BRITAIN: BLAIR WARNS OF CLIMATE THREAT Prime Minister Tony Blair urged the international community to consider global warming a dire threat and agree on a plan of action to curb the  quot;alarming quot; growth of greenhouse gases.

PC World - Upcoming chip set will include built-in security features for your PC.

Newspapers in Greece reflect a mixture of exhilaration that the Athens Olympics proved successful, and relief that they passed off without any major setback.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Apple Computer (Quote, Chart) unveiled a batch of new iPods, iTunes software and promos designed to keep it atop the heap of digital music players.

Any product, any shape, any size -- manufactured on your desktop! The future is the fabricator. By Bruce Sterling from Wired magazine.

KABUL, Sept 22 (AFP): Three US soldiers were killed and 14 wounded in a series of fierce clashes with suspected Taliban fighters in south and eastern Afghanistan this week, the US military said Wednesday.

The EU and US moved closer to an aviation trade war after failing to reach agreement during talks Thursday on subsidies to Airbus Industrie.

AUSTRALIAN journalist John Martinkus is lucky to be alive after spending 24 hours in the hands of Iraqi militants at the weekend. Martinkus was in Baghdad working for the SBS Dateline TV current affairs program 

 GAZA (Reuters) - An Israeli helicopter fired a missile into  a town in the southern Gaza Strip late on Wednesday, witnesses  said, hours after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew herself up  in Jerusalem, killing two Israeli border policemen.

The Microsoft CEO says one way to stem growing piracy of Windows and Office in emerging markets is to offer low-cost computers.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi police are seeking two young men in the killing of a Briton in a Riyadh parking lot, the Interior Ministry said today, and the British ambassador called it a terrorist attack.

Loudon, NH -- As the rain began falling late Friday afternoon at New Hampshire International Speedway, the rich in the Nextel Cup garage got richer.

PalmSource surprised the mobile vendor community today with the announcement that it will acquire China MobileSoft (CMS), ostensibly to leverage that company's expertise in building a mobile version of the Linux operating system.

JEFFERSON CITY - An election security expert has raised questions about Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt #39;s plan to let soldiers at remote duty stations or in combat areas cast their ballots with the help of e-mail.

A gas explosion at a coal mine in northern China killed 33 workers in the 10th deadly mine blast reported in three months. The explosion occurred yesterday at 4:20 pm at Nanlou township 

Reuters - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called\Israel "the Zionist enemy" Tuesday, unprecedented language for\the relative moderate who is expected to succeed Yasser Arafat.

AP - Ottawa Senators right wing Marian Hossa is switching European teams during the NHL lockout.

A new, optional log-on service from America Online that makes it harder for scammers to access a persons online account will not be available for Macintosh 

Nasser al-Qidwa, Palestinian representative at the United Nations and nephew of late leader Yasser Arafat, handed Arafat #39;s death report to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) on Saturday.

CAIRO, Egypt - France's foreign minister appealed Monday for the release of two French journalists abducted in Baghdad, saying the French respect all religions. He did not rule out traveling to Baghdad...

Chelsea terminated Romania striker Adrian Mutu #39;s contract, citing gross misconduct after the player failed a doping test for cocaine and admitted taking the drug, the English soccer club said in a statement.

United Arab Emirates President and ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nayhan died Tuesday, official television reports. He was 86.

PALESTINIAN leader Yasser Arafat today issued an urgent call for the immediate release of two French journalists taken hostage in Iraq.

The al-Qaida terrorist network spent less than \$50,000 on each of its major attacks except for the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings, and one of its hallmarks is using 

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nike Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NKE.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;NKE.N&lt;/A&gt;, the world's  largest athletic shoe company, on Monday reported a 25 percent  rise in quarterly profit, beating analysts' estimates, on  strong demand for high-end running and basketball shoes in the  United States.

A FATHER who scaled the walls of a Cardiff court dressed as superhero Robin said the Buckingham Palace protester posed no threat. Fathers 4 Justice activist Jim Gibson, who earlier this year staged an eye-catching 

NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - US stocks traded mixed Thurday as Merck shares lost a quarter of their value, dragging blue chips lower, but the Nasdaq moved higher, buoyed by gains in the semiconductor sector.

