america¿s national football league (nfl). so  will the sega - espn range be missed  a key reason for answering  yes  is that liking or disliking a sports game regularly comes down to personal taste  and having some options available always proves hugely handy. online soccer fans will testify to that  between bouts of arguing over which high-profile title rules supreme out of the similar-yet-hugely-different fifa 2005 and pro evolution soccer 4. on the same note  the espn 2k5 and ea sports games have so little to choose between them that picking favourites will come down to players  personal preferences and spending budget rather than any technical elements. taking hockey and basketball as examples  both publishers  efforts are phenomenally entertaining and fairly accessible. they also both look awesome  with the sega / espn versions perhaps shading things on a graphical front.  in terms of gameplay  i marginally preferred ea s nba live 2005 for basketball  and was more satisfied ice hockey-wise by espn s nhl 2k5. the espn games are a touch more arcade-like in look and feel and are slightly easier to get into  although like their rivals  they also offer a dizzyingly-extensive array of in-game tricks and overall challenge modes that should be enough to quench thirsts of even the most die-hard of sports fans. perhaps the most interesting aspect of the espn deal will be seeing how it affects the presentation of ea s future titles. the front-end decoration of ea s games has become something of an art-form in itself  loaded with slick visuals and oodles of licensed music. they are also immediately identifiable as coming from the ea stable  and the inevitable compulsion to add an espn look will no doubt change that in various ways. what is a shame is that the espn titles took similar care about framing the gameplay with an authentic setting - their preambles look and sound much like they would on tv. they are neat and excellent-value games in their current form  and combining them with ea s own established brand should produce a truly formidable beast.
638,nintendo ds makes its euro debut nintendo s ds handheld game console has officially gone on sale in europe.  many stores around the uk opened at midnight to let keen gamers get their hands on the device. the two-screen clamshell gadget costs £99 (149 euros) and 15 games are available for it at launch  some featuring well-known characters such as super mario and rayman. the ds spearheads nintendo s attempt to continue its dominance of the handheld gaming market.  since going on sale in japan and the us at the end of 2004  nintendo has sold almost 4m ds consoles.  part of this popularity may be due to the fact that the ds can run any of the catalogue of 700 games produced for nintendo s gameboy advance handheld. games for the ds are expected to cost between £19 and £29. about 130 games for the ds are in development.  as well as having two screens  one of which is controlled by touch  the ds also lets players take on up to 16 other people via wireless. a  download play  option means ds owners can take each other on even if only one of them owns a copy of a particular game. other ds owners can also be sent text messages and drawings. nintendo is also planning to release a media adapter for the handheld so it can play music and video. five virgin megastores and 150 game shops were expected to open early on friday morning to let people buy a ds.  we know that customers want it as soon as it s released - and that means the minute  not the day   said robert quinn  game s uk sales director.  but nintendo will only have sole control of europe s handheld gaming market for a few weeks because soon sony is expected to release its psp console. although nintendo is aiming for younger players and the psp is more for older gamers  it is likely that the two firms will be competing for many of the same customers. sony s psp represents a real threat to nintendo because of the huge number of playstation owners around the world and the greater flexibility of the sleek black gadget. the psp uses small discs for games  can play music and movies without the need for add-ons and also supports short-range wireless play. when it goes on sale the psp is likely to cost between £130 and £200.
541,bank holds interest rate at 4.75% the bank of england has left interest rates on hold again at 4.75%  in a widely-predicted move.  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.
2190,mobile networks seek turbo boost third-generation mobile (3g) networks need to get faster if they are to deliver fast internet surfing on the move and exciting new services.  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.
1936,lib dems stress budget trust gap public trust in the handling of the economy can only be restored if gordon brown opens up his books for unbiased inspection  say the lib dems.  city experts say there is a £10bn  black hole  in the public finances  a claim denied by the chancellor. lib dem spokesman vince cable said the public did not know who to believe and the national audit office should judge. responding to the pre-budget report  mr cable also attacked labour s  unfair  and over-complicated taxes.  in his report  mr brown insisted he was on course to meet his  golden rule  of borrowing only to invest  rather than for day-to-day spending  over the course of the economic cycle. mr cable said people did not know whether to believe the chancellor or the consensus among experts which said the rule would be broken.  there is an issue of credibility and trust   he said.  we cannot have a continuation of a situation where the chancellor sets his own tests and then marks them.  what we need is the equivalent of a thorough ofsted inspection of the government s accounts.  he asked what the government had to hide.  mr cable also accused the chancellor of ducking tough choices. he argued:  there are serious challenges ahead from the falling dollar and from the rapid downturn in the uk housing market and rising personal debt. but they have not been confronted.  mr brown confirmed he was setting aside another £520m for the conflicts in iraq and afghanistan. mr cable compared that new cost with the £500m needed for britain s role in the entire first gulf war - when 80% of the bill had been met through help from european and arab nations. he suggested keeping british troops in iraq could cost another £1bn with the government also planning to spend at least £3bn for identity cards. the current economic climate meant britain could not afford the  reckless  george bush-style tax cutting spree  planned by the tories  he said. instead  what was needed was simple and fair taxation rather than the  complete mess  produced by mr brown s endless tinkering.  mr cable said 40% of all pensioners were now paying marginal tax rates of 50%. and one-and-a-half million hard working families were paying 60% marginal tax rates. with that record  he asked why ministers attacked lib dem plans for a new 50% tax rate for the  very rich  - those earning more than £100 000 a year. mr brown earmarked £1bn to help keep down council tax rises next year. but the lib dem spokesman questioned whether that money was being found from cuts to education and health. he urged the government to scrap the  grossly unfair  tax completely. the lib dems want it replaced with a local income tax. in response  mr brown stressed the iraq money came from a reserve funds. it was because he had rejected previous lib dem proposals  such as scrapping the new deal  that britain s economy was successful  claimed mr brown.
1293,home loan approvals rising again the number of mortgages approved in the uk has risen for the first time since may last year  according to lending figures from the bank of england.  new loans in december rose to 83 000  slightly higher than november s nine-year low of 77 000. mortgage lending rose by £7.1bn in december  up from a £6.4bn rise in november. the figures contradict a survey from the british bankers  association  which said approvals were at a five-year low.  analysts say the figures show the market may be stabilising but still point to further house price softness.  the modest rise in mortgage approvals and lending in december reinforces the impression that the housing market is currently slowing steadily rather than sharply   said global insight analyst howard archer  commenting on the boe s figures. the bba believes that the property market is continuing to cool down. changes to mortgage regulation may have artificially depressed figures in november  thus flattering the december figures  analysts said. in october last year  new rules came into force  which meant some lenders were forced to withdraw mortgage products temporarily in november and defer some lending until they had made sure they had complied with the rules properly. separately  the bank of england said that consumer credit rose by £1.5bn in december  more than the £1.4bn expected and above the £1.4bn reported in the previous month.
2181,campbell lifts lid on united feud arsenal s sol campbell has called the rivalry between manchester united and the gunners  bitter and personal .  past encounters have stirred up plenty of ill-feeling between the sides and they meet again at highbury on tuesday.  it is just more bitter and personal against united   the defender told the guardian newspaper.  there s an edge.  after all that has happened  if we beat them it will be one of our sweetest ever wins  especially because of how we lost to them up there.  last october  arsenal lost 2-0 at old trafford  which ended a record 49-match unbeaten league run and sparked a mini-crisis  with the gunners winning only three of their next 10 games.   it had a psychological impact on us  but again because of the way we were defeated   added the 30-year-old  referring to a controversial penalty award for united s first goal.  that was far more upsetting  losing like that  because they just seem to get away with it. you try and balance out over the course of a season but i ve had so many rough decisions against them you begin to wonder.  with tensions spilling over afterwards - united boss sir alex ferguson was allegedly pelted with pizza in the players  tunnel - there is little surprise that so much is riding on the return encounter on.  everyone at arsenal has been waiting for this game   said campbell.  we are up for this one.   speaking on his long-term plans  campbell signalled his intent to move abroad before he turns 35.  i m 30 now and in five years  time i won t be in this country - that s definite.  italy looks good to me because it would suit my kind of football. spain is an option but the idea of tasting a new culture and learning another language excites me the most. i m starting a little with french  of course.
1329,brown visits slum on africa trip chancellor gordon brown has visited kenya s biggest shantytown as he opened a week-long visit to africa.  mr brown s trip is designed to highlight how the uk wants to make africa s problems a priority of its chairmanship of the g8 this year. he will see an hiv/aids orphanage in tanzania and a women s credit union in mozambique before chairing a meeting of the commission for africa in cape town. at slums in narobi on wednesday  he said education needs had to be tackled.  speaking outside the olympic primary school  mr brown said:  it is simply not acceptable in the modern age for the rest of the world to stand by and have hundreds of millions of children not getting the chance at education.  he pointed to international plans to invest $10bn for education in africa over the next decade. the school is on the edge of kibera  where 800 000 live often in huts made of mud  scrap metal and cardboard. mr brown s aides say he wants to find out more about the kenyan government s education policies  which included introducing free primary education in early 2003. the chancellor has already unveiled proposals for a g8 aid package which he has likened to the marshall plan used by the united states to rebuild europe after world war two. the trip follows claims of infighting between mr brown and tony blair detailed in a new book. conservative leader michael howard is expected to seize on those reports at prime minister s questions at 1200 gmt on wednesday.
146,industrial output falls in japan japanese industrial output fell in october while unemployment rose  casting further doubt on the strength of the country s economic recovery.  production dropped 1.6% in october  reflecting a decline in exports  while unemployment levels edged up 0.1% to 4.7%  slightly higher than forecast. the economy has grown for six quarters but growth slowed dramatically in the last quarter amid weaker global demand. japan s government remains optimistic due to strong domestic demand.  analysts had been forecasting a 0.1% rise in month on month industrial output.  according to figures from the ministry of economy  trade and industry (meti)  the decline was led by a fall in demand for electronic parts for mobile phones and digital televisions. although inventories fell 0.7% month on month  they were 36% higher than a year ago.  it s a sign that the economy s adjustment phase is stronger than expected   said takashi yamanaka  an economist with ufj bank. japan downgraded its overall economic assessment earlier this month for the first time in a year.  growth slowed to 0.3% in the quarter ending september 30  down from 6.3% in the first quarter of 2004. experts believe the economy -which stagnated for most of the 1990s -may be entering a softer patch on the back of rising oil prices and the falling dollar. japanese government officials played down the latest data  arguing that domestic consumer demand was still resilient.  the outlook for november is positive so i don t think one can say that conditions have worsened just because of the fall in october   said a meti official. despite the rise in unemployment  jobless figures are still some way below historical highs of recent years. the comparatively weak economic date preyed on shares with the nikkei down 1% in afternoon trade.
89,cult band kasabian surge forward indie dance band kasabian built up a cult following throughout 2004 to secure three brit award nominations.  the four-piece leicester band blends dark electronics with rock  earning kasabian places on the best british group  rock act and live act shortlists. they have also earned a reputation as outspoken and charismatic  in contrast to fellow brit nominees such as keane and snow patrol.  british music needs a kick up the arse and britain needs a new band to breathe life into the british people again   declared kasabian s singer tom meighan.   no-one s doing it at the minute. music feels like it s in the afterlife right now. we don t want people to give up on it.  the serpent s going to rise from the sea and scare all the pirates away!  meighan grew up in leicester with kasabian songwriter/guitarist sergio pizzorno and bassist chris edwards  a trio which began making music from the age of 17.  they enlisted guitarist and keyboard player christopher karloff after spotting him in a pub.  we saw his long sideburns and thought  hey  he looks the part  we ll ask him    said meighan. inspired by britpop and a mutual love of hardcore  an early 1990s genre that fused house music with hip hop beats and a dark sensibility  they added an electronic element to the traditional guitar sound.  we got a computer and we cut rock n roll up  because there s no point in going back to how it was   said meighan.  it s all about new ideas and creativity.   the band s original approach is reflected in its name  inspired by linda kasabian - the getaway driver of us serial killer charles manson. coincidentally it is also the armenian term for  butcher . kasabian moved into a remote farmhouse in rutland to record their debut album  benefiting from its isolation but also managing to sneak in a few parties while they were there. signed to the rca record label  kasabian tested the water with two singles  club foot and lsf  which reached numbers 19 and 10 in the uk singles chart respectively.  they built up their following on the summer festival circuit  opening both glastonbury and t in the park  and at a series of  guerilla gigs  at unusual venues including half time orange  a pub next to leicester city football club s headquarters. kasabian s self-titled album was released last september to widespread critical acclaim  its indie dance stance drawing comparisons to the stone roses  primal scream and the happy mondays.  regarding it as  both a fiery assertion of rock  n  roll ethics and proof that a siege mentality is alive and well in the badlands of rutland water   the nme s praise was typical of the album s reception. as 2004 progressed kasabian would score a further two hits - processed beats and cutt off - and embark upon a well-received uk tour.  we take our music seriously  definitely  but we want to have fun with it   said pizzorno.  this is not a job to us   added meighan.  this is the best life we could ever have. this is what it s all about and without it we d be lost souls. but music needs us as well.
1627,high fuel prices hit ba s profits british airways has blamed high fuel prices for a 40% drop in profits.  reporting its results for the three months to 31 december 2004  the airline made a pre-tax profit of £75m ($141m) compared with £125m a year earlier. rod eddington  ba s chief executive  said the results were  respectable  in a third quarter when fuel costs rose by £106m or 47.3%. ba s profits were still better than market expectation of £59m  and it expects a rise in full-year revenues.  to help offset the increased price of aviation fuel  ba last year introduced a fuel surcharge for passengers.  in october  it increased this from £6 to £10 one-way for all long-haul flights  while the short-haul surcharge was raised from £2.50 to £4 a leg. yet aviation analyst mike powell of dresdner kleinwort wasserstein says ba s estimated annual surcharge revenues - £160m - will still be way short of its additional fuel costs - a predicted extra £250m. turnover for the quarter was up 4.3% to £1.97bn  further benefiting from a rise in cargo revenue. looking ahead to its full year results to march 2005  ba warned that yields - average revenues per passenger - were expected to decline as it continues to lower prices in the face of competition from low-cost carriers. however  it said sales would be better than previously forecast.  for the year to march 2005  the total revenue outlook is slightly better than previous guidance with a 3% to 3.5% improvement anticipated   ba chairman martin broughton said. ba had previously forecast a 2% to 3% rise in full-year revenue.  it also reported on friday that passenger numbers rose 8.1% in january. aviation analyst nick van den brul of bnp paribas described ba s latest quarterly results as  pretty modest .  it is quite good on the revenue side and it shows the impact of fuel surcharges and a positive cargo development  however  operating margins down and cost impact of fuel are very strong   he said. since the 11 september 2001 attacks in the united states  ba has cut 13 000 jobs as part of a major cost-cutting drive.  our focus remains on reducing controllable costs and debt whilst continuing to invest in our products   mr eddington said.  for example  we have taken delivery of six airbus a321 aircraft and next month we will start further improvements to our club world flat beds.  ba s shares closed up four pence at 274.5 pence.
1123,turkey knocks six zeros off lira turkey is to relaunch its currency on saturday  knocking six zeros off the lira in the hope of boosting trade and powering its growing economy.  the change will see the end of such dizzyingly-high denominations as five million lira - enough for a short taxi ride - and the 20m note  worth $15. these valuations were the product of decades of inflation which  as recently as 2001  was as high as 70%. inflation has since been tamed and economic prospects are improving.  the currency - officially to be known as the new lira - will be launched at midnight on 1 january. from that point  the one-million lira note will become the new one-lira coin. the government hopes the change will be seen as a promise of growing economic stability as turkey embarks on the long process of trying to join the european union.  on an everyday level  it is hoped the change will stimulate more international trade and end confusion among foreign investors and turks alike.  the transition to the new turkish lira shows clearly that our economy has broken the vicious circle that it was imprisoned in for long years   said sureyya serdengecti  head of the turkish central bank.  the new lira is also the symbol of the stable economy that we dreamed of for long years.   the turkish economy teetered on the brink of collapse in 2001 when the lira plunged in value and two million people lost their jobs.  turkey had to turn to the international monetary fund for financial assistance  accepting a $18bn loan in return for pushing through a wide-ranging austerity programme. these tough measures have borne fruit. inflation fell below 10% earlier this year for the first time in decades while exports are up 30% this year. meanwhile  the economy is expanding at a healthy rate  with 7.9% growth expected in 2004. the government hopes that the new currency will cement the country s economic progress  two weeks after eu leaders set a date for the start of turkey s accession talks.  the slimmed-down lira is likely to be widely welcomed by the business community.   the turkish lira has been like funny money   tevfik aksoy  chief turkish economist for deutsche bank  told associated press.  now at least in cosmetic terms it will look like real currency.  however  some do not feel quite so happy about seeing the nominal value of their investments reduced.  if a person has 10 billion lira in investments this will suddenly decrease   shop owner hayriye evren  told associated press.  this will definitely affect people psychologically.
1233,arsenal through on penalties arsenal win 4-2 on penalties  the spanish goalkeeper saved from alan quinn and jon harley as arsenal sealed a quarter-final trip to bolton with a 4-2 victory on penalties. lauren  patrick vieira  freddie ljungberg and ashley cole scored for arsenal  while andy gray and phil jagielka were on target for the blades. michael tonge and harley wasted chances for the underdogs  but paddy kenny was inspired to keep arsenal at bay. arsenal  stripped of attacking talent such as thierry henry and dennis bergkamp  partnered 17-year-old italian striker arturo lupoli with ljungberg up front. it was a revamped arsenal line-up  and they were almost a goal behind within seconds as tonge wasted a glorious chance. gray ran free down the right flank  and his cross left tonge with the simplest of chances  but he blazed over the top from six yards.  arsenal were barely seen as an attacking force in the opening 45 minutes  although ljungberg turned a half-chance wide after good work by cesc fabregas. arsene wenger introduced quincy owusu-abeyie for the ineffective lupoli at half-time  and the pacy dutch youngster had an immediate impact. he ran clear after good work by mathieu flamini  but his finish was tame and kenny saved easily. owusu-abeyie then fired in a testing cross  which was met by fabregas  and it needed a desperate clearance by kenny s legs to save the blades. arsenal were now totally dominant  and were desperately unlucky not to take the lead after 62 minutes when fabregas crashed a rising drive against the bar from 20 yards. it then took a brilliant tackle by jagielka to deny ljungberg as he was poised to strike. arsenal continued to press  and once again kenny was called into action with eight minutes left  diving low to clutch another close-range effort from fabregas. neil warnock s side almost snatched victory in the dying seconds when derek geary s cross found harley at the far post  but his diving header was brilliantly turned over by almunia. owusu-abeyie s pace was causing all sorts of problems for the blades  and as extra-time began  another surging run into the penalty area almost set up a chance for ljungberg. pascal cygan missed arsenal s best chance after 106 minutes  blazing across the face of goal when he was unmarked at the far post. arsenal sent on jeremie aliadiere with seven minutes of extra-time left  and he almost broke the deadlock with his first touch. kolo toure s misplaced free-kick landed at his feet  but kenny once again blocked from a tight angle. arsenal laid siege to sheffield united s goal in the dying minutes  but they somehow held on to force penalties. almunia was then arsenal s hero as another brave blades cup campaign came to a losing end.  kenny  geary  morgan  bromby  harley  liddell  montgomery  jagielka  thirlwell  tonge (quinn 97)  gray.  subs not used: francis  kabba  shaw  haystead.  morgan.  almunia  lauren  cygan  senderos  cole  fabregas (toure 90)  vieira  flamini (aliadiere 113)  clichy  lupoli (owusu-abeyie 45)  ljungberg.  subs not used: eboue  taylor.  clichy  lauren  senderos.  27 595  p dowd (staffordshire).
580,playstation 3 chip to be unveiled details of the chip designed to power sony s playstation 3 console will be released in san francisco on monday.  sony  ibm and toshiba  who have been working on the cell processor for three years  will unveil the chip at a technology conference. the chip is reported to be up to 10 times faster than current processors. it is being designed for use in graphics workstations  the new playstation console  and has been described as a supercomputer on a chip. sony has said the cell processor could be used to bridge the gap between movies and video games. special effects and graphics designed for films could be ported for use directly in a video game  sony told an audience at the e3 exhibition in los angeles last year.  cell could also be marketed as an ideal technology for televisions and supercomputers  and everything in between  said kevin krewell  the editor in chief of microprocessor report. the chip will be made of several different processing cores that work on tasks together. the playstation 3 is expected in 2006 but developers are expecting to get prototypes early next year to tune games that will appear on it at launch. details of the chip will be released at the international solid state circuits conference in san francisco. some details have already emerged  however. when put inside powerful computer servers  the cell consortium expects it to be capable of handling 16 trillion floating point operations  or calculations  every second.  the chip has also been refined to be able to handle the detailed graphics common in games and the data demands of films and broadband media. ibm said it would start producing the chip in early 2005 at manufacturing plants in the us. the first machines off the line using the cell processor will be computer workstations and servers. a working version of the ps3 is due to be shown off in may 2005 but a full launch of the next generation console is not expected to start until 2006.  in the future  all forms of digital content will be converged and fused onto the broadband network   said ken kutaragi  chief operating officer of sony  said last year.  current pc architecture is nearing its limits   he added.
591,ba to suspend two saudi services british airways is to halt its flights from london heathrow to jeddah and riyadh in saudi arabia from 27 march.  the airline said the decision was a commercial one due to reduced passenger demand for the services. ba currently operates four flights per week from heathrow to jeddah  and three weekly journeys to riyadh. it suspended flights to saudi arabia for three weeks in autumn 2003 after a government warning about a  threat to uk aviation interests in saudi arabia .  ba will now suspend the saudi flights - which it says will remain  under constant review  - from 27 march.  the decision to suspend flights between the uk and saudi arabia is a difficult one to make as we have enjoyed a long history of flying between the two countries   said ba director of commercial planning  robert boyle.  however  the routes don t currently make a profitable contribution to our business and we are unable to sustain them while this remains the case.  passengers with flights booked after the suspension date will be contacted by ba for alternative arrangements to be made.
1933,anelka apologises for criticism manchester city striker nicolas anelka has issued an apology for criticising the ambitions of the club.  anelka was quoted in a french newspaper as saying he would like to play in the champions league for a bigger club. but chairman john wardle said:  i ve spoken to nicolas and he s apologised for anything that might have been mistakenly taken from the french press.  we are a big club. nicolas told me that he agrees with me that we are a big club.  wardle was speaking at the club s annual general meeting  where he also confirmed the club had not received any bids for the former arsenal and real madrid striker. the club still owe french club psg £5m from the purchase of anelka in may 2002. he has been linked with a move to barcelona and liverpool  and reds skipper steven gerrard also revealed he is an admirer from his time on loan at anfield. but wardle added:  there s been no bids for nicolas anelka. no-one has come to me and said i would like to buy nicolas anelka.   if a bid comes in for nicolas anelka i will speak to the board and then speak to kevin keegan.  if there was a bid and it was a bid of substance and worth taking then between us we d decide.  we still owe some money on nicolas which we have clear out  so it would have to be above that.  wardle did stress that the club was not inviting any offers for england winger shaun wright-phillips. he added:  i ve no intention of selling shaun wright-phillips.  if someone comes with a silly bid i ll have to discuss it.  but we re not putting him on the shelf to sell. he is the heart and soul of this club and has his heart and sole in this club  and he would be very upset if i put him in the shop window.  he was an academy kid here  he s just signed a new four-year deal  i don t think he d do that unless he wanted to play for manchester city football club.  city recently announced debts of £62m  but wardle confirmed they would try and find funds to bring in players in the january transfer window. he said:  like kevin i d like to see some players come in. we ve got to see what we can do - whether it s a on a bosman or not.  we will try to be creative to generate some funds. but maybe we have to start looking at clubs like everton and bolton to see how they have been dealing in the transfer market and do a similar type of thing.
911,patti smith to host arts festival rock star patti smith has been made artistic director of this year s meltdown festival  to be held at london s south bank centre in june.  the punk pioneer follows morrissey  david bowie and nick cave in directing 15 days of concerts and events. smith has yet to decide the line-up for meltdown  which begins on 11 june.  i want to touch on all aspects of our culture  perhaps with readings from genet  and i have an idea for jeremy irons to read proust   she said.  the 58-year-old us singer of because the night told the observer newspaper that the festival would be her response to these  material  exploitative and greedy times .  it is important we explore the new  but we should also salute the best art there is  aesthetically and spiritually   she said. last year s meltdown festival  directed by the ex-smiths star morrissey  included appearances by singer jane birkin  nancy sinatra and playwright alan bennett. he also persuaded punk band the new york dolls to reform for a reunion show.
971,church urges nelly show boycott church ministers are trying to prevent rapper nelly performing in arkansas  saying they do not want his  vile and filthy lyrics  in their town.  more than 20 jonesboro ministers urged music fans to boycott nelly s 12 march concert at arkansas state university in a bid to have it cancelled.  jonesboro is a wonderful city because of what does not come here   said the reverend adrian rodgers. but a venue spokesman said more than 5 500 tickets had been sold so far.  mr rodgers  of the fullness of joy church  said he was concerned about the rapper s lyrics that include references to drugs  sex and violence  and songs that the minister said were demeaning to women. ministers were worried that bringing such acts to jonesboro would lead to problems.  tear the tickets up   mr rodgers said.  do not go and do not allow your children to go.   tim dean  director of the arkansas state university venue  said ticket sales had been brisk.  it would appear that with ticket sales over 5 000  many others have expressed their right to find nelly s music entertaining and worth spending their time and money on   he said. nelly has sold more than 30 million singles and albums worldwide  and in september 2004 simultaneously occupied the number one and two positions in the us albums chart. he has had 12 uk hit singles  including hot in herre  dilemma and recent number one over and over.
1154,beattie return calms attack fears everton striker james beattie has been declared fit for training on tuesday  despite suffering an alleged assault last saturday.  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.
1622,bookmakers back aviator for oscar the aviator has been tipped by uk bookmakers as the favourite to win the best film award at this year s oscars.  ray star jamie foxx is clear favourite in the best actor category while million dollar baby s hilary swank is tipped to win the best actress prize. bookmakers predict cate blanchett will be named best supporting actress. william hill and ladbrokes have given the aviator 4/9 and 8/13 odds of winning best film  with million dollar baby in second place at 9/4.  bet direct and bet 365 also tip the aviator  with the majority of bookmakers regarding finding neverland as the outsider. the aviator is also widely tipped to win the best director prize for martin scorsese. british star clive owen is second favourite at william hill to take the best supporting actor award  for his performance in closer. the favourite in that category is sideways star thomas hayden church. vera drake star imelda staunton has 5/1 odds of winning the best actress oscar at bet 365 and william hill  ahead of fellow uk star kate winslet who has odds of 25/1 at william hill.  mike leigh is the outsider in the best director category for vera drake  a position he holds jointly with ray s taylor hackford at bookmakers vc bet. this year s academy awards will be handed out in hollywood on 27 february. x factor judge sharon osbourne will present sky television s live coverage of the event. meanwhile  clive owen s best supporting actor nomination has led a bookmaker to shorten his odds of becoming the next james bond. he has moved from 4/1 to 5/2 favourite to play 007  with hugh jackman and ewan mcgregor joint second favourite.  clive owen s nomination has sparked a betting frenzy from james bond fans  who feel that his heightened global recognition will have done his chances of becoming the next bond a world of good   said william hill spokesman rupert adams.
539,radcliffe eyes hard line on drugs paula radcliffe has called for all athletes found guilty on drugs charges to be treated as criminals.  the marathon world record holder believes more needs to be done to rid athletics of the  suspicions and innuendoes  which greet any fast time.  doping in sport is a criminal offence and should be treated as such   the 30-year-old told the sunday times.  it not only cheats other athletes but also cheats promoters  sponsors and the general public.   radcliffe s comments come at a time when several american sports stars are under suspicion of steroid use.  being caught in possession of a performance-enhancing drugs should carry a penalty   she added.   the current system does not detect many of the substances being abused by athletes.  this means that often athletes do not know if they are competing on a level playing field  if their hard work and sacrifice is being trumped by an easier scientific route.  often  when an athlete puts in a good performance  they are subjected to suspicions and innuendoes instead of praise.  having been on the receiving end of accusations like this i can testify as to how much this hurts.
1131,what price for  trusted pc security   you can now buy  trusted computers   but can we really trust the pc vendors  asks technology analyst bill thompson.  if you have recently bought an ibm thinkvantage computer  a dell optiplex  or one of a whole range of laptops from toshiba  hp/compaq or samsung then you may have got more for your money than you realised. inside your shiny new pc is an extra chip called the trusted platform module (tpm) that can be used for a range of hardware-based security features. eventually the tpm will be built into the main processor itself  and if the trusted computing group has its way then you will find one in every piece of hardware you own  from mobile phones to tv set top boxes to children s toys. but for the moment it is a separate piece of hardware  providing enhanced security features to programs that know how to use them. and as part of a well-designed network system  it can provide a lot more security than we enjoy today. a big advantage of the tpm is that it is hardware-based.  at the moment most of us rely on software to keep our information safe and secure. it might be password-protected user accounts  data encryption programs or a firewall  but it all relies on program code running on an inherently insecure processor.  hardware security is less common  even if it is a lot safer. this is partly because it is more expensive to give someone a smartcard than a password  but also because its more work for users  systems administrators and managers. as a result we settle for second best. so when it comes to computer security  trusted systems could be a major step forward. after all  if you have a laptop that will only run programs that have been digitally signed then it will be a lot harder for virus writers to get their malicious code to run. and if all your files are locked automatically then even if you get your computer stolen your personal data will be safeguarded. at the moment support for trusted hardware is not built into major operating systems. instead you have to use special software  like hp s protecttools or wave systems  embassy. this provides file encryption  password management and identity protection  usually for business users who connect to company networks. full support for the trusted computing specification will not be available from microsoft until the next release of windows   longhorn . this will include what microsoft  in a typical act of obscurantism  calls the  next generation secure computing base   and it will give user-level programs access to the trusted computing hardware. when that happens we can expect to see a lot of publicity around the new capabilities  and no doubt the windows security centre will encourage users to turn on their trusted computing capability just as they turn on their firewall. however there is a downside to the increased security from viruses  spyware and data theft that this will provide.  because the trusted computing base is also used to make digital rights management (drm) systems more secure  this will give content providers a lot more control over what we can do with music  movies and books that we have bought from them. we have seen recently how allowing digital rights management services into our lives can lead to unwelcome consequences. users of apple s itunes used to be able to stream the music they had brought to up to five other itunes users  a great way of letting your mates discover your music collection.  but the latest version of itunes limits this capability  just as an earlier upgrade reduced the number of times you could burn a selected playlist of purchased songs to a cd. another took away the ability to play songs downloaded from real s harmony service on your ipod. apple can do this because they wrote the software and they control the rights management. once it is embedded in trusted hardware it will be even harder for dedicated programmers to find their way around these restrictions and give us back the fair use rights that should be guaranteed under copyright law. similarly  users of tivo digital video recorders have found that they cannot record some shows  and other programmes that they have recorded are automatically deleted after a day. this happens because of changes that tivo have made to their software  and the users cannot control it. one wonders whether hardware-based drm will work for those who believe that locking-down digital content is a bad idea  and that the flexibility of copyright law is something that should be embraced and not taken away. it will not work because of the fundamental flaw at the heart of the system: in order for the purchaser to view the content it has to be unlocked. once it is unlocked then someone  somewhere  will figure out a way to make a copy of the unlocked version. and once an unlocked version leaks onto the network it will be uncontrollable. the efforts going into drm would be much better spent building efficient distribution services  finding business models that are based on trusting your customers  and offering high quality downloads at fair prices. what we want is not so much a trusted computing platform as a trusted customer platform. the record companies and the film industry need to recognise that most of us  most of the time  will pay a reasonable amount for good quality material. they will benefit more by building a market in which i can share songs with my friends  record shows i want to watch later  and burn cds for my kids; a market which respects the spirit of copyright law and does not seek to replace it by restrictive contracts or end user agreements. we need to ensure that trusted computing remains under the control of the users and is not used to take away the freedoms we enjoy today.  bill thompson is a regular commentator on the bbc world service programme go digital.
1839,minimum rate for foster parents foster carers are to be guaranteed a minimum allowance to help cover their costs  the government has announced.  payment levels vary from area to area  with some carers getting just £50 a week for clothes  food and other costs. minister for children  young people and families margaret hodge said new plans will ensure fosterers  allowances would be as fair as possible. however local authorities  which set and pay the allowances  are concerned about how the extra cash will be found. about 50 000 children live with foster families in the uk and carers have said they need more money to make ends meet.  ms hodge said:  foster carers must not be out of pocket when meeting the costs of caring for a looked after child - a crucial role in society.  we need to make sure that arrangements for paying foster carers are as fair and transparent as possible.  our proposal for a national minimum rate shows we are serious about creating a better deal for foster carers and about encouraging more people to come forward and consider fostering as a worthwhile and rewarding opportunity.  the government is seeking to amend the children bill  which passes through the commons next week  to establish a national minimum payment.  fostering network executive director robert tapsfield criticised the existing system.  there is just no logic to a system which values children differently depending on where they live.  and with a shortage of over 8 000 foster carers in england  it s not a sustainable situation to expect carers to fund foster care from their own pockets.  the charity recommends a weekly payment of £108.49 for looking after a baby. in a survey  it discovered that rates paid by neighbouring authorities could vary by as much as £100 per week.  the association of directors of social services (adss) said it agreed in principle with the government s plans. tony hunter  the organisation s president  said:  there are many devils and lots of details hidden within the government s proposals.  but adss fully supports proper remuneration for valued foster carers and looks forward to working with ministers  local government and the fostering organisations themselves in order to make sure a sensible and practicable policy emerges.
545,bening makes awards breakthrough film actress annette bening is up for an oscar for her starring role in the award-winning film being julia.  bening  who was born in texas in 1958  has gained prominence for a string of key roles. although an oscar has so far eluded her  her status as one of hollywood s favourite actresses remains solid. one of the biggest oscars buzzes in recent years was for bening s role as troubled carolyn burnham in 1999 s american beauty. but her deliciously neurotic portrayal of surburban life turning sour was overlooked in favour of hilary swank s leading role in boys don t cry. after opening her career in the theatre - and gaining a tony award nomination in 1986 - bening had a low-key spell in television. she then made her film debut as a sex-starved wife in 1988 s the great outdoors  opposite comics dan akroyd and john candy.  following a cameo in postcards from the edge  bening s breakthrough role came in 1990  playing seductive con artist myra langtry in the grifters - a role that won her an oscar nomination. despite some rave reviews  bening did not win the best supporting actress academy award.  however the high-profile performance enabled bening to capture roles in a number of big budget hollywood productions  co-starring with some of hollywood s greatest players  including robert de niro and harrison ford. but it was her role opposite warren beatty in 1991 gangster flick bugsy which had the greatest impact. bening played virginia hill  another role which won her high critical acclaim  but the film only picked up two of a staggering 12 oscar nominations.  bugsy was the start of a very significant liaison for bening - she married beatty  with whom she had a child as the couple promoted the film in europe. the couple now have four children together. a pair of contrasting yet successful performances peppered bening s career in the mid-1990s. she played michael douglas  opposite number in romantic comedy the american president  and as a  fiery  queen elizabeth i in a contemporary adaptation of shakespeare s richard iii.  bening was the first choice to play the female lead in american beauty  director sam mendes  film debut which was a critical and commercial success - but the actress had to be content with a bafta award for her strong performance. but current film being julia has made bening an award-winning actress rather than the perennial nominee  with success at the golden globes. the witty tale of revenge and love set in 1930s london sees the eponymous theatrical diva - played by bening - grow tired of her success and fall for a young american - and could be the role which finally wins her the coveted academy award.