Julia Gillard has reportedly bowed out of the race to become shadow treasurer, taking enormous pressure off Opposition Leader Mark Latham.

It #39;s official. Microsoft recently stated definitivelyand contrary to rumorsthat there will be no new versions of Internet Explorer for users of older versions of Windows.

The success of Paris #39; bid for Olympic Games 2012 would bring an exceptional development for France for at least 6 years, said Jean-Francois Lamour, French minister for Youth and Sports on Tuesday.

AFP - Maybe it's something to do with the fact that the playing area is so vast that you need a good pair of binoculars to see the action if it's not taking place right in front of the stands.

Egypt #39;s release of accused Israeli spy Azzam Azzam in an apparent swap for six Egyptian students held on suspicion of terrorism is expected to melt the ice and perhaps result 

Chips that help a computer's main microprocessors perform specific types of math problems are becoming a big business once again.\

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Hamas militants killed an Israeli soldier and wounded four with an explosion in a booby-trapped chicken coop on Tuesday, in what the Islamic group said was an elaborate scheme to lure troops to the area with the help of a double 

A rocket carrying two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut to the international space station streaked into orbit on Thursday, the latest flight of a Russian space vehicle to fill in for grounded US shuttles.

Bankrupt ATA Airlines #39; withdrawal from Chicago #39;s Midway International Airport presents a juicy opportunity for another airline to beef up service in the Midwest 

AP - The 300 men filling out forms in the offices of an Iranian aid group were offered three choices: Train for suicide attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq, for suicide attacks against Israelis or to assassinate British author Salman Rushdie.

ATHENS, Greece - Gail Devers, the most talented yet star-crossed hurdler of her generation, was unable to complete even one hurdle in 100-meter event Sunday - failing once again to win an Olympic hurdling medal.    Devers, 37, who has three world championships in the hurdles but has always flopped at the Olympics, pulled up short and screamed as she slid under the first hurdle...

OCTOBER 12, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Microsoft Corp. #39;s monthly patch release cycle may be making it more predictable for users to deploy software updates, but there appears to be little letup in the number of holes being discovered in the company #39;s software 

Wearable tech goes mainstream as the Gap introduces jacket with built-in radio.\

Madison, WI (Sports Network) - Anthony Davis ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 6 Wisconsin over Northwestern, 24-12, to celebrate Homecoming weekend at Camp Randall Stadium.

LaVar Arrington participated in his first practice since Oct. 25, when he aggravated a knee injury that sidelined him for 10 games.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billie Jean King cut her final tie  with the U.S. Fed Cup team Tuesday when she retired as coach.

The Instinet Group, owner of one of the largest electronic stock trading systems, is for sale, executives briefed on the plan say.

Funding round of \$105 million brings broadband Internet telephony company's total haul to \$208 million.

The Miami Dolphins arrived for their final exhibition game last night in New Orleans short nine players.

washingtonpost.com - Anthony Casalena was 17 when he got his first job as a programmer for a start-up called HyperOffice, a software company that makes e-mail and contact management applications for the Web. Hired as an intern, he became a regular programmer after two weeks and rewrote the main product line.

The Auburn Hills-based Chrysler Group made a profit of \$269 million in the third quarter, even though worldwide sales and revenues declined, contributing to a \$1.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- UAL Corp., parent of United Airlines, said Wednesday it will overhaul its route structure to reduce costs and offset rising fuel costs.

 NAIROBI (Reuters) - The Sudanese government and its  southern rebel opponents have agreed to sign a pledge in the  Kenyan capital on Friday to formally end a brutal 21-year-old  civil war, with U.N. Security Council ambassadors as witnesses.

AP - From LSU at No. 1 to Ohio State at No. 10, The AP women's basketball poll had no changes Monday.

nother stage victory for race leader Petter Solberg, his fifth since the start of the rally. The Subaru driver is not pulling away at a fast pace from Gronholm and Loeb but the gap is nonetheless increasing steadily.

The fossilized neck bones of a 230-million-year-old sea creature have features suggesting that the animal #39;s snakelike throat could flare open and create suction that would pull in prey.

IBM late on Tuesday announced the biggest update of its popular WebSphere business software in two years, adding features such as automatically detecting and fixing problems.