1910,sculthorpe wants lions captaincy paul sculthorpe has admitted he would love to succeed andy farrell as great britain skipper if the wigan star does switch codes to rugby union.  sculthorpe was vice-captain in the tri-nations  and took the st helens captaincy from chris joynt last year.  i would definitely want the job - i make no bones about it   sculthorpe told bbc sport.  it s something i ve always wanted to do. i d gladly take it if it was offered to me.   the 27-year-old  who captained st helens to challenge cup success last year  said following in the footsteps of farrell would be a challenge.  andy would be a hard act to follow but it s something i m confident of being up to   he said.  the gb team isn t a one-man team. there are a lot of good young players who are pushing for places anyway.   sculthorpe said the rugby league world would understand if farrell did decide to move to rugby union.  it s a short career and you have to make of it what you can   said sculthorpe.  nobody can blame him if he does go - he s done everything in the game of rugby league.   financially it could set him up for life. if he fancies a new challenge  then who could fault him   sculthorpe also called on the rugby league authorities to have a serious look at the number of games the top players are being asked to play. sean long  sculthorpe s saints and lions team-mate  has expressed doubts about his international future  i think sean s situation is to do with the sheer number of games we re playing   he said.   the way he s looking at it is that if he can extend his career by a couple of years by not playing international rugby  then he s willing to do that.  the rfl has got to do something about the fixtures. we re playing 42 weeks of the year and it s too much.  a lot of the niggly injuries that i ve suffered with over the last couple of years have come about because of the lack of rest time.  st helens have been strongly linked with a move for brilliant young forward sonny bill williams  and sculthorpe said he would love the 19-year-old to come to knowsley road.  he s a great player - a big strong lad who can certainly hit hard in defence  but who is also very skilful   he said.  i d love him to come to st helens. who knows what might happen  but you want the best players in your team  and he s certainly one of the best players in the world.
799,fry set for role in hitchhiker s actor stephen fry is joining the cast of the forthcoming film adaptation of the hitchhiker s guide to the galaxy.  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.
1016,murray returns to scotland fold euan murray has been named in the scotland training squad after an eight-week ban  ahead of saturday s six nations match with ireland.  the glasgow forward s ban for stamping ended on 2 february.  i m just happy to be back playing and be involved with the squad   said murray on monday.  hopefully i can get a couple of games under my belt and i might have a chance of playing later in the six nations. i m just glad to be part of it all.   backs: mike blair (edinburgh rugby)  andy craig (glasgow rugby)  chris cusiter (the borders)  simon danielli (the borders)  marcus di rollo (edinburgh rugby)  phil godman (edinburgh rugby)  calvin howarth (glasgow rugby)  ben hinshelwood (worcester warriors)  andrew henderson (glasgow rugby)  rory lamont (glasgow rugby)  sean lamont (glasgow rugby)  dan parks (glasgow rugby)  chris paterson (edinburgh rugby)  gordon ross (leeds tykes)  hugo southwell (edinburgh rugby)  simon webster (edinburgh rugby) forwards: ross beattie (northampton saints)  gordon bulloch (captain  glasgow rugby)  david callam (edinburgh rugby)  bruce douglas (the borders)  jon dunbar (leeds tykes)  iain fullarton (saracens)  stuart grimes (newcastle falcons)  nathan hines (edinburgh rugby)  allister hogg (edinburgh rugby)  gavin kerr (leeds tykes)  nick lloyd (saracens)  scott lawson (glasgow rugby)  euan murray (glasgow rugby)  scott murray (edinburgh rugby)  jon petrie (glasgow rugby)  robbie russell (london irish)  tom smith (northampton saints)  jason white (sale sharks).
1460,michael film signals  retirement  singer george michael has said that a new film about his life is the start of a retirement from public view.  the pop star said it would be a much more  behind the scenes affair   and called his own genre of music  dead .  i thought i should explain myself before i disappear   said michael  who was at the berlin film festival to launch the documentary. the film  a different story  chronicles michael s life and career from the 1980s and his personal struggles. the 41-year-old chart-topper told reporters in the german capital that he wanted to  move his career into a different form   but added that he does not know what it is going to be yet.   i m still going to be making music   he said  but added that he was  not going to be around . he hinted at discontent with the current state of music industry  and said:  i don t really think that there is anyone in the modern pop business who i feel i want to spar with.  michael said that the film  directed by southan morris  would put his two decades of fame into context.  it s almost as much for me as for my fans  in terms of trying to make sense of the last 22 years and bring it to a close in a proper way   he said. the documentary chronicles the highs and lows of his life in the public gaze  from his meteoric rise as one half of pop duo wham! to his arrest for lewd conduct in a los angeles toilet in 1998. the film also deals with the loss of michael s partner anselmo feleppa from an aids-related condition in 1993. a different story  which is being shown at the berlin film festival  has been screened by bbc one.
1286,police probe bnp mosque leaflet police are investigating a british national party leaflet posted to homes in south wales opposing plans for a new mosque.  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.
296,bush to outline  toughest  budget president bush is to send his toughest budget proposals to date to the us congress  seeking large cuts in domestic spending to lower the deficit.  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.
1345,solutions to net security fears fake bank e-mails  or phishing  and stories about id theft are damaging the potential of using the net for online commerce  say e-business experts.  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.
1568,brookside creator s channel 4 bid the creator of defunct tv soap brookside has written to the culture minister to offer to buy channel 4.  phil redmond  now chairman of mersey tv  told tessa jowell he would run it with its current remit intact for the next 10 years. but media watchdog ofcom has said the the commercially funded public service broadcaster will not be privatised. a spokesman for the department for culture  media and sport said there were no plans to sell the channel.  he added that primary legislation would be required for the station to be sold off  which the government was not intending to introduce. brookside was axed in 2003 after its ratings slumped from a peak of seven million to just 1.5 million. redmond also brought teen soap hollyoaks to channel 4 and created grange hill  the school-based drama serial which was first broadcast on bbc one in 1978. he was awarded the cbe for services to drama earlier this year.
502,axa sun life cuts bonus payments life insurer axa sun life has lowered annual bonus payouts for up to 50 000 with-profits investors.  regular annual bonus rates on former axa equity & law with-profits policies are to be cut from 2% to 1% for 2004. axa blamed a poor stock market performance for the cut  adding that recent gains have not yet offset the market falls seen in 2001 and 2002. the cut will hit an estimated 3% of axa s policyholders. the rest will know their fate in march.  the cuts on axa s policies will mean a policyholder who had invested £50 a month into an endowment policy for the past 25 years would see a final maturity payout of £46 998. this equated to a annual investment growth rate of 8% axa said. with-profits policies are designed to smooth out the peaks and troughs of stock market volatility. however  heavy stock market falls throughout 2001 and 2002 forced most firms to trim bonus rates on their policies.  the stock market has grown over the past 18 months  however not enough to undo the damage that occurred during 2001 and 2002   axa spokesman mark hamilton  axa spokesman  told bbc news. axa cut payouts for the same investors last january.
1530,terror detainees win lords appeal detaining foreign terrorist suspects without trial breaks human rights laws  the uk s highest court has ruled.  in a blow to the government s anti-terror measures  the house of lords law lords ruled by an eight to one majority in favour of appeals by nine detainees. most of the men are being indefinitely held in belmarsh prison  south london. the law lords said the measures were incompatible with european human rights laws. the men will stay behind bars while ministers decide how to react. the ruling creates a major problem for charles clarke on his first day as home secretary following david blunkett s resignation. the liberal democrats say mr clarke should use the fact he is new to the job to take issue with a law established by his predecessor  david blunkett. belmarsh prison has been dubbed britain s guantanamo bay by civil rights campaigners opposed to the use of emergency anti-terror laws.  the detainees took their case to the house of lords after the court of appeal backed the home office s powers to hold them without limit or charge. the government opted out of part of the european convention on human rights concerning the right to a fair trial in order to bring in anti-terrorism legislation in response to the 11 september attacks in the us. any foreign national suspected of links with terrorism can be detained or can opt to be deported. however those detained cannot be deported if this would mean persecution in their homeland.  on thursday  senior law lord lord bingham said the rules were incompatible with the european convention on human rights as they allowed detentions  in a way that discriminates on the ground of nationality or immigration status . lord nicholls of birkenhead  in his ruling  said:  indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial is anathema in any country which observes the rule of law.  it deprives the detained person of the protection a criminal trial is intended to afford.   he said the weakness for the government s case was that it was trying to justify detention without trial for foreign suspects - but not for british suspects. lord hoffmann said:  the real threat to the life of the nation  in the sense of a people living in accordance with its traditional laws and political values  comes not from terrorism but from laws such as these.  but lord walker of gestingthorpe  the one law lord to oppose the appeal  said the anti-terror laws contained important safeguards against oppression.  in a statement  detainee  a  in woodhill prison said:  i hope now that the government will act upon this decision  scrap this illegal  law  and release me and the other internees to return to our families and loved ones.  the case was heard by a panel of nine law lords rather than the usual five because of the constitutional importance of the case. ben emmerson qc  representing seven of the detainees  said the men had already been in custody for nearly three years. he said they had been given no idea when  if ever  they would be released  had never been formally interviewed and there was no prospect they would ever be put on trial. when the men were first held  they took their cases to the special immigration appeals commission (siac). the commission ruled on 30 july  2002 that the anti-terror act unjustifiably discriminated against foreign nationals as british people could not be held in the same way. but that ruling was later overturned by the court of appeal who said there was a state of emergency threatening the life of the nation.
81,us company admits benin bribery a us defence and telecommunications company has agreed to pay $28.5m after admitting bribery in the west african state of benin.  the titan corporation was accused of funnelling more than $2m into the 2001 re-election campaign of president mathieu kerekou. at the time  titan was trying to get a higher price for a telecommunications project in benin. there is no suggestion that mr kerekou was himself aware of any wrongdoing. titan  a california-based company  pleaded guilty to falsifying its accounts and violating us anti-bribery laws. it agreed to pay $13m in criminal penalties  as well as $15.5m to settle a civil lawsuit brought by the us financial watchdog  the securities and exchange commission (sec).  the sec had accused titan of illegally paying $2.1m to an unnamed agent in benin claiming ties with president kerekou. some of the money was used to pay for t-shirts with campaign slogans on them ahead of the 2001 election. shortly after the poll  which mr kerekou won  benin officials agreed to quadruple titan s management fee. prosecuting attorney carol lam said:  all us companies should take note that attempting to bribe foreign officials is criminal conduct and will be appropriately prosecuted.  the company says it no longer tolerates such practices. under the us foreign corrupt practices act  it is a crime for american firms to bribe foreign officials.
2162,napster offers rented music to go music downloading  for those that have rejected the free peer to peer services  can be a costly business.  the cost of paying even as little as 70p per track can add up  particularly for those people who own one of the new generation of players that can store thousands of songs. paying per track for music is becoming as outmoded as paying per minute for internet access and alternative monthly or yearly subscription models are springing up as a more convenient  and ultimately cheaper way of owning music.   music fans are moving away from buying the traditional bundled package of a dozen or more songs that we used to call an album to newer ways that fit their lifestyle; either single tracks or subscriptions services   said paul myers  chief executive of wippit  a uk-based music download service. while itunes is doing good business with its sales of individual tracks to ipod owners  others are questioning whether the concept of owning music is even valid in the digital age. napster is due to launch a new rental subscription service - dubbed napster to go in the uk in the next few months. the service can be used on players that support microsoft windows latest digital rights management technology known as janus. this includes players made by samsung  rio and creative.  currently on offer in beta-version in the us  the service costs $15 per month for unlimited downloads. the technology ensures that music downloaded to the player only remains playable while the user subscribes to the service. users need to update their license on a monthly basis or the tunes will no longer play.  this has outraged some digital music lovers  especially as napster already offers a cheaper service for downloading music to the pc. napster claims the higher price is a result of record labels charging more for the to-go service and says it also offers  greater value  for customers. mr myers is not convinced a rental model will work for consumers.  we ve been offering our unlimited music subscription service for more than three years now and our customers know what they want. format interoperability  excellent value and the reassurance that music purchased from wippit is theirs to keep and enjoy on whatever device they choose   he said.  who wants to download a track that won t play next month if you decide to unsubscribe to the service or change portable player for an ipod or the latest mobile phone   wippit offers a download subscription service for £4.99 per month or £50 per year. it has a catalogue of around 60 000 songs.
1519,jobs growth still slow in the us the us created fewer jobs than expected in january  but a fall in jobseekers pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in three years.  according to labor department figures  us firms added only 146 000 jobs in january. the gain in non-farm payrolls was below market expectations of 190 000 new jobs. nevertheless it was enough to push down the unemployment rate to 5.2%  its lowest level since september 2001. the job gains mean that president bush can celebrate - albeit by a very fine margin - a net growth in jobs in the us economy in his first term in office. he presided over a net fall in jobs up to last november s presidential election - the first president to do so since herbert hoover. as a result  job creation became a key issue in last year s election. however  when adding december and january s figures  the administration s first term jobs record ended in positive territory.  the labor department also said it had revised down the jobs gains in december 2004  from 157 000 to 133 000.  analysts said the growth in new jobs was not as strong as could be expected given the favourable economic conditions.  it suggests that employment is continuing to expand at a moderate pace   said rick egelton  deputy chief economist at bmo financial group.  we are not getting the boost to employment that we would have got given the low value of the dollar and the still relatively low interest rate environment.   the economy is producing a moderate but not a satisfying amount of job growth   said ken mayland  president of clearview economics.  that means there are a limited number of new opportunities for workers.
1634,call for kenteris to be cleared kostas kenteris  lawyer has called for the doping charges against the greek sprinter to be dropped.  gregory ioannidis has submitted new evidence to a greek athletics tribunal which he claims proves the former olympic champion has no case to answer. kenteris and compatriot katerina thanou were given provisional suspensions in december for failing to take drugs tests before the athens olympics. the greek tribunal is expected to give its verdict early next week. kenteris and thanou withdrew from the athens olympics last august after missing drugs tests on the eve of the opening ceremony. they were also alleged to have avoided tests in tel aviv and chicago before the games.  but ioannidis said:  everything overwhelmingly shows that the charges should be dropped.  ioannidis also said he has presented evidence that will throw a different light on the events leading up to the pair s sensational withdrawal from the athens games. the lawyer added that he has proof the authorities  knew  kenteris was in germany at the time he was alleged to have missed a test in chicago. nick davies  spokesman for athletics  ruling body the iaaf  which handed out the provisional bans  said:  we can t comment because we were not present at the hearing and don t know what was said behind closed doors.  we expect a verdict from the greek athletics federation before the end of february and will obviously be making a statement then.  kenteris won 200m gold at the 2000 sydney olympics  while thanou won silver in the 100m.
1586,abortion not a poll issue - blair tony blair does not believe abortion should be an election issue  arguing it is a matter for individual conscience.  the prime minister s spokesman set out mr blair s view after the top catholic in england and wales backed michael howard s stance on abortions. the tory leader supports a reduction in the legal limit from 24 weeks to 20 and has said current rules are  tantamount to abortion on demand . the prime minister has made it clear he has no plans to the change the law.  mr blair s spokesman said:  the catholic church has a well-known position on this issue and it was one of many issues the cardinal mentioned and therefore it should be seen in that context.  his words came as cardinal cormac murphy o connor  the archbishop of westminster  backed mr howard s stance and distanced himself from labour. in a statement  he said abortion was a  very key issue   saying:  the policy supported by mr howard is one that we would commend  on the way to a full abandonment of abortion.   cardinal o connor claimed labour had  developed  the notion that it was the natural party of catholics  but he said:  we are not going to suggest people support one particular party.  the family planning association says a reduction would particularly affect young women who often seek help later. more than 180 000 women in england and wales had terminations last year  of which fewer than 1% were carried out between 22 and 24 weeks.  in the cosmopolitan interview mr howard said:  i believe abortion should be available to everyone  but the law should be changed.  in the past i voted for a restriction to 22 weeks and i would be prepared to go down to 20.  all three main parties say the issue is one for each mp s conscience  rather than one where there is a party-wide policy. mr howard stressed his views were his personal views. shadow home secretary david davis said he understood mr howard had been signalling that a conservative government would allow a commons vote on the issue. mr blair and liberal democrat leader charles kennedy also gave their views during interviews  conducted as part of the magazine s  high heeled vote  campaign.  mr blair  who last year denied he planned to join his wife and four children in the catholic faith despite regularly taking communion  said abortion was a  difficult issue .  however much i dislike the idea of abortion  you should not criminalise a woman who  in very difficult circumstances  makes that choice.  obviously there is a time beyond which you can t have an abortion  and we have no plans to change that although the debate will continue.  mr kennedy said he had previously voted for a 22-week limit but medical advances mean  i don t know what i would do now . the roman catholic archbishop of cardiff  the most reverend peter smith  told bbc radio 4 s today programme that the church merely wanted people to  reflect on issues in light of the gospel  before voting. anne weyman  chief executive of the family planning association  asked:  what is the benefit to women  or to the potential child  of forcing a woman to have a baby   anti-abortion group the pro-life alliance  congratulated  mr howard on his new stance  but said it did not go far enough.
469,guantanamo four free in weeks all four britons held by the us in guantanamo bay will be returned to the uk within weeks  foreign secretary jack straw told the commons on tuesday.  moazzam begg  from birmingham  and martin mubanga  richard belmar and feroz abbasi  from london  have been held by the us for almost three years. they were detained in the cuban camp as part of the us-led  war on terror . mr straw said the us had agreed to release the four after  intensive and complex discussions  over security. he said the government had been negotiating the return of the detainees since 2003. all four families have been informed of their return and have been involved in regular discussions with the government  mr straw said.  but he added:  once they are back in the uk  the police will consider whether to arrest them under the terrorism act 2000 for questioning in connection with possible terrorist activity.  the shadow foreign secretary  michael ancram  welcomed the return of the four detainees. but he said there were still  serious questions  both over the possible threat the four pose to the uk  and the treatment they received while detained. liberal democrat foreign affairs spokesman sir menzies campbell said the four had been rescued from a  legal no-man s land .  their civil rights were systematically and deliberately abused and they were denied due process.   azmat begg  father of moazzam  thanked his lawyers and the british people for the support he had received while campaigning for his son s release. he added:  if they have done something wrong  of course they should be punished  but if they haven t  they shouldn t have been there.  lawyer louise christian  who represents mr abbasi and mr mubanga  said the government should have acted sooner. she said:  they should at the outset have said quite clearly to the american government that they were behaving in breach of international law and that the british government wanted no part of it and wanted guantanamo bay shut down.  they didn t do that. they colluded with it.  moazzam begg s labour mp roger godsiff welcomed his release  but said questions remained unanswered  particularly about charges. asked about possible damages mr begg and the other detainees could bring against the us  mr godsiff said:  people get released from prison when it s found that their prosecution was unsustainable and they are quite rightly awarded sizeable sums of money.  i don t see any difference in this case.  human rights campaigners have been outraged at the treatment of the detainees in cuba. amnesty international has called camp delta a  major human-rights scandal  and an  icon of lawlessness . both amnesty and the lobby group guantanamo human rights commission described the release as  long overdue . civil rights group liberty said it was  delighted  but called on the government to release men indefinitely detained in the uk without charge or trial.  director shami chakrabarti called on the government to  practise what it preaches  and either free or charge 12 detainees at belmarsh and woodhill prisons. law lords ruled last month that the 12 were being held in contravention of human rights laws but they are still behind bars. the us has also announced that 48-year-old australian mamdouh habib  previously accused of terrorist offences  will be released without charge from camp delta. five british detainees released from guantanamo in march last year were questioned by uk police before being released without charge.
382,e-university  disgraceful waste  a failed government scheme to offer uk university courses online has been branded a  disgraceful waste  by mps.  the e-university was scrapped last year  having attracted only 900 students at a cost of £50m. chief executive john beaumont was paid a bonus of £44 914  despite a failure to bring in private sector backers. the commons education select committee called this  morally indefensible  but the government said the e-university project had  improved understanding .  a department for education and skills spokeswoman said the venture had been  ambitious and ground-breaking  but take-up had not been  sufficient to continue with the project . she added:  uk e-universities was not the only organisation to have lost out on private sector investment in the collapse of the dotcom boom.  the select committee found that those responsible for founding the e-university in 2000 had been caught up in the  general atmosphere of enthusiasm  surrounding the internet. initial business plans forecast a quarter of a million students joining within a decade  bringing in at least £110m in profit.  but virtually no market research was carried out and just £4.2m was spent on worldwide sales and marketing of courses. some £14m went on developing the technology to make the e-university work. this was used by just 200 students  the rest preferring to work through existing university websites. with no significant private investors and no direct accountability to a government minister  the e-university had had  too much freedom to spend public money as it wished   the report found. committee chairman barry sheerman said:  uk e-university was a terrible waste of public money.  the senior executives failed to interest any private investors and showed an extraordinary over-confidence in their ability to attract students to the scheme.  the report warns that the government should not be scared off investment in innovative but potentially risky schemes by the failure of the e-university  but  should learn the lessons from this disaster .
353,councils prepare to set tax rises council tax in scotland is set to rise by an average of about 4% in the coming year  bbc scotland has learned.  authorities will decide final figures on thursday when projected increases will be more than twice the rate of inflation  which is currently 1.6%. the finance minister has urged councils to limit increases but they have warned that they will struggle to maintain services unless funding is increased. they say much additional government money is for new initiatives. scottish finance minister  tom mccabe msp  said:  last week in parliament i announced an additional £419m for core expenditure to local government in scotland.  that s a 5.5% increase and sits against an inflation rate of 1.6%  so i think we have quite rightly said to councils this year that we would at the very least ask them to exercise restraint.  mr mccabe is also looking for local authorities to become more efficient and save money in coming years. he told bbc radio scotland s sunday live programme:  here in scotland we have 32 councils who all have their own individual collection systems for council tax  they have their own payroll systems and their own human resource systems.   we think there has to be opportunities there for rationalisation and using the money saved to reinvest in frontline services.  the councils  umbrella organisation cosla  which provided bbc scotland with the indicative figures for next year  warned that councils would face a continuous struggle to maintain services. mr mccabe has promised them about £8.1bn next year.  however  most of the increase is targeted to new initiatives and councils will experience difficulties in maintaining core services   a cosla spokesman said. cosla says that it is willing to work with the executive on finding efficiency savings but that these will not be enough to maintain services. they say the funding plans for the next three years will see councils lose more of the share of public spending. the conservatives accuse the scottish executive of using the council tax to raise funds because it is too afraid to raise income tax.  the tory finance spokesman  brian monteith msp  said:  its a form of disguise... yet again we see that council tax is being used as a way of passing on costs.  scared of actually using its three pence income tax that it could put up  what we ve seen over the years is more and more burdens being put onto local authorities and the council tax payer having to pick up the bill.  there are also warnings that unless funding to councils is increased in the next few years then services may have to be reduced. linda knox  director of the scottish local authority management centre at strathclyde university  said:  with this current settlement the increase is slowing. at the same time  the burdens on councils are greater than they were.  the settlement figures don t include pay increases and the executive is also requiring a substantial figure - in the area of £325m - in efficiency savings across the settlement period.  education will be protected from any cuts but linda knox says this will mean other services will suffer. she said:  in practice  that will mean a 4-5% cut for other services. on the face of it the settlement looks like an increase of about 9.7% but by the time you take into account other factors its probably only about 1% in real terms.
1666,hamm bows out for us women s football legend mia hamm has played her final game.  hamm  32  who officially retired after this year s athens olympics  took to the field for the last time to help the us claim a 5-0 win over mexico. hamm ends her career as the most prolific scorer - male or female - in international football  with 158 goals in 276 games for the us. she was twice fifa women s player of the year and won the world cup in 1991 and 1999 and two olympic golds. on her retirement  hamm said:  there are mixed emotions. there are things in your life that you have had to put on the back-burner and you can focus more time and energy on that now.  i have to see what is out there and not commit to everything at the beginning.  the friendly also saw the end of julie foudy and joy fawcett s us careers. hamm will now embark on a new life with husband  chicago cubs shortstop nomar garciaparra  who was in the stands to watch her final game. he has just agreed a new deal with the cubs after joining them in july.
1457,french wine gets 70m euro top-up the french government is to hand its struggling wine industry 70m euros ($91m) in aid to help it battle falling sales and damaging overproduction.  the financial package is aimed at assisting vintners in financial trouble and improving how its wine is marketed. the french wine industry  the world s second largest  has been hit by declining consumption at home and the growing popularity of new world wines. wine makers  however  claimed the support did not go far enough. the package was announced by agriculture minister dominique bussereau after talks with vintners  representatives.  the bulk of the money - about 40m euros - will be offered in the form of preferential loans to heavily indebted producers to enable them to reschedule their payments. a further 15m euros will be made available to wine cooperatives  which make up the majority of french producers  in low interest loans. efforts to promote french wine abroad are to be boosted by an extra 3.5m euros in funding. france fell behind the  new world  producers of australia  chile and the united states for the first time in 2003 in terms of exports.  domestic consumption  accounting for 70% of sales  has suffered from strict restrictions on advertising and tough drink-driving laws.  the aid package would  create a positive climate around french viticulture   mr bussereau said. however  wine makers and farmers said the support was much less than they had been hoping for.  i am afraid the resources are not up to the ambitions   jean-michel lemetayer  from the fnsea agricultural union  told the associated press news agency. in an effort to tackle overcapacity  the government will agree that vines can be destroyed in areas where growers give their unanimous consent  while 500 vintners will be helped to take early retirement. the government will also seek european union approval to distil about 250 million litres of excess wine into alcohol  with vintners receiving compensation. production is currently outstripping demand by about 30%. the support is designed to make french producers more competitive in the face of increasing global consolidation across the wine industry. wine makers in france s best-known regions  such as burgundy  have found it hard to invest in new technology and to create recognisable brands to appeal to overseas buyers.
2182,women in film  are earning less  women in the uk film industry earn less than their male counterparts despite being better qualified  according to a study released on wednesday.  only 16% of women earn more than £50 000  compared with 30% of men. women make up a third of the workforce. the research was carried out jointly by the uk film council and industry training body skillset. it also found that women in the industry were less likely than men to be married or have dependant children.  the study  which claims to be the most in-depth so far conducted  found 60% of women in the film industry hold degrees  compared with 39% of men. whilst 17% of men in the industry had no qualifications  this was true for only five per cent of women. in the lower salary bracket  35% of women earn less than £20 000 a year  compared to only 18% of men. the research found very few women worked in the camera  sound  electrical and construction departments  but they made up a majority of those working in make-up and hairdressing.  uk film council chief executive john woodward said:  whilst the uk has benefited hugely from its highly-qualified film production workforce there are still many barriers facing people who want to get in and stay in the industry.   developing the film production workforce must be underpinned with a commitment to diversity as well as training.  the workforce is largely focused around london  with 78% in the industry based in the capital and the south east of england. the industry depends heavily on word of mouth  with 81% being recruited in that way. in total  only five percent of the workforce is made up of ethnic minorities  although in london the figure rises to 24%. the necessity of completing unpaid work experience to get into the workforce has also shot up  from 5% before the 1980s  to 45% after 2000.
1591,blair moves to woo jewish voters tony blair has pledged to  never  ever  ever  attack tory leader michael howard over his jewish beliefs.  the prime minister told the jewish chronicle:  if you look at what i do  i attack michael howard politically.  mr blair also distanced himself from recent labour campaign posters featuring mr howard  which critics claimed were  anti-semitic . these were  not intended to cause any offence to anyone on the jewish community   mr blair insisted.  one poster depicted mr howard and his shadow chancellor oliver letwin  who is also jewish  as flying pigs. another pictured the tory leader swinging a pocket watch on a chain  which critics said echoed the jewish money lender shylock in shakespeare s merchant of venice.  others compared the image to the character fagin in charles dickens  oliver twist. labour has since taken the designs of its website  saying members had preferred other designs. during his interview with the jewish chronicle  mr blair said:  i ve been a very strong supporter of the jewish community and israel  and will always be so.  pressed on whether he would draw attention to mr howard s jewish beliefs in an attempt to attract muslim support  he replied:  the idea that i would allow anybody to make such a charge is outrageous. it s untrue.  if you look what i do  i attack michael howard politically. i would never  ever  ever attack him on that basis.   mr blair also defended his party s attitude towards the jewish community  pointing out that it was his government that had introduced the holocaust memorial day. he added that labour also aggressively fought all forms of racism.  neither the conservatives nor the liberal democrats wished to comment on mr blair s words. the prime minister was speaking as london s labour mayor ken livingstone remains embroiled in a row over comments he made to a jewish reporter from the city s evening standard newspaper. mr blair repeated calls for the mayor to apologise for likening the reporter  oliver finegold  to a concentration camp guard. mr livingstone  should have withdrawn the comment immediately  once he realised the journalist was jewish  said mr blair.  i m sure that is what in truth he wants to do. well  he should do it.  mr livingstone has said he could not sincerely say sorry for the comments he made  and claims he has been targeted by the newspaper. he conceded his comments may have been offensive but were not racist  and said earlier this week he would not apologise even if mr blair asked.
1643,teenager tait picked for england newcastle s teenage centre mathew tait has been named as a centre in england s team to face wales in the six nations opener in cardiff on saturday.  the 18-year-old will play alongside falcons  team-mate jamie noon in england s midfield. scrum-half matt dawson is also recalled  despite been left out of the initial squad after a row over clashing tv and training commitments. bath lock danny grewcock will also start  pending a possible citing. england coach andy robinson has also awarded gloucester flanker andy hazell his first six nations start. in another change to the side that lost to australia in november  leicester lock ben kay replaces bath second row steve borthwick. robinson was already without jonny wilkinson  mike tindall  stuart abbott  richard hill and will greenwood  while mike catt had been left out of england s squad.  j robinson (sale sharks  capt); m cueto (sale sharks)  m tait (newcastle)  j noon (newcastle)  j lewsey (wasps); c hodgson (sale sharks)  m dawson (wasps); g rowntree (leicester)  s thompson (northampton)  j white (leicester)  d grewcock (bath)  b kay (leicester)  l moody (leicester)  a hazell (gloucester)  j worsley (wasps). replacements: a titterrell (sale sharks)  p vickery (gloucester)  s borthwick (bath)  j forrester (gloucester)  h ellis (leicester)  o barkley (bath)  b cohen (northampton).
1822,hitler  row over welsh arts cash an artist critical of welsh arts funding being brought under assembly government control has denied comparing the idea with dictatorships in russia and germany.  shani rhys james is worried that the arts council of wales may be taken over by the welsh assembly government. culture minister alun pugh said it would be  crass and ignorant  to liken a quango review to hitler s germany. but ms james emphasised she had actually said artists needed freedom. the future of the arts council of wales has been in question since it was announced that most welsh quangos would eventually be abolished.  it was announced last july that three welsh quangos  education and training body elwa  the wales tourist board and the welsh development agency  would be brought under assembly government control. the arts council of wales may be among the next to come under the assembly government s umbrella. but ms james  who won the £30 000 jerwood painting prize in 2003  said arts funding should be separate from government. ms james told bbc radio wales:  it s quite dangerous when you involve politicians because it s not like the health service and it s not like the railways.  free expression is absolutely vital in a democratic society. you need distance  you do not need government interference because it could be taken the wrong way.   but she said reports that she had likened the assembly government to totalitarian regimes were inaccurate.  she told good morning wales:  just to put the record straight  that business in the paper where it said i likened the government to bolshevik russia or hitler s germany  the actual quote i gave was:  it is vital to a civilised society that we allow artists to express themselves without government control .  as we know from past european history  i.e. russia and germany in the early 20th century  artists will go underground or leave the country or rather than compromise their expression .  artists need a free voice to express themselves - they reflect a truth through their own art forms.   she said the assembly government was not best placed to run the arts in wales.  she added:  it would be a momentous change and devastating to the arts. it would set the arts scene back 60 years  because i really don t think the government has the expertise.  if you have the national assembly taking control  i fear you are going to be going back to the dragons and leeks and the choirs.   wales has moved on. it is international now. it is not set back in how green was my valley   responding to ms james  criticisms  mr pugh said:  the structure of unelected quangos is under review and we have made it clear that further announcements are due shortly.  comparing the welsh assembly government to hitler s germany is a crass and ignorant response to a real issue about democratic accountability.  ms james  whose father was welsh  was born in melbourne where her parents worked in the theatre. she moved to powys nearly 20 years ago where she works from her studio near llangadfan. she has won a number of arts prizes including the wales open in 1989 and the mostyn open in 1991.
742,electrolux to export europe jobs electrolux saw its shares rise 14% on tuesday after it said it would be shifting more of its manufacturing to low-cost countries.  the swedish firm  the world s largest maker of home appliances  said it is to relocate about 10 of its 27 plants in western europe and north america. it did not say which facilities would be affected  but intends moving them to asia  eastern europe and mexico. the company has two manufacturing sites in county durham. it makes lawn and garden products in newton aycliffe  and cookers and ovens in spennymoor. the newton aycliffe plant could also be affected by electrolux s separate announcement that it is to spin-off its outdoor products unit into a new separate company.  electrolux s subsidiary brands include aeg  zanussi and frigidaire. the company said it was speeding up its restructuring programme  which aims to save between £190m and £265m annually from 2009.  we see that about half the plants in high-cost countries - that is around 10 - are at risk   said electrolux chief executive hans straberg.  it looks pretty grim   said swedish trades union official ulf carlsson.  what are we going to end up producing in sweden
1956,hewitt survives nalbandian epic home favourite lleyton hewitt came through a dramatic five-set battle with argentine david nalbandian to reach the australian open semi-finals.  hewitt looked to be cruising to victory after racing into a two-set lead. but nalbandian broke his serve three times in both of the next two sets to set up a nailbiting decider. hewitt eventually grabbed the vital break in the 17th game and served out to win 6-3 6-2 1-6 3-6 10-8 and set up a meeting with andy roddick. the winner of that match will face either roger federer or marat safin in the final. ninth seed nalbandian had never come back from two sets down to win a match  and there was no indication he would do so as hewitt dominated the first two sets.  the argentine had stoked up the temperature ahead of the match by saying hewitt s exuberant on-court celebrations were  not very good for the sport . and he had words with hewitt during one change of ends in the second set when the australian appeared to brush shoulders with him as they went to their chairs. the balance of power changed completely in the third set as hewitt allowed his level to dip  and he double-faulted twice as nalbandian broke on the way to taking the fourth set. but the tiring third seed showed incredible reserves of strength to force the break despite being outplayed for much of the final set and three times coming within two points of defeat. he then produced a love service game to finish off the match in four hours and five minutes.  i just kept hanging in there. it was always tough serving second in the fifth set   said hewitt  who had never reached the last four at his home grand slam.  i told myself to give everything and in the end it paid off once again.  it s a long way from holding that trophy up there but i m hanging in there.  only four guys left that can win and we re the top four in the world. it s set up for a pretty good showdown in the semis and finals.
1829,go-ahead for new internet names the internet could soon have two new domain names  aimed at mobile services and the jobs market.  the internet corporation for assigned names and numbers (icann) has given preliminary approval to two new addresses - .mobi and .jobs. they are among 10 new names being considered by the net s oversight body. others include a domain for pornography  an anti-spam domain as well as .post and .travel  for the postal and travel industries.  the .mobi domain would be aimed at websites and other services that work specifically around mobile phones  while the .jobs address could be used by companies wanting a dedicated site for job postings. the process to see the new domain names go live in cyberspace could take months and icann officials warned that there were no guarantees they would ultimately be accepted. applicants paid £23 000 apiece to have their proposals considered. the application for .mobi was sponsored by technology firms including nokia  microsoft and t-mobile.  of the 10 currently under consideration  the least likely to win approval is the .xxx domain for pornographic websites. there are currently around 250 domain names in use around the globe  mostly for specific countries such as .fr for france and .uk for britain. perhaps unsurprisingly  .com remains the most popular address on the web.