April 1980 -- Players strike the last eight days of spring training. Ninety-two exhibition games are canceled. June 1981 -- Players stage first midseason strike in history.

AP - Former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo  #151; suspected of corruption at home  #151; is living and working part-time in the same Mexican city he fled two decades ago to avoid arrest on murder charges, his close associates told The Associated Press on Sunday.

AP - British entrepreneur Richard Branson said Monday that his company plans to launch commercial space flights over the next few years.

Annual economic growth in China has slowed for the third quarter in a row, falling to 9.1 per cent, third-quarter data shows. The slowdown shows the economy is responding to Beijing #39;s efforts to rein in break-neck investment and lending.

washingtonpost.com - BRUSSELS, Aug. 26 -- The United States will have to wait until next year to see its fight with the European Union over biotech foods resolved, as the World Trade Organization agreed to an E.U. request to bring scientists into the debate, officials said Thursday.

A group of Internet security and instant messaging providers have teamed up to detect and thwart the growing threat of IM and peer-to-peer viruses and worms, they said this week.

On Sunday, the day after Ohio State dropped to 0-3 in the Big Ten with a 33-7 loss at Iowa, the Columbus Dispatch ran a single word above its game story on the Buckeyes:  quot;Embarrassing.

Insisting that Hurriyat Conference is the real representative of Kashmiris, Pakistan has claimed that India is not ready to accept ground realities in Kashmir.

THE All-India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) on Saturday called off its seven-day strike after finalising an agreement with the Government on the contentious issue of service tax and the various demands including tax deducted at source (TDS), scrapping 

BOSTON - Curt Schilling got his 20th win on the eve of Boston #39;s big series with the New York Yankees. Now he wants much more.  quot;In a couple of weeks, hopefully, it will get a lot better, quot; he said after becoming 

Shooed the ghosts of the Bambino and the Iron Horse and the Yankee Clipper and the Mighty Mick, on his 73rd birthday, no less, and turned Yankee Stadium into a morgue.

Gold medal-winning Marlon Devonish says the men #39;s 4x100m Olympic relay triumph puts British sprinting back on the map. Devonish, Darren Campbell, Jason Gardener and Mark Lewis-Francis edged out the American 

AP - The euro-zone economy grew by 0.5 percent in the second quarter of 2004, a touch slower than in the first three months of the year, according to initial estimates released Tuesday by the European Union.

His first space flight was in 1965 when he piloted the first manned Gemini mission. Later he made two trips to the moon -- orbiting during a 1969 flight and then walking on the lunar surface during a mission in 1972.

he difficult road conditions created a few incidents in the first run of the Epynt stage. Francois Duval takes his second stage victory since the start of the rally, nine tenths better than Sebastien Loeb #39;s performance in second position.

VIENNA -- After two years of investigating Iran's atomic program, the UN nuclear watchdog still cannot rule out that Tehran has a secret atom bomb project as Washington insists, the agency's chief said yesterday.

By RACHEL KONRAD    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- EBay Inc., which has been aggressively expanding in Asia, plans to increase its stake in South Korea's largest online auction company.    The Internet auction giant said Tuesday night that it would purchase nearly 3 million publicly held shares of Internet Auction Co...

AFP - US Secretary of State Colin Powell wrapped up a three-nation tour of Asia after winning pledges from Japan, China and South Korea to press North Korea to resume stalled talks on its nuclear weapons programs.

Tallahassee, FL (Sports Network) - Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden has suspended senior wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe for the Seminoles #39; game against fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Duke on Saturday.

A few years ago, casinos across the United States were closing their poker rooms to make space for more popular and lucrative slot machines.

CAIRO, Egypt An Egyptian company says one of its four workers who had been kidnapped in Iraq has been freed. It says it can #39;t give the status of the others being held hostage but says it is  quot;doing its best to secure quot; their release.

WASHINGTON -- Consumers were tightfisted amid soaring gasoline costs in August and hurricane-related disruptions last week sent applications for jobless benefits to their highest level in seven months.

Talking kitchens and vanities. Musical jump ropes and potty seats. Blusterous miniature leaf blowers and vacuum cleaners -- almost as loud as the real things.

Online merchants in the United States have become better at weeding out fraudulent credit card orders, a new survey indicates. But shipping overseas remains a risky venture. By Joanna Glasner.