1675,google shares fall as staff sell shares in google have fallen 6.7% after employees and early investors in the web search took advantage of the first chance to sell their holdings.  restrictions were imposed ahead of its flotation in august  to prevent shares being dumped quickly onto the market. in one of the most closely-watched initial public offerings in stock market history  the us-based company sold 19.6 million shares at $85 each. google shares have risen since but fell $12.33 on tuesday to close at $172.55. the restriction - known as a lockup - is being eased piecemeal: in all  some 227 million additional shares will become free to trade by february 2005. selling the shares could turn many of google s workers into millionaires.  there were fears that the potential increase of shares in circulation from tuesday would ease demand for stock. however  analysts say they expected most shareholders would be holding back from selling all their shares immediately  as google s good performance and future growth potential means demand will hold.  in its first earnings report since floating on the stock market  google said it made a net profit of $52m in the three months ending 30 september. sales surged to $805.9m in the third quarter  up from $393.9m a year earlier. google s main service - its internet search - is free to users  so the firm makes much of its money from selling advertising space linked to the words for which its users search. it also sells the use of its technology to companies who need to make either their websites  or their internal information systems  searchable.
376,election deal faltered over heath role the tories failed to hold onto power in 1974 after liberals demanded sir edward heath quit in return for co-operation.  documents released after 30 years reveal the failed negotiations by the then prime minister following the dramatic february general election. liberal leader jeremy thorpe appeared willing to form a coalition government. but it partly collapsed over the conservative leader s own role  prompting the queen to ask harold wilson to form a labour government. the february 1974 general election surprised the nation when it created a hung parliament with no party in overall control. sir edward had gone to the country for a fresh mandate amid the spiralling economic crisis  a miners  strike and the subsequent three-day week. labour emerged with the most seats - but its 301 mps were 17 short of the number mr wilson needed to form a majority.  sir edward  who had received more votes but had fewer mps  believed he had the authority to remain at number 10 providing the 14 liberal mps would support his government. he said the liberals could keep out labour in three ways: lend ad hoc support to his minority government  help draw up the government s programme  or have up to three cabinet members in a coalition with the conservatives. according to the documents released at the national archives  the  friendly and easy  first meeting indicated that both sir edward and mr thorpe thought they had the makings of a deal. mr thorpe was in high spirits  having just led his party to a historic jump in support. he also argued for a grand coalition of all three main parties. but sir edward said that was impossible because the labour left was set against it and the pair settled on trying for a conservative-liberal pact.  hours later sir edward s hopes of a deal unravelled as mr thorpe s colleagues refused to support him.  jeremy said he was encountering a rather embarrassing problem with his colleagues about the prime minister personally   reads a telephone memo for mr heath.   they feel they could not agree to serve as long as he is the prime minister.  asked if this was his own view he said - no it was not  i am very close to ted and thought he was by far the most able man we had and he would be perfectly happy to serve - it was only some of his colleagues who were being difficult.  the following day  the stickling points had clearly become two-fold: mr thorpe s colleagues wanted electoral reform and sir edward s resignation. mr thorpe told sir edward:  i am sorry this is obviously hell - a nightmare on stilts for you.  somehow i personally hope that we can work something out.   four hours later  sir edward called the liberal leader back to downing street in a last attempt at a deal. the minutes of the meeting show how the chance of a coalition government quickly evaporated.  the pm said he was bound to tell mr thorpe that his colleagues had told him that they would not agree to serve under any other prime minister. mr thorpe was at liberty to verify this by talking to one or two of the prime minister s colleagues.  documents show that sir edward mulled over resigning and perhaps returning to coalition government in a labour-led coalition. but he already knew mr wilson would not form a coalition with either the liberals or the conservatives because of the opposition of the labour left. within hours of his final talks with mr thorpe  sir edward told the nation he was resigning and the queen invited mr wilson to form a new minority government.
1626,euronext joins bid battle for lse pan-european stock market euronext has approached the london stock exchange (lse) about a possible takeover bid.   the approach is at an early stage and therefore does not require a response at this point   lse said. talks with the european stock market and with rival bidder deutsche boerse will continue  the lse said. last week  the group rejected a £1.3bn ($2.5bn) takeover offer from deutsche boerse  claiming that it undervalued the business. lse saw its shares surge 4.9% to a new high of 583p in early trade  following the announcement on monday.  the offer follows widespread media speculation that euronext would make an offer for lse. experts now widely expect a bidding war for europe s biggest stock market  which lists stocks with a total capitalisation of £1.4 trillion  to break out. commentators say that a deal with euronext  which owns the liffe derivatives exchange in london and combines the paris  amsterdam and lisbon stock exchanges  could potentially offer the lse more cost savings than a deal with deutsche boerse.  a weekend report in the telegraph had quoted an unnamed executive at euronext as saying the group would make a cash bid to trump deutsche boerse s offer.  because we already own liffe in london  the cost savings available to us from a merger are far greater than for deutsche boerse   the newspaper quoted the executive as saying. euronext chief executive jean-francois theodore is reported to have already held private talks with lse s chief executive clara furse. further reports had suggested that euronext could make an offer in excess of the lse s 533p a share closing price on friday. however  euronext said it could not guarantee  at this stage  that a firm offer would be made for lse. there has been extensive speculation about a possible takeover of the company since an attempted merger with deutsche boerse failed in 2000.
168,top judge clashes with ministers the uk s top judge has revealed he has clashed with ministers about how the heads of public inquiries are chosen.  lord woolf said he was determined his current veto on whether a judge should chair an inquiry should continue as a guard for judicial independence. but he told mps the lord chancellor  lord falconer  was insisting he should have the final say in such cases. lord hutton s inquiry into the death of dr david kelly sparked debate about who should run inquiries.  the government says the lord chancellor would be unlikely to go against lord woolf s wishes. lord woolf  who is lord chief justice of england and wales  was giving evidence to the commons public administration select committee s inquiry into public inquiries. he said he had not been involved in the choice of lord hutton  who as a law lord did not come under his jurisdiction. but he argued he should have a veto on whether judges generally should chair a particular inquiry and if so  which judge it should be. in written evidence to the committee  lord woolf said:  i have  so far  failed to reach an agreement with the lord chancellor on this issue ... i intend to maintain my position and will press for this safeguard to be in any future legislation.   judges should think carefully before heading an inquiry into a highly political issue  such as the intelligence on iraq s weapons of mass destruction  he said. he argued:  the subject matter of the inquiry may be so political that it would be damaging to the judiciary for a judge to be involved.  in addition  the question of whether there should be an inquiry at all may be highly controversial and if a judge is appointed  the judiciary  as a result of the appointment  may be seen as siding inappropriately with the government.  he told the mps:  anything that tends to undermine the confidence of the public in the judiciary worries me.   lord woolf said the current rules were not written down but it was inconceivable in practice that the lord chancellor would overrule his concerns. but that situation could change with new legal reforms. the issue had been  overlooked  when a new agreement was drawn up about those responsibilities and the dispute had emerged in later discussions.  what i am asking for is a situation where if the lord chancellor cannot obtain my agreement [on appointing a judge]  it doesn t happen   he said.  lord woolf said he did not think there would be difficulties but he wanted to establish the principle. a department for constitutional affairs spokeswoman said lord woolf and lord falconer agreed about what happened in practice.  their disagreement is about whether the legislation should include a requirement for consultation or concurrence - a very narrow dispute  in lord woolf s words   she said.  as lord woolf also acknowledged  it is highly unlikely that the lord chancellor would appoint a judge against the wishes of the lord chief justice.  judges are free to decide for themselves whether to accept positions as inquiry chairs.  parliament will examine the issue next year when it debates a new bill about public inquiries.
321,madagascar completes currency switch madagascar has completed the replacement of its malagasy franc with a new currency  the ariary.  from monday  all prices and contracts will have to be quoted in the ariary  which was trading at 1 893 to the us dollar. the malagasy franc  which lost almost half its value in 2004  is no longer legal tender but will remain exchangeable at banks until 2009. the phasing out of the franc  begun in july 2003  was intended to distance the country from its past under french colonial rule and address the problem of the large amount of counterfeit francs in circulation.  it s above all a question of sovereignty   reuters quoted a central bank official as saying.  it is symbolic of our independence from the old colonial ways. since we left the french monetary zone in 1973 we should have our own currency with its own name.  the ariary was the name of a pre-colonial currency in the indian ocean island state.
715,amex shares up on spin-off news shares in american express surged more than 8% on tuesday after it said it was to spin off its less profitable financial advisory subsidiary.  the us credit card to travel services giant said off-loading american express financial advisors (aefa) would boost its profitability. aefa has more than 12 000 advisers selling financial advice  funds and insurance to 2.5 million customers. over the years it has delivered poor profits and even some losses.   this is an excellent move by american express to focus on its core businesses  and sell off a laggard division  which has been a problem for quite some time   said marquis investment research analyst phil kain. analysts estimate that a stand-alone aefa could have a market value of $10bn (£5.3bn). the unit was acquired by american express 20 years ago as investors diversified service  of minneapolis  at a time when firms were amassing one-stop financial empires. however  the business of selling investments was never integrated with the rest of the group.
1278,barkley fit for match in ireland england centre olly barkley has been passed fit for sunday s six nations clash with ireland at lansdowne road.  barkley withdrew from bath s team for friday s clash with gloucester after suffering a calf injury in training. gloucester centre henry paul has also been cleared to play after overcoming an ankle injury. england coach andy robinson  who names his team on wednesday  has called up bath prop duncan bell following phil vickery s broken arm. with vickery sidelined for at least six weeks and julian white out with a neck injury  bell could make his england debut. bell  30  had set his sights on an international career with wales. but last december  the international rugby board confirmed that he could only be eligible for england as he had travelled on tour with them in 1998.  i thought i d burned all my bridges with england when i expressed an interest in wanting to play for wales  so it s fantastic to get this opportunity   he said. bell  who featured in the england a side which beat france 30-20 10 days ago  added:  i recognise that i got into the england a squad because of injuries.  and it s the same again in getting into the senior squad. but now that i have this opportunity i intend to take it fully if selected and play my heart out for my country.   england coach andy robinson could take a gamble and call inexperienced sale sharks prop andrew sheridan into his front row. but sheridan favours the loosehead side of the scrum and a more likely scenario is for uncapped bell - who was among the try-scorers when england a beat france a 30-20 nine days ago - to be drafted in.
653,supercomputer breaks speed record the us is poised to push japan off the top of the supercomputing chart with ibm s prototype blue gene/l machine.  it is being assembled for the lawrence livermore national laboratory  a us department of energy (doe) lab. doe test results show that blue gene/l has managed speeds of 70.72 teraflops. the current top machine  japan s nec earth simulator  clocks up 35.86. due next week  the top 500 list officially charts the fastest computers in the world. it is announced every six months and is worked out using an officially recognised mathematical speed test called linpack which measures calculations per second. the speeds will most likely make it the fastest computer system on the planet  yet the chip technology powering the machine is the kind which can be found in familiar devices such as games consoles.  the us secretary of energy spencer abraham confirmed that the machine had reached the breakneck speed  according to the linpack benchmark. until the official list is published  however  blue gene/l s position will not be confirmed  and there are expected to be some other new entries. but the test results raise the bar of supercomputing enormously and signal a remarkable achievement. surpassing the 40 trillion calculations per second (teraflop) mark has been considered a landmark for some time.  the ibm blue gene/l is only a prototype and is one 5th the speed of the full version  due to be completed for the livermore labs in 2005. its peak theoretical performance is expected to be 360 teraflops  and will fit into 64 full racks. it will also cut down on the amount of heat generated by the massive power  a big problem for supercomputers. the final machine will help scientists work out the safety  security and reliability requirements for the us s nuclear weapons stockpile  without the need for underground nuclear testing. the earth simulator has held on to the top spot since june 2002. it is dedicated to climate modelling and simulating seismic activity. but in september  ibm said that another blue gene/l machine clocked up 36.01 teraflops  marginally surpassing the earth simulator s performance. this was achieved during internal testing at ibm s production facility in rochester  minnesota  though  so was not an official record. another giant to enter the fray is silicon graphics  columbia supercomputer based at nasa s ames research center in california. it would be used to model flight missions  climate research  and aerospace engineering. the linux-based machine was reported to have reached a top speed of 42.7 teraflops in october.  supercomputers are hugely important for working out very complex problems across science and society. their massive simulation and processing power means they can improve the accuracy of weather forecasts  help design better cars  and improve disease diagnosis. ibm s senior vice president of technology and manufacturing  nick donofrio  believes that by 2006  blue gene will be capable of petaflop computing. this means it would be capable of doing 1 000 trillion operations a second.  when you get a computer as large as a petaflop  you can start to think of simulations that might complement the physical world   mr donofrio recently told the bbc news website.   you can start to be more proactive  more interactive and more innovative.  one area where mr donofrio sees supercomputing - and blue gene machines in particular - as crucial is health. he believes the machines can help scientists understand one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century: protein folding.  health is one of the most important problems  not just mapping the human genome  but also protein structures.  we are a great believer in simulation. it gives you another tool   he said. once the structures of proteins are understood fully  then drugs can be tailor-made to fight diseases more effectively. compared with the current fastest supercomputers  blue gene is designed to consume one 15th the power and be 10 times more compact. since the first supercomputer  the cray-1  was installed at los alamos national laboratory in 1976  computational speed has leaped 500 000 times. the cray-1 was capable of 80 megaflops (80 million operations a second). the blue gene/l machine that will be completed next year will be five million times faster. started in 1993  the top 500 list is decided by a group of computer science academics from around the world. it is presented at the international supercomputer conference in pittsburgh.
1206,housing plans criticised by mps  irreversible environmental damage  will be caused by government plans to build more than one million homes in south-east england  mps have warned.   sustainable communities  were being promoted without a real understanding of what  sustainable  means  the environmental audit committee said. it said issues like energy needs and transport were not properly addressed. deputy prime minister john prescott said the report was completed before new initiatives were announced. he said:  we are working across government  especially with our colleagues at defra  to create cleaner  safer and greener communities  while protecting and enhancing the environment.   the report said there was far too little attention paid to many environmental issues  including water  even though supplies in parts of the south east are already too low. regulations designed to ensure energy-efficient buildings are too lax  and builders routinely flout them anyway  it said.  financing for improving transport was around one-twentieth of what would be required. the report was a stinging rebuke for the government and especially john prescott s department  bbc environment correspondent richard black said. chairman of the environmental audit committee peter ainsworth mp  said:  the government s housing policy is an alarming example of disjointed thinking in an areas where joined-up policy is crucial.  i accept the need to improve housing supply but  as things stand  the principal beneficiary of housing growth will be property developers  with the environment we all depend on being the principal loser.  points raised in the report included:    - no proposals to further increase housing supply should be taken forward without strong supporting evidence.   - the government should recognise shortcomings of the treasury s barker review  which said 140 000 new homes a year were needed in britain.   - the government should consider a  national spatial framework  for england such as those already in place in scotland and wales.   - the office of the deputy prime minister should maximise brown field development and housing densities.   - measures to encourage improved energy efficiency for existing homes should be considered - including reduced stamp duty for homes that achieve set standards and a clear timetable for achieving zero-emissions homes.   - the government should make clear how it intends to measure its success at creating sustainable communities.     conservative local government spokeswoman caroline spelman said:  there is now growing evidence that john prescott s buildings programme is environmentally unsustainable  leaving a concrete scar across the face of rural england.
411,bollywood dvd fraudster is jailed a major distributor of pirated dvds of bollywood films has been sent to prison for three years.  jayanti amarishi buhecha from cambridge was found guilty of two trademark offences last month  and sentenced at harrow crown court  london  on tuesday. buhecha  who made £26 000 per month from his illegal trade  was called  one of the biggest bollywood pirates in the uk  by the sentencing judge. the british phonographic industry (bpi) worked for two years on the case.  an operation was launched against buhecha in 2002 after complaints were received about his activities. the judge in the case  which lasted seven days  said that  a heavy penalty was called for because of the enormous damage buhecha caused to legitimate business . fake dvds were manufactured in pakistan and malaysia and sold on wholesale to shops by buhecha  who traded in conterfeit dvds in 2002 and 2003.  in december 2002  he was stopped in his car by trading standards officers  who uncovered 1 000 pirated dvds and faked inlay cards printed with registered trademarks. despite being arrested and bailed  buhecha was caught a second time at the end of 2003. his home and a lock-up in cambridge were found to contain 18 000 counterfeit dvds and further faked inlay cards. buhecha was previously a legitimate distributor of bollywood films  but was suspended and sued by his employers for dealing in illegal copies of bollywood classic mohabbatein. legitimate bollywood film distributors have hailed the conviction as  a major boost . bollywood music and film suffers piracy at the rate of 40%  which is more than that suffered by mainstream productions. the bpi welcomed the news of the prison sentence  but warned there are plenty of other active counterfeiters of bollywood films. the organisation s anti-piracy director david martin said:  the problem simply will not disappear with buhecha. others and more will take his place  so it s vital that keep up our efforts in this field.
931,apple attacked over sources row civil liberties group the electronic frontier foundation (eff) has joined a legal fight between three us online journalists and apple.  apple wants the reporters to reveal 20 sources used for stories which leaked information about forthcoming products  including the mac mini. the eff  representing the reporters  has asked california s superior court to stop apple pursuing the sources. it argues that the journalists are protected by the american constitution. the eff says the case threatens the basic freedoms of the press.  apple is particularly keen to find the source for information about an unreleased product code-named asteroid and has asked the journalists  e-mail providers to hand over communications relevant to that.  rather than confronting the issue of reporter s privilege head-on  apple is going to the journalist s isps for his e-mails   said eff lawyer kurt opsahl.  this undermines a fundamental first amendment right that protects all reporters.  if the court lets apple get away with this  and exposes the confidences gained by these reporters  potential confidential sources will be deterred from providing information to the media and the public will lose a vital outlet for independent news  analysis and commentary   he said. the case began in december 2004 when apple asked a local californian court to get the journalists to reveal their sources for articles published on websites appleinsider.com and powerpage.org.  apple also sent requested information from the nfox.com  the internet service provider of powerpage s publisher jason o-grady. as well as looking at how far corporations can go in preventing information from being published  the case will also examine whether online journalists have the same privileges and protections as those writing for newspapers and magazines. the eff has gained some powerful allies in its legal battle with apple  including professor tom goldstein  former dean of the journalism school at the university of california and dan gillmor  a well-known silicon valley journalist. apple was not immediately available for comment.
1576,soul sensation ready for awards south west teenage singing sensation  joss stone  has been nominated in three categories in wednesday s brit awards.  the 17-year-old from a small east devon village near cullumpton  received nominations for best solo female  best urban act and best breakthrough artist. her second album mind  body & soul reached number one in the uk charts last october and went straight into the us charts at number 11. ms stone is due to perform at the 25th award ceremony at london s earls court. the teenager also has grammy nominations in the us  normally dominated by home-grown acts. born jocelyn stoker  the devon diva started her career in a bbc talent programme  and was then discovered at a new york audition by a us record executive  steve greenberg. the 17-year-old singer is hoping to tour in japan  australia and the us in 2005.
1207,speak easy plan for media players music and film fans will be able to control their digital media players just by speaking to them  under plans in development by two us firms.  scansoft and gracenote are developing technology to give people access to their film and music libraries simply by voice control. they want to give people hands-free access to digital music and films in the car  or at home or on the move. huge media libraries on some players can make finding single songs hard.  voice command-and-control unlocks the potential of devices that can store large digital music collections   said ross blanchard  vice president of business development for gracenote.  these applications will radically change the car entertainment experience  allowing drivers to enjoy their entire music collections without ever taking their hands off the steering wheel   he added.  gracenote provides music library information for millions of different albums for jukeboxes such as apple s itunes. the new technology will be designed so that people can play any individual song or movie out of a collection  just by saying its name. users will also be able to request music that fits a mood or an occasion  or a film just by saying the actor s name.  speech is a natural fit for today s consumer devices  particularly in mobile environments   said alan schwartz  vice president of speechworks  a division of scansoft.  pairing our voice technologies with gracenote s vast music database will bring the benefits of speech technologies to a host of consumer devices and enable people to access their media in ways they ve never imagined.  the two firms did not say if they were developing the technology for languages other than english. users will also be able to get more information on a favourite song they have been listening to by asking:  what is this   portable players are becoming popular in cars and a number of auto firms are working with apple to device interfaces to control the firm s ipod music player. but with tens of thousands of songs able to be stored on one player  voice control would make finding that elusive track by elvis presley much easier. the firms gave no indication about whether the ipod  or any other media player  were in mind for the use of the voice control technology. the companies estimate that the technology will be available in the fourth quarter of 2005.
1729,wales make two changes for france wales coach mike ruddock has made two changes from the team that beat italy 38-8 for saturday s trip to france.  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).
851,gardener wins double in glasgow britain s jason gardener enjoyed a double 60m success in glasgow in his first competitive outing since he won 100m relay gold at the athens olympics.  gardener cruised home ahead of scot nick smith to win the invitational race at the norwich union international. he then recovered from a poor start in the second race to beat swede daniel persson and italy s luca verdecchia. his times of 6.61 and 6.62 seconds were well short of american maurice greene s 60m world record of 6.39secs from 1998.  it s a very hard record to break  but i believe i ve trained very well   said the world indoor champion  who hopes to get closer to the mark this season.  it was important to come out and make sure i got maximum points. my last race was the olympic final and there was a lot of expectation.  this was just what i needed to sharpen up and get some race fitness. i m very excited about the next couple of months.   double olympic champion  marked her first appearance on home soil since winning 1500m and 800m gold in athens with a victory. there was a third success for britain when  edged out russia s olga fedorova and sweden s jenny kallur to win the women s 60m race in 7.23secs. maduaka was unable to repeat the feat in the 200m  finishing down in fourth as  took the win for russia. and the 31-year-old also missed out on a podium place in the 4x200m relay as the british quartet came in fourth  with russia setting a new world indoor record. there was a setback for jade johnson as she suffered a recurrence of her back injury in the long jump. russia won the meeting with a final total of 63 points  with britain second on 48 and france one point behind in third.  led the way for russia by producing a major shock in the high jump as he beat olympic champion stefan holm into second place to end the swede s 22-event unbeaten record.  won the triple jump with a leap of 16.87m  with britain s tosin oke fourth in 15.80m.  won the men s pole vault competition with a clearance of 5.65m  with britain s nick buckfield 51cm adrift of his personal best in third. and  won the women s 800m  with britain s jenny meadows third. there was yet another russian victory in the women s 400m as  finished well clear of britain s catherine murphy. chris lambert had to settle for fourth after fading in the closing stages of the men s 200m race as sweden s  held off leslie djhone of france. france s  won the men s 400m  with brett rund fourth for britain.  took victory for sweden in the women s 60m hurdles ahead of russia s irina shevchenko and britain s sarah claxton  who set a new personal best. italy grabbed their first victory in the men s 1500m as  kicked over the last 200 metres to hold off britain s james thie and france s alexis abraham. a botched changeover in the 4x200m relay cost britain s men the chance to add further points as france claimed victory.
994,us hacker breaks into t-mobile a man is facing charges of hacking into computers at the us arm of mobile phone firm t-mobile.  the californian man  nicholas lee jacobsen  was arrested in october. mr jacobsen tried at least twice to hack t-mobile s network and took names and social security numbers of 400 customers  said a company spokesman. the arrest came a year after t-mobile uncovered the unauthorised access. the us secret service has been investigating the case.  t-mobile has stringent procedures in place where we monitor for suspicious activity so that limited his activities and we were able to take corrective action immediately   peter dobrow  a t-mobile spokesperson said. it is thought that mr jacobsen s hacking campaign took place over at least seven months during which time he read e-mails and personal computer files  according to court records.  although mr jacobsen  21  managed to get hold of some data  it is thought he failed to get customer credit card numbers which are stored on a separate computer system  said mr dobrow. t-mobile confirmed that the us secret service was also looking into whether the hacker accessed photos that t-mobile subscribers had taken with their camera phones. the associated press agency reported that mr jacobsen also read personal files on the secret service agent who was apparently investigating the case. a los angeles grand jury indicted mr jacobsen with intentionally accessing a computer system without authorisation and with the unauthorised impairment of a protected computer between march and october 2004. he is currently on bail. t-mobile is a subsidiary company of deutsche telekom and has about 16.3 million subscribers in the us.
223,gardener battles to narrow win jason gardener fought all the way to the line to narrowly claim the men s 60m title at the norwich union indoor trials and aaas championships.  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.
763,celtic make late bid for bellamy newcastle striker craig bellamy is discussing a possible short-term loan move to celtic  bbc sport understands.  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 .
977,radcliffe proves doubters wrong this won t go down as one of the greatest marathons of paula s career. but as a test of character  it was the toughest race she s ever taken part in.  a win in the new york marathon doesn t make up for the disappointment of athens in any shape or form  but it will offer hope and reassurance for next year. if paula s last experience of the year had been athens  it would have been very difficult to look forward with any optimism. she can now draw a line under this year and make plans about her future. even if she d lost this race  there would have been a lot of positives to take out of it. she knows she can dig deep if she needs to. it was a strong field  with a number of the girls going into the race with expectations of winning. and although two hours 23 minutes wasn t one of paula s best times  it wasn t far off the record on a difficult course.  i was speaking to paula in the lead-up to this race and she said that in many ways she was facing a no-win situation. she thought that if she won  people would say  why couldn t she do that in athens   and if she lost  people would say her career was over. and a lot of people were wondering what would happen if paula was forced to drop out of this race  as she did in the marathon and 10 000m in athens. but that was never on the cards. she might have been beaten  but she would have kept running. the reasons she was forced to pull out in athens - the niggling injuries  her lack of energy and the oppressive conditions - weren t at play here. the only question was what position she could finish in. most important of all  despite all the hype in the media ahead of this race  there were never doubts in paula s mind. if she wasn t confident  she wouldn t have run. after all  if you re the best in the world at an event  you ll always have expectations of winning.  now paula will take part in the run london 10km race in london at the end of the year  have a well-earned rest over christmas and go into next year with a lot of optimism.
1094,arnold congratulated on oscar win oscar-winner andrea arnold has been congratulated by the uk film council  the organisation which partly funded her project.  arnold s film wasp won the best live action short film award on sunday.  the uk film council spends millions of pounds of lottery investment on short filmmaking in britain every year   said chief executive officer john woodward.  it certainly pays off when you see new film-makers winning such prestigious awards   he added.  wasp  which was commissioned by the film council and channel 4  beat films by fellow uk nominees gary mckendry and ashvin kumar to the prize. it stars actress nathalie press  who appeared in the bafta-winning drama my summer of love  as a single mother who is forced to take drastic action when she is invited on a date and is unable to find a babysitter to look after her four daughters. the film has already won over 30 other international awards including the sundance short film prize. arnold  from dartford in kent  described her victory as  truly overwhelming. i m really not used to this kind of thing   she said  after receiving her oscar from actor jeremy irons.  thanks to everyone who worked on this - the beers are on me when we get home.  the director was one of only two british winners on the night  the other being sandy powell  who won the costume design oscar for her work on the aviator.
582,reaction from spanish press england s 1-0 defeat to spain on wednesday dominated the back and front pages of the country s press on thursday.  controversy was in no short supply  with racist abuse of england s black players  wayne rooney s petulance and england s inept performance. but what did the spanish press make of the affair  bbc sport looks at the reaction.      there is little coverage of the racist chanting on wednesday night s game. but as does cover the english reaction to the pre-match comments from spain coach luis aragones  who highlighted britain s colonial past when probed about his own remarks regarding thierry henry in october. journalist guillem balague writes:  in our country  where multi-culturalism is a new thing  we are in nappies dealing with these things  and have a naivety which makes the english nervous.   marca refers in passing to the booing of england s black players - but only after referring to the cheers of  ole  which greeted the long periods of spanish possession. aragones   no comment  to questions about racism after the match is also highlighted  as marca focuses on the spanish coach s praise for his players. serbia & montenegro s 2-0 world cup qualifying win in belgium - which could make qualification tougher for spain - seems to be of greater importance.  elsewhere  the spanish media criticises its english counterparts for stoking up the racism issue.  were there racist chants against some players  this hasn t happened in the spanish league and spain for many years   said spanish federation press officer fernando garrido.  so you (english reporters) should ask yourselves what you have done to contribute to all this.  and spanish daily abc accuses english reporters of launching a witch-hunt against aragones.  perhaps it was because their team had played so poorly and they wanted to divert attention towards this muddled issue   the paper says.       what the boy in the bernabeu did was odd... rooney seemed intent to kick any spanish player who approached him.  yet rooney is seen only as the worst example of many england miscreants  with gary neville criticised for continuing the feud between manchester united and arsenal for his tackles on jose reyes. ashley cole s treatment of joaquin  and a frank lampard foul on reyes are also lambasted for their  ugliness .  marca s headline says it all:  wayne rooney se volvió loco en el bernabéu (wayne rooney became crazy in the bernabeu)  rooney s display alarms the writer  in particular three  chilling  fouls on joaquin  casillas and marchena  which  could well have left them in the infirmary.  and like as  marca criticises gary neville for  leaving a message on reyes  ankle  to remind him of the manchester united-arsenal clash this month.      spain s first-half performance is showered with praise  with xavi singled out as the biggest star.  xavi did things on wednesday which were worthy of maradona   the paper beams  adding   what a work-rate  what dynamism  what vision  what leadership  what a midfield player!  on a controversial evening  as offers one seemingly undeniable viewpoint:  spanish football players played better football than the english.   more plaudits are given to the home team  with jaime vargas lauding the manner in which  spain dominated england with order and quality . the paper adds:  the bad thing about spain v england was that it lasted only 65 minutes after which a succession of changes prevented any real competition.  vargas does not mention england s two galacticos  simply adding in a ps:  i have not forgotten to speak of beckham and owen. they forgot to play.
1845,more reforms ahead says milburn labour will continue to pursue controversial reforms if it wins a third term in power  the party s election chief alan milburn has said.  he pledged labour would encourage more people to achieve their aspirations.  what we want is for more people to earn and own   mr milburn told bbc radio 4 s today show. tory shadow chancellor oliver letwin called labour  a brilliant machine for talking about things  but said it did not deliver policies the country needs. meanwhile  the liberal democrats  president simon hughes said:  new labour has lost people s confidence in a way old labour never did.  mr milburn told today that labour wanted policies which encouraged increased social mobility in britain.  pressed on incapacity benefits  he said the tax and welfare system must  provide the right incentives to people .  no-one is talking about driving people into work but what we do know is there are one million people on incapacity benefit who want the opportunity to work  providing the right level of support is there for them . however  backbench labour mp karen buck warned against proposed changes in such benefits. she told the today programme:  if the policy is seen as being about how do you make the feckless poor go back to work then it is not going to work  on the one hand. and it is not going to improve our electoral chances on the other.  mr milburn also sought to draw a line under the controversy about reports of a feud between gordon brown and prime minister tony blair.  he stressed that mr brown would play the same role that he did in the last election. mr milburn gave more details of planned reforms in a speech to labour s fabian society  in which he also praised mr brown as one of the leaders of the party s reform process. in the speech  he backed choice in schools and hospitals  wider home ownership and changes to the welfare system. mr milburn insisted that government reform must continue.  our task is to rebuild the new labour coalition around  one nation politics  that recognise  while life is hard for many  all should have the chance to succeed   he said.  there is a glass ceiling on opportunity in this country. in our first two terms we have raised it. in our third term we have to break it.  voters turned on the party when it failed to reform industrial relations in the 1960s  he also told his audience.  oliver letwin said the government had failed to deliver in any of the key public services  such as cleaner hospitals  discipline in schools and putting more police on the streets. he said ministers had not delivered cleaner hospitals  with 5 000 people dying from infections last year. new labour had failed on school discipline because it had not implemented serious reforms so that teachers could run schools  and which would give parents choice  he went on. for the lib dems  simon hughes said many pensioners are means tested for the money they needed and students who were told there wouldn t be tuition fees and more debt  have been given exactly the opposite . he added:  under new labour  all households are still paying unfair council tax rather than a fairer alternative.
965,gta sequel is criminally good the grand theft auto series of games have set themselves the very highest of standards in recent years  but the newest addition is more than able to live up to an increasingly grand tradition.  the 18 certificate gta: san andreas for the playstation 2 could have got away with merely revisiting a best-selling formula with a more-of-the-same approach. instead  it builds and expands almost immeasurably upon the last two games and stomps  carefree  over all the driv3r and true crime-shaped opposition. even in the year that will see sequels to halo and half-life  it is hard to envisage anything topping this barnstorming instant classic.  the basic gameplay remains familiar. you control a character  on this occasion a youth named cj  who sets out on a series of self-contained missions within a massive 3d environment. cj can commandeer any vehicle he stumbles across from a push-bike to a city bus to a plane. all come in handy as he seeks to establish his presence in a tough urban environment and avenge the dreadful deeds waged upon his family. to make things worse  he is framed for murder the moment he arrives in town  and blackmailed by crooked cops played by samuel l jackson and chris penn. the setting for all this rampant criminality is the fictional us state of san andreas  comprising three major cities: los santos  which is a thinly-disguised los angeles  san fierro  aka san francisco and las venturas  a carbon copy of las vegas. san andreas sucks you in with its sprawling range  cast of characters and incredibly sharp writing.  its ability to capture the ambience of the real-world versions of these cities is something to behold  assisted no end by the monumental graphical advances since vice city. the streets  and vast swathes of countryside  are by turns gloriously menacing  grungy and preppy. flaunting awesome levels of graphical detail  the game s overall look  particularly during the many unusual weather conditions and dramatic sunsets  is stupendous. the outstanding bread-and-butter gameplay mechanics provide a solid grounding for the elaborate plot to hang on. cars handle more convincingly than ever  a superb motion blur kicks in when you hit high speeds  and there s more traffic to navigate than before. park your vehicle across the lanes of a freeway  and within seconds there will be a huge pile-up. pedestrians are also out in force  and are a loquacious bunch. cj can interact with them using a simple system on the control pad. they will pass comments on his appearance and credibility  aspects that the player now has control over. clothes  tattoos and haircuts can all be purchased  and funding these habits can be achieved by criminal means or by indulging in mini-games like betting on horses and challenging bar patrons to games of pool. the character will put on or lose weight according to how long he spends on foot or in the gym. he will have to pause regularly in restaurants to keep energy levels up  but will swell up as a result of over-eating. and at last  this is a gta hero who can swim.  at a time when games are once again under fire for their supposed potential to corrupt the young  san andreas  violence  or specifically the freedom it gives the player to commit violence  are sure to inflame the pro-censorship brigade. developers rockstar have not shied away from brutality  and in some respects ramp it up from past outings.  when hijacking a car  for example  cj will gratuitously shove the driver s head into the steering wheel rather than just fleeing with the vehicle. indeed  the tone is darker than the jokey vice city. the grim subject matter here hardly lends itself to gags in quite the same way as the cheesy 80s setting of the last game. this title  incidentally  is set in 1992  but that is really neither here nor there apart from the influence it has on the radio playlists. the wit is still present  just more restrained than in previous outings. a further reason for this is that the incredible range of in-vehicle radio stations available means you will spend less time happening upon the hilarious talk radio options  where gta games  trademark humour is anchored. the quality of voice acting and motion capture is simply off-the-chart. the game s rather odious gangland lowlifes swagger and mouth off in a way that rings very true indeed. it is a testament to san andreas  magnificence that it has a number of prominent flaws  but plus-points are so numerous that the niggles don t detract. the on-screen map  for instance  is needlessly fiddly  an unwelcome change from past editions. there is also a very jarring slowdown at action-packed moments. and the game suffers from the age-old problem that can be relied upon to blight all games of this genre  setting you back a vast distance when you fail right at the very end of a long mission. but the gameplay experience in its entirety is overwhelmingly positive. you simply will not be bothered by these minor failings. san andreas is among the few unmissable games of 2004.
1461,us blogger fired by her airline a us airline attendant suspended over  inappropriate images  on her blog - web diary - says she has been fired.  ellen simonetti  known as queen of the sky  wrote an anonymous semi-fictional account of her life in the sky. she was suspended by delta in september. in a statement  she said she was initiating legal action against the airline for  wrongful termination . a delta spokesperson confirmed on wednesday that ms simonetti was no longer an employee. delta has repeatedly declined to elaborate on what it calls  internal employee matters . a spokesperson reiterated this position on wednesday  confirming only that ms simonetti was no longer with the company. the spokesperson also confirmed that there were  very clear rules  attached to the unauthorised use of delta branding  including uniforms. ms simonetti announced on her blog she had been fired on 1 november.  she said in an official statement:  as a result of my suspension and subsequent termination without cause by delta airlines i am moving forward with filing a discrimination complaint with the federal government eeoc [us equal employment opportunity commission].  she added she had also hired a texas-based law firm to initiate legal action for  wrongful termination  defamation of character and lost future wages.  ms simonetti told the bbc news website she had received no warning or further explanation when she was suspended on 25 september. queen of the sky has received a lot of support and advice from the global blogging community since news of her suspension was brought to light on the bbc news website and others.  her story has highlighted concerns amongst the growing blogging community about conflicts of interest  employment law and free speech on personal websites. the blog  which she started in january as a way of getting over her mother s death  contains a mix of fictional and non-fictional accounts. queen of the sky developed over the months as a character in her own right  according to ms simonetti. in the postings  she made up fictional names for cities and other companies she mentioned to protect anonymity. but some postings contained images of herself in uniform. of the 10 or so images only one showed ms simonetti s flight  wings . she removed them as soon as she was informed of her suspension.  i never meant it as something to harm my company and don t understand how they think it did harm them   ms simonetti said. a legal expert in the us speculated that delta might be concerned that the fictional content on the blog may be linked back to the airline after the images were posted.  delta has been hit recently by pressures of rising fuel costs and fierce competition. it has said it needs to cut between 6 000 and 7 000 jobs and reduce costs by $5bn (£2.7bn) a year. analysts had warned recently that the airline might have to seek chapter 11 bankruptcy prevention. last week  it struck a $1bn cost-cutting deal with its pilots which could save it from bankruptcy. the deal would see pilots accept a 32% pay cut in return for the right to buy 30 million delta shares  unions said. and on monday  it negotiated a deal to defer about $135m in debt which was due next year  until 2007. the airline also said it had agreed the terms of a $600m loan from american express.
945,mourinho expects fight to finish chelsea manager jose mourinho expects the champions league clash with barcelona to be a fight to the finish.  mourinho is relishing the first leg of the tie against his former club in the last 16 in the nou camp. he said:  i wouldn t be surprised if nothing had been decided by the last minute of the return leg and the match had to go into extra time.  i have to defend what is mine and the champions league is mine at the moment. i m the last manager to have won it.  mourinho never coached barcelona  assisting both sir bobby robson and louis van gaal. but he is not envious  insisting:  i don t have to be jealous about barcelona because they have 100 years of history and have won the european cup once.   i have been managing for five years and i have the same amount of champions league trophies to my name.  barcelona star ronaldinho admitted:  i think that it is going to be a difficult match for us because chelsea have a good team full of big stars.  i have seen chelsea a few times on television  tactically they are very good and they are very strong on the counter-attack.  they pressure very well and keep possession of the ball so it will be important that we play our own game.  i believe they are the two strongest teams in europe. nevertheless  barcelona are accustomed to playing big games at the nou camp  where they have to face the likes of real madrid each season.  it is a special game  the atmosphere in the city changes  there are lots of journalists but inside the dressing room there is not a lot of difference   ronaldinho added.  we are only thinking of winning the match with all respect to the opposition.
746,china continues breakneck growth china s economy has expanded by a breakneck 9.5% during 2004  faster than predicted and well above 2003 s 9.1%.  the news may mean more limits on investment and lending as beijing tries to take the economy off the boil. china has sucked in raw materials and energy to feed its expansion  which could have knock-on effects on the rest of the world if it overheats. but officials pointed out that industrial growth had slowed  with services providing much of the impetus. growth in industrial output - the main target of government efforts to impose curbs on credit and investments - was 11.5% in 2004  down from 17% the previous year.  still  consumer prices - at 2.4% - rose faster than in 2004  adding to concern that a sharp rise in producer prices of 7.1% could stoke inflation. and overall investment in fixed assets was still high  up 21.3% from the previous year - although some way off the peak of 43% seen in the first quarter of 2004. the result could be higher interest rates. china raised rates by 0.27 percentage points to 5.8% - its first hike in nine years - in october 2004.  despite the apparent rebalancing of the economy the overall growth picture remains strong  economists said.  there is no sign of a slowdown in 2005   said tim congdon  economist at ing barings.  china s economy is not only gathering speed thanks to domestic demand  but also from soaring sales overseas. figures released earlier this year showed exports at a six-year high in 2004  up 35%. part of the impetus comes from the relative cheapness of the yuan  china s currency. the government keeps it pegged close to a rate of 8.28 to the us dollar  - much to the chagrin of many us lawmakers who blame china for lost jobs and competitiveness. despite urging to ease the peg  officials insist they are a long way from ready to make a shift to a more market-set rate.  we need a good and feasible plan and formulating such a plan also needs time   national bureau of statistics chief li deshui told reuters.  those who hope to make a fortune by speculating on a renminbi revaluation will not succeed in making a profit.
1768,downing injury mars uefa victory middlesbrough boss steve mcclaren hopes that stewart downing did not seriously damage his hamstring during the 2-1 uefa cup win over graz ak.  the winger was carried off on a stretcher in the closing stages as boro booked their place in the last 16. mcclaren said:  stewart has tweaked a hamstring  which is a blow for us. we will assess it in the morning.  but i m delighted with the match result. they say in sport you can win ugly - and we certainly did.  mcclaren was relieved to make it through after a tough encounter at the riverside.   to be fair to graz  they had a gameplan - they knocked the ball forward  especially in the first half  and we struggled to deal with it.  in the second half we were better but it was frustrating because we got the goal - but one slip and they were back in it.  boro face sporting lisbon for a place in the quarter-finals after the portuguese side saw off feyenoord on thursday. and mcclaren added:  sporting are technically very good - portuguese sides always are.  but the journey goes on for us and we will now go to their magnificent stadium - after the first game here - we ll look forward to it.  goalscorer jimmy floyd hasselbaink added:  it wasn t a particularly beautiful match to watch - but they made it difficult for us.  we didn t play well at all. but you need a little bit of luck and i think we got that when my shot went through the legs of their goalkeeper.  i would have liked to play in holland - that would have been a little bit special to me.  but so is going back to portugal - i ll be playing against some lads i played with at boavista.
1242,indonesians face fuel price rise indonesia s government has confirmed it is considering raising fuel prices by as much as 30%.  millions of indonesians use kerosene for basic cooking  and prices have been heavily subsidised for years. president susilo bambang yudhoyono s government has said it wants to curb fuel subsidies and direct the money into aid programmes for the poor. but critics argue cutting subsidies will hurt the poorer families that his government says it wants to help. millions of people were left homeless in indonesia aceh s region following the earthquake and tsunami disaster in late december.  indonesia pays subsidies to importers in order to stabilise domestic fuel prices  but higher oil prices have forced the government to spend more on holding prices down. it spent 59.2 trillion rupiah ($6.58bn; £3.5bn) on fuel subsidies in 2004  a sum far in excess of its original projection of 14.5 trillion rupiah. since president yudhoyono s government came to power in october  it has indicated its intention of raising domestic fuel prices by cutting subsidies.  the (january to march) quarter of this year is the best time for us to increase fuel prices   said sri mulyani indrawati  state minister for national development planning.  we are still considering if a 30% hike is suitable at the moment. the sooner the better for the state budget.  the bbc s correspondent in jakarta  rachel harvey  told world business report that there was likely to be a strong public reaction to any price rise.  the big question is whether they go for one big  short  sharp shock and raise prices between 20% and 30% or whether they try to stagger it   she said. indonesia s previous government  led by president megawati sukarnoputri  also attempted to cut subsidies in 2003  but was forced to back down in the face of public protests.
259,italy 8-38 wales wales secured their first away win in the rbs six nations for nearly four years with a six-try victory in rome.  tries from jonathan thomas  tom shanklin and martyn williams gave the visitors a 19-5 half-time advantage. luciano orquera did reply with one for italy but second-half efforts from brent cockbain  shane williams and robert sidoli sealed victory. fly-half stephen jones added four conversions as wales maintained their superb start to this year s tournament. starting full of confidence after their victory over england  the visitors scored the opening try after just four minutes. diminutive wing shane williams fielded a kick ahead and danced past the onrushing andrea masi and aaron persico into the italian half. his pass to tom shanklin appeared forward but when the centre was held up short  the ball was switched left and michael owen s long cut-out pass gave the lurking thomas an easy run-in.  stephen jones  who retained the kicking duties despite gavin henson s heroics against england  slotted an excellent conversion from wide out. wales twice threatened further scores but failed to find the crucial pass  and italy hit back out of the blue in the 11th minute.  henson  sporting gold boots rather than the silver variety that did for england  beat two players with ease out on the left touchline. but his attempted chip ahead was charged down by orquera  who snaffled the loose ball and hared away from halfway to score in the right corner. with the welsh line-out stuttering and italy twice turning the visitors  scrum  the home side s forward power brought them back into it. but a clever high kick from henson almost brought a try for hal luscombe when roland de marigny and ludovico nitoglia made a hash of claiming it as the ball bounced into touch.  wales regained control with a second try in the 21st minute  henson lobbing up a high kick to the left corner where shanklin jumped higher than nitoglia to dot down his 15th test try. jones was unable to convert and de marigny then hit the upright with a penalty attempt for italy. henson was also narrowly short with a long-range effort at goal  but wales ended the half with a vital third score to give themselves some breathing space.  henson sent luscombe streaking away and when he off-loaded to martyn williams  the flanker showed his nous to ground the ball against the padding of the post  jones adding the conversion. italy  who lost flanker mauro bergamasco with a head knock before half-time  built up a head of steam on the resumption. de marigny landed a penalty to make it 19-8 and a nitoglia break through the middle threatened a try only for the move to break down with a knock-on. but wales put the outcome beyond doubt with two superb tries in four minutes before the hour. their fourth after 53 minutes was sparked by another mazy run from shane williams  who beat several players with ease  and finished with a powerful angled run from lock cockbain. before italy could recover from that blow  a strong surge from gareth thomas and great off-loads from martyn williams and replacement kevin morgan saw shane williams scamper over.  with jones converting both for a 33-8 lead  wales had the luxury of sending on five more replacements for the final quarter. the icing on the cake came with a sixth try after more superb support work  shane williams and ceri sweeney combining to send sidoli over in the left corner. the only downside for wales was a hamstring injury suffered by luscombe. but after back-to-back wins at the start of the tournament for the first time in 11 years  they will travel to paris in a fortnight looking like genuine contenders.  r de marigny; mirco bergamasco  w pozzebon  a masi  l nitoglia; l orquera  a troncon; a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni  s dellape  m bortolami (capt)  a persico  mauro bergamasco  s parisse.  g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  d dal maso  p griffen  m barbini  kp robertson.  g thomas (capt); h luscombe  t shanklin  g henson  s williams; s jones  d peel; g jenkins  m davies  a jones; b cockbain  r sidoli; j thomas  m williams  m owen.  r mcbryde  j yapp  i gough  r sowden-taylor  g cooper  c sweeney  k morgan.  andrew cole (australia).
866,brits debate over  urban  music joss stone  a 17-year-old soul singer from devon  beat dizzee rascal  jamelia  lemar and the streets to win best british urban act at the brit awards. her victory has reignited the debate about what urban music is.      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.
1288,ericsson sees earnings improve telecoms equipment supplier ericsson has posted a rise in fourth quarter profits thanks to clients like deutsche telekom upgrade their networks.  operating profit in the three months to 31 december was 9.5bn kronor (£722m; $1.3bn) against 6.3bn kronor last year. shares tumbled  however  as the company reported a profit margin of 45.6%  less than the 47.3% forecast by analysts and down from 47.1% in the third quarter. ericsson shares dropped 5.9% to 20.7 kronor in early trading on thursday. however  the company remained optimistic about its earnings outlook after sales in the fourth quarter rose 9% to 39.4bn kronor.  long-term growth drivers of the industry remain solid   ericsson said in a statement.  chief executive carl-henric svanberg explained that about  27% of the world s population now has access to mobile communications .  this is exciting for a company with a vision of an all-communicating world   he added. mr svanberg  however  warned that the extra demand that had driven 2004 sales had already dissipated and it was  business as usual . he added that sales in the first three months of 2005 would be subject to  normal seasonality . for the whole of 2004  ericsson returned a net profit of 19bn kronor  compared with a loss of 10.8bn kronor in 2003. sales climbed to 131.9 billion kronor from 117.7bn kronor in 2003.
915,us economy shows solid gdp growth the us economy has grown more than expected  expanding at an annual rate of 3.8% in the last quarter of 2004.  the gross domestic product figure was ahead of the 3.1% the government estimated a month ago. the rise reflects stronger spending by businesses on capital equipment and a smaller-than-expected trade deficit. gdp is a measure of a country s economic health  reflecting the value of the goods and services it produces.  the new gdp figure  announced by the commerce department on friday  also topped the 3.5% growth rate that economists had forecast ahead of friday s announcement. growth was at an annual rate of 4% in the third quarter of 2004 and for the year it came in at 4.4%  the best figure in five years. however  the positive economic climate may lead to a rise in interest rates  with many expecting us rates to rise on 22 march. in the january-to-march quarter  the economy is expected to grow at an annual rate of about 4%  economists forecast. in the final quarter of 2004  businesses increased spending on capital equipment and software by 18%  up from 17.5% in the third quarter. consumer spending grew 4.2% in the final quarter  down from the third quarter s 5.1%.
337,britney attacks  false tabloids  pop star britney spears has attacked  false  and  desperate  us tabloid magazines  questioning their honesty after they reported she was pregnant.  in a letter on her website  the singer named celebrity tabloids us weekly  in touch and star as the worst offenders.  until you face what is going on in your life  i guess you ll remain a false tabloid   the 23-year-old wrote. stories about the state of her marriage to kevin federline and rumours about a pregnancy have recently appeared. but the chart-topping singer s letter did not shed any further light on those stories. in february  spears clashed with us weekly for publishing pictures of her honeymoon in fiji without permission. the couple  who married in los angeles last september  claimed staff took photographs of them which were later sold.  they said they allowed the pictures to be taken after they were assured they would only be used for a private scrapbook  which they later received as a souvenir. us magazine was unrepentant about their decision to publish  saying:  britney should start her own magazine if she d like to dictate her own coverage.   coming from a celebrity who sold pictures of both her wedding and her stepdaughter  it s unlikely the issue here is privacy   they added. spears claimed that other magazines were approached with the pictures but chose to contact her instead.
1842,plaid mp s cottage arson claim a plaid cymru mp believes uk security services were involved in some arson attacks blamed on welsh extremists.  it is 25 years since the start of 12 years of fire-bombings  attributed to a shadowy group known as meibion glyndwr. plaid cymru s elfyn llwyd has suggested the security services could have been involved  with the intention of discrediting the nationalist vote. ex-welsh office minister lord roberts of conwy denied security services were involved. in march this year  north wales police reopened the case  saying materials kept during their investigations would be examined to find whether it would yield dna evidence.  meibion glyndwr - which means  sons of glyndwr  - began burning property in december 1979 in protest at homes in rural wales being sold as holiday cottages to people from england. the group was linked to most of the 220 or so fire-bombing incidents stretching from the llyn peninsula to pembrokeshire. the campaign continued until the early 1990s. police were accused in some quarters of targeting anyone who was a nationalist. although one man  sion aubrey roberts  was convicted in 1993 of sending letter bombs in the post  the arson cases remain unsolved.  as a solicitor  elfyn llwyd represented welsh singer bryn fôn when he was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the arson campaign. fôn was released without charge . but now  as mp for merionnydd nant conwy and plaid cymru s parliamentary leader  mr llwyd has argued that some of the terror attacks may have had the involvement of the security services and not meibion glyndwr. he believes that elements of the british security services may have carried out renegade actions in order to discredit plaid cymru and the nationalist vote ahead of elections. the claim is made in an interview for bbc wales  maniffesto programme to be shown on s4c on sunday.  mr llwyd said that the sophistication of many of the devices used in the attacks compared to the crude nature of many others  suggests a degree of professionalism which could only have come from individuals who knew exactly what they were doing. he said:  what i m saying is that the role that they took wasn t the appropriate one  i.e. like an  agent provocateur  and perhaps interfering and creating a situation where it looked like it was the nationalists that were responsible.  the programme also heard from lord roberts of conwy  who was a welsh office minister at the time. he denied that the security services played any improper role. mr llwyd s theory has also been questioned by plaid cymru s former president  dafydd wigley. he accepted that the fires damaged plaid cymru s public image but believed that the security services had their hands full at the time with the ira and animal rights activists.    - maniffesto can be seen on s4c on sunday  12 december  at 1200 gmt.
975,low-cost airlines hit eurotunnel channel tunnel operator eurotunnel has seen sales fall in the face of the upsurge in european low-cost airlines.  the firm said sales were down 4% in 2004 to 789m euros ($1.03bn; £548m).  the impact of the development of no-frills airlines is being felt ever more strongly   said chief executive jean-louis raymond. income from its vehicle-carrying shuttle services fell 7%  although 15% more passengers meant a 2% rise in railway revenue.  the cross-channel truck market is improving  eurotunnel said  but warned that it was not benefiting since much of the traffic was in containers destined for ports. the passenger-only trains which use the tunnel are run by a separate company  eurostar.  eurotunnel is still struggling with debts of more than 6bn euros. the company is currently kept afloat by the 200-plus banks to whom it owes the money. a shareholder revolt threw out the old board in 2004. but the bbc s business editor  jeff randall  said the banks could yet step in and take over altogether.  at the moment it can t even service the interest on its debt   he said.  this is a company in the departure lounge of life.
1890,moya suffers shock loss fifth seed carlos moya was the first big name to fall at the australian open as he went down to fellow spaniard guillermo garcia-lopez on monday.  moya began the year with victory at the chennai open but looked out of sorts from the start in the melbourne heat. garcia-lopez  ranked 106 in the world  dominated from the outset and withstood a third-set rally from moya to hang on for a 7-5 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory. the 21-year-old plays kevin kim or lee hyuung-taik in the second round. garcia-lopez was delighted with the victory in only his third ever grand slam match.  i think this was the most important win of my life as carlos is one of the best players in the world   he said.  this has given me a lot of confidence. now i feel i can beat all these players.  moya said:  i was playing well before i came here. it was the perfect preparation but something was wrong today.   four-time champion andre agassi began what could be his last australian open with a convincing win over german qualifier dieter kindlmann. the 34-year-old american  who had been struggling with a hip injury earlier in the week  stormed to a 6-4 6-3 6-0 win. agassi will play france s olivier patience or germany s rainer schuettler - the man he beat in the 2003 final - in the next round.  no one was more concerned (about the injury) than myself   said eighth seed agassi.  i d worked hard to be down here and ready. but the last few days  i ve pushed through the injury and it seemed to do pretty good.  in other matches  world junior champion gael monfils made use of his wild card with a magnificent 1-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (8-6) win over american robby ginepri. the 2002 champion thomas johansson fought back to beat peter luczak 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-3 4-6 6-0  and french open champion gaston gaudio beat justin gimelstob 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 6-3. seeds dominik hrbaty  ivan ljubicic and mario ancic made comfortable progress  but former french open champion albert costa lost to bjorn phau.
1694,robben plays down european return injured chelsea winger arjen robben has insisted that he only has a 10% chance of making a return against barcelona in the champions league.  the 21-year-old has been sidelined since breaking a foot against blackburn last month. chelsea face barcelona at home on 8 march having lost 2-1 in the first leg. and robben told the daily star:  it is not impossible that i will play against barcelona but it is just a very  very small chance - about 10%.   robben has been an inspirational player for chelsea this season following a switch from psv einhoven last summer. he added:  my recovery is going better than we expected a few weeks ago but i think the barcelona game will come too soon.  i won t take any risks and come back too soon.
367,mobile multimedia slow to catch on there is no doubt that mobile phones sporting cameras and colour screens are hugely popular.  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.
1270,hingis hints at playing comeback martina hingis has admitted that she might consider a competitive return to tennis if an appearance in thailand later this month goes well.  the former world number one will play at the volvo women s open in pattaya  which starts on 31 january  as part of her charity work in the region.  the tournament is a test   she said.  i don t know how my body will react.  i support several charities in thailand. i m also playing to see where i am.  speaking to le matin  the 24-year-old swiss added:  at pattaya there will not be as many people and the players are ranked between the 30th and 95th in the world.  hingis was 22 when she retired after having surgery on both ankles  and her last wta event was in filderstadt  germany  in october 2002  when she lost to elena dementieva.
1679,williams says he will never quit defiant matt williams says he will not quit as scotland coach even if his side slump to a new low with defeat by italy at murrayfield.  that would leave the scots as favourites to win the wooden spoon for the second year running.  i have never quit anything in my life  apart from maybe painting the kitchen   he told bbc sport.  the support we have been given from murrayfield in my whole time here has been 100%.  williams has yet to experience an rbs six nations victory after seven attempts and scotland have lost 12 of their 14 games under his leadership. but he rejected the comparison made in some media sources with berti vogts  recently sacked as scotland football manager after a poor run of results.   how can a german football coach and an australian rugby coach have anything in common   he asked.  it is a bizarre analogy. it is so absurd that it borders on the humorous.  williams insists that he is revelling in the pressure  despite the possibility of a second six nations series without a victory.  that is not beyond the realms of possibility   he admitted.  there s nothing much between the teams  so we could win the next three games or lose them.  but i actually really enjoy seeing how you cope with such pressure as a coach.  it helps the team grow and helps you grow as a coach.  we could have won in paris but for the last five minutes and now we have two defeats  but we were confident for those two first games and we are confident we can beat italy too.
717,fantasy book wins hollywood deal a british author has had the film rights to her children s bestseller snapped up for a seven-figure sum  with ridley scott set to direct.  michelle paver s wolf brother  a fantasy set 6 000 years ago  is the first in a planned series of six books. film studio fox has bought the rights for around $4m (£2.13m) for scott s company scott free to develop. the director said he was  thrilled  with the project.  wolf brother is an enchanting book   he said. paver  who lives in london and previously worked as a lawyer  began writing the book in 1982 while studying biochemistry at oxford university.  she was an established author of love stories when she turned the work-in-progress into a children s novel. it was published in 2004  with paver earning an advance of $5m (£2.8m) - the highest sum ever paid for a debut children s book. wolf brother tells the story of torak  a 12-year-old hunter who lives in the forest. after his father is killed he teams up with a wolf cub and sets out to rid the forest of an evil force. paver is currently writing the second book in the series.  michelle paver lives and breathes the worlds she writes about   said a spokesman for the author.  i ve told her about the film deal but at the moment she is writing the second book and her mind is 6000 years away deep in the primeval forest.
838,sec to rethink post-enron rules the us stock market watchdog s chairman has said he is willing to soften tough new us corporate governance rules to ease the burden on foreign firms.  in a speech at the london school of economics  william donaldson promised  several initiatives . european firms have protested that us laws introduced after the enron scandal make wall street listings too costly. the us regulator said foreign firms may get extra time to comply with a key clause in the sarbanes-oxley act.  the act comes into force in mid-2005. it obliges all firms with us stock market listings to make declarations  which  critics say  will add substantially to the cost of preparing their annual accounts.  firms that break the new law could face huge fines  while senior executives risk jail terms of up to 20 years. mr donaldson said that although the act does not provide exemptions for foreign firms  the securities and exchange commission (sec) would  continue to be sensitive to the need to accomodate foreign structures and requirements . there are few  if any  who disagree with the intentions of the act  which obliges chief executives to sign a statement taking responsibility for the accuracy of the accounts. but european firms with secondary listings in new york have objected - arguing that the compliance costs outweigh the benefits of a dual listing. the act also applies to firms with more than 300 us shareholders  a situation many firms without us listings could find themselves in.  the 300-shareholder threshold has drawn anger as it effectively blocks the most obvious remedy  a delisting. mr donaldson said the sec would  consider whether there should be a new approach to the deregistration process  for foreign firms unwilling to meet us requirements.   we should seek a solution that will preserve investor protections  without turning the us market into  one with no exit   he said. he revealed that his staff were already weighing up the merits of delaying the implementation of the act s least popular measure - section 404 - for foreign firms. seen as particularly costly to implement  section 404 obliges chief executives to take responsibility for the firm s internal controls by signing a compliance statement in the annual accounts. the sec has already delayed implementation of this clause for smaller firms - including us ones - with market capitalisations below $700m (£374m).  a delegation of european firms visited the sec in december to press for change  the financial times reported.  it was led by digby jones  director general of the uk s confederation of british industry (cbi) and included representatives of basf  siemens and cadbury schweppes. compliance costs are already believed to be making firms wary of us listings. air china picked the london stock exchange for its secondary listing in its $1.07bn (£558m) stock market debut last month. there are also rumours that two chinese state-run banks - china construction bank and bank of china - have abandoned plans for multi-billion dollar listings in new york later this year. instead  the cost of sarbanes-oxley has persuaded them to stick to a single listing in hong kong  according to press reports in china.
1857,o connor aims to grab opportunity johnny o connor is determined to make a big impression when he makes his rbs six nations debut for ireland against scotland on saturday.  the wasps flanker replaces denis leamy but o connor knows that the munster man will be pushing hard for a recall for the following game against england.  it s a  horses for courses  selection really   said o connor.  there s a lot of competition here and i can t just drag my heels around if i don t get picked.  it looks a definite head-to-head battle between himself and 23-year-old leamy - three stone heavier than o connor - for the number seven role against the world champions. nonetheless  all o connor is currently concerned about is making an impression while winning his third cap.   missing the italian game was disappointing certainly  but you can t dwell on these things - it s part and parcel of rugby.  denis has been playing really well and deserved his opportunity.  it s a good situation to be in if there are good players around you  pushing for a place in the side.  o connor  who celebrated his 25th birthday on wednesday  was touted by wasps director of rugby warren gatland as a possible 2005 lions test openside as far back as last september. and his reputation as a breakdown scavenger and heavy hitter has seen him come to the forefront of o sullivan s mind for the scottish tussle. o connor added:  it will be interesting to see how situations on the deck is reffed  with the new laws having come in.   obviously the breakdown a big part of what i do on the pitch so i m hoping to hold some influence there against what is a very solid scottish pack.  o connor will be winning his third cap after making his debut in the victory over south africa last november.
798,kenyan school turns to handhelds at the mbita point primary school in western kenya students click away at a handheld computer with a stylus.  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.
1915,labour plans maternity pay rise maternity pay for new mothers is to rise by £1 400 as part of new proposals announced by the trade and industry secretary patricia hewitt.  it would mean paid leave would be increased to nine months by 2007  ms hewitt told gmtv s sunday programme. other plans include letting maternity pay be given to fathers and extending rights to parents of older children. the tories dismissed the maternity pay plan as  desperate   while the liberal democrats said it was misdirected.  ms hewitt said:  we have already doubled the length of maternity pay  it was 13 weeks when we were elected  we have already taken it up to 26 weeks.  we are going to extend the pay to nine months by 2007 and the aim is to get it right up to the full 12 months by the end of the next parliament.  she said new mothers were already entitled to 12 months leave  but that many women could not take it as only six of those months were paid.  we have made a firm commitment. we will definitely extend the maternity pay  from the six months where it now is to nine months  that s the extra £1 400.  she said ministers would consult on other proposals that could see fathers being allowed to take some of their partner s maternity pay or leave period  or extending the rights of flexible working to carers or parents of older children. the shadow secretary of state for the family  theresa may  said:  these plans were announced by gordon brown in his pre-budget review in december and tony blair is now recycling it in his desperate bid to win back women voters.   she said the conservatives would announce their proposals closer to the general election. liberal democrat spokeswoman for women sandra gidley said:  while mothers would welcome any extra maternity pay the liberal democrats feel this money is being misdirected.  she said her party would boost maternity pay in the first six months to allow more women to stay at home in that time.  ms hewitt also stressed the plans would be paid for by taxpayers  not employers. but david frost  director general of the british chambers of commerce  warned that many small firms could be  crippled  by the move.  while the majority of any salary costs may be covered by the government s statutory pay  recruitment costs  advertising costs  retraining costs and the strain on the company will not be   he said. further details of the government s plans will be outlined on monday. new mothers are currently entitled to 90% of average earnings for the first six weeks after giving birth  followed by £102.80 a week until the baby is six months old.
1051,tough schedule delays elliot show preview performances of the £3m musical billy elliot have been delayed to give the child actors a less arduous rehearsal schedule.  director stephen daldry made the decision to re-schedule the previews to protect the young stars. three boys will rotate the demanding role of ballet dancer billy  which requires them to sing  dance and act. the show s opening night on 12 may at the victoria palace theatre in london remains unaffected by the changes. preview performances will now be held on 14  20 and 27 april.  this is one of the most ambitious projects i have been involved with   said daldry.  the decision has been made to push back our preview performances in order to give our company  with a cast including 45 children  a little extra time so they are as fully prepared as possible.   he added:  the young billy elliots in particular  making their professional stage debuts in the west end  will benefit from a little extra time to familiarise themselves with all aspects of the production.   the three boys playing billy are james lomas  15  george maguire  14  and liam mower  12. the other major child parts will also be rotated between young actors. such are the demands of the show that producers set up a stage school in newcastle to train potential stars for the show. child labour laws also mean the young actors can only work for a limited period each week. adult actors in the show include tim healy as billy s father and haydn gwnne as his dance teacher mrs wilkinson. sir elton john has composed the music. daldry directed the successful film version of billy elliot  adapted from lee hall s script. both were nominated for oscars  alongside julie walters  who played billy s teacher.
99,japan narrowly escapes recession japan s economy teetered on the brink of a technical recession in the three months to september  figures show.  revised figures indicated growth of just 0.1% - and a similar-sized contraction in the previous quarter. on an annual basis  the data suggests annual growth of just 0.2%  suggesting a much more hesitant recovery than had previously been thought. a common technical definition of a recession is two successive quarters of negative growth.  the government was keen to play down the worrying implications of the data.  i maintain the view that japan s economy remains in a minor adjustment phase in an upward climb  and we will monitor developments carefully   said economy minister heizo takenaka. but in the face of the strengthening yen making exports less competitive and indications of weakening economic conditions ahead  observers were less sanguine.  it s painting a picture of a recovery... much patchier than previously thought   said paul sheard  economist at lehman brothers in tokyo. improvements in the job market apparently have yet to feed through to domestic demand  with private consumption up just 0.2% in the third quarter.
810,oil prices reach three-month low oil prices have fallen heavily for a second day  closing at three-month lows after news that us crude stocks have improved ahead of winter.  london brent crude closed at $40.15 on thursday - a drop of 5.1% - having dived below $40 a barrel for the first time since mid-september. us light crude traded in new york lost more than $2 to $43.25  its lowest close since 10 september. the price of both benchmark crudes has dropped 12% in two days. the falls were triggered when the energy information administration (eia) said on wednesday that us crude stocks were 3.5% higher than a year ago. the news calmed worries about winter shortages. weak us fuel and heating oil stocks have been a persistent factor in pushing up oil prices.  it s amazing how quickly sentiment changed   said rick mueller  an analyst at energy security analysis. analysts also attributed the fall to mild early-winter weather  which has tempered demand for heating oil.  the stronger fuel inventories helped boost us stock markets to nine-month highs on wednesday  though only the nasdaq index had hung onto those gains by the end of thursday.  in london  the ftse 100 index closed 15 points higher at 4 751. the long-awaited drop in oil prices helped to ease persistent investor jitters over the impact of energy costs on company profits and economic growth. however  traders warned that the fall could be short-lived if there is a cold snap in north america this winter or any major supply problems in other parts of the world.  the price of crude is still up about 30% on the start of 2004  but has fallen from the record of $55.67 set in late october. opec nations have increased production to 25-year highs to meet global demand and this has helped rebuild us stocks hit by supply disruptions after hurricane ivan in september. traders were also encouraged by comments on wednesday from the energy minister of opec member algeria. chakib khelil said the cartel was likely to keep output unchanged when it meets next week. however  some analysts believe the sharp fall in crude prices may harden opec s attitude to over-production  leading to a scaling back of oil output.  fears still remain over the level of us heating oil stocks  which are rising but remain down on 2004 levels. a cold spell in north america would start to deplete supplies and could spark further price rises. analysts  however  say prices will fall further if inventories continue to rise.  mother nature is going to be huge in the next several weeks   said kyle cooper  at citigroup global markets.  long term i think we re headed to $30-35 but i don t think we re doing that yet. we have a lot of winter left.  john person  president of national futures advisory services  said the eia data indicated there should be adequate supplies for the next three months in the us. .
1662,drink remark  acts as diversion  the first minister s statement that it was okay to get drunk  once in a while  has diverted attention from the real issues  it has been claimed.  jack law  chief executive of alcohol focus scotland  said jack mcconnell s comment was  ill-advised . the media attention had helped to move the focus from scotland s binge drinking problems  mr law said. scotsman journalist hamish macdonell said he believed the bigger picture had been  obscured  by the remark. mr mcconnell was speaking on monday to more than 100 secondary pupils from schools in the highlands about the problems of binge drinking and drink promotions.  the one-sentence comment was immediately criticised by the scottish national party which accused him of encouraging young people to get drunk. but the scottish executive has insisted mr mcconnell was speaking about adults and his comments were  a recognition that people will get drunk . mr macdonell  political editor of the scotsman  said:  i think we have to say right at the outset that this was a very stupid and ill-advised remark by the first minister.  if you come out with something like this  saying that by all means get drunk  then you will be pilloried for it.  however  he added that  perhaps mr mcconnell could feel rightly aggrieved about the coverage .  mr macdonell said:  i think the problem here is that he did say a lot more things about binge drinking and under age drinking.  but that whole side of things has been lost in the furore over one sentence. i understand why  but i think there is a much bigger message here that has been obscured.  mr law  from voluntary body alcohol focus scotland  believed damage had been done to scotland s fight against binge drinking. he said he accepted that young people drank and they did have problems with drink. mr law added:  i think the remark was ill-advised - but these remarks are blown out of all proportion and they so easily misrepresent what we are trying to do in scotland.   we don t want to preach to young people  but we need to acknowledge that they do drink problematically.  this diverts us from the real issues which are about promoting responsibility and reducing harm and indeed tackling our drinking culture which is a culture about binge drinking and drunkenness.  he said it was vital that young people were properly informed about the risks incurred to themselves and others when they got drunk. mr macdonell said that the first minister should know by now that if he said things which were  off the mark   they were bound to  come back and bite him . he added:  here  mr mcconnell was talking in the highlands to 100 teenagers and every word he said was put out on a webcast by the scottish executive and then looked at by other politicians and reporters.  i think in this instance he has done a lot of really good things and he will be regretting this remark.   the scottish national party s holyrood leader nicola sturgeon wrote to mr mcconnell on tuesday accusing him of an error of judgement and calling for him to apologise for his  ill-judged comment  and withdraw it immediately. in a furious response  the first minister said his comments had been distorted and taken out of context. he told ms sturgeon:  it is disappointing that you have contributed to this distortion by saying it is staggering that i  should encourage young people to get drunk .  that is completely untrue. perhaps it would have been wiser for you to find out what was actually said before you rushed to represent my position  undermine the convener of education at highland council and insult the intelligence of the young people i spoke with - all for the sake of a simple soundbite.