Former champion Lleyton Hewitt bristled, battled and eventually blossomed as he took another step towards a second US Open title with a second-round victory over Moroccan Hicham Arazi on Friday.

AP - China's biggest computer maker, Lenovo Group, said Wednesday it has acquired a majority stake in International Business Machines Corp.'s personal computer business for  #36;1.75 billion, one of the biggest Chinese overseas acquisitions ever.

Popping a gadget into a cradle to recharge it used to mean downtime, but these days chargers are doing double duty, keeping your portable devices playing even when they're charging.

AFP - Hosts India braced themselves for a harrowing chase on a wearing wicket in the first Test after Australia declined to enforce the follow-on here.

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Texas Instruments Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=TXN.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;TXN.N&lt;/A&gt;,  the largest maker of chips for cellular phones, on Monday said  record demand for its handset and television chips boosted  quarterly profit by 26 percent, even as it struggles with a  nagging inventory problem.

LONDON ARM Holdings, a British semiconductor designer, said on Monday that it would buy Artisan Components for \$913 million to broaden its product range.

Big evolutionary insights sometimes come in little packages. Witness the startling discovery, in a cave on the eastern Indonesian island of Flores, of the partial skeleton of a half-size Homo species that 

Prime Minister Paul Martin of Canada urged Haitian leaders on Sunday to allow the political party of the deposed president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to take part in new elections.

Hostage takers holding up to 240 people at a school in southern Russia have refused to talk with a top Islamic leader and demanded to meet with regional leaders instead, ITAR-TASS reported on Wednesday.

As the Mets round out their search for a new manager, the club is giving a last-minute nod to its past. Wally Backman, an infielder for the Mets from 1980-88 who played second base on the 1986 

MELBOURNE: Global shopping mall owner Westfield Group will team up with Australian developer Multiplex Group to bid 585mil (US\$1.

Three children from a care home are missing on the Lancashire moors after they are separated from a group.

Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader may get all the glory, but a new Star Wars video game finally gives credit to the everyday grunts who couldn #39;t summon the Force for help.

AMSTERDAM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Midfielder Edgar Davids #39;s leadership qualities and never-say-die attitude have earned him the captaincy of the Netherlands under new coach Marco van Basten. 

COUNTY KILKENNY, Ireland (PA) -- Hurricane Jeanne has led to world No. 1 Vijay Singh pulling out of this week #39;s WGC-American Express Championship at Mount Juliet.

Green Bay, WI (Sports Network) - The Green Bay Packers will be without the services of Pro Bowl center Mike Flanagan for the remainder of the season, as he will undergo left knee surgery.

Diabetics should test their blood sugar levels more regularly to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, a study says.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- NCAA investigators will return to Ohio State University Monday to take another look at the football program after the latest round of allegations made by former players, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.

 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Federal authorities raided three  Washington, D.C.-area video game stores and arrested two people  for modifying video game consoles to play pirated video games,  a video game industry group said on Wednesday.

Manchester United gave Alex Ferguson a 1,000th game anniversary present by reaching the last 16 of the Champions League yesterday, while four-time winners Bayern Munich romped into the second round with a 5-1 beating of Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announced that proceedings would begin against former Baath Party leaders.

Reuters - Delta Air Lines Inc. , which is\racing to cut costs to avoid bankruptcy, on Wednesday reported\a wider quarterly loss amid soaring fuel prices and weak\domestic airfares.

Energy utility TXU Corp. on Monday more than quadrupled its quarterly dividend payment and raised its projected earnings for 2004 and 2005 after a companywide performance review.

Northwest Airlines Corp., the fourth- largest US airline, and its pilots union reached tentative agreement on a contract that would cut pay and benefits, saving the company \$265 million a year.

The last time the Angels played the Texas Rangers, they dropped two consecutive shutouts at home in their most agonizing lost weekend of the season.

Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O and cable television provider Comcast Corp. CMCSA.O said on Monday that they would begin deploying set-top boxes powered by Microsoft software starting next week.

SEATTLE - Chasing a nearly forgotten ghost of the game, Ichiro Suzuki broke one of baseball #39;s oldest records Friday night, smoking a single up the middle for his 258th hit of the year and breaking George Sisler #39;s record for the most hits in a season 

Grace Park, her caddie - and fans - were poking around in the desert brush alongside the 18th fairway desperately looking for her ball.