1521,umaga ready for lions all blacks captain tama umaga has warned the british and irish lions will be his most fearsome opponents yet ahead of their summer tour.  but umaga  in england for saturday s irb rugby aid match  also backed new zealand to win the three-test series against the lions. he told bbc sport:  it s potentially the most fearsome line-up i ve ever come up against. they re awesome.  but i d back us all the way to beat them when they come over.  lions boss sir clive woodward is set to announce his squad for the june-july tour next month.  when woodward was appointed last year  it was widely believed he would rely heavily on his former england players. but umaga said:  he d be hard pushed to do that now considering the shape of the six nations.  don t get me wrong  england have got a lot of talented guys and i m sure there are some of them who ll make the lions test xv.  but you can t disguise wales and ireland in particular. some of the tries they ve scored have been great. i ll admit it ll be fairly awesome lining up against the likes of brian o driscoll.   umaga will meet o driscoll in saturday s rugby aid match at twickenham  with the irish captain leading the northern hemisphere side. o driscoll is among a host of players in the northern hemisphere squad  coached by woodward  that are tipped for lions call-ups.  it ll be good for us to get an early idea of some of these guys  although a lot can change between now and june   umaga said. the 31-year-old admitted interest in the lions tour was immense  calling it  the biggest thing to hit new zealand since lord of the rings . he added:  as players  it s enough for us to be driven by the rarity of playing the lions. in fact  it s not just us all blacks - it s the talk of the country.   umaga admitted the fear of injury weighed on his mind ahead of saturday s charity game  which features a host of big names including george gregan  andrew mehrtens and chris latham. but he admitted the value of the cause - proceeds of the match will go to aiding victims of the tsunami - easily won him over.  the second [southern hemisphere coach] rod macqueen made the approach  i didn t hesitate. it was great when new zealand rugby then gave me the all clear.  thankfully i didn t know anyone that was involved in the tragedy of the tsunami but you couldn t miss all the horrific reports on the news.  there are so many people that were affected  are still affected and will be affected for a long time. it s just good to know we can do something minor to help out.   - the match will be televised on bbc one at 1400 gmt on saturday.
1693,adventure tale tops awards young book fans have voted fergus crane  a story about a boy who is taken on an adventure by a flying horse  the winner of two smarties book prizes.  paul stewart and chris riddell s book came top in the category for six- to eight-year-olds and won the award chosen by after-school club members. sally grindley s spilled water  about a chinese girl sold as a servant  was top in vote of readers aged nine to 11. biscuit bear by mini grey took the top award in the under-five category. winners were voted for by about 6 000 children from a shortlist picked by an adult panel.  the prize  which is celebrating its 20th year  is billed as  the uk s biggest children s book award . fergus crane includes text by stewart and illustrations by riddell  who also created the edge chronicles together. as well as the six to eights prize  it won the 4children special award voted for by after-school club members. julia eccleshare  chair of the adult judging panel  said children s literature had  never looked stronger  in the prize s 20 years.  this award counts because the final choice of winners is made by children  who are the toughest critics of all   she said.  this year s young judges chose the winners from an exceptionally strong and varied shortlist which showcases the very best in children s books today.  previous winners have included jk rowling  jacqueline wilson and dick king-smith.
347,visa decision  every 11 minutes  visa processing staff are sometimes expected to rule on an application every 11 minutes  mps have said.  pressure was placed on staff to be efficient  rather than to do a thorough examination of an application  the public accounts committee found. every officer had an annual target of 8 000 applications - equivalent to 40 a day or one every 11 minutes. mps want research into whether uk visa holders leave at the end of their stays  or vanish into the black market. committee chairman edward leigh said:  there is a worrying tension between quick processing and proper control over the visas issued.  entry clearance staff are expected to deal with a visa application in about 11 minutes which is surely too little time to look closely at the supporting documents.    the committee s report also discussed the romanian and bulgarian visas scandal which led to the resignation of immigration minister beverley hughes last year. committee members said the home office had been wrong to dismiss concerns from visa staff abroad who feared the system was being abused. investigations carried out in the wake of ms hughes  resignation found more than 7 000 people had entered the uk under the business visa scheme for romanian and bulgarian  entrepreneurs . mr leigh said the home office should now consider removing those who had not set up a valid business. a home office spokesman said the system had been toughened and tightened since the investigation. he added  that the traditional system of a dual decision making process for all pre-entry applications will be replaced by a single pre-entry check at post  which will be simpler and more robust against abuse than the current system .
60,us regulator to rule on pain drug us food and drug regulators will decide on friday whether to recommend the sale of painkillers that have been linked to a high risk of heart attack and stroke.  the food and drug administration (fda) advisory panel will give its verdict after hearing evidence for three days. the painkillers - called cox-2 inhibitors - are sold under brand names such as celebrex and vioxx. vioxx was withdrawn from shops last year but merck said it would consider selling it if it gets fda approval. the fda has been asked to decide if the benefits to patients justify the increased risks.  putting vioxx back on the shelves is likely to boost profits at merck and make easier any legal battles with people who claim to have been injured by the drug  analysts said.  merck voluntarily stopped sales of vioxx on 30 september  a move which caused the firm s fourth-quarter earnings to slide to $1.1bn (£581m)  from $1.4bn a year earlier. merck s shares tumbled more than 10% on the news and the company has had to set aside millions of dollars to cover the cost of vioxx-related litigation. alarm bells were rung by a research note called approve which showed that the risk of heart attack and stroke doubled in patients who had been taking the drug for at least 18 months. the cox-2 inhibitors were developed by drug companies  including merck and pfizer  because they cause users fewer stomach problems than other painkillers.  pfizer is still selling its celebrex and bextra products  though investigations have suggested that they may also be harmful to the heart. merck s announcement of a possible reintroduction of vioxx caught analysts by surprise. merck s head of research peter kim said that it withdrew vioxx  based on the information that was available to us at the time  knowing there were alternative therapies . he went on to say that things have since changed in the light of new reports.  given this new information  its is not clear that the cardiovascular risk observed in approve makes vioxx unique in the class of similar drugs marketed in the us   mr kim explained.  on thursday  david graham from the fda s office of drug safety told the advisory panel that  there really doesn t appear to be a need for cox-2  inhibitors. according to calculations presented to the us senate by dr graham in november  vioxx may be linked to as many as to 56 000 american deaths. facing stem criticism for its handling of the vioxx case  the fda said on tuesday that it will create an independent body to oversee the safety of drugs already in the market place. european regulators  meanwhile  ruled on thursday that patients who have had heart disease or a stroke should not take cox-2 inhibitors. the european medicines agency also said doctors should be  cautious  about giving the drugs to patients who have risk factors for heart disease.
1958,roddick in talks over new coach andy roddick is reportedly close to confirming us davis cup assistant dean goldfine as his new coach.  roddick ended his 18-month partnership with brad gilbert on monday  and goldfine admits talks have taken place.  we had a really good conversation and we re on the same page in terms of what i expect from a player in commitment and what he wants   said goldfine.  the reading i got from him is that i would have a lot of the qualities he s looking for in a coach.  speaking to told south florida s sun-sentinel newspaper  goldfine added:  that being said  from his standpoint  which is smart  he wants to cover all his bases.  i think andy wants a long-term relationship and wants to make sure it s the right fit... the best fit.  goldfine  39  has worked with todd martin and roddick s close friend mardy fish  and was an assistant coach with the us olympic team. martin is the other name to have been linked to the vacant post alongside roddick.
723,rochus shocks coria in auckland top seed guillermo coria went out of the heineken open in auckland on thursday with a surprise loss to olivier rochus of belgium.  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.
402,progress on new internet domains by early 2005 the net could have two new domain names.  the .post and .travel net domains have been given preliminary approval by the net s administrative body. the names are just two of a total of 10 proposed domains that are being considered by the internet corporation for assigned names and numbers  icann. the other proposed names include a domain for pornography  asia  mobile phones  an anti-spam domain and one for the catalan language and culture.  the .post domain is backed by the universal postal union that wants to use it as the online marker for every type of postal service and to help co-ordinate the e-commerce efforts of national post offices.  the .travel domain would be used by hotels  travel firms  airlines  tourism offices and would help such organisations distinguish themselves online. it is backed by a new york-based trade group called the travel partnership. icann said its early decision on the two domains was in response to the detailed technical and commercial information the organisations behind the names had submitted. despite this initial approval  icann cautioned that there was no guarantee that the domains would actually go into service. at the same time icann is considering proposals for another eight domains. one that may not win approval is a proposal to set up a .xxx domain for pornographic websites. a similar proposal has been made many times in the past. but icann has been reluctant to approve it because of the difficulty of making pornographers sign up and use it. in 2000 icann approved seven other new domains that have had varying degrees of success. three of the new so-called top level domains were for specific industries or organisations such as .museum and .aero. others such as .info and .biz were intended to be more generic. in total there are in excess of 200 domain names and the majority of these are for nations. but domains that end in the .com suffix are by far the most numerous.
662,vibe awards back despite violence the us vibe awards will be held again next year despite a stabbing which happened during the ceremony.  vibe magazine president kenard gibbs said the attack earlier this month in santa monica was  sickening . he said not holding the awards would be counter to the work the magazine has done to promote hip hop music. rapper young buck has been charged after allegedly stabbing a man who hit dr dre as he was about to receive a lifetime achievement award.  the rapper  whose real name is david darnell brown  is due in court on 20 december after being arrested on one charge of attempted murder and a second charge of assault with a deadly weapon. the performer is one of the members of 50 cent s g-unit group  which is signed to dr dre s record label. the man who was stabbed  jimmy james johnson  suffered a collapsed lung and is in a stable condition at a los angeles hospital. mr johnson allegedly approached dr dre  who was seated at a table in front of the stage  and appeared to ask for an autograph before punching him. during the ensuing scuffle - which involved many of the 1 000-strong crowd - mr johnson was stabbed as he was being dragged away by security staff
3,tigers wary of farrell  gamble  leicester say they will not be rushed into making a bid for andy farrell should the great britain rugby league captain decide to switch codes.   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.
84,news corp makes $5.4bn fox offer news corporation is seeking to buy out minority investors in fox entertainment group  its broadcasting subsidiary  for about $5.4bn (£3.7bn).  the media giant  run by rupert murdoch  owns 82% of the shares in the company  home to the fox television network and the 20th century fox film studio. the move follows news corp s decision to register its business in the us. 20th century fox s recent film releases include i heart huckabees and i  robot  while fox puts out hit tv series 24.  under the terms of the offer  minority fox shareholders will receive 1.90 news corp shares in return for each fox share they hold. analysts said the decision to list news corp in the us - which will result in the firm s shares trading in new york rather than sydney- nullified the need to retain a separate stock market listing for fox entertainment shares. news corp investors voted in october to approve the transfer of the company s corporate domicile from australia to the us state of delaware. the move is designed to help news corp attract more investment from the largest us financial institutions  and make it easier to raise capital. fox entertainment group generated revenues of $12bn last year. news corp shares fell 25 cents to $17.65 after the share offer was announced while fox shares were up 19 cents at $31.22.
1551,latest opera browser gets vocal net browser opera 8.0  due for official release at the end of next month  will be  the most accessible browser on the market   according to its authors.  the latest version of the net browser can be controlled by voice command and will read pages aloud. the voice features  based on ibm technology  are currently only available in the windows version. opera can also magnify text by up to 10 times and users can create  style sheets   its developers say. this will enable them to view pages with colours and fonts that they prefer. but the browser does not yet work well with screen reader software often used by blind people  so its accessibility features are more likely to appeal to those with some residual vision.  our mission was always to provide the best internet experience for everyone   said opera spokeswoman  berit hanson.  so we would obviously not want to exclude disabled computer users.   another feature likely to appeal to people with low vision is the ability to make pages fit to the screen width  which eliminates the need for horizontal scrolling.  the company points out that this will also appeal to anyone using opera with a handheld device. the company says that features like voice activation are not solely aimed at visually impaired people.  our idea was to take a first step in making human-computer interaction more natural   said ms hanson.  people are not always in a situation where they can access a keyboard  so this makes the web a more hands-free experience.  unlike commercially available voice recognition software  opera does not have to be  trained  to recognise an individual voice. around 50 voice commands are available and users will have to wear a headset which incorporates a microphone. the voice recognition function is currently only available in english. opera is free to download but a paid-for version comes without an ad banner in the top right hand corner and with extra support. opera began life as a research project - a spin-off from norwegian telecoms company telenor. its browser is used by an estimated 10 million people on a variety of operating systems and a number of different platforms.
1684,five million germans out of work germany s unemployment figure rose above the psychologically important level of five million last month.  on wednesday  the german federal labour agency said the jobless total had reached 5.037 million in january  which takes the jobless rate to 12.1%.  yes  we have effectively more than five million people unemployed   a government minister said earlier on zdf public television. unemployment has not been this high in germany since the 1930s.  changes to the way the statistics are compiled partly explain the jump of 572 900 in the numbers. but the figures are embarrassing for the government.  with the figures apparently the worst we ve seen in the post-war period  these numbers are very charged politically   said christian jasperneite  an economist with mm warburg.  they could well put an end to the recent renaissance we ve seen by the spd [the ruling social democrats] in the polls  and with state elections due in schleswig-holstein and north rhine-westphalia  they may have an adverse effect on the government s chances there.   the opposition also made political capital from the figures. it said there are a further 1.5 million-2 million people on subsidised employment schemes who are  in fact  looking for real jobs. it added that government reforms  including unpopular benefit cuts  do not go far enough. under the government s controversial  hartz iv  reforms  which came into effect at the beginning of the year  both those on unemployment benefits and welfare support and those who are long-term unemployed are officially classified as looking for work. the bad winter weather also took its toll  as key sectors such as the construction sector laid off workers. adjusted for the seasonal factors  the german jobless total rose by 227 000 in january from december.
806,safin plays down wimbledon hopes newly-crowned australian open champion marat safin has ruled out any chance of winning wimbledon in the future.  after losing in round one last year  safin said he had  given up  on wimbledon and winning his second grand slam title has not changed his mind.  i ll play  but with no expectations. i feel like i can t waste my time  my energy on that surface   he said.  some people  they cannot play on clay. some people  they cannot play on a hard court. me  i can t play on grass.  however  safin is hopeful that winning the australian open will give him the belief he needs to win more grand slam titles.  it s a relief for me. two grand slams  it s already something. but with this one i worked really hard for it   he said.  basically  i would love to win a couple more. i think i have a chance if i continue this way.   if (coach) peter lundgren will stick around with me and wants to work with me for a bit longer  i think i can make it.  the 25-year-old shocked pete sampras in the 2000 us open final to win his first major title but then lost in two australian open finals. safin admitted he had begun to doubt whether he would win another grand slam.  i didn t expect that (to win the 2000 us open) - it was against sampras  i wasn t the favourite so i had no pressure whatsoever   he said.  after the first final that i didn t win against thomas johansson (in 2002)  i couldn t see myself winning the grand slams anymore.  i was once in the semi-finals of the french open  but i didn t believe i can win it.  i just couldn t handle the pressure. you need to believe in yourself  and i didn t.   and after losing the first set 6-1 to lleyton hewitt in sunday s final  safin said he began to doubt himself again.  i am 25. i m playing against hewitt. at least you have to have the opportunity to win it  at least have a chance   he said.  it s like you go there and you lose first set 6-1  then you start to think:  this is not my day. the way i m playing is ridiculous.   but then you start to really be a little bit more selfish and try to find a way out of there.  and i found it. i was like really much i was much happier than in 2000  that s for sure  because i get over it.
1721,mandelson warning to bbc the bbc should steer away from  demonising  ex-downing street media chief alastair campbell  peter mandelson has said.  the european commissioner and former labour minister was speaking amid claims that mr campbell is part of a labour  dirty tricks  campaign. that charge was denied by mr mandelson  who said the tories were afraid of mr campbell s campaigning skills. he warned the bbc that attacking mr campbell had brought it trouble before. that was a reference to the hutton inquiry following a bbc story claiming downing street  sexed up  iraq s weapons of mass destruction dossier.  the affair prompted the resignation of bbc chairman gavyn davies  director-general greg dyke and reporter andrew gilligan. labour has attracted media criticism for using new freedom of information laws to dig up information about tory leader michael howard s past.  mr mandelson  a former labour communications director  told bbc radio 4 s today programme:  i understand why the tories will be gunning for alastair campbell because they fear his campaigning skills.  what i understand less is why the bbc should be joining with the tories in driving that agenda.  in my experience of these things  parties which shout about dirty tricks and the like tend to do so because they fear a direct hit in some vulnerable part of their political anatomy.  i suggest the bbc concentrates on the issues and helps the public to understand the policies and the choices that are at stake in the election rather than engages in the process politics  the trivialisation of the campaign.  i think the bbc would be much better advised to leave all this stuff well alone  concentrate on the issues as i say  not resume their demonisation of alastair campbell - we all know where that led before.   mr campbell is acting as an adviser for labour  which denies engaging in personal campaigning. conservative co-chairman liam fox said mr campbell s return and labour poster plans attacking mr howard - recently withdrawn from the party s website - were a sign of  abusive politics .  the government  despite the fact that they would say want to go forward  not back  seem intent on talking about history rather than their own record or even more importantly  about the future   he said on sunday. labour peer baroness kennedy  who is chairing the power inquiry into political disengagement  said people already thought politicians engaged in dirty tricks.  this feeling of distrust is going to be enlarged if this campaigning on all sides is conducted in the way that it looks as if it just might   she said.
446,hunt ban support is  in decline  support for a ban on hunting has fallen in the past six years  a poll suggests.  less than half the uk wants a ban compared to almost two-thirds in 1999  the mori survey of 2 000 adults for bbc one s countryfile programme suggests. the number opposed to a ban remains constant  but those  neither supporting nor opposing  has increased by 11%. most city-dwellers support the ban but rural people were evenly split between supporters  opponents and undecided.  polling company mori carried out both surveys. in july 1999 they asked 801 adults if they supported the ban for the mail on sunday. for countryfile they asked 2 234 adults across the country the same question. the mail on sunday survey found that 63% supported a hunting ban compared with 24% against. in the countryfile survey  47% said they supported the legislation  with 26% against. but the programme makers suggest the british public are becoming  increasingly neutral  to the issue because around one quarter said they  neither support nor oppose  a ban.
326,bbc to pour £9m into new comedy the bbc is to invest £9m in developing new comedy and entertainment programmes outside london.  the changes come as part of a shake-up of several departments to create shows that appeal to a wider range of people. changes are also being made to teams in the factual and daytime departments outside london. director of television jana bennett said the changes were about  getting the best ideas on screen as efficiently and effectively as we can .  the new structure in each genre is designed to ensure that happens   she said.  a number of new roles are being created in each department  including a head of comedy commissioning based in glasgow. the new person will be in charge of the £9m budget and their role will be to develop shows outside the capital  both within the bbc and with independent production companies. jane lush  controller of entertainment commissioning  said   entertainment and comedy are incredibly important to our audiences; i m confident these changes will help us get the very best programmes on screen.  similar positions will also be created in the other departments  with the new commissioning editor for documentaries based in bristol and the daytime commissioning editor in birmingham. ms bennett said the new roles would benefit those making programmes within the bbc as well as those making shows for the channel independently.  a strong independent sector and a flourishing in-house production base are not mutually exclusive and will stimulate the competition that will deliver the best ideas to the audience   she said.
2211,teens  know little  of politics teenagers questioned for a survey have shown little interest in politics - and have little knowledge.  only a quarter of 14-16 year olds knew that labour was the government  the tories were the official opposition and the lib dems were the third party. almost all could identify tony blair  but only one in six knew who michael howard was  and just one in 10 recognised charles kennedy. the icm survey interviewed 110 pupils for education watchdog ofsted. nearly half those pupils polled said it was not important for them to know more about what the political parties stand for. and 4% of those questioned thought the conservatives were in power - while 2% of them believed the lib dems were. the survey also looked at issues of nationality. it found the union flag and fish and chips topped the list of symbols and foods associated with being british. many of the pupils also looked on themselves as english  scottish or welsh  rather than british; while the notion of being european hardly occurred to anyone.
2037,day-lewis set for berlin honour actor daniel day-lewis is to be presented with an award for his career in film at the berlin film festival.  the 47-year-old  whose credits include his oscar-winning performance in my left foot  will be presented with the berlinale camera award on 15 february. the honour  awarded since 1986  honours figures in cinema that the festival feels  particularly indebted to . man to man  a historical epic starring kristin scott thomas  opens the german festival on 10 february. a candid documentary about the life and career of singer george michael  a different story will also be screened at the 10-day event.    day-lewis has competed four times at the berlin film festival  with films in the name of the father (1994)  the crucible (1997)  the boxer (1998) and martin scorsese s gangs of new york (2003). the festival praises him for his  sensational start  with roles in my beautiful launderette and costume classic a room with a view  and a  great number of celebrated roles  in subsequent productions. japan s oldest film studio will also be honoured along with day-lewis. shochiku film studios  which was founded 110 years ago  will become the first cinematic institution to receive the berlinale camera award. famous japanese directors including akira kurosawa have had films produced at the studio.
1158,brown ally rejects budget spree chancellor gordon brown s closest ally has denied suggestions there will be a budget giveaway on 16 march.  ed balls  ex-chief economic adviser to the treasury  said there would be no spending spree before polling day. but mr balls  a prospective labour mp  said he was confident the chancellor would meet his fiscal rules. he was speaking as sir digby jones  cbi director general  warned mr brown not to be tempted to use any extra cash on pre-election bribes.  mr balls  who stepped down from his treasury post to stand as a labour candidate in the election  had suggested that mr brown would meet his golden economic rule -  with a margin to spare . he said he hoped more would be done to build on current tax credit rules.  he also stressed rise in interest rates ahead of an expected may election would not affect the labour party s chances of winning. expectations of a rate rise have gathered pace after figures showed house prices are still rising. consumer borrowing rose at a near-record pace in january.  if the mpc (the bank of england s monetary policy committee) were to judge that a rate rise was justified before the election because of the strength of the economy - and i m not predicting that they will - i do not believe that this will be a big election issue in britain for labour   he told a parliamentary lunch.  this is a big change in our political culture.   during an interview with bbc radio 4 s today programme  mr balls said he was sure mr brown s budget would not put at risk the stability of the economy.  i don t think we ll see a pre-election spending spree - we certainly did not see that before 2001   he said.  his assurances came after sir digby jones said stability was all important and any extra cash should be spent on improving workers  skills. his message to the chancellor was:  please don t give it away in any form of electioneering.  sir digby added:  i don t think he will. i have to say he has been a prudent chancellor right the way through. stability is the key word - british business needs boring stability more than anything.  we would say to him  don t increase your public spending  don t give it away. but if you are going to anywhere  just add something to the competitiveness of britain  put it into skilling our people .  that would be a good way to spend any excess.   mr balls refused to say whether mr brown would remain as chancellor after the election  amid speculation he will be offered the job of foreign secretary.  i think that gordon brown wants to be part of the successful labour government which delivers in the third term for the priorities of the people and sees off a conservative party that will take britain backwards   mr balls told today. prime minister tony blair has yet to name the date of the election  but most pundits are betting on 5 may.
498,putin backs state grab for yukos russia s president has defended the purchase of yukos  key production unit by state-owned oil firm rosneft  saying it followed free market principles.  vladimir putin said it was quite within the rights of a state-owned company to ensure its interests were met. rosneft bought 100% of baikal finance group  in a move that amounts to the renationalisation of a major chunk of russia s booming oil industry. rosneft will now control about 16% of russia s total crude oil output. yukos share jumped in moscow  climbing as much as 50% before being suspended.  rosneft is already in the process of merging with gazprom  the world s biggest gas company  a move that will see gazprom return to majority state-ownership.  baikal was the surprise buyer of oil and gas giant yukos s main production division at a forced auction on sunday.  everything was done by market methods   mr putin said at his year-end press conference in moscow. shedding some light on the kremlin s motivation  mr putin referred to a period of so-called  cowboy capitalism  that followed the collapse of the soviet union.  he said privatisations carried out in the early 1990s had involved trickery  including law breaking  by people seeking to acquire valuable state property.  now the state  using market methods  is safeguarding its interests. i think this is quite normal   the russian president said. a rosneft spokesman has said the acquisition is part of its plan to build a  balanced  national energy corporation.   the latest announcement comes after more than a year of wrangling that has pushed yukos  one of russia s biggest companies to the brink of collapse. the russian government put yukos s yuganskneftegas subsidiary up for sale last week after hitting the company with a $27bn (£14bn) bill for back taxes and fines.  analysts say that yukos s legal attempts to block the auction by filing for bankruptcy protection in the us are probably what caused this week s cloak-and-dagger dealings. gazprom  the company originally tipped to buy yuganskneftegas  was banned from taking part in the auction by a us court injunction. by selling the yukos unit to little-known baikal and then to rosneft  russia is able to circumvent a host of tricky legal landmines  analysts said.  you cannot sue the russian government   said eric kraus  a strategist at moscow s sovlink securities.  the russian government has sovereign immunity.   the government is renationalising yuganskneftegas.   even so  analysts reckon that the saga still has a long way to go. the rosneft announcement came just hours after yukos accused gazprom of illegally taking part in sunday s auction. it has said it will be seeking damages of $20bn. the claim was made at the latest hearing in the us bankruptcy court in houston  texas  where yukos  had filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. if found in contempt of the us court order blocking the auction  gazprom could face having foreign assets seized. yukos  lawyers had also been expected to try to have baikal s assets frozen. lawyers claimed the auction was illegal because yukos - with an office in houston - had filed for bankruptcy and therefore its assets were under the protection of us law which has worldwide jurisdiction. further muddying the waters is a merger between rosneft and gazprom which authorities have said will go ahead as planned.
2122,women mps reveal sexist taunts women mps endure  shocking  levels of sexist abuse at the hands of their male counterparts  a new study shows.  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.
1905,no half measures with half-life 2 could half-life 2 possibly live up to the hype  after almost two years of tantalising previews and infuriating delays it s safe to say that this is the most highly-anticipated computer game of all time.  fortunately  it doesn t merely live up to its promise  but exceeds it. no-one who plays the finished product will wonder why it took so long. the impression is of a game that has been endlessly refined to get as close to perfection as could realistically be hoped. all the money - or indeed time - is on the screen. the player sees things through the eyes of gordon freeman  the bespectacled scientist who starred in the original 1998 half-life. having survived that skirmish in an desolate monster-infested research facility  he s back in another foreboding troublespot - the enigmatic city 17. it has the look of a beautiful eastern european city  but as soon as your train pulls in to the station  it s clear that all is not well here. sinister police patrol the unkempt streets  and the oppressive atmosphere clobbers you like a sledgehammer. a casual smattering of the nightmarish creatures from the first game makes this an even less pleasant place to be.  you are herded around like a prisoner and have to mingle with a few freedom-fighting civilians to gather information and progress in your task. it is not immediately explained what your objectives are  nor precisely why everything is so ravaged. finding out step-by-step is all part of the experience  although you never fully get to understand what it was all about. that does not really matter. hl2 does not waste energy blinding you with plot. underplaying the narrative in this way is gloriously effective  and immerses the player in the most vivid  convincing and impressive virtual world they are likely to have seen. there are no cut-scenes to interrupt the flow. exposition is accomplished by other characters stopping to talk directly to you.  whereas the highly impressive doom iii felt like a top-notch theme park thrill-ride  wandering through half-life s world truly does feel like being part of a movie.  considering its sophistication  the game runs surprisingly well on computers that only just match the modest minimum specifications. but if ever there was an incentive to upgrade your pc s components  this is it. on our test machine - an alienware system with an athlon 3500+ processor and ati s radeon x800 video card - everything ran at full quality without trouble  and the visual experience was simply jaw-dropping. it is not simply that the surfaces  textures and light effects push the technical envelope without mercy  but that such care and artistic flair has gone into designing them. the haunting  grim landscapes become strangely beautiful. luckily you get time to pause mid-task and marvel at the awesome graphical flourishes of your surroundings. so impressive are the physics that you ll find yourself hurling bits of rubbish around and prodding floating corpses just to marvel at the lifelike way they move. there are puzzles to be solved along the way  pitched at about the right difficulty  but most progress is achieved by force. freeman is quickly reunited with the original game s famous crowbar  and an array of more sophisticated weapons soon follow.  virtually anything not nailed to the floor can be interacted with  and in realistic fashion. you will be wowed by the attention-to-detail as you chip bits of plaster off walls  chase a pigeon out of your way  or dodge exploding barrels as they ping around at deadly speed. at times half-life 2 feels like one of those annoying people who are unfeasibly brilliant at everything they turn their hand to  and in a curious way  its unrelenting goodness actually becomes almost tiresome. running around on foot is great enough  but jumping into vehicles proves even more fun. human foes are rendered just as well as alien ones. the stealth sections are as exhilarating as the open gun battles. in gameplay terms  hl2 somehow gets almost everything perfect. and without resorting to the zombies-leaping-out-of-shadows approach of doom iii  it s all incredibly unsettling. the vacant environment is distinctly eerie  and at one point i even caught myself hesitating to go down a murky tunnel for fear of what might be inside.  the game does have a couple of problems. firstly  the carefully-scripted way that you progress through each level might irk some people.  a lot of things are meticulously choreographed to happen on cue  which makes for exciting moments  but may be an annoyance to some players and limit the appeal of playing again once you ve completed it. if you like things open-ended and free-ranging  far cry will be a lot more pleasing. but the real downside is the hassle of getting the game to run. installing it proved a life-draining siege that would test a saint s patience. developer valve has rashly assumed that everyone wanting to play the game will have an internet connection and it forces you to go online to authenticate your copy. the box does warn you of this anti-piracy measure  but does not say just how many components have to be downloaded. the time spent doing this will depend on your connection speed  the temperamental valve servers and the time of day  but it can take hours. it would take a mighty piece of work to feel worthwhile after such annoyances - but luckily  half-life 2 is up to the challenge. it is surely the best thing in its genre  and possibly  many will feel  of any genre. the bar has been raised  and so far out of sight that you have to sympathise with any game that tries to do anything remotely similar in the near future.  half-life 2 is out now for the pc
564,saab to build cadillacs in sweden general motors  the world s largest car maker  has confirmed that it will build a new medium-sized cadillac bls at its loss-making saab factory in sweden.  the car  unveiled at the geneva motor show  is intended to compete in the medium-sized luxury car market. it will not be sold in the us  said gm europe president carl-peter forster. as part of its efforts to make the us marque appeal to european drivers  the car will be the first cadillac with a diesel engine.  gm s announcement should go some way to allay fears of the saab factory s closure. the factory in trollhaettan has been at the centre of rumours about gm s planned severe cutbacks in its troubled european operations. but the group s new commitment to the swedish factory may not be welcomed by the group s opel workers in ruesselsheim  germany. they may now have to face a larger proportion of gm s cuts.  neither will the announcement be seen as unalloyed good news in sweden  since it reflects saab s failure to make significant inroads into the lucrative european luxury car market. for years  saab has consistently said it is competing head-on with bmw  mercedes and jaguar. the segment s leaders do not agree.  gm s plans to build the american marque in sweden is part of its efforts to push it as an alternative luxury brand for european drivers. in the us  it has long been established as an upmarket brand - even the presidential limousine carries the badge. yet it could prove tough for cadillac to steal market share from the majors in europe. other luxury car makers  most notably the toyota subsidiary lexus  have enjoyed tremendous success in the us without managing to make significant inroads in europe. there  german marques mercedes benz and bmw have retained their stranglehold on the luxury market.  bringing cadillac production to sweden should help introduce desperately-needed scale to the saab factory  which currently produces fewer than 130 000 cars per year. that is about half of what major car makers consider sufficient numbers for profitable operations  and saab is losing money fast - albeit with losses halved in 2004 to $200m (£104m; 151m euros) from $500m the previous year. beyond the 12 000 job cuts announced last year at its european operations  gm is reducing expenditure by building saabs  opels - badged as vauxhalls in the uk - and now cadillacs on the same framework  and by allowing the different brands to share parts. another way to further reduce saab s losses could be to shift some of the production of saabs to the us  a market where drivers have adopted it as an upmarket european car. doing so would remove the exposure to the weak us dollar  which is making saabs more expensive to us consumers. but not everyone in the industry agree that it would be the best way forward.  we know that in five years the us dollar will be stronger than it is today   the chief executive of a leading european car maker told bbc news. the current trend towards us production was  stupid   he said.  in a separate announcement  gm unveiled a new scheme to allow european consumers the chance to test drive its opel and vauxhall models. it is to deploy a fleet of 35 000 test cars across 40 countries  inviting potential buyers to try out a vehicle for 24-hours. it follows a similar initiative by gm in the us. gm said it wanted to change  customers  perceptions  about opel and vauxhall cars  showing them that the quality had improved in recent years.
939,umaga ready for  fearsome  lions all blacks captain tama umaga has warned the british and irish lions will be his most fearsome opponents yet ahead of their summer tour.  but umaga  in england for saturday s irb rugby aid match  also backed new zealand to win the three-test series against the lions. he told bbc sport:  it s potentially the most fearsome line-up i ve ever come up against. they re awesome.  but i d back us all the way to beat them when they come over.  lions boss sir clive woodward is set to announce his squad for the june-july tour next month.  when woodward was appointed last year  it was widely believed he would rely heavily on his former england players. but umaga said:  he d be hard pushed to do that now considering the shape of the six nations.  don t get me wrong  england have got a lot of talented guys and i m sure there are some of them who ll make the lions test xv.  but you can t disguise wales and ireland in particular. some of the tries they ve scored have been great. i ll admit it ll be fairly awesome lining up against the likes of brian o driscoll.   umaga will meet o driscoll in saturday s rugby aid match at twickenham  with the irish captain leading the northern hemisphere side. o driscoll is among a host of players in the northern hemisphere squad  coached by woodward  that are tipped for lions call-ups.  it ll be good for us to get an early idea of some of these guys  although a lot can change between now and june   umaga said. the 31-year-old admitted interest in the lions tour was immense  calling it  the biggest thing to hit new zealand since lord of the rings . he added:  as players  it s enough for us to be driven by the rarity of playing the lions. in fact  it s not just us all blacks - it s the talk of the country.   umaga admitted the fear of injury weighed on his mind ahead of saturday s charity game  which features a host of big names including george gregan  andrew mehrtens and chris latham. but he admitted the value of the cause - proceeds of the match will go to aiding victims of the tsunami - easily won him over.  the second [southern hemisphere coach] rod macqueen made the approach  i didn t hesitate. it was great when new zealand rugby then gave me the all clear.  thankfully i didn t know anyone that was involved in the tragedy of the tsunami but you couldn t miss all the horrific reports on the news.  there are so many people that were affected  are still affected and will be affected for a long time. it s just good to know we can do something minor to help out.   - the match will be televised on bbc one at 1400 gmt on saturday.
1,tv future in the hands of viewers with home theatre systems  plasma high-definition tvs  and digital video recorders moving into the living room  the way people watch tv will be radically different in five years  time.  that is according to an expert panel which gathered at the annual consumer electronics show in las vegas to discuss how these new technologies will impact one of our favourite pastimes. with the us leading the trend  programmes and other content will be delivered to viewers via home networks  through cable  satellite  telecoms companies  and broadband service providers to front rooms and portable devices.  one of the most talked-about technologies of ces has been digital and personal video recorders (dvr and pvr). these set-top boxes  like the us s tivo and the uk s sky+ system  allow people to record  store  play  pause and forward wind tv programmes when they want.  essentially  the technology allows for much more personalised tv. they are also being built-in to high-definition tv sets  which are big business in japan and the us  but slower to take off in europe because of the lack of high-definition programming. not only can people forward wind through adverts  they can also forget about abiding by network and channel schedules  putting together their own a-la-carte entertainment. but some us networks and cable and satellite companies are worried about what it means for them in terms of advertising revenues as well as  brand identity  and viewer loyalty to channels. although the us leads in this technology at the moment  it is also a concern that is being raised in europe  particularly with the growing uptake of services like sky+.  what happens here today  we will see in nine months to a years  time in the uk   adam hume  the bbc broadcast s futurologist told the bbc news website. for the likes of the bbc  there are no issues of lost advertising revenue yet. it is a more pressing issue at the moment for commercial uk broadcasters  but brand loyalty is important for everyone.  we will be talking more about content brands rather than network brands   said tim hanlon  from brand communications firm starcom mediavest.  the reality is that with broadband connections  anybody can be the producer of content.  he added:  the challenge now is that it is hard to promote a programme with so much choice.   what this means  said stacey jolna  senior vice president of tv guide tv group  is that the way people find the content they want to watch has to be simplified for tv viewers. it means that networks  in us terms  or channels could take a leaf out of google s book and be the search engine of the future  instead of the scheduler to help people find what they want to watch. this kind of channel model might work for the younger ipod generation which is used to taking control of their gadgets and what they play on them. but it might not suit everyone  the panel recognised. older generations are more comfortable with familiar schedules and channel brands because they know what they are getting. they perhaps do not want so much of the choice put into their hands  mr hanlon suggested.  on the other end  you have the kids just out of diapers who are pushing buttons already - everything is possible and available to them   said mr hanlon.  ultimately  the consumer will tell the market they want.   of the 50 000 new gadgets and technologies being showcased at ces  many of them are about enhancing the tv-watching experience. high-definition tv sets are everywhere and many new models of lcd (liquid crystal display) tvs have been launched with dvr capability built into them  instead of being external boxes. one such example launched at the show is humax s 26-inch lcd tv with an 80-hour tivo dvr and dvd recorder. one of the us s biggest satellite tv companies  directtv  has even launched its own branded dvr at the show with 100-hours of recording capability  instant replay  and a search function. the set can pause and rewind tv for up to 90 hours. and microsoft chief bill gates announced in his pre-show keynote speech a partnership with tivo  called tivotogo  which means people can play recorded programmes on windows pcs and mobile devices. all these reflect the increasing trend of freeing up multimedia so that people can watch what they want  when they want.
567,spark heads world booker list dame muriel spark is among three british authors who have made the shortlist for the inaugural international booker prize.  doris lessing and ian mcewan have also been nominated. mcewan and margaret atwood are the only nominees to have previously won the main booker prize. the new £60 000 award is open to writers of all nationalities who write in english or are widely translated. the prize commends an author for their body of work instead of one book.  gabriel garcia marquez  saul bellow  milan kundera and john updike also feature on the 18-strong list of world literary figures.  but other past winners of the regular booker prize  such as salman rushdie  jm coetzee and kazuo ishiguro have failed to make the shortlist. the prize  which will be awarded in london in june  will be given once every two years. it will reward an author - who must be living - for  continued creativity  development and overall contribution to fiction on the world stage . an author can only win once. the international award was started in response to criticisms that the booker prize is only open to british and commonwealth authors.    margaret atwood (canada) saul bellow (canada) gabriel garcia marquez (colombia) gunter grass (germany) ismail kadare (albania) milan kundera (czech republic) stanislaw lem (poland) doris lessing (uk) ian mcewan (uk) naguib mahfouz (egypt) tomas eloy martinez (argentina) kenzaburo oe (japan) cynthia ozick (us) philip roth (us) muriel spark (uk) antonio tabucchi (italy) john updike (us) abraham b yehoshua (israel)
1219,whitehall cuts  ahead of target  thousands of civil service jobs have already been cut or moved out of london as part of a major cost-cutting drive.  chancellor gordon brown said 12 500 jobs had gone while 7 800 were being moved out of the south east. he plans to axe 104 000 jobs to free up money for education  health  defence  housing and overseas aid. unions oppose the plans but mr brown said £2bn savings had already been made and more jobs had been cut than had been expected at this stage. a further 200 jobs at the department of the environment  food and rural affairs have been earmarked to be cut. at the department for work and pensions  30 000 jobs are to go  560 will be lost by the end of the month at the department of trade and industry and 400 are to go at the inland revenue and customs.  in his budget statement  the chancellor said the first 12 500 civil service jobs had been cut  on target. about 4 300 civil servants will leave london and the south east by the end of march 2005 and there are plans to relocate another 3 500. of those 300 department of health posts will go to yorkshire while hundreds at the department of culture will move to birmingham and newcastle.  mr brown also announced plans to merge 35 agencies into nine - described by one civil service union as a  bonfire of the quangos . mark serwotka  the leader of the public and commercial services union said:  in last year s budget we had the day of the long knifes as the chancellor kicked off the crude game of who could cut the most civil service jobs between the government and the tories.  there was a time when the only worry thousands of hard working civil and public servants had on budget day was whether petrol or taxes would go up  nowadays the worry is whether they will have a job by the end of it.  he said mr brown had made welcome announcements on closing tax loopholes and extending the new deal  while cutting  the very people who deliver them.  the treasury also announced plans to reduce the number of public sector workers on sick leave with a new system of checks and tougher measures against those suspected of abusing the system.
1720,o sullivan commits to dublin race sonia o sullivan will seek to regain her title at the bupa great ireland run on 9 april in dublin.  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.
1015,howard dismisses tory tax fears michael howard has dismissed fears from some conservatives that his plans for £4bn tax cuts are too modest.  he defended the package  saying it was a plan for the tories  first budget and he hoped to be able to go further. the tories on monday highlighted £35bn in  wasteful  spending they would stop to allow tax cuts  reduced borrowing and more spending on key services. labour and the liberal democrats say the party s sums do not add up and claim it would cut frontline services. the tory tax plan follows complaints from some of the party s mps that mr howard and shadow chancellor oliver letwin have taken too long to unveil the proposals. now they have promised a figure but have yet to reveal which taxes would be targeted.  tory backbencher edward leigh said the proposals were a step in the right direction but he told the financial times:  i would come up sooner with much greater tax cuts.  interviewed on bbc radio 2 s jeremy vine show  mr howard said:  it is perfectly true that i am being attacked on one side by people who think we ought to be promising much  much bigger tax cuts and spending cuts.   on the other side  there are people who say we won t be able to achieve these tax cuts.  i think we have got it about right.  mr howard said voters faced a clear choice at the next election between more waste and more tax under labour and tory value for money and lower taxes. he added:  i would like to be able to do more  and over time i am sure we will be able to do more  but at the start  we have got to recognise there is a limit to what we can do in one go  in our first budget.  i have got to be responsible about this.   the latest tory plans came as campaigning for the election - widely expected in may - gathered pace. the liberal democrats launched their pre-election platform  with leader charles kennedy saying his party was the  authentic opposition   particularly on the iraq war  council tax and university tuition fees. lib dem treasury spokesman vince cable also branded the tory plans as  fantasy economics . labour hit back at the tory proposals even before their publication with election coordinator alan milburn accusing mr howard of producing a  fraudulent prospectus . the party on tuesday challenged the tories to publish the full report from david james  the trouble-shooter they asked to identify possible savings. but the tories are in turn demanding that tony blair spell out which taxes he would raise if he wins the election.
1459,what the election should really be about  a general election is the best chance most pressure groups get to make a real impact on government policy. here is how six leading lobbies plan to make sure their cause is being debated ahead of an expected spring poll.  we ve called for the state pension to be increased from £79.60 to the pensioner credit guarantee level of £105.45. that s what we re calling for. many pensioners are disadvantaged by the current system. if we ve got one in five pensioners below the poverty line  we ve got to make it more generous or have these people living in poverty.  we ve drawn up a pensioners  manifesto. this will be sent to each of the candidates in the 659 constituencies. they will be asked which of the top five issues  including the pension issue  they would support. once we ve got their responses we will publish the results within the constituencies and nationally as well. it s our way of putting the politicians on notice. we are trying to get across the fact that there are 11m voters over 60 in the country  they are more likely to vote than other sections of society and thirdly they are true swing voters. before 1997 most pensioners voted conservative. in 1997 and 2001 they voted labour. but there is no guarantee they will vote for a labour government this time around. they cannot take that vote for granted.  pensions generally will certainly be a big election issue even though the government has postponed the publication of adair turner s full report into the issue. he said the uk had one of the least generous pensions systems in the developed world.  that the government takes seriously the impact of aviation on the environment.  we haven t worked out specific plans but i imagine we will lobby political parties and incumbent mps. various local groups will do that in their particular areas and we will provide a national briefing. we don t have any large demonstrations planned but they can t be ruled out.  it is hard to say whether we will be successful. we have got the issue in the public consciousness to an extent  but it is difficult to say whether an election will raise its importance in the public mind or whether it will be pushed out by big issues like iraq.  repealing the hunting bill.  we are challenging the use of the parliament act 1949 in a high court action. we are hoping to hear in the new year. whichever way the court rules the other side will appeal so we expect it to fall plumb in electioneering time. when the ban comes into force on 18 february we will be going to the european court because no compensation is being paid. so there s a lot of legal territory to go. we are trying to engage with the ministers by demonstrating and talking. whatever intelligence we get we will try to turn up and speak to whoever it is. (rural affairs minister) alun michael has avoided us and cancelled engagements so that makes it difficult. it is not intimidatory - on the whole it is groups of angry housewives. of course there is an element of shouting because people are angry but there is no violence because that does not achieve anything.  it will fall plumb in the run up to the most important general election tony blair will ever face. it s exactly what the prime minister did not want. he wanted the issue off the table until after the election.  people using live animals as targets for sport both here and abroad. the reason for including abroad is because of trophy hunting. it is another sort of form of shooting for sport. the principle is the same whether it s a tiger or a pheasant.  we will widely publicise what s happening in relation to trophy hunting. we will publicise the darker aspects of the target animal industry the uk. we will seek to get pledges from individual mps and would-be mps saying that they are against the use of animals as targets for sports. we would like the support of political parties but i think a general election is very much to do with pledges mps make to their electors. with hunting we had many mps who were happy to say they were against it.  i think what we will get is a very real climbing up the agenda. whether or not we will get a ban i am not sure. but it will mobilise public opinion. everything we do will reduce animal suffering and in time that will lead to a ban.  the issue that we think is the most important for this election is choice. the language of consumerism is very commonplace in government and across the political spectrum. choice as an ideology is beginning to be the privatisation of this decade. it s become an issue in itself but what s really missing from the debate is the consumer s choice in that. choice is not choice at all if all you have to choose from is two failing schools. we have seen so many pensions mis-selling scandals and in the pensions industry there s a maximum of choice but a minimum quality in that. we want choice on the consumer s terms - that means clear and accessible information to operate that choice.  firstly  we have our website. it features our campaigns and changes every day. secondly through our 700 000 members who communicate with us. thirdly through the media and also what we will be doing is holding a pre-election conference. we will invite the opinion formers  mps  journalists and others. the idea is that we open up communications between members of the public and the politicians.  i think we will be successful. it s very much the language being used by the main political parties. politicians on all sides are very sensitive to this issue they want to be seen to be responding to this issue.  fuel duty is a large part of operational costs for road haulage workers. we have been hearing about this proposed increase of 1.92p per litre that gordon brown has been postponing and postponing. tuppence does not sound like a great deal but every year if you operate one vehicle that s an increase of about £750. if you re running 10 vehicles it s obviously 10 times that.  if fuel duty does rise we will be absolutely horrified. there will be a huge effect throughout the industry and i would not be surprised if you see widespread demonstrations. what it will mean is there will be a number of firms going out of business.  we will continue to do what we have always done we keep the issue in the trade press. regrettably it s one of those stories that it is getting harder to get into the national press. whatever we do  the public don t like lorries - they see us as a complaining minority. but they don t realise that when you see a car on the road it is probably going to work  when you see a lorry it s already at work.
633,us woman sues over ink cartridges a us woman is suing hewlett packard (hp)  saying its printer ink cartridges are secretly programmed to expire on a certain date.  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.
1384,brown comes out shooting labour may have abolished hunting - but that didn t stop chancellor gordon brown using his budget to fire both barrels at some of the opposition parties  core election foxes.  specifically  it saw him attempting to slaughter the council tax as an election issue and to tear limb from limb their wider policies for pensioners and families. in a relatively short speech he kept the best for last and was clearly out to give exactly that pre-election boost everyone had been predicting. so if you are a couple with children  a pensioner  a patient or a youngster  there was something pulled from mr brown s red box in an attempt to persuade you to stick with or switch to a new labour government. like a surgeon  he attempted to target his handouts with absolute precision onto exactly the groups the government needs to appeal to in the election campaign.  the announcements brought great cheers from his own mps who are now in full-on election mode and had been looking to their man to give them ammunition for the doorsteps. they obviously believed he had done that for them and  coincidentally  given his own image as a prime minister-in-waiting another little boost.  labour mps  for example  will undoubtedly now engage in a debate over exactly how redistributive - a lovely old labour word - this chancellor really is. but gordon brown is never going to put on a show and even as he was out to cast himself as the man who will win labour an historic third term  his demeanour remained quiet  confident and reassuring. prudence made an appearance  albeit towards the end of his address  as he assured voters he would do nothing to mess up the economic stability he had brought to britain and which  he claimed  would be thrown away by anyone else. according to the opposition parties  however  it is all one big con trick.  as always  they accused him of glossing over the facts of the  black hole  at the centre of his finances which  they claim  would ensure tax increases after the election. he did it most obviously with his increase in national insurance contributions after the 2001 election campaign during which he had pledged not to increase income tax. as liberal democrat leader charles kennedy claimed  for most families the distinction between income tax and a tax on income is meaningless.  tory leader michael howard said the chancellor was up to his old trick of deliberately re-casting his forecasts to give the illusion that everything in the treasury larder is as fresh as the day it was first stored away for future use. he branded it a dodgy  vote now pay later  budget based on dodgy figures from a dodgy government that gave britain the dodgy dossier. where the chancellor mostly avoided direct electioneering  mr howard felt no such constraint with attacks like comparing mr brown s forecasts to the prime minister s forecasts on iraq s weapons of mass destruction. as ever  there will now be a period of frantic activity by the opposition parties  treasury specialists as they pore over the chancellor s red book  which sets out the fine detail of his budget  in an attempt to spot the flaws. in particular there will be an argument over precisely whose policies on the council tax will offer people the best deal. and in labour circles there will undoubtedly be an argument over just how good a prime minister gordon brown will make at some point after the next election.
242,johnson edges out rival sotherton jade johnson edged out rival kelly sotherton with her last effort to claim the aaas long jump title at the norwich union european indoor trials.  olympic heptathlon bronze medallist  sotherton  led the event with her first leap of 6.43m - a personal best. but johnson  who has not competed indoors for five years  leapt to a life-time best of 6.50m in her last jump  after four fouls. both johnson and sotherton passed the european championships qualifying mark. although sotherton s main aim in madrid next month will be the pentathlon where she will take on olympic heptathlon champion carolina kluft. ireland s  delivered a shock in the men s 200m as he stormed to his first major title in 21.01 seconds. british favourite chris lambert had to settle for second place while defending champion ireland s paul brizzel took third. there was some consolation for lambert as he set a personal best of 20.94 in the first round - good enough to qualify for europe.  two-time aaas champion allyn condon and ian mackie had no such luck as they were disqualified in the heats. there was plenty of hot action in the men s 60m hurdles where scotland s  was vying for top spot with olympian andy turner. scott  22  smashed his personal best on the way to the final  where he broke it again to win the aaas title in 7.58 seconds. turner finished second in 7.82 after previously setting a personal best on the 7.83 in the semi-finals  while damien greaves did not finish the final. the trio of athletes have reached the european qualifying mark this season though one of them is set to miss out on a call-up to the british squad.  comfortably defended her 3 000m title  clocking eight minutes  49.87 seconds to easily surpass the european qualifying mark. the european cross country bronze medallist is ranked number one in europe this season and will go to madrid with high hopes. helen clitheroe was agonisingly close to the 9:05.00 qualifying mark as she claimed the runners-up spot in a personal best of 9:05.73. in the men s 800m heats   qualified fastest in the 800m heats to lay down a challenge to in-form  . the welsh runner attacked the last 200m to come through ahead of james thie in one minute  49.87 seconds. mcilroy  who is third in the european rankings  eased across the finish in 1:50.87 to set up a showdown in sunday s final in sheffield. both watkins and mcilroy have already achieved the european qualifying mark. scotland s susan deacon stole   s thunder in the final of the women s 200m. fraser became the fastest british woman over the distance this season when she qualified for the final in 23.68 seconds - though that time is outside the european standard. but deacon claimed her first aaas title over the distance  edging fraser into second in 23.67. in the women s shot put veteran  claimed her fourth aaas title with a throw of 15.27m. but that mark was not good enough for the 39-year-old to book her place at next month s european indoor championships in madrid. sotherton finished fifth after producing two throws of 13.77m. in the absence of injured british number one carl myerscough   claimed the men s shot put title with a throw of 17.64m  which was below the qualifying mark.  sale s robert mitchell climbed to a season s best of 2.20m - just 3cm short of the european standard - to claim the british indoor high jump title.  could only clear 2.16m to finish in fourth but the 27-year-old s disappointment will be tempered as he had already achieved the qualifying mark at a meeting in slovenia on tuesday. there was bad luck for british number one  in the pole vault as he failed to clear the bar after deciding to come in at 5.45m. the aaas indoor title went instead to ashley swain  who climbed to a season s best of 5.25m and ireland s taniesha scanlon set a new national record of 13.28m in the women s triple jump.
1334,cebit opens to mobile music tune cebit  the world s largest hi-tech fair  has opened its doors in hanover for a look at the latest technologies for homes and businesses.  there are more than 6 000 exhibitors registered and about 500 000 visitors are expected to pass through the doors. third generation mobiles  the digital home and broadband are key themes at the show. camera phones will get better resolutions as vendors set out to prove that bigger is definitely better. samsung is set to steal some initial limelight with the launch of a 7-megapixel phone on the opening day.  the sch-v770 has some of the features of high-end digital single lens reflex cameras such as manual focus and the ability to attach a telephoto or wide-angle lens. camera phones are likely to prove an interesting battle ground at the show  said ben wood  principal analyst at research firm gartner.  it is firmly established that cameras are an integral part of phones and now the technology arms race is on in terms of megapixels. there will be a certain amount of  look how big mine is    he said. there will also be increasing focus on music-enabled mobiles.  at 3gsm in cannes everyone went music mad and music is going to be a big theme for all the vendors at cebit   said mr wood. sony ericsson will use the fair to show off the w800 - its recently unveiled walkman branded phone - and there is speculation that motorola may unveil its rokr handset  widely tipped as the first to carry apple s itunes music software. apple and motorola announced they were getting together at the end of last year as a result of a long-standing friendship between motorola s chief executive ed zander and steve jobs.  some analysts think motorola may save the launch for ctia  a wireless show in america the following week  which could be a telling sign about how operators are coming to view the german tech fair.   one of the interesting things is that cebit is clearly a show in decline   said mr wood.  a lot of the big players  such as nokia  are pulling back saying it is hard to justify a big presence at all of the shows. it could be the last big year for cebit   he said. other themes include tv-enabled mobiles which are bound to create a buzz in the halls as vodafone unveils a prototype handset that can show live digital television. there has been a glut of recent headlines about mobile tv - french operators are teaming up  o2 is trialling a system in oxford  uk  and nokia begins trialling a system in finland with the finnish broadcasting company  yle tv and commercial tv channels. cebit could become the battleground for the two competing methods for getting tv on to mobiles  and is also likely to provide a stage for a technology slated to compete with 3g. hsdpa (high speed downlink packet access) has been described as  3g on steroids  and could offer consumers much faster download times. for instance  a song which currently takes one and a half minutes to download to a phone could be done in 10 seconds. korean giants lg electronics and samsung will show off hsdpa handsets at the show and the technology is set to be rolled out in the us  europe and korea next year. broadband will continue to be a key theme at the show with internet telephony proving this year s killer application.  germany s largest online service provider  t-online  is tipped to reveal software for low-cost net telephony which would see it competing with its parent company deutsche telekom. cebit is used by many to unveil cutting edge products and in the mobile sphere this is likely to mean a lot of bright  colourful handsets as fashion continues to compete with technology when it comes to the device everyone has in their pockets. rainbow-coloured phones  influenced by handsets from japan  are just one example of how asian companies will stamp their mark on this year s show  at which they will have their biggest ever presence. cebit organisers have created a digital home in hall 25 of the 27 hangar-like buildings that will house the show.  the digital home will be a hyped theme at the show. the house will be totally wired and full of things that can be used for home entertainment   said cebit organiser gabriele dorries.
1456,lib dems target first-time buyers the liberal democrats have unveiled plans to build 100 000 new  affordable  homes on publicly owned land.  the party s scheme would allow people to buy a share in a home through a mutual home ownership trust  as a way of getting onto the housing ladder. the lib dems would also encourage the conversion of existing buildings in an effort to protect greenfield sites. labour has already announced plans to help first-time buyers and the tories would extend right-to-buy schemes.  all the major parties are focusing on the issue in the run-up to the election after a survey suggested first-time buyers could not afford a home in 92% of uk towns. the lib dems say their  mutual homes  would let people buy a share of a property  usually worth about 5% of the building costs. party leader charles kennedy said the homes would be affordable because they would be built on surplus public sector land  donated by central or local government. people would also only have to pay for the cost of the building and not the land  he added.  they would spend about 30% of their monthly salary on rent and buying extra shares in the property. when they moved house  they would be able to cash in on any rise in property prices by selling their share. it would also allow councils to vary discounts to tenants given the right to buy their council homes so local needs were taken into account. mr kennedy said:  mutual homes will offer people the opportunity to build up an equity stake in a home gradually  investing only as much as they can afford.   there are also plans to prevent high house prices forcing people out of their local communities. the kind of  golden share  used by the lib dems in south shropshire could be rolled out more widely. under the plan  councils secure deals with developers where they keep a 1% share in a property scheme so properties cannot be sold on the open market. instead  they are sold at  build cost  to people who the local council decides have local needs. the party says its help for first-time buyers can be funded at no extra cost to the taxpayer. but the plans involve changing the vat system  which the party says often makes it too expensive to renovate existing buildings.  the conservatives claimed the plans would amount to an extra tax of up to £11 000 on every new house.  this is typical of lib dem hypocrisy   said tory shadow local government secretary caroline spelman.  they claim that they want to help people on to the property ladder  but the small print of their policies reveal how they intend to price even more people out of the housing market.  the flagship tory proposal on housing policy is to give a million more housing association tenants the right to buy their homes. labour has said it will allow 300 000 council and housing association tenants to buy a share in their homes. housing minister keith hill said much of the lib dem plans mimicked the government s strategy.  however  as usual  the lib dems  proposals are completely uncosted   he said. mr hill said he also asked whether the lib dems would match labour s promise to spend £42bn on making refurbishing and repair council homes by 2010.
1298,microsoft debuts security tools microsoft is releasing tools that clean up pcs harbouring viruses and spyware.  the virus-fighting program will be updated monthly and is a precursor to microsoft releasing dedicated anti-virus software. also being released is a software utility that will help users find and remove any spyware on their home computer. although initially free it is thought that soon microsoft will be charging users for the anti-spyware tool.  the anti-spyware tool is available now and the anti-virus utility is expected to be available later this month. microsoft s windows operating system has long been a favourite of people who write computer viruses because it is so ubiquitous and has many loopholes that can be exploited. it has proved such a tempting target that there are now thought to be more than 100 000 viruses and other malicious programs in existence. latest research suggests that new variants of viruses are being cranked out at a rate of up to 200 per week. spyware is surreptitious software that sneaks on to home computers  often without users  knowledge. in its most benign form it just bombards users with pop-up adverts or hijacks web browser settings. the most malicious forms steal confidential information or log every keystroke that users make. surveys have shown that most pcs are infested with spyware. research by technology firms earthlink and webroot revealed that 90% of windows machine have the malicious software on board and  on average  each one harbours 28 separate spyware programs. before now microsoft has left the market for pc security software to specialist firms such as symantec  mcafee  trend micro and many others. it said that its virus cleaning program would not stop machines being infected nor remove the need for other anti-virus programs. on spyware freely available programs such as ad-aware and spybot have become widely used by people keen to keep the latest variants at bay. microsoft s two security tools have emerged as a result of acquisitions the company has made over the last two years. in 2003 it bought romanian firm gecad software to get hold of its anti-virus technology. in december 2004 it bought new york-based anti-spyware firm giant company software. last year microsoft also released the sp2 upgrade for windows xp that closed many security loopholes in the software and made it easier for people to manage their anti-virus and firewall programs.
1567,creator of first apple mac dies jef raskin  head of the team behind the first macintosh computer  has died.  mr raskin was one of the first employees at apple and made many of the design decisions that made the mac so distinctive when it was first released. he led the team that decided to use a graphical interface and mouse that let people navigate around the computer by pointing and clicking. the 1984 release of the mac reflected mr raskin s belief that good design should make computers easy to use.  mr raskin joined apple in 1978 as employee number 31  initially to lead the company s publications department. however  in 1979 he was put in charge of a small team to design a computer that lived up to his idea of a machine that was cheap  aimed at consumers rather than computer professionals and was very easy to use.  the result was the 1984 macintosh that did away with the then common text-based interface in favour of one based around graphics that resembled a virtual desktop and used folders and documents. users navigated around the machine using a mouse and by pointing  clicking and dragging. although now in common use in almost all computers  these methods were pioneering when first used in the macintosh. the gui was developed by xerox parc  and used in its star machine. but the acceptance of the interface did not truly begin until the concept was developed for use by apple in its pioneering lisa computer.  his role on the macintosh was the initiator of the project  so it wouldn t be here if it weren t for him   said andy hertzfeld  an early macintosh team member. although mr raskin drove the team that created the macintosh he did not stay at apple to see it released. in 1981 he was removed from the project following a dispute with apple s mercurial boss steve jobs. in 1982  mr raskin left apple entirely. the macintosh was reputedly named after mr raskin s favourite apple  though the name was changed slightly following a trademark dispute with another company. after leaving apple  mr raskin founded another company called information appliance and continued to work on better ways to interface with computers. he was also an accomplished musician  played three instruments and conducted san francisco s chamber opera society. mr raskin was diagnosed in december 2004 with pancreatic cancer and died on 26 february at his home in california.
205,day-lewis set for berlin honour actor daniel day-lewis is to be presented with an award for his career in film at the berlin film festival.  the 47-year-old  whose credits include his oscar-winning performance in my left foot  will be presented with the berlinale camera award on 15 february. the honour  awarded since 1986  honours figures in cinema that the festival feels  particularly indebted to . man to man  a historical epic starring kristin scott thomas  opens the german festival on 10 february. a candid documentary about the life and career of singer george michael  a different story will also be screened at the 10-day event.    day-lewis has competed four times at the berlin film festival  with films in the name of the father (1994)  the crucible (1997)  the boxer (1998) and martin scorsese s gangs of new york (2003). the festival praises him for his  sensational start  with roles in my beautiful launderette and costume classic a room with a view  and a  great number of celebrated roles  in subsequent productions. japan s oldest film studio will also be honoured along with day-lewis. shochiku film studios  which was founded 110 years ago  will become the first cinematic institution to receive the berlinale camera award. famous japanese directors including akira hurosawa have had films produced at the studio.
385,drive to  save  festive holidays efforts are being made to  protect  workers  days off on christmas day and new year s day.  support is being sought for a bill which would ensure that large retailers in scotland remain closed on christmas day and 1 january. the usdaw trade union said shop workers should be able to enjoy a break with their families. msp karen whitefield wants to ensure only those whose roles are essential are at work over the festive season. in recent years  more stores have been opening on traditional holidays  with some starting their end-of-year sale on christmas day or new year s day. ms whitefield said:  i have found members of the public to be very supportive when i have been campaigning on the streets.   the early evidence shows quite clearly that the vast majority of people believe that shop workers should be given these two special days to spend with friends and family.  usdaw general secretary john hannett added:  christmas day and new year s day are special days for everyone in scotland and the fact that shops do not open is an important part of making them special. they are largely collective days of rest.  we want people to tell karen  through her consultation  whether they want the special nature of these days to remain  or whether they want them to become like any other trading day  with shops open for business as usual.  the consultation on a christmas & new year s day trading bill has so far attracted almost 500 responses and closes on 7 february.
795,millions buy mp3 players in us one in 10 adult americans - equivalent to 22 million people - owns an mp3 player  according to a survey.  a study by the pew internet and american life project found that mp3 players are the gadget of choice among affluent young americans. the survey did not interview teenagers but it is likely that millions of under-18s also have mp3 players. the american love affair with digital music players has been made possible as more and more homes get broadband.  of the 22 million americans who own mp3 players  59% are men compared to 41% of women. those on high income - judged to be $75 000 (£39 000) or above - are four times more likely to have players than those earning less than $30  000 ( £15 000). broadband access plays a big part in ownership too. almost a quarter of those with broadband at home have players  compared to 9% of those who have dial-up access. mp3 players are still the gadget of choice for younger adults. almost one in five us citizens aged under 30 have one. this compares to 14% of those aged 30-39 and 14% of those aged 40-48. the influence of children also plays a part. sixteen percent of parents living with children under 18 have digital players compared to 9% of those who don t. the ease of use and growth of music available on the net are the main factors for the upsurge in ownership  the survey found. people are beginning to use them as instruments of social activity - sharing songs and taking part in podcasting - the survey found.  ipods and mp3 players are becoming a mainstream technology for consumers  said lee rainie  director of the pew internet and american life project.  more growth in the market is inevitable as new devices become available  as new players enter the market  and as new social uses for ipods/mp3 players become popular   he added.
1083,labour battle plan  hides blair  the tories have accused tony blair of being  terrified  of scrutiny after labour unveiled details of how it will fight the next general election.  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.
1953,worldcom trial starts in new york the trial of bernie ebbers  former chief executive of bankrupt us phone company worldcom  has started in new york with the selection of the jury.  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.
1987,uk set to cut back on embassies nine overseas embassies and high commissions will close in an effort to save money  uk foreign secretary jack straw has announced.  the bahamas  east timor  madagascar and swaziland are among the areas affected by the biggest shake-up for the diplomatic service for years. other diplomatic posts are being turned over to local staff. mr straw said the move would save £6m a year to free up cash for priorities such as fighting terrorism.  honorary consuls will be appointed in some of the areas affected by the embassy closures. nine consulates or consulates general will also be closed  mostly in europe and america.  they include dallas in the us  bordeaux in france and oporto in portugal  with local staff replacing uk representation in another 11. the changes are due to be put in place before the end of 2006  with most savings made from cutting staff and running costs. some of the money will have to be used to fund redundancy payments. in a written statement  mr straw said:  the savings made will help to underpin higher priority work in line with the foreign and commonwealth office s strategic priorities  including counter- proliferation  counter-terrorism  energy and climate change.  some of the savings will also be redeployed to strategic priority work within certain regions where we are closing posts.  in africa  for instance  we plan to create new jobs to cover these issues across the region  with a new post in nairobi to help support our work on climate change  one in nigeria to cover energy and one in pretoria to cover regional issues more generally as well as covering maseru and mbabane.   the foreign office currently has about 6 100 uk-based staff. it has opened major new missions on baghdad and basra in iraq  kabul in afghanistan and pyongyang in north korea since 1997 in response to what the government says are changing needs. since 1997 10 overseas posts have been closed - excluding wednesday s cuts - but 18 new embassies or consulates have been opened. the shake-up is aimed at helping making £86m in efficiency savings between 2005 and 2008. the chancellor has demanded all government departments make similar savings. shadow foreign secretary michael ancram said there was a constant need to ensure value for money from foreign missions.  but the government must give a far clearer reason for making the dramatic changes it has announced and must show that british commercial interests and the interests of britons abroad will not be adversely affected   he said.
1748,running around the olympics it was back to official duties last week in my role as an ambassador to london s 2012 olympic bid. but i still managed to do all my marathon training.  all the sporting people on the capital s bid team think i m mad to be taking part in the london marathon. the bid chairman  lord coe  admitted he would never dream of running a marathon  even though he was an olympic middle-distance runner.  kelly holmes  former hurdler alan pascoe and former sprinter frankie fredericks - who is now an ioc member - all wanted to know why anyone would want to run that far. you d have thought all these athletes  who have been running for most of their lives  wouldn t think it would be that bad. but the only person who was positive about my intentions was tanni grey thompson  who has won the london marathon wheelchair race six times. even though it was a very busy week entertaining the international olympic committee s (ioc) evaluation commission  i actually found my running schedule easier to follow. when i m at home  i get distracted by all sorts of things but for the five days i was in london  i was in a pressurised situation  but i found it easy to relax by running.  on wednesday  the presentations to the ioc team did not finish until the early evening  so i just managed to squeeze in a 45-minute run. we had an early start on thursday because we had to visit all the olympic sites around london  that was pretty shattering  but when we got back to the hotel  i got back on the treadmill. on friday evening i went along to the special dinner at buckingham palace which was a nice occasion. i never feel guilty about eating  especially when i m exercising. and because it was a rest day i didn t have to feel bad about missing my training either. anyway  i managed to do another quick run on saturday ahead of the final ioc presentations  before heading home for my daughter s birthday.  when i was in london i did all of my runs on the treadmill  which isn t the same as exercising outdoors. one of the ioc s technical staff from australia ran alongside me one day. we talked about the sydney olympics and that made the time go past more quickly. i do find it quite comfortable running in the gym because there is more cushioning. but when you re gearing up to running on the road you need your body to get used to that jarring feeling when your feet hit the pavement. it was good to get out on the road for my long run on sunday. after the week i d had i was a bit concerned i wouldn t be able to complete it. but i coped with it very well and  even though it was bitterly cold  i put in 15-and-a-half miles - only another 11 to go then.  - this year steve will donate all the proceeds from his london marathon efforts to victims of the tsunami.steve will be writing a regular column on the ups and downs of his marathon training for the bbc sport website.he will be raising money through the steve redgrave trust which supports the association of children s hospices  the children with leukaemia charity  and the trust s own project which aims to provide inner-city schools with rowing equipment.
1869,hollywood to sue net film pirates the us movie industry has launched legal action to sue people who facilitate illegal film downloading.  the motion picture association of america wants to stop people using the program bittorrent to swap movies. the industry is targeting people who run websites which provide information and internet links to movies which have been copied or filmed in cinemas. more than 100 server operators have been targeted in the actions launched in the us and uk  the mpaa added. the suits were filed against users of the file-sharing programs bittorrent  edonkey and directconnect in the united states  united kingdom  france  finland and the netherlands  the mpaa said.  bittorrent users can download movies by following a link to files which are found on websites called trackers. unlike most peer-to-peer programs bittorrent works by sharing a file  which could be anything from a legitimate digital photo to a copied movie  among multiple users at the same time. the movie industry hopes that suing the people who run the trackers will cut bittorrent users off from illegal movies at source. last month major film studios started legal action against 200 individuals who were swapping films online. the growth in broadband has made it quicker for people to download movies and the industry fears that if it does not take action now  it could suffer the same downturn as the music industry.