Philippines mobile phone operator Smart Communications Inc. is in talks with Singapore #39;s Mobile One for a possible tie-up, BusinessWorld reported Monday.

Washington Redskins kicker John Hall strained his right groin during practice Thursday, his third leg injury of the season. Hall will be held out of practice Friday and is questionable for Sunday #39;s game against the Chicago Bears.

Airline warns it may file for bankruptcy if too many senior pilots take early retirement option. Delta Air LInes #39; CEO says it faces bankruptcy if it can #39;t slow the pace of pilots taking early retirement.

A toxic batch of home-brewed alcohol has killed 31 people in several towns in central Pakistan, police and hospital officials say.

Thornbugs communicate by vibrating the branches they live on. Now scientists are discovering just what the bugs are "saying."

The Florida Gators and Arkansas Razorbacks meet for just the sixth time Saturday. The Gators hold a 4-1 advantage in the previous five meetings, including last year #39;s 33-28 win.

Kodak Versamark #39;s parent company, Eastman Kodak Co., reported Tuesday it plans to eliminate almost 900 jobs this year in a restructuring of its overseas operations.

A top official of the US Food and Drug Administration said Friday that he and his colleagues  quot;categorically reject quot; earlier Congressional testimony that the agency has failed to protect the public against dangerous drugs.

 BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea is committed to holding  six-party talks aimed at resolving the crisis over its nuclear  weapons program, but has not indicated when, a top British  official said on Tuesday.

AP - 1941  #151; Brooklyn catcher Mickey Owen dropped a third strike on Tommy Henrich of what would have been the last out of a Dodgers victory against the New York Yankees. Given the second chance, the Yankees scored four runs for a 7-4 victory and a 3-1 lead in the World Series, which they ended up winning.

Federal prosecutors cracked a global cartel that had illegally fixed prices of memory chips in personal computers and servers for three years.

AP - Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison reiterated his determination to prevail in a long-running takeover battle with rival business software maker PeopleSoft Inc., predicting the proposed deal will create a more competitive company with improved customer service.

Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal was arrested on drunken driving charges Friday, his second D.U.I. arrest in four years.

AFP - British retailer Marks and Spencer announced a major management shake-up as part of efforts to revive its fortunes, saying trading has become tougher ahead of the crucial Christmas period.

 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's interim government extended the  closure of Baghdad international airport indefinitely on  Saturday under emergency rule imposed ahead of this week's  U.S.-led offensive on Falluja.

 ATHENS (Reuters) - Natalie Coughlin's run of bad luck  finally took a turn for the better when she won the gold medal  in the women's 100 meters backstroke at the Athens Olympics  Monday.

 ATLANTA (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=HD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;HD.N&lt;/A&gt;, the top home  improvement retailer, on Tuesday reported a 15 percent rise in  third-quarter profit, topping estimates, aided by installed  services and sales to contractors.

 LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar fought back from one-month  lows against the euro and Swiss franc on Wednesday as investors  viewed its sell-off in the wake of the Federal Reserve's  verdict on interest rates as overdone.

Rivaling Bush vs. Kerry for bitterness, doctors and trial lawyers are squaring off this fall in an unprecedented four-state struggle over limiting malpractice awards...

Boston Scientific Corp said on Friday it has recalled an ear implant the company acquired as part of its purchase of Advanced Bionics in June.

AP - Pedro Feliz hit a tiebreaking grand slam with two outs in the eighth inning for his fourth hit of the day, and the Giants helped their playoff chances with a 9-5 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.

MarketWatch.com. Richemont sees significant H1 lift, unclear on FY (2:53 AM ET) LONDON (CBS.MW) -- Swiss luxury goods maker Richemont(zz:ZZ:001273145: news, chart, profile), which also is a significant 

Crude oil climbed more than \$1 in New York on the re-election of President George W. Bush, who has been filling the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

AP - Hundreds of tribesmen gathered Tuesday near the area where suspected al-Qaida-linked militants are holding two Chinese engineers and demanding safe passage to their reputed leader, a former U.S. prisoner from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, officials and residents said.

AP - Scientists warned Tuesday that a long-term increase in global temperature of 3.5 degrees could threaten Latin American water supplies, reduce food yields in Asia and result in a rise in extreme weather conditions in the Caribbean.

AP - Further proof New York's real estate market is inflated: The city plans to sell space on top of lampposts to wireless phone companies for  #36;21.6 million a year.

In an alarming development, high-precision equipment and materials which could be used for making nuclear bombs have disappeared from some Iraqi facilities, the United Nations watchdog agency has said.

Yukos #39; largest oil-producing unit regained power supplies from Tyumenenergo, a Siberia-based electricity generator, Friday after the subsidiary pledged to pay 440 million rubles (\$15 million) in debt by Oct. 3.

The rollout of new servers and networking switches in stores is part of a five-year agreement supporting 7-Eleven #39;s Retail Information System.

Top Hollywood studios have launched a wave of court cases against internet users who illegally download film files. The Motion Picture Association of America, which acts as the representative of major film 

AUSTRALIANS went into a television-buying frenzy the run-up to the Athens Olympics, suggesting that as a nation we could easily have scored a gold medal for TV purchasing.

US STOCKS vacillated yesterday as rising oil prices muted Wall Streets excitement over strong results from Lehman Brothers and Sprints \$35 billion acquisition of Nextel Communications.

The next time you are in your bedroom with your PC plus Webcam switched on, don #39;t think that your privacy is all intact. If you have a Webcam plugged into an infected computer, there is a possibility that 

At the head of the class, Rosabeth Moss Kanter is an intellectual whirlwind: loud, expansive, in constant motion.

LEVERKUSEN/ROME, Dec 7 (SW) - Dynamo Kiev, Bayer Leverkusen, and Real Madrid all have a good chance of qualifying for the Champions League Round of 16 if they can get the right results in Group F on Wednesday night.

Ed Hinkel made a diving, fingertip catch for a key touchdown and No. 16 Iowa stiffened on defense when it needed to most to beat Iowa State 17-10 Saturday.

During last Sunday #39;s Nextel Cup race, amid the ongoing furor over Dale Earnhardt Jr. #39;s salty language, NBC ran a commercial for a show coming on later that night called  quot;Law  amp; Order: Criminal Intent.

AP - After playing in hail, fog and chill, top-ranked Southern California finishes its season in familiar comfort. The Trojans (9-0, 6-0 Pacific-10) have two games at home  #151; against Arizona on Saturday and Notre Dame on Nov. 27  #151; before their rivalry game at UCLA.

A US airman dies and two are hurt as a helicopter crashes due to technical problems in western Afghanistan.

Jacques Chirac has ruled out any withdrawal of French troops from Ivory Coast, despite unrest and anti-French attacks, which have forced the evacuation of thousands of Westerners.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reshuffled his cabinet yesterday, replacing several top ministers in an effort to boost his popularity, consolidate political support and quicken the pace of reforms in the world #39;s second-largest economy.

The remnants of Hurricane Jeanne rained out Monday's game between the Mets and the Atlanta Braves. It will be made up Tuesday as part of a doubleheader.

AP - NASCAR is not expecting any immediate changes to its top-tier racing series following the merger between telecommunications giant Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc.

AP - Shawn Fanning's Napster software enabled countless music fans to swap songs on the Internet for free, turning him into the recording industry's enemy No. 1 in the process.

TBILISI (Reuters) - At least two Georgian soldiers were killed and five wounded in artillery fire with separatists in the breakaway region of South Ossetia, Georgian officials said on Wednesday. 

Like wide-open races? You #39;ll love the Big 12 North. Here #39;s a quick morning line of the Big 12 North as it opens conference play this weekend.

Reuters - Walt Disney Co.  is\increasing investment in video games for hand-held devices and\plans to look for acquisitions of small game publishers and\developers, Disney consumer products Chairman Andy Mooney said\on Monday.

Taquan Dean scored 22 points, Francisco Garcia added 19 and No. 13 Louisville withstood a late rally to beat Florida 74-70 Saturday.

BANGKOK - A UN conference last week banned commercial trade in the rare Irrawaddy dolphin, a move environmentalists said was needed to save the threatened species.