34,show over for mtv s the osbournes rock star ozzy osbourne has said his family will not make any more episodes of reality tv show the osbournes.   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.
604,sir paul rocks super bowl crowds sir paul mccartney wowed fans with a live mini-concert at american football s super bowl - and avoided any janet jackson-style controversies.  the 62-year-old sang hey jude and other beatles songs in a 12-minute set at half-time during the game in florida. last year  jackson exposed a breast during a dance routine  causing outrage among millions of tv viewers and landing the cbs tv network a fine. sir paul  however  did nothing more racy than remove his jacket as he sang. organisers were widely considered to be playing it safe this year by booking 62-year-old sir paul for his second super bowl show.  three years ago  he was invited to perform at the first super bowl after the september 11 attacks and performed his specially-written song freedom. this time  he started off the show  at the alltel stadium in jacksonville  florida  with the beatles numbers drive my car and get back. he then performed a mellow version of live and let die  the james bond theme he recorded with the band wings. finally  he closed the show with a rousing version of hey jude. the former beatle resisted any temptation to refer to janet jackson s headline-grabbing performance last year  instead keeping banter between songs to a minimum in order to squeeze as much music as he could into his slot. the singer removed his black jacket halfway through the show - but any fans hoping for a second  nipple-gate  were to be disappointed as he kept his red sweatshirt on underneath.  earlier  the black eyed peas and alicia keys had provided the night s other high-profile entertainment by performing in a pre-game show. black eyed peas singer fergie was dressed in a tight orange top and purple hotpants  but nothing in her performance was likely to upset tv watchdogs. after the controversy last year - which saw cbs fined a record $550 000 (£292 000) by federal regulators - super bowl organisers had turned to producer don mischer to oversee this year s half-time show. his previous production credits included olympic opening and closing ceremonies. the super bowl is watched by an audience of 144.4 million in the us  with many of the people watching are said to tune in specifically to see the entertainment put on around the event. michael jackson  aerosmith  diana ross  gloria estefan and phil collins are among the stars who have previously graced the super bowl stage.
142,us seeks new $280bn smoker ruling the us justice department is to try to overturn a court ruling that threw out its claim for $280bn (£149bn) in damages from tobacco firms.  earlier this month  a three-judge appeal court panel rejected the claim - filed in 1999 by the administration of bill clinton - in a 2-1 decision. government lawyers said they would ask the full us court of appeals for the district of columbia to hear the case. the court room battle is seen as key in government attempts to fight smoking.  it s pretty clear that they ve suffered a severe setback   said anthony sebok  a professor at brooklyn law school  adding that the appeal was what the government  would be expected to ask for .  prosecutors had argued that tobacco firms lied about the dangers of smoking  ignored research that highlighted problems  looked to increase addiction by manipulating nicotine levels and targeted the young with their adverts. among the firms accused were altria group  rj reynolds tobacco  lorillard tobacco  liggett group and brown and williamson. prosecutors went after the companies using legislation put in place to fight organised crime  and accused the firms of conspiring and running  racketeer influenced and corrupt organisations . the tobacco companies denied the charges  saying that they never illegally conspired to promote smoking and fool the public. they also said that they have met many of the government s demands laid out in a landmark $206bn settlement hammered out in 1998 with 46 states. a three-judge panel agreed with the companies  finding that the case could not be brought under federal anti-racketeering laws.  central to the government s case was a meeting in the plaza hotel  new york  on 15 december  1953. prosecutors contend that executives from the major tobacco firms met and agreed to present a unified strategy denying the harmful effects of smoking. despite denying for decades that smoking could be linked to illness  the companies have modified their stances in recent years. altria s philip morris now accepts that nicotine is harmful  and the company s main lawyer william ohlemeyer told the bbc last year that earlier statements may have been wrong but they were not dishonest. government lawyers have until 21 march to file their appeal.
1832,agassi fear for melbourne andre agassi s involvement in the australian open was put in doubt after he pulled out of the kooyong classic with a hip injury.  agassi was serving at 5-6 down in the first set to fellow american andy roddick when he decided to bring a premature end to the match.  my hip was cramping and i just could not continue   said the 34-year-old. agassi  who has won the australian open four times  will have an mri scan to discover the extent of the damage. he said the problem was not the same as the hip injury which forced him to miss wimbledon last year.   the good news is that it didn t just tear  it was tightening up and that can be your body protecting itself  which is hopefully more of the issue   he added.  that wasn t comfortable out there at all  what i was feeling.  i have to wait and see what i m dealing with - it s a pretty scary feeling out there when something doesn t feel right and is getting worse.  it s very disappointing and i ll have to do my best to deal with it. time will shortly tell if it (the australian open) is a possibility or not.  i was not counting on this being the end of the day for me.  maybe in a few days i ll have a much better sense of what my hopes will be.
1865,latest opera browser gets vocal net browser opera 8.0  due for official release at the end of next month  will be  the most accessible browser on the market   according to its authors.  the latest version of the net browser can be controlled by voice command and will read pages aloud. the voice features  based on ibm technology  are currently only available in the windows version. opera can also magnify text by up to 10 times and users can create  style sheets   its developers say. this will enable them to view pages with colours and fonts that they prefer. but the browser does not yet work well with screen reader software often used by blind people  so its accessibility features are more likely to appeal to those with some residual vision.  our mission was always to provide the best internet experience for everyone   said opera spokeswoman  berit hanson.  so we would obviously not want to exclude disabled computer users.   another feature likely to appeal to people with low vision is the ability to make pages fit to the screen width  which eliminates the need for horizontal scrolling.  the company points out that this will also appeal to anyone using opera with a handheld device. the company says that features like voice activation are not solely aimed at visually impaired people.  our idea was to take a first step in making human-computer interaction more natural   said ms hanson.  people are not always in a situation where they can access a keyboard  so this makes the web a more hands-free experience.  unlike commercially available voice recognition software  opera does not have to be  trained  to recognise an individual voice. around 50 voice commands are available and users will have to wear a headset which incorporates a microphone. the voice recognition function is currently only available in english. opera is free to download but a paid-for version comes without an ad banner in the top right hand corner and with extra support. opera began life as a research project - a spin-off from norwegian telecoms company telenor. its browser is used by an estimated 10 million people on a variety of operating systems and a number of different platforms.
862,long life promised for laptop pcs scientists are working on ways to ensure laptops can stay powered for an entire working day.  building batteries from new chemical mixes could boost power significantly  say industry experts. the changes include everything from the way chips for laptops are made  to tricks that reduce the power consumption of displays. ever since laptops appeared the amount of time they last between recharges has been a frustration for users.  a survey carried out in 2000 by forrester research found that the shortness of battery life was the most complained about feature of laptops.  the focus back then was more on performance and features   said mike trainor  chief mobile technology evangelist for chip giant intel.   for most of the 90s battery life was stuck on two to 2.5 hours.  but now  he said  laptops can last much longer. it was not just a case of improving battery life by squeezing more out of the lithium ion power packs  he explained. other changes are needed to get to the holy grail of a laptop running for about eight hours before needing a recharge.  lithium ion is never going to get there by itself   he said.  the industry has done a great job of wringing all possible energy storage out of that technology that they can.  some new battery chemistries promise to cram more power into the same space  said mr trainor  though work still needed to be done to get them successfully from the lab to manufacturing. he was sceptical that fuel cells would develop quick enough to take over from solid batteries even though they have the potential to produce several times more energy than lithium ion power packs.  in fuel cells you need to have pumps and separators and evaporation chambers   he said.  it s a mini energy plant that needs to be shrunk and shrunk and shrunk.   intel has been working with component makers to test energy consumption on all the parts inside a laptop and find ways to make them less power hungry.  this work has led to the creation of the mobile pc extended battery life (ebl) working group that shares information about building notebooks that are more parsimonious with power. some of the improvements in power use come simply because components on chips are shrinking  said mr trainor. intel has also changed the way it creates transistors on silicon to reduce the power they need. on a larger scale  said mr trainor  improvements in the way that voltage regulators are made can reduce the amount of power lost as heat and make a notebook more energy efficient. also  said mr trainor  research is being done on ways to cut energy consumption on displays - currently the biggest power guzzler on a laptop. many laptop makers have committed to creating 14 and 15 inch screens that draw only three watts of power. this is far below the power consumption levels of screens in current notebooks.  if we can get close to eight hours that s a place that people see as extraordinarily valuable that s what the industry has to deliver   mr trainor said.
1191,veteran comic cyril fletcher dies veteran comedian and broadcaster cyril fletcher has died aged 91 at his home in guernsey.  fletcher will be remembered for his  odd odes  and amusing misprints on tv show that s life in the 1970s and 80s  as well as a long variety career. he was also a regular on does the team think   a comic version of radio information show the brains trust. that s life host esther rantzen said he was  so lovely  and a  delight  to work with.  the thing about cyril was that he was  to use a slightly old-fashioned phrase  an english gentleman   she said.  he was courteous  and understated  and he adored gardens  particularly creating them for his beautiful wife.   he was funny and witty to work with. he was a real friend and i shall miss him.  one of the last comedians of old-time variety era  fletcher made his first tv appearance in 1937. a year after bbc television began  he was seen reciting humorous poems  appearing in a revue  tele-ho  and playing the emperor of morocco in the first televised pantomime  dick whittington. he went on to become a regular voice on radio  have a string of tv shows in the 1950s and appear in several films  including 1947 s nicholas nickleby. he married actress betty astell in 1941 and in the 1950s and 60s  they produced pantos and summer shows  discovering new stars including harry secombe. in the mid-1990s  fletcher said he had made a  fabulous living  since the age of 22 and had never had a day out of work.  he was most recently seen presenting a gardening programme for channel tv. fletcher was described as a  consummate professional  by his friend and fellow broadcaster michael pointon.  it really was a pleasure to work with him - he had met everyone and done everything   mr pointon said.  he was a whimsical  droll fellow  but also a very artistic man. as a friend  he was very kind  and generous.  fletcher s daughter jill said her father would be sorely missed.  he was greatly loved by the public   she said.
22,halo 2 heralds traffic explosion the growing popularity of online gaming could spell problems for net service firms  warns network monitoring company sandvine.  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.
1883,indian oil firm eyes yukos assets india s biggest oil exploration firm  oil & natural gas corp (ongc)  says it is in talks to buy the former assets of troubled russian crude producer yukos.   we are in touch with the concerned russian entities about the yukos assets and other opportunities in russia   said ongc chairman subir raha. local press had reported that ongc was looking to buy 15% of yukos  former key oil production unit for $2bn (£1bn). yukos is being broken up by russian authorities to pay a massive tax bill.  it was forced to sell its key production unit yuganskneftegas (yugansk) last month after being hit with a bill of $27bn in unpaid taxes and fines.  state-owned rosneft now owns yugansk and russia has said it will turn the oil producer into a stand-alone firm. indian oil minister mani shankar aiyar discussed ongc s plans during a trip to moscow last year  and the topic came up again during russian president vladimir putin s recent visit to new delhi.  it would make great sense for us to build on that   said mr aiyar. india s oil production has stagnated over recent years  and it is having to look abroad to secure future supplies. india imports about 70% of its total oil consumption. at the same time  india s economy is booming and the country s thirst for oil is so strong that it has helped pushed up the price of crude worldwide.  india produces about 793 000 barrels of oil per day (bpd)  little changed since the start of the 1990s  according to oil industry analysts douglas-westwood. consumption  meanwhile  has jumped to 2.4 million bpd  compared with 474 000 bpd in 1973.   for countries to develop  they have to have access to energy   said john westwood  managing director of oil industry analysts douglas-westwood. india is a  dramatically growing economy that must have access to oil . by buying into yugansk  ongc would be able to reduce its dependence on gulf states for oil imports  mr westwood explained  especially as the chances of finding and exploiting resources within india are slim.  we forecast that indian production will go into significant decline   mr westwood said.  by 2020  production may only be at half of today s levels.  ongc  which is majority-owned by the indian state  already has bought petroleum assets in countries including vietnam  sudan and russia. the company is a partner with rosneft in the sakhalin-1 oil field off russia s siberian coast.  ongc is  however  not the only firm interested in yugansk.  chinese crude company china national petroleum has also been mentioned as a possible investor  while on thursday  italy refused to rule out an interest. ongc s interest is the latest twist in a saga that has seen one of the world s biggest oil producers brought to its knees. the dispute is partly driven by president putin s clampdown on the political ambitions of ex-yukos boss mikhail khodorkovsky  who is currently in jail on charges of fraud and tax evasion. yukos has been battling the russian authorities for more than a year and has filed for bankruptcy protection in the us. analysts have questioned how long it can continue to survive without yugansk. on thursday  a us court said it will hear arguments for yukos  bankruptcy claim to be thrown out on 16 february. should that happen  yukos will have little chance of clawing back its assets  analysts said.
737,o sullivan keeps his powder dry when you are gunning for glory and ultimate success keeping the gunpowder dry is essential.  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.
1262,dvd review: i  robot only one man recognises that robots are a threat to humanity - but that s fine because it only takes one man to save the day in the thriller i  robot.  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.
1601,savvy searchers fail to spot ads internet search engine users are an odd mix of naive and sophisticated  suggests a report into search habits.  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.
1404,glaxo aims high after profit fall glaxosmithkline saw its profits fall 9% last year to £6.2bn ($11.5bn)  but europe s biggest drugmaker says a recovery during 2005 is on the way.  cheap copies of its drugs  particularly anti-depressants paxil and wellbutrin  and a weak dollar had hit profits  but global sales were up 1% in 2004. the firm is confident its new drug pipeline will deliver profits despite the failure of an obesity drug. chief executive jean-pierre garnier said it had been a  difficult year .  in early afternoon trade in london the company share price was down 1% at 1218 pence. mr garnier said the company had absorbed over £1.5bn of lost sales to generics but still managing to grow the business.  the continuing success of our key products means we can now look forward to a good performance in 2005   he said.  2005 will also be an important year in terms of research and development pipeline progress.  however  the firm discontinued development of an experimental treatment for obesity  known as  771  after disappointing clinical trial results. glaxo is relying on new treatments for conditions such as cancer  diabetes  depression  hiv/aids and allergies to lift the pace of sales growth after several disappointing years.
1296,manchester wins labour conference the labour party will hold its 2006 autumn conference in manchester and not blackpool  it has been confirmed.  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.
2163,who do you think you are  the real danger is not what happens to your data as it crosses the net  argues analyst bill thompson. it is what happens when it arrives at the other end.  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.
1168,movie body targets children s pcs the body that represents the us movie industry has released its latest tool in its campaign to clamp down on movie file-sharing  aimed at parents.  the movie association for america s (mpaa) free parent file scan software lets parents check their children s computers for peer-to-peer programs. it will also list all movie and music files they have on their hard drive. parents then have the choice to remove programs and files. the mpaa said files found would not be passed on to it.  our ultimate goal is to help consumers locate the resources and information they need to make appropriate decisions about using and trading illegal files   said dan glickman  mpaa chief.  many parents are concerned about what their children have downloaded and where they ve downloaded it from.   but some computer users who had tested the latest software reported on some technology sites that the program had identified windows default wav files as copyrighted material and wanted to delete them. movie piracy cost the industry £3.7bn ($7bn) in 2003  according to analysts. the mpaa said in a statement that it would continue to provide easy access to similar tools in the coming months to combat  the deleterious effects of peer-to-peer software  including such common problems as viruses  trojan horses and identity theft .  mr glickman said that the film industry was embracing  digital age technologies   like movielink and cinemanow  which are legal movie sites.  but legal services such as these need a chance to grow and thrive without having to compete against illegitimate operations that depend on stolen property to survive   he added. the industry body also said it had launched a second round of legal action against online movie-swappers across the us  but did not say how many were being sued. its first set of lawsuits were filed in november 2004. it also started a campaign against operators of bittorrent  edonkey and directconnect peer-to-peer networks. the first convictions for peer-to-peer piracy were handed out in the us in january. william trowbridge and michael chicoine pleaded guilty to charges that they infringed copyright by illegally sharing music  movies and software.
438,whitehall shredding increasing - tories civil servants have drastically stepped up the shredding of official documents  figures compiled by the tories suggest.  some government departments had doubled the number of documents being shredded ahead of the freedom of information act s implementation on 1 january. departments for defence  environment and trade  which had all increased file destruction  said they were following rules governing public records. but the tories want the information commissioner to investigate. the freedom of information act will for the first time give members of the public access to government records previously kept secret for 30 years. but bbc political correspondent james hardy said the prospect of outsiders poking their noses into the inner workings of whitehall appeared to be causing jitters among the mandarins.  liberal democrat alan beith - who chairs the select committee which monitors the department of constitutional affairs - said if the claims were true  whitehall was  acting entirely against the spirit of the new act .  both the information commissioner and the select committee will have to keep this issue under very close scrutiny.  fellow lib dem norman baker said the episode painted an  unflattering picture of the inner workings of government .  it is clear that the government s initial enthusiasm for open government has turned to self-serving cynicism.  dr julian lewis  the conservative spokesman for the cabinet office  said he had discovered a huge acceleration in shredding from a series of parliamentary answers.  the department of work and pensions destroyed nearly 37 000 files last year - up 22 000 on four years ago when the act was passed. the number of files destroyed by the ministry of defence and the departments of environment  food and rural affairs and trade and industry has also risen dramatically. dr lewis has called for an investigation by the information commissioner richard thomas. earlier this week  mr thomas said he was looking into cabinet office orders telling staff to delete e-mails more than three months old. he said he  totally condemned  the deletion of e-mails to prevent their disclosure under freedom of information laws coming into force on 1 january.  government guidance said e-mails should only be deleted if they served  no current purpose   mr thomas said. a cabinet office spokeswoman said the move was not about the new laws or  the destruction of important records . the freedom of information act will cover england  wales and northern ireland from next year. 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.
1888,last chance  warning for voters people in england  scotland and wales must have registered by 1700 gmt to be able to vote in the general election if it is held  as expected  on 5 may.  those who filled in forms last autumn should already be on the register - but those who have moved house or were on holiday may have been left off. there will also be elections for local councils and mayors in parts of england on 5 may. the deadline for voters to register in northern ireland expired on thursday.  completed registration forms can be handed into local authorities throughout the day on friday  and some will accept them by fax. as well as for english county councils  polls for unitary authorities at bristol  isle of wight and stockton-on-tees and mayors at doncaster  hartlepool  north tyneside and stoke-on-trent are also scheduled for 5 may. last week preston city council reported that more than 14 000 of its voters were not registered. its electoral roll fell by 17.5% in a year - the biggest dip in the uk. an electoral commission spokeswoman said:  political decisions are made on your behalf every day but only by using your right to vote at an election can you really have a say on the issues you care about.  if you want your voice to be heard on 5 may you will need to have registered by friday 11 march.  council tax payers are not eligible to vote without registration  officials have stressed.
694,lewis-francis turns to christie mark lewis-francis has stepped up his preparations for the new season by taking advice from british sprint icon linford christie.  the 22-year-old is set to compete at sheffield this weekend and will then take on maurice greene and kim collins in birmingham on 18 february.  training in wales and getting advice from linford christie is broadening my mind   said lewis-francis. the sprinter has also shed weight since winning relay gold at the athens games.  last year i was 91kg  now i am 86.9kg - hopefully my times will come down   he said.  this has been brought about by eating the right foods and cutting out the snacks. it is just discipline and being more focused about what i am doing.   i am still keeping up my weights work and i can see the improvement in my running.  despite playing his part in britain s successful 4x100m relay team  lewis-francis still feels the frustration of missing out on the individual 100m final at the 2004 olympics.  that was heartbreaking  but i had made it to the semi-final and for me  on a personal level  that was an achievement.  i just have to be patient and build up for the next olympics. that is my goal and whatever i do between now and then will be geared to making the final.
1663,delta cuts fares in survival plan delta air lines is cutting domestic fares by as much as 50% as part of a plan to ensure its financial survival.  other us carriers  including united  have sought bankruptcy protection  amid high fuel costs and competition from discount carriers. delta is restructuring in a bid to fight off insolvency. this latest move to boost business has prompted speculation other firms will be forced to match their fares  hurting revenues in the sector. delta s new simplifares were trialled from august last year on tickets from cincinnati  its second-largest hub.  the airline says no one-way economy fare will now be priced higher than $499 (£264)  and no first-class fare will be priced higher than $599. it is also eliminating a saturday-night stay requirement on discount fares and will give further reductions to customers opting for non-refundable tickets  booking in advance and online. delta  which lost $646m in the three months to september  was forced to cut 6 900 jobs worldwide as part of its aim to slash $5bn from its costs. in october  it reached a crucial agreement with pilots on pay and conditions and it has also issued new shares to staff in return for wage cuts. airline shares closed lower on the announcement  with delta  continental and american airlines all falling by more than 7%.  we believe the whole airline industry will now have to move in this direction; this will likely hurt revenue in the short run but could be beneficial in the long run   said analyst ray neidl at calyon securities.
861,new year s texting breaks record a mobile phone was as essential to the recent new year s festivities as a party mood and auld lang syne  if the number of text messages sent is anything to go by.  between midnight on 31 december and midnight on 1 january  133m text messages were sent in the uk. it is the highest ever daily total recorded by the mobile data association (mda). it represents an increase of 20% on last year s figures.  wishing a happy new year to friends and family via text message has become a staple ingredient of the year s largest party. while texting has not quite overtaken the old-fashioned phone call  it is heading that way  said mike short  chairman of the mda.  in the case of a new years eve party  texting is useful if you are unable to speak or hear because of a noisy background   he said. there were also lots of messages sent internationally  where different time zones made traditional calls unfeasible  he said. the british love affair with texting shows no signs of abating and the annual total for 2004 is set to exceed 25bn  according to mda. the mda predicts that 2005 could see more than 30bn text messages sent in the uk.  we thought texting might slow down as mms took off but we have seen no sign of that   said mr short. more and more firms are seeing the value in mobile marketing. restaurants are using text messages to tell customers about special offers and promotions.  anyone in need of a bit of january cheer now the party season is over  can use a service set up by jongleurs comedy club  which will text them a joke a day. for those still wanting to drink and be merry as the long days of winter draw in  the good pub guide offers a service giving the location and address of their nearest recommended pub. users need to text the word goodpub to 85130. if they want to turn the evening into a pub crawl  they simply text the word next. and for those still standing at the end of the night  a taxi service in london is available via text  which will locate the nearest available black cab.
704,owen set for skipper role wales number eight michael owen says replacing gareth thomas as wales  captain will be straightforward because of the leadership quality in the squad.   you dream about playing for wales  but it never enters your head that you will one day captain your country   he said.  it s an easy job really because there are so many experienced players in the side  but it will be a massive honour.  coach mike ruddock says the 24-year-old should take the armband from broken thumb victim thomas against scotland. ruddock praised owen s contribution as vice-captain and pack leader in this year s wins over england  italy and france  notably his role in the second-half in paris following thomas  injury. the 22-cap dragons man says that thomas will be badly missed  though.  gareth is going to be a massive loss because he is a brilliant player and he has done a fantastic job since he has been captain   said owen.  he has put his own unique stamp on things. we are going to miss him but the strength of the squad is shown when you have someone like kevin morgan to step in.   owen admitted the grand slam had been mentioned within the squad but that no-one was getting carried away with the three victories over england  italy and france.  we can t get ahead of ourselves   he said.  we have a massive game next up and we are just looking forward to preparing for that.  scotland are improving all the time. like us they did well in france and were unlucky not to get a win.  against ireland they played fantastically well in the first 15 minutes before falling away.  they are probably going on a similar journey to the one we have been on in the last couple of years.
1010,cardinal criticises iraq war cost billions of pounds spent on conflict in iraq and in the middle east should have been used to reduce poverty  cardinal cormac murphy-o connor has said.  the head of the catholic church in england and wales made the comments on bbc radio 4 and will re-iterate his stance in his christmas midnight mass. the cardinal used a christmas message to denounce the war in iraq as a  terrible  waste of money. he and the archbishop of canterbury have both spoken out about the war.  speaking on bbc radio 4 s thought for the day slot  he criticised the fact that  billions  have been spent on war  instead of being used to bring people  out of dire poverty and malnourishment and disease . the cardinal said 2005 should be the year for campaigning to  make history poverty . he added:  if the governments of the rich countries were as ready to devote to peace the resources they are willing to commit to war  that would be to see with new eyes and speak with a new voice and perhaps then others would listen to us with new ears.  the cardinal will touch on this theme again on friday night when he will tell the congregation of 2 000 at westminster cathedral that peace is  worth  always  striving for .   how is it that peace has not arrived    the cardinal will ask.  how is it that there is war in iraq  violence in the holy land  and the horror of pain and death amongst the poor and deprived who suffer from injustice and thus do not find peace    how can one wish a happy christmas for our fellow christians in iraq or in the holy land or those who suffer in africa unless you and i  in whatever way is open to us  say and do what makes for peace   both the cardinal and archbishop of canterbury dr rowan williams appealed for the weapons inspectors to be given more time in iraq before the war started. dr williams has since criticised the government over its case for war  saying the failure to find weapons of mass destruction had damaged faith in the political system.  on friday  the cardinal will ask the congregation to search for peace.  it is possible  it is real  it is worth  always  striving for  because of the promise of our saviour   he will say.  i also wish you peace in your homes because peace in your home is the beginning of peace in the homes of the community.   a spokesman said downing street had no comment to make. but prime minister tony blair has said he will put africa at the top of the agenda when britain chairs the g8 summit next year.
2039,kennedy questions trust of blair lib dem leader charles kennedy has said voters now have a  fundamental lack of trust  of tony blair as prime minister.  he said backing his party was not a wasted vote  adding that with the lib dems  what you see is what you get . he made his comments at the start of a day of appearances on channel five in a session on the wright stuff programme. questions from callers  a studio audience and the show s presenter covered lib dem tax plans  anti-terror laws and immigration.  mr kennedy said during his nearly 22 years in parliament he had seen prime ministers and party leaders come and go and knew the pitfalls of british politics.  1983 was when i was first elected as an mp - so tony blair  michael howard and myself were all class of  83 - and over that nearly quarter of a century the world has changed out of recognition   he said.  we don t actually hear the argument any longer:  lib dems  good people  reasonable ideas but only if we thought they could win around here - it s a wasted vote .  you don t hear that because the evidence of people s senses demonstrates that it isn t a wasted vote.  but he said mr blair had lost the trust of the british people.  there is a fundamental lack of trust in tony blair as prime minister and in his government   he said.   what we ve got to do as a party - what i ve got to do as a leader of this party - is to convey to people that what you see is what you get.  mr kennedy also used his tv appearance to defend his party s plans to increase income tax to 50% for those earning more than £100 000  saying it would apply to just 1% of the population. he said the extra revenue would allow his party to get rid of tuition and top-up fees  introduce free personal care for the elderly and replace the council tax with a local income tax. mr blair has already spent a day with five and michael howard is booked for a similar session.
854,uk economy ends year with spurt the uk economy grew by an estimated 3.1% in 2004 after accelerating in the last quarter of the year  says the office for national statistics (ons).  the figure is in line with treasury and bank of england forecasts. the ons says gross domestic product (gdp) rose by a strong 0.7% in the three months to 31 december  compared with 0.5% in the previous quarter. the rise came despite a further decline in production output and the worst christmas for retailers in decades.  the annual figure marked out the best year since 2000  and was also well ahead of the 2.2% recorded in 2003. growth in the final three months of 2004 marked the 50th consecutive quarter of expansion.  on the basis of the latest information the uk has entered 2005 on course to continue its record period of growth   said paul boateng  chief secretary to the treasury in a statement.  the ons said the services sector  which accounts for nearly three-quarters of the uk economy  grew 1.0% in the quarter. the strong services figure was welcomed by analysts  given lacklustre retail sales in december and across the christmas holiday period.  the fact that other services components are doing so well suggests to me that we are back to trend (growth) and i am not particularly concerned about any further slowdown   said ross walker  uk economist at rbs financial markets.  however  output in the production sector contracted 0.5%  the second quarterly fall in row and a state of affairs that some economists classify as a recession. however the ons would not comment on the definition of a recession and whether the manufacturing recovery was over. but steve radley  chief economist at the manufacturers  organisation eef  said:  these figures remain at odds with what is actually happening on the ground.  whilst companies may be experiencing tougher conditions this year   recession  is not a word that manufacturers would currently recognise.  the ons said a sharp fall in mining and quarrying  which was driven by oil and gas extraction  was primarily responsible for the overall contraction in manufacturing production figures.  simon rubinsohn  chief economist at gerrard  said:  this outturn (of 0.7%) was well ahead of the market expectations and cast doubt on the scare stories doing the rounds surrounding the current state of the uk economy.  and he said the gdp figures may help to  push interest rate expectations a little higher along the curve .  the suggestion from the money markets is that the next move is now more likely to be in an upward rather than a downward direction. this is consistent with our own thinking   said mr rubinsohn. the bank of england s nine-strong rate-setting committee voted unanimously earlier this month to keep interest rates steady at 4.75%  minutes of the meeting showed on wednesday.
1562,yahoo celebrates a decade online yahoo  one of the net s most iconic companies  is celebrating its 10th anniversary this week.  the web portal has undergone remarkable change since it was set up by stanford university students david filo and jerry yang in a campus trailer. the students wanted a way of keeping track of their web-based interests. the categories lists they devised soon became popular to hundreds of people and the two saw business potential in their idea.  originally dubbed  jerry s guide to the world wide web  the firm adopted the moniker yahoo because the founders liked the dictionary definition of a yahoo as a rude  unsophisticated  uncouth person. the term was popularised by the 18th century satirist jonathan swift in his classic novel  gulliver s travels.  we were certainly not sophisticated or civilised   mr yang told reporters ahead of the anniversary  which will be officially recognised on 2 march.  they did have business brains however  and in april 1995 persuaded venture capitalists sequoia capital  which also invested in apple computer and cisco systems  to fund yahoo to the tune of $2m (£1.04m). a second round of funding followed in the autumn and the company floated in april 1996 with less than 50 employees. now the firm employs 7 600 workers and insists its dot com culture of  work hard  play hard  still remains. it is one of just a handful of survivors of the dot-com crash although it now faces intense rivalry from firms such as google  msn and aol. jerry yang  who remains the firm s  chief yahoo   is proud of what the company has achieved.  in just one decade  the internet has changed the way consumers do just about everything - and it s been a remarkable and wonderful experience   he said. through it all  we wanted to build products that satisfied our users wants and needs  but it s even more than that - it s to help every one of us to discover  get more done  share and interact.
1422,roddick splits from coach gilbert andy roddick has ended an 18-month association with coach brad gilbert which yielded the us open title and saw the american become world number one.  roddick released a statement through the sfx sports group with the news but did not give a reason for the split.  the decision to not re-hire brad gilbert for the 2005 season is based on what i think is best for my game at this time   said roddick.  any more on this situation s a private matter between coach and player.  roddick won 121 of his 147 matches while working with gilbert  and said he had enjoyed their time together. he won his first grand slam event at flushing meadows last year  and finished 2003 on top of the atp tour rankings.  but roddick slipped to second this year behind roger federer  who became the first man since 1988 to win three majors in a season. federer  who has not had a coach since he split from peter lundgren at the end of last year  beat roddick to win the wimbledon title and in two other tournament finals. roddick hired gilbert after deciding to part from coach tarik benhabiles in the wake of his first-round exit at the 2003 french open. he went on to win the us open and four other titles for the year. he has won four events this season.  i have enjoyed all of my time with andy   gilbert said on his personal website.  he has been a great student of the game during the time that we worked together and i am very proud of the results that were achieved.  while i believe that there is still a great deal of work to be done  andy clearly does not feel that way.
874,howard rejects bnp s claim tory leader michael howard has dismissed claims that his immigration policy was  moving onto the turf  of the british national party (bnp).  bnp leader nick griffin told the independent he expected some bnp voters to switch to the tories over the issue. but mr howard said he rejected the idea that the tories and bnp appealed to the same voting instincts. asked if he would welcome bnp voters he told the bbc:  i don t want anybody to vote for these extremist parties . he added  on bbc radio 4 s today programme:  if you want good community relations in this country...then you have to have firm  fair immigration controls.   the tories have promised an upper limit on the number of people allowed into britain with the slogan:  it s not racist to impose limits on immigration . all parties are stepping up campaiging in the run-up to the general election  widely expected to be called for 5 may. labour has unveiled its own  points system  for ensuring migrants who want to work in the uk have skills that are required  but have rejected immigration quotas. the liberal democrats have warned both parties against  pandering to prejudice .  mr griffin told the independent the tories  plans were  a definite move onto our turf . he said:  i quite freely accept that on a nationwide basis  the tories will con enough people to make a significant hole in our vote.  asked whether he was comfortable with the perception that the conservatives and the bnp appeal to the same voting instincts  mr howard told the bbc:  i reject that entirely . he said he found bnp s policies  abhorrent  but he said the uk had to take a different approach to immigration  which he said was out of control.  the government doesn t want to limit it in any way  we do  there s a legitimate difference between us there which we can discuss in a calm  rational and reasonable way   he said. he again rejected newspaper speculation that his own father entered britain illegally.
1272,germany nears 1990 jobless level german unemployment rose for the 11th consecutive month in december - making the year s average jobless total the highest since reunification.  the seasonally adjusted jobless total rose a higher than expected 17 000 to 4.483 million  the bundesbank said. allowing for changes in calculating statistics  the average number of people out of work was the highest since 1990 - or a rate of 10.8%. bad weather and a sluggish economy were blamed for the rise. the increase  was due primarily to the onstart of winter   labour office chief frank-juergen weise said.  unadjusted  the figures showed unemployment rose 206 900 to 4.64 million - with many sectors such as construction laying off workers amid bad weather.  the three years of stagnation in the german economy came to an end in 2004. but the upturn is still not strong enough  to boost the labour market  mr weise added. news of the rise came as government welfare reforms came into force  a move that is expected to see unemployment swell still further in coming months. under the hartz iv changes  the previous two tier system of benefits and support for the long term unemployed has been replaced with one flat-rate payout. in turn  that means more people will be classified as looking for work  driving official figures higher.   be prepared for a nasty figure for january 2005  about five million unemployed on a non-seasonally adjusted basis   warned hvb group economist andreas rees. but he did add that the numbers should  subside  throughout the year  to remain near 2004 s level of 4.4 million jobless.  i don t expect a strong and lasting turnaround until 2006   german economy minister wolfgang clement said. by 2010  however  the hartz iv reforms should help cut the average jobless rate to between 3% and 5%  he added. europe s biggest economy has been too weak to create work as it struggles to shake off three years of economic stagnation. in recent months companies such as adam opel - the german arm of us carmaker general motors - and retailer karstadtquelle have slashed jobs.
1405,boothroyd calls for lords speaker betty boothroyd has said the house of lords needs its own speaker and that peers should lead the way on reforming the upper chamber.  baroness boothroyd  who was the first woman to be commons speaker  said she believed tony blair initiated reforms without a clear outcome in mind.  now we have to take care of it ourselves and make the best of it   she told the bbc s breakfast with frost. in 1999 labour removed all but 92 of the lords  750 hereditary peers. that was billed as the first stage of reform of the institution. the lord chancellor hinted further reforms could be unveiled in the next labour manifesto.   i think we need to look very carefully at the relationship between the lords and the commons   lord falconer told bbc1 s breakfast with frost.  how it interacts with the commons is a very  very important issue.  we need to address the issue in the manifesto  but you will have to wait for when the manifesto comes.  the lord chancellor currently has the role of house of lords speaker. he is also head of the judiciary and a member of the cabinet as constitutional affairs secretary.  lady boothroyd said she believed it was unacceptable for the lord chancellor to have the role of speaker.  i would really like to see a speaker of the house of lords   she said.  i don t go for the idea of somebody - a lord chancellor - who is head of the judiciary  a senior cabinet minister and speaker of the lords.  i want somebody there who is going to look after that house and do a job there.