Laksamana.Net - Two Indonesian female migrant workers freed by militants in Iraq are expected to arrive home within a day or two, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Wednesday (6/10/04).

A bitter row between America and the European Union over alleged subsidies to rival aircraft makers Boeing and Airbus intensified yesterday.

PC World - Updated antivirus software for businesses adds intrusion prevention features.

NEW YORK -- This was all about Athens, about redemption for one and validation for the other. Britain's Paula Radcliffe, the fastest female marathoner in history, failed to finish either of her Olympic races last summer. South Africa's Hendrik Ramaala was a five-ringed dropout, too, reinforcing his reputation as a man who could go only half the distance.

Reuters - Online media company Yahoo Inc.\ late on Monday rolled out tests of redesigned start\pages for its popular Yahoo.com and My.Yahoo.com sites.

Amsterdam (pts) - Dutch electronics company Philips http://www.philips.com has announced today, Friday, that it has cut its stake in Atos Origin by more than a half.

TORONTO (CP) - Two-thirds of banks around the world have reported an increase in the volume of suspicious activities that they report to police, a new report by KPMG suggests.

The Sun may have captured thousands or even millions of asteroids from another planetary system during an encounter more than four billion years ago, astronomers are reporting.

LONDON -- Ernie Els has set his sights on an improved putting display this week at the World Golf Championships #39; NEC Invitational in Akron, Ohio, after the disappointment of tying for fourth place at the PGA Championship last Sunday. 

The Atkins diet frenzy slowed growth briefly, but the sandwich business is booming, with \$105 billion in sales last year.

Luxury carmaker Jaguar said Friday it was stopping production at a factory in central England, resulting in a loss of 1,100 jobs, following poor sales in the key US market.

A bus was hijacked today and shots were fired at police who surrounded it on the outskirts of Athens. Police did not know how many passengers were aboard the bus.

AP - President Bashar Assad shuffled his Cabinet on Monday, just weeks after the United States and the United Nations challenged Syria over its military presence in Lebanon and the security situation along its border with Iraq.

Fiji #39;s Vijay Singh replaced Tiger Woods as the world #39;s No.1 ranked golfer today by winning the PGA Deutsche Bank Championship.

LEIPZIG, Germany : Jurgen Klinsmann enjoyed his first home win as German manager with his team defeating ten-man Cameroon 3-0 in a friendly match.

AP - Kevin Brown had a chance to claim a place in Yankees postseason history with his start in Game 7 of the AL championship series.

Reuters - High-definition television can\show the sweat beading on an athlete's brow, but the cost of\all the necessary electronic equipment can get a shopper's own\pulse racing.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Kurt Busch got his first big break in NASCAR by winning a 1999 talent audition nicknamed  quot;The Gong Show. quot; He was selected from dozens of unknown, young race drivers to work for one of the sport #39;s most famous team owners, Jack Roush.

AP - President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill confirming Russia's ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, the Kremlin said Friday, clearing the way for the global climate pact to come into force early next year.

John Gibson said Friday that he decided to resign as chief executive officer of Halliburton Energy Services when it became apparent he couldn #39;t become the CEO of the entire corporation, after getting a taste of the No.

MacCentral - Apple Computer Inc. on Monday released an update for Apple Remote Desktop (ARD), the company's software solution to assist Mac system administrators and computer managers with asset management, software distribution and help desk support. ARD 2.1 includes several enhancements and bug fixes.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Outback Steakhouse Inc. said Tuesday it lost about 130 operating days and up to \$2 million in revenue because it had to close some restaurants in the South due to Hurricane Charley. 

State insurance commissioners from across the country have proposed new rules governing insurance brokerage fees, winning praise from an industry group and criticism from 

AP - The authenticity of newly unearthed memos stating that George W. Bush failed to meet standards of the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War was questioned Thursday by the son of the late officer who reportedly wrote the memos.

Zurich, Switzerland (Sports Network) - Former world No. 1 Venus Williams advanced on Thursday and will now meet Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals at the \$1.

INDIA #39;S cricket chiefs began a frenetic search today for a broadcaster to show next month #39;s home series against world champion Australia after cancelling a controversial \$US308 million (\$440 million) television deal.

Canadian Press - OAKVILLE, Ont. (CP) - The body of a missing autistic man was pulled from a creek Monday, just metres from where a key piece of evidence was uncovered but originally overlooked because searchers had the wrong information.

SOFTWARE giant Oracle #39;s stalled \$7.7bn (4.2bn) bid to take over competitor PeopleSoft has received a huge boost after a US judge threw out an anti-trust lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice to block the acquisition.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged Beijing to ensure the city is ready to host the 2008 Games well in advance, an official said on Wednesday.

AFP - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder arrived in Libya for an official visit during which he is to hold talks with Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi.

The fastest-swiveling space science observatory ever built rocketed into orbit on Saturday to scan the universe for celestial explosions.

The government will examine claims 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed since the US-led invasion, Jack Straw says.

Virginia Tech scores 24 points off four first-half turnovers in a 55-6 wipeout of Maryland on Thursday to remain alone atop the ACC.

Copernic Unleashes Desktop Search Tool\\Copernic Technologies Inc. today announced Copernic Desktop Search(TM) (CDS(TM)), "The Search Engine For Your PC (TM)." Copernic has used the experience gained from over 30 million downloads of its Windows-based Web search software to develop CDS, a desktop search product that users are saying is far ...

The DVD Forum moved a step further toward the advent of HD DVD media and drives with the approval of key physical specifications at a meeting of the organisations steering committee last week.

Eton College and Clarence House joined forces yesterday to deny allegations due to be made at an employment tribunal today by a former art teacher that she improperly helped Prince Harry secure an A-level pass in art two years ago.

AFP - Great Britain's chances of qualifying for the World Group of the Davis Cup were evaporating rapidly after Austria moved into a 2-1 lead following the doubles.

AP - Martina Navratilova's long, illustrious career will end without an Olympic medal. The 47-year-old Navratilova and Lisa Raymond lost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Thursday night to fifth-seeded Shinobu Asagoe and Ai Sugiyama of Japan in the quarterfinals, one step shy of the medal round.

Often pigeonholed as just a seller of televisions and DVD players, Royal Philips Electronics said third-quarter profit surged despite a slide into the red by its consumer electronics division.

AP - Google, the Internet search engine, has done something that law enforcement officials and their computer tools could not: Identify a man who died in an apparent hit-and-run accident 11 years ago in this small town outside Yakima.

We are all used to IE getting a monthly new security bug found, but Winamp? In fact, this is not the first security flaw found in the application.

The Apache Software Foundation and the Debian Project said they won't support the Sender ID e-mail authentication standard in their products.

USATODAY.com - The newly restored THX 1138 arrives on DVD today with Star Wars creator George Lucas' vision of a Brave New World-like future.

Office Depot Inc. (ODP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday warned of weaker-than-expected profits for the rest of the year because of disruptions from the string of hurricanes 

THE photo-equipment maker Kodak yesterday announced plans to axe 600 jobs in the UK and close a factory in Nottinghamshire, in a move in line with the giants global restructuring strategy unveiled last January.

The chances of scientists making any one of five discoveries by 2010 have been hugely underestimated, according to bookmakers.

Asia-Pacific leaders meet in Australia to discuss how to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of extremists. 

 TALL AFAR, Iraq -- A three-foot-high coil of razor wire, 21-ton armored vehicles and American soldiers with black M-4 assault rifles stood between tens of thousands of people and their homes last week.

PSV Eindhoven re-established their five-point lead at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie today with a 2-0 win at Vitesse Arnhem. Former Sheffield Wednesday striker Gerald Sibon put PSV ahead in the 56th minute 

China's central bank on Thursday raised interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade, signaling deepening unease with the breakneck pace of development and an intent to reign in a construction boom now sowing fears of runaway inflation.

Deepening its commitment to help corporate users create SOAs (service-oriented architectures) through the use of Web services, IBM's Global Services unit on Thursday announced the formation of an SOA Management Practice.

TODAY AUTO RACING 3 p.m. -- NASCAR Nextel Cup Sylvania 300 qualifying at N.H. International Speedway, Loudon, N.H., TNT PRO BASEBALL 7 p.m. -- Red Sox at New York Yankees, Ch. 38, WEEI (850) (on cable systems where Ch. 38 is not available, the game will air on NESN); Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati, ESPN 6 p.m. -- Eastern