2049,blair sees greater bush consensus george w bush will display a more consensual approach to world politics as he begins his second term as us president  tony blair has said.  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.
620,virgin radio offers 3g broadcast uk broadcaster virgin radio says it will become the first station in the world to offer radio via 3g mobiles.  the radio station  in partnership with technology firm sydus  will broadcast on selected 2g and high-speed 3g networks. later this year listeners will be able to download software from the virgin website which enables the service. james cridland  head of new media at virgin radio  said:  it places radio at the heart of the 3g revolution.  virgin radio will be the first station made available followed by two digital stations  virgin radio classic rock and virgin radio groove.  mr cridland said:  this application will enable anyone  anywhere to listen to virgin radio simply with the phone in their pocket.  this allows us to tap into a huge new audience and keep radio relevant for a new generation of listeners.  saumil nanavati  president of sydus  said   this radio player is what the 3g network was built for  giving consumers high-quality and high-data products through a handset in their pocket.  virgin says an hour s listening to the station via mobile would involve about 7.2mb of data  which could prove expensive for people using pay as you download gprs or 3g services. some networks  such as orange  charge up to £1 for every one megabyte of data downloaded. virgin says radio via 2g or 3g mobiles is therefore going to appeal to people with unlimited download deals. there are 30 compatible handsets available from major manufacturers including nokia and samsung while virgin said more than 14.9 million consumers across the globe can use the service currently.
2022,stern dropped from radio stations controversial dj howard stern has been dropped from four us radio stations because he keeps promoting his move to a network broadcasting on satellite.  cidatel broadcasting said stern had transformed his show into a  continuous infomercial promoting sirius  his new satellite radio employer . stern will join the sirius subscription service  which is not governed by us regulators  next year. citadel pulled stern s show from stations in new york and pennsylvania. stern had been holiday for two weeks but his show did not return to the four stations as expected on 3 january. citadel said it did not yet know whether it would return to its network.  stern announced in october that he was leaving conventional radio  where his syndicated show goes out across the us  for the relatively restriction-free satellite service. the dj s broadcasts are well known for landing in trouble with regulators for obscene and sexually explicit rantings. stern was dropped by six stations owned by media giant clear channel in 2004 after it had to pay the federal communications commission $1.75m (£950 000)  over breaches indecency laws. media giant viacom has also reportedly agreed to the fcc s demands that if stern is issued with another indecency violation then his show must be pulled from all of its stations. viacom has also been hit with record fines of $3.5m (£1.8m) over stern and two other new york djs. but stern continues to be one of the most popular talk show hosts  particularly in the 25-54 age category.
925,india opens skies to competition india will allow domestic commercial airlines to fly long haul international routes  a move it hopes will stoke competition and drive down prices.  however  only state controlled carriers will be able to fly the lucrative gulf routes  to countries such as kuwait and saudi arabia  for at least three years. jet airways and air sahara are the two companies that will benefit initially. india is looking to develop its airline industry as booming economic growth drives demand for travel.  monica chadha  bbc delhi reporter  said air travel in india had increased by almost 20% from the previous year and was expected to rise even further. infrastructure development is lagging demand  however  and will have to improve.  most international airports in the country are shabby and ill-equipped to handle heavy air traffic   ms chada said  adding that while the civil aviation minister has promised to modernise and privatise airports little progress has been made. steps have been take to move things forward and the government recently changed legislation that limited foreign investment in domestic airlines. it raised the maximum stake holding allowed to 49% from 40%. local press  meanwhile  have reported that the us and india will start negotiations about adding more routes in january. jet airways is india s premier private domestic carrier; air sahara is ranked third in the category.
1573,ebbers  aware  of worldcom fraud former worldcom boss bernie ebbers was directly involved in the $11bn financial fraud at the firm  his closest associate has told a us court.  giving evidence in the criminal trial of mr ebbers  ex-finance chief scott sullivan implicated his colleague in the accounting scandal at the firm. mr sullivan  worldcom s former number two  is the government s chief witness in its case against mr ebbers. mr ebbers has denied multiple charges of conspiracy and fraud.  senior worldcom executives are accused of orchestrating a huge fraud at the former telecoms company in which they exaggerated revenues and hid the cost of expenses. the firm was forced into bankruptcy  the largest in us history. mr sullivan  42  pleaded guilty to fraud last year and agreed to assist the government with its case against mr ebbers.  prosecutors have alleged that mr ebbers  63  directed mr sullivan to hide the true state of the company s finances by providing false information to the firm s accountants. mr ebbers has denied all the charges  saying he was unaware of the fraud. his lawyers claim that their client was unfamiliar with detailed accounting practices and left that side of the business to mr sullivan.  however  on monday mr sullivan named mr ebbers as one of five executives who participated in the accounting fraud.  he [ebbers] has got a hands-on grasp of financial information   mr sullivan told a new york court. on his first day of questioning  mr sullivan admitted to falsifying the company s financial statements.   we did not disclose these adjustments   he said.  we did not talk about these adjustments and the information was false.  mr sullivan said his former boss knew more about accounting matters than many chief financial officers and described him as  detail-oriented .  he portrayed mr ebbers  a charismatic businessman who built up worldcom from a small regional operator into one of america s largest telecoms firms  as obsessed with costs.  he would talk about that there were more coffee filters than coffee bags and that means employees are taking coffee home   he said.  we needed to cut expenses. we needed to cut a lot more than coffee expenses.  mr sullivan is at the centre of the government s case against mr ebbers. mr ebbers could face a sentence of 85 years if convicted of all the charges he is facing.
1187,santini resigns as spurs manager tottenham manager jacques santini has resigned for  personal reasons .  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.
1471,bekele sets sights on world mark olympic 10 000m champion kenenisa bekele is determined to add the world indoor two mile record at february s norwich union grand prix in birmingham.  the 22-year-old will again be chasing a record held by his compatriot and mentor haile gebrselassie  who set the mark at the same meeting in 2003.  i am still as hungry to do as much as i can in this sport   said bekele.  and aiming for the two mile world record in birmingham is the next of those targets.  gebrselassie s current record stands at eight minutes  04.69 seconds. and bekele is no stranger to overhauling world marks at the national indoor arena. the ethiopian broke the world indoor 5 000m record on his debut at the meeting last year. compatriots mulugeta wondimu  abiyote abate and markos geneti  the world indoor bronze medallist over 3000m  will race against bekele on 18 february. the meet has already attracted a crop of olympic talent. britain s 800m and 1500m champion kelly holmes is taking part in the 1000m. swedish heptathlon gold medallist carolina kluft will contest the 60m hurdles. while men s 4x100m relay gold medallists jason gardener and mark lewis-francis will go head-to-head in the 60m.
504,greek duo cleared in doping case sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou have been cleared of doping offences by an independent tribunal.  the duo had been provisionally suspended by the iaaf for allegedly missing three drugs tests  including one on the eve of the athens olympics. but the greek athletics federation tribunal has overturned the bans - a decision which the iaaf can now contest at the court of arbitration for sport. the pair s former coach  christos tzekos  has been banned for four years. kenteris  31  and thanou  30  had been charged with avoiding drug tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens and failing to notify anti-doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics. they withdrew from the olympics after missing a drugs test at the olympic village on 12 august.  the pair then spent four days in a hospital  claiming they had been injured in a motorcycle crash. it was the international olympic committee s demand that the iaaf investigate the affair that led to the hearing of the greek tribunal. the head of that tribunal  kostas panagopoulos  said it had not been proven that the athletes refused to take the test in athens.  the charge cannot be substantiated   he said.  in no way was he (kenteris) informed to appear for a doping test. the same goes for thanou.  kenteris s lawyer  gregory ioannidis  said:  the decision means mr kenteris has been exonerated of highly damaging and unfounded charges which have been extremely harmful for his career.   he has consistently maintained his innocence and this was substantiated by further evidence we were able to submit to the tribunal following its deliberations in january.  this evidence shows mr kenteris was never asked to submit to a test by the international olympic committee so he could not possibly have been guilty of deliberately avoiding one. it shows he has no case to answer.  mr kenteris should now be given the opportunity he deserves to rebuild his career in the full knowledge that there is no stain on his character.  he has suffered greatly throughout this ordeal that has exposed both himself and his family to enormous pressures.  but the iaaf said it was  very surprised  by the verdict. spokesman nick davies said:  we note the decision of the greek authorities with interest.  our doping review board will now consider the english version of the decision.
576,movie body hits peer-to-peer nets the movie industry has struck out at file-sharing networks with another round of lawsuits in the us.  the motion picture association of america (mpaa) also said it had succeeded in getting a network called lokitorrent closed down. it is the latest network which uses the peer-to-peer system called bittorrent to be hit by the mpaa. the mpaa began its legal campaign against operators of similar networks across four continents in december. a dallas court agreed that hollywood lawyers would be allowed access to lokitorrent s server records which could let them single out those who were sharing files illegally. in october 2004  the site had provided links to more than 30 000 files. the action came after the operators of lokitorrent agreed a settlement with the mpaa. a stark message has appeared on the site from the mpaa warning  you can click  but you can t hide . in bittorrent systems  server sites do not host the files being shared. they host links  called  trackers  that direct people to others that have it instead.  as well as filing an unspecified number of file suits across the us  the mpaa said it had given operators that host edonkey servers  take down  notices. hollywood studios are aggressively clamping down on file-sharers who it says infringe copyright laws by copying films and tv programmes then share the files online. but it is now targeting the operators of bittorrent networks themselves. it has filed 100 lawsuits against operators of bittorrent server sites since december. the strategy of hitting those who run the servers which link to copyrighted material is intended to stunt file-sharers  ability to swap content using bittorrent systems. the film industry says the black market for illegally copied videos and dvds already costs them billions every year and it is worried that illegal file-sharing is adding to their losses. in december  the legal action claimed its most high-profile victim. the popular suprnova.org website was forced to close  and others like phoenix torrent followed soon after.
222,world tour for top video gamers two uk gamers are about to embark on a world tour as part of the most lucrative-ever global games tournament.  aaron foster and david treacy have won the right to take part in a tournament offering $1m in total prize money. the cash will be handed out over 10 separate competitions in a continent-hopping contest organised by the cyberathlete professional league. as part of their prize the pair will have their travel costs paid to ensure they can get to the different bouts.  the cpl world tour kicks off in mid-february and the first leg will be in istanbul. all ten bouts of the tournament will be played throughout 2005  each one in a different country. at each stop $50 000 in prize money will be up for grabs. the tournament champion for each leg of the cpl world tour will walk away with a $15 000 prize. the winner of the grand final will get a prize purse of $150 000 from a total pot of $500 000.  winners of each stage of the tour automatically get a place at the next stop. the world tour stops are open to any keen gamer that registers. online registration for the first stop opens this weekend. some pro-players are winning a spot at the tour destinations through qualifying events organised by cpl partners. winners at these qualifiers get seeded higher in the elimination parts of each tournament. mr foster and mr treacy get the chance to attend the world tour as members of the uk s four-kings gaming clan. towards the end of 2004 four-kings staged a series of online painkiller competitions to reveal the uk s top players of the pc game. the best eight players met face-to-face in a special elimination event in late december where mr foster and mr tracey proved their prowess at painkiller. as part of their prize the pair also get a contract with four-kings intel which is one of the uk s few pro-gaming teams.  there are a lot of people who take gaming very seriously and support their local or national team with the same passion as any other sport   said simon bysshe who filmed the event for four-kings and intel. more than 80 000 people have downloaded the movie of the tournament highlights.  professional gaming is here to stay and will only grow in popularity   he said.
95,amnesty chief laments war failure the lack of public outrage about the war on terror is a powerful indictment of the failure of human rights groups  amnesty international s chief has said.  in a lecture at the london school of economics  irene khan said human rights had been flouted in the name of security since 11 september  2001. she said the human rights movement had to use simpler language both to prevent scepticism and spread a moral message. and it had to fight poverty  not just focus on political rights for elites.  ms khan highlighted detentions without trial  including those at the us camp at guantanamo bay in cuba  and the abuse of prisoners as evidence of increasing human rights problems.  what s a new challenge is the way in which this age-old debate on security and human rights has been translated into the language of war   she said.  by using the language of war  human rights are being sidelined because we know human rights do not apply in times of war.  ms khan said such breaches were infectious and were now seen in almost very major country in the world.  the human rights movement faces a crisis of faith in the value of human rights   she said. that was accompanied by a crisis of governance  where the united nations system did not seem able to hold countries to account.  the amnesty secretary-general said a growing gap between the perceived influence of human rights group and what they could actually achieve was fuelling scepticism.  public passivity on the war against terror is the single most powerful indictment on the failures of human rights groups   she said. ms khan said the movement had failed to mobilise public outrage about what was happening to the human rights system. there needed to be a drive to use simpler language  talking about the basic morality of the issues rather than the complexity of legal processes. such efforts could make the issues more relevant to people across the world  she said.  the human rights groups also had to recognise there were new groups which had to be tackled in new ways as power dripped away from state governments. al-qaeda  for example  was not going to be impressed by a traditional amnesty letter writing campaign. more also needed to be done to develop a human rights framework for international business corporations. amnesty international members voted in 2001 to extend the organisation s work from political and civil rights to cover social and economic rights too. ms khan said the human rights movement would make itself irrelevant if it turned away from the suffering caused by economic strife.  we would be an elitist bunch working for the elites  for those who cannot read the newspaper of their choice rather than those who cannot read   she said. despite her concerns  ms khan dubbed herself a  hope-monger   saying she was confident the passions of the human rights movement could overcome the new challenges.
332,cebit fever takes over hanover thousands of products and tens of thousands of visitors make cebit the place to be for technology lovers.   welcome to cebit 2005  was the message from the pilot as we landed  the message on flyers at the airport  and the message on just about every billboard in town. cebit fever has taken over hanover. hotels have been booked out for months; local people are letting out rooms in their homes to the hoards of exhibitors  visitors  and journalists. cebit itself is huge  the exhibition site could almost be classified as a town in its own right.  there are restaurants  shops  and a bus service between the halls - of which there are 27. there are more than 6 000 companies here  showing their latest products. the list of them that i was given when i came in is the size and weight of a phone book. one of the mains themes this year is the digital home  and one of the key buzzwords is convergence.  the  entertainment pc  is being billed as the replacement for dvd players  stereos  telephones and computers - offering a one-box solution  wirelessly connected throughout a house. to show them off  one display has been modelled as a prototype  digital lifestyle home  by german magazine computer reseller news.  we wanted to show how this fits into a living room or workplace  to give people a feeling how it would work in their homes   said claudia neulling from the magazine. the house has webcams for security in each room  which can be called up on the high definition tv  connected to the pc in the living room.  that pc provides home entertainment  movies or music. it can also be linked to the car parked outside  which is kitted out with a processor of its own  along with a dvd player and cordless headphones for the kids in the back.  convergence for me is about how technology  the transfer of data  can do things that make it easier and more convenient for me as a consumer   said mark brailey  director of corporate marketing for intel.  the real challenge is to show people it s easier than they think  and fun.   he firmly believes that entertainment pcs are the future  but says they have to get past people s fears of frequent crashes and incompatibilities. that is something microsoft is trying to do too - its stand has computers running windows xp media centre edition 2005 for people to try out. mobile phones do not escape the convergence theme. samsung is showing off its sgh-i300  a handset with a three gigabyte hard drive  that can be used to watch compressed video or as an mp3 player. and if you would rather watch live tv than a downloaded movie nec is showing a phone  on sale in china  which can show analogue tv on its colour screen.   i think the most probable application is at somewhere like the train station - if you want to check the status of the soccer game for example  said koji umemoto  manager of mobile terminals marketing for nec. he admitted that the signal quality is not very good if you are on the move  and they do not have plans to launch it in europe at the moment. nokia was happy to demonstrate its 6230i  an upgrade to the very popular 6230.  it now has a 1.3 megapixel camera  and a music player that can handle multiple formats  rather than just mp3s. it is also compatible with nokia s new visual radio technology. the handset can receive fm broadcasts  and the user can interact with compatible broadcasts using a gprs connection  to take part in competitions or get extra information such as the name of the song playing. most companies are reluctant to show prototypes  preferring to display products that are already on sale  or just about to hit the market.  portable media player firm creative showed off a new wireless technology  based on magnetic inductance rather than radio - a system some hearing aids use.  the benefits over conventional bluetooth are the lack of interference  and longer battery life   said riccardo de rinaldini  creative s european marketing manager. the firm has a prototype headset linked up to a zen micro player. the transmitter on the player creates a private  magnetic  bubble  around the user  which is picked up by the headset. the range is only about one metre so it is only suitable for personal use. a single aaa battery is said to last up to 30 hours. creative expects it to hit the market in its final form later this year. even clothing is likely to be part of the convergence trend. adidas has a trainer which  according to susanne risse from the company  can  sense  understand  and adapt to your running style . it has a battery  processor  and motor embedded in the sole. buttons on the side allow you to set the amount of cushioning you would like by adjusting the tension on a cable running through the heel. the processor then monitors the surface you are running on  and adjusts the tension accordingly. it is being billed as  the world s first intelligent shoe .
1895,eu software patent law faces axe the european parliament has thrown out a bill that would have allowed software to be patented.  politicians unanimously rejected the bill and now it must go through another round of consultation if it is to have a chance of becoming law. during consultation the software patents bill could be substantially re-drafted or even scrapped. the bill was backed by some hi-tech firms  saying they needed protections it offered to make research worthwhile.  hugo lueders  european director for public policy at comptia  an umbrella organization for technology companies  said only when intellectual property was adequately protected would european inventors prosper. he said the benefits of the bill had been obscured by special interest groups which muddied debate over the rights and wrongs of software patents. other proponents of the bill said it was a good compromise that avoided the excesses of the american system which allows the patenting of business practices as well as software. but opponents of the bill said that it could stifle innovation  be abused by firms keen to protect existing monopolies and could hamper the growth of the open source movement. the proposed law had a troubled passage through the european parliament. its progress was delayed twice when polish meps rejected plans to adopt it. also earlier this month the influential european legal affairs committee (juri) said the law should be re-drafted after it failed to win the support of meps. to become law both the european parliament and a qualified majority of eu states have to approve of the draft wording of the bill. the latest rejection means that now the bill on computer inventions must go back to the eu for re-consideration.
2106,profile: david blunkett before he resigned the position of home secretary on wednesday  david blunkett had been in charge of a substantial body of government portfolios including race  policing and immigration.  his responsibilities in running the home office included civil emergencies  security  terrorism and expenditure. named home secretary after the 2001 general election  mr blunkett had seen the focus on his office intensify. the attacks on the world trade center on 11 september 2001 heightened concern for security and immigration in particular. a labour loyalist from a working class background mr blunkett  57  had been unafraid of pushing for tough changes to labour policy.  recently the issue of identity cards had provoked controversy with questions raised over cost and invasions of civil liberties. mr blunkett was also at the centre of a humiliating scandal involving the former immigration minister beverly hughes. having received his full backing  ms hughes was forced to resign in april over abuses in the visa processing system  which she claimed to be unaware of. mr blunkett s own comments on immigration had prompted censure - he told refugees from afghanistan and kosovo to  get back home  to start rebuilding their countries. and he also urged people from ethnic minorities to develop a  sense of belonging  in britain  telling them to speak english at home. avoiding political correctness is second nature to the former home secretary  who spurns a metropolitan elite and  airy fairy libertarians  and earlier in the year coined the phrase  liberati   as an amalgam of  glitterati  and  liberal . yet in january of this year he courted further controversy over his seemingly liberal reclassification of cannabis  from a grade b to grade c status drug .  before the recent furore  mr blunkett had always appeared more interested in politics than his personal life. mr blunkett told the daily telegraph in 2001 that he continued to wear his wedding ring  in spite of being a divorcee  as  a useful way of ensuring that people don t casually think i am available . he added:  i am not available because i am just getting on with the job.  mr blunkett entered parliament for sheffield brightside in 1987  after first contesting the sheffield hallam seat in 1974. he is one of very few blind mps  and was the first to reach the front bench and the cabinet. his relaxed performances - with his guide dog by his side - at the despatch box  in the labour party s national executive  and on the conference platform made it easy to forget his disability. mr blunkett himself described not being able to see as simply  an inconvenience . using braille for speeches  and briefed by his officials on tape  he also has a sharp tongue at times  and a pragmatic approach to politics.  mr blunkett was schooled in sheffield where he led the city council for seven years before entering the commons. he chaired the labour party nationally  and was a unifying force in the 80s and 90s  shadowing health and education. in tony blair s first government mr blunkett was put in charge of education and employment  where he won big increases in funds for schools  while insisting on improved standards of literacy and numeracy. he was prepared to stand up to the teaching unions - which sometimes heckled his speeches - and his policy of charging university students for tuition fees was not popular. in the labour party he has been regarded as a loyal colleague  a conciliator who avoids factions  and a man whose humour and determination make him widely popular. there have been wry smiles as well. in 1999  his then guide dog lucy threw up in the chamber during the speech of his tory opponent. lucy was replaced by her half-sister  sadie  a black labrador-curly-coated retriever cross  in 2003 after nearly a decade by mr blunkett s side.
1181,reliance unit loses anil ambani anil ambani  the younger of the two brothers in charge of india s largest private company  has resigned from running its petrochemicals subsidiary.  the move is likely to be seen as the latest twist in a feud between mr ambani and his brother mukesh. anil  45  has stepped down as director and vice-chairman of indian petrochemicals corporation (ipc). the company was not available for comment. ipc is 46%-owned by reliance industries which in turn is run by mukesh. mukesh has spoken of ownership issues between the two brothers  who took over control of the reliance empire following the death of their father in july  2002.  reliance s operations have massive reach  covering textiles  telecommunications  petrochemicals  petroleum refining and marketing  as well as oil and gas exploration  insurance and financial services. the brothers  spat has hogged headlines in india during recent weeks  despite a denial from the family that there was anything wrong. speculation has been rife about what has triggered the stand-off  with some observers blaming anil s political ambitions  others the heavy investment by mukesh and reliance in a mobile phone venture. shares of ipc dipped on the news in mumbai  but recovered to trade almost 6% higher. reliance shares added 1.7%  while reliance energy  headed by anil  jumped 7%.
776,london hope over chepkemei london marathon organisers are hoping that banned athlete susan chepkemei will still take part in this year s race on 17 april.  chepkemei was suspended from all competition until the end of the year by athletics kenya after failing to report to a national training camp.  we are watching it closely   said london race director david bedford.  there is a long way to go before the race and we are hoping the situation will be satisfactorily resolved.  the camp in embu was to prepare for the iaaf world cross country championships later this month. chepkemei however took part and finished third in last sunday s world best 10k race in puerto rico. the 29-year-old has finished second to paula radcliffe in the 2002 and 2003 london races as well as in november s new york city marathon.
9,wilkinson fit to face edinburgh england captain jonny wilkinson will make his long-awaited return from injury against edinburgh on saturday.  wilkinson  who has not played since injuring his bicep on 17 october  took part in full-contact training with newcastle falcons on wednesday. and the 25-year-old fly-half will start saturday s heineken cup match at murrayfield on the bench. but newcastle director of rugby rob andrew said:  he s fine and we hope to get him into the game at some stage.  the 25-year-old missed england s autumn internationals after aggravating the haematoma in his upper right arm against saracens. he was subsequently replaced as england captain by full-back jason robinson. sale s charlie hodgson took over the number 10 shirt in the internationals against canada  south africa and australia. wilkinson s year has been disrupted by injury as his muscle problem followed eight months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury sustained in the world cup final.
808,films on war triumph at sundance a study of the united states at war in the past 50 years has picked up one of the main awards at the 2005 sundance film festival in utah  in the us.  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.
1002,god cut from dark materials film the director and screenwriter of the film adaptation of philip pullman s his dark materials is to remove references to god and the church in the movie.  chris weitz  director of about a boy  said the changes were being made after film studio new line expressed concern. the books tell of a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow god.  they have expressed worry about the possibility of perceived anti-religiosity   weitz told a his dark materials fans  website. pullman s trilogy has been attacked by some christian teachers and by the catholic press as blasphemy. weitz  who admitted he would not be many people s first choice to direct the films  said he regarded the film adaptation as  the most important work of my life .   in part because it is one of the few books to have changed my life   he told bridgetothestars.net. the award-winning trilogy - northern lights  the subtle knife and the amber spyglass - tell the story of oxford school child lyra belacqua. she is drawn into an epic struggle against the church  which has been carrying out experiments on children in an attempt to remove original sin.  as the books progress the struggle turns into a battle to overthrow the authority  a figure who is god-like in the books. weitz  who directed american pie and about a boy  said new line feared that any anti-religiosity in the film would make the project  unviable financially . he said:  all my best efforts will be directed towards keeping the film as liberating and iconoclastic an experience as i can.  but there may be some modification of terms.   weitz said he had visited pullman  who had told him that the authority could  represent any arbitrary establishment that curtails the freedom of the individual  whether it be religious  political  totalitarian  fundamentalist  communist  what have you . he added:  i have no desire to change the nature or intentions of the villains of the piece  but they may appear in more subtle guises.  there are a number of christian websites which attack the trilogy for their depiction of the church and of god  but pullman has denied his books are anti-religious. his agent told the times newspaper that pullman was happy with the adaptation so far.  of course new line want to make money  but mr weitz is a wonderful director and philip is very supportive.  you have to recognise that it is a challenge in the climate of bush s america
784,injury doubts beset wales squad wales have a clutch of injury worries before wednesday s international friendly against hungary in cardiff.  west ham s gavin williams (ankle) looks certain to be out  so uncapped wrexham defender stephen roberts is drafted in. defenders danny gabbidon and gareth roberts  plus ryan giggs have hamstring concerns  while there are also doubts over robbie savage (groin). however  manchester united winger giggs is expected to recover in time to earn his 50th cap at the millennium stadium. there were also doubts over gabbidon s fellow cardiff defender rhys weston  but the full-back appears to have shrugged off the knock he picked up in the bluebirds  1-0 loss to west ham on sunday. the news leaves wales boss john toshack short in defence for his first game in charge  with aston villa s mark delaney injured and james collins with the under-21s. that could clear the way for new faces danny collins and dave partridge to make their wales debuts.  coyne (burnley)  jones (wolves)  roberts (wrexham)  collins (sunderland)  edwards (wolves)  gabbidon (cardiff)  page (cardiff)  partridge (motherwell)  ricketts (swansea)  roberts (tranmere)  weston (cardiff)  davies (tottenham)  fletcher (west ham)  giggs (man utd)  koumas (west brom)  robinson (sunderland)  savage (blackburn)  williams (west ham)  bellamy (newcastle)  earnshaw (west brom)  hartson (celtic).
845,why cell will get the hard sell the world is casting its gaze on the cell processor for the first time  but what is so important about it  and why is it so different   the backers of the processor are big names in the computer industry. ibm is one of the largest and most respected chip-makers in the world  providing cutting edge technology to large businesses. sony will be using the chip inside its playstation 3 console  and its dominance of the games market means that it now has a lot of power to dictate the future of computer and gaming platforms. the technology inside the cell is being heralded as revolutionary  from a technical standpoint. traditional computers - whether they are household pcs or playstation 2s - use a single processor to carry out the calculations that run the computer. the cell technology  on the other hand  uses multiple cell processors linked together to run lots of calculations simultaneously.  this gives it processing power an order of magnitude above its competitors. whilst its rivals are working on similar technology  it is sony s which is the most advanced. the speed of computer memory has been slowly increasing over the last few years  but the memory technology that accompanies the cell is a huge leap in performance.  using a technology called xdr  created by american firm rambus  memory can run up to eight times faster than the current standard being promoted by intel. perhaps more important than any of the technology is the cell s role in the imminent  war on living rooms . the big trend predicted for this year is the convergence of computers with home entertainment devices such as dvd players and hi-fis. companies like microsoft and sony believe that there is a lot of money to be made by putting a computer underneath the tv of every household and then offering services such as music and video downloads  as well as giving an individual access to all the media they already own in one place.  microsoft has already made its first tactical move into this area with its windows media center software  which has been adopted by many pc makers. sony had a stab at something similar with the psx - a variation on the playstation - last year in japan  although this attempt was generally seen as a failure. both companies believe that increasing the capabilities of games consoles  to make them as powerful as pcs  will make the technology accessible enough to persuade buyers to give them pride of place on the video rack.  sony and ibm want to make sure that the dominance of the pc market enjoyed by microsoft and intel is not allowed to extend to this market. by creating a radically new architecture  and using that architecture in a games console that is sure to be a huge seller  they hope that the cell processor can become the dominant technology in the living room  shutting out their rivals. once they have established themselves under the tv  there is no doubt that they hope to use this as a base camp to extend their might into our traditional pcs and instigate a regime change on the desktop. cell is  in fact  specifically designed to be deployed throughout the house. the links between the multiple processors can also be extended to reach cell processors in entirely different systems.  sony hopes to put cells in televisions  kitchen appliances and anywhere that could use any sort of computer chip. each cell will be linked to the others  creating a vast home network of computing power. resources of the cells across the house can be pooled to provide more power  and the links can also be used to enable devices to talk to each other  so that you can programme your microwave from your tv  for example. this digital home of the future depends on the widespread adoption of the cell processor and there are  as with all things  a number of reasons it could fail. because the processor is so different  it requires programmers to learn a different way of writing software  and it may be that the changeover is simply too difficult for them to master. you can also guarantee that microsoft and intel are not going to sit around and let cell take over home computing without a fight. microsoft is going to be pushing its xbox 2 as hard as possible to make sure that its technology  not sony s  will be under your tree next christmas. intel will be furiously working on new designs that address the problems of its current chips to create a rival technology to cell  so that it doesn t lose its desktop pc dominance. if cell succeeds in becoming the living room technology of choice  however  it could provide the jump-start to the fully digital home of the future. the revolution might not be televised  but it could well be played with a videogame controller.
1416,row brewing over peer-to-peer ads music download networks are proving popular not just with an audience of youngsters keen to take advantage of free music but with advertisers equally keen to reach out to a captive audience.  the debate over the legitimacy of file-sharing networks rages on as the music industry continues its threats to close the services down for good. meanwhile the millions of downloaders are proving both an advertiser s dream come true and a branding nightmare. paul myers  chief executive of wippit - a peer to peer service which provides paid-for music downloads - believes it is time advertisers stopped providing  oxygen  for companies that support illegal downloading.  you may be surprised to know that current advertisers on the most popular peer to peer service edonkey who now steadfastly support copyright theft with real cash money include nat west  vodafone  o2  first direct  ntl  and renault   he said in an open letter to the british phonographic industry last month.  he urged people to follow his lead and  dump  brands associated with companies such as edonkey. the bpi is equally quick to condemn established brands becoming bedfellows with peer to peer networks.  networks like edonkey  kazaa and grokster facilitate illegal filesharing. the bpi strongly believes that any reputable company should look carefully at the support they are giving these networks through their advertising revenue   it said in a statement.  illegal file-sharers steal millions of pounds worth of music through these services. we are sure that the companies advertising on them would not put up with theft on such a scale from their own businesses   it said. but the issue is often more complicated for advertisers  said mark mulligan  a music analyst with jupiter research.  this has been a problem for a long time  ever since the days of napster   he told the bbc news website.  the reality is that the millions of downloaders represent a very attractive audience.  advertisers probably pay a lot less for putting ads here than on more respected sites and they are reaching the perfect target audience   he said.  if you put the legality issues aside  not to advertise here would mean missing out on a valuable audience   he added. meanwhile companies contacted by the bbc news website insist that they were not directly aware of where their ads have been appearing. onetel adverts were spotted on edonkey this week and its response was typical.  we have investigated this matter and believe that one of our affiliate partners has placed this advert without our knowledge. it is not our policy to advertise through peer-to-peer networks   read a statement from the discount phone firm. it has requested the advert be removed immediately  said a spokeswoman. similarly telecommunications firm ntl blames its media buying agency which places adverts with third party networks featuring thousands of sites. since the matter was brought to its attention last month  the agency has strict instructions to make sure ads do not appear on such sites  a spokesman told the bbc news website.  however mr mulligan was not entirely convinced by these explanations. while smaller brands might not necessarily be aware of where the money they allocate to online advertising actually ends  this is no excuse for well-known brands  he said.  i would be surprised if these brands didn t have the know-how to prevent this happening   he said. at the moment edonkey is enjoying the benefits of having some very well-known faces advert on its network.  many big brands have leveraged the opportunity  including perhaps two of the biggest brands in the world - senator john kerry and president george w. bush   said chief executive sam yagan. there are some distinct advantages of advertising on such a network  he thinks.  peer-to-peer clients offer big brands a unique opportunity to engage with their customers where they re most comfortable: at their desks interacting with their favourite digital media   he said.
1762,campese berates whingeing england former australian wing david campese has told england to stop whingeing in the wake of their defeat to ireland.  england coach andy robinson lambasted referee jonathan kaplan for costing them the game after disallowing tries from mark cueto and josh lewsey. but campese told bbc sport:  robinson is living up to england s reputation as whingeing poms.  stop going on about it as who really cares  they re acting like they re the first team to be cheated of a win.   england are contemplating a complaint to the international rugby board after potential  tries  by cueto in the first half and lewsey late on were ruled out without recourse to the video referee. but campese added:  scotland could have beaten france in the same way  but do you see them whingeing   basically  things didn t go england s way and  in typical fashion  they make more of it when they believe they ve lost unfairly.   england are second bottom in the six nations table following defeats by wales  france and ireland. but although campese admitted he was surprised about their current predicament  he insisted england were  no longer world class .  england are beginning to realise that being world champions doesn t mean you deserve to win every game   he said.  they lost a few key players and suddenly everyone s realised the ones on the fringes were not all that good in the first place.  added to that  the senior players aren t standing up and they can t do anything when the pressure mounts.   campese  a veteran of 101 international caps  said full-back jason robinson would now be the sole englishman in his world xv. robinson has been blamed for poor leadership in the tournament  while his coach has been castigated for appointing a full-back captain.  i agree that you can t captain from full-back   said campese.  you need someone in the thick of the action  and it s very hard to give orders from all the way back there.  some people are leaders and some aren t. he s not but there s no one who stands out in england s pack - no clear-cut leaders.  campese  though  defended coach andy robinson  who he believes was the  only choice  after sir clive woodward s resignation.  but he blamed  a lack of talent in the england camp  for making the current coach look poor. england face a potential wooden spoon match against italy on 12 march. and the ex-wallaby added:  if england lost that  they d be in bloody turmoil. that said  i don t think they will.  campese has tipped wales to win both the six nations and grand slam come the end of the tournament.  it s been a surprising tournament   he said   and maybe ireland have a little bit more talent overall.  but playing at home is a major boost. and the possible grand slam decider at the millennium stadium will be just too much for the irish.
525,disney backs sony dvd technology a next generation dvd technology backed by sony has received a major boost.  film giant disney says it will produce its future dvds using sony s blu-ray disc technology  but has not ruled out a rival format developed by toshiba. the two competing dvd formats  blu-ray developed by sony and others  and toshiba s hd-dvd  have been courting top film studios for several months. the next generation of dvds promises very high quality pictures and sound  as well as a lot of data. both technologies use a blue laser to write information. it has a shorter wavelength so more data can be stored. disney is the latest studio to announce which technology it is backing in a format battle which mirrors the 1980s betamax versus vhs 

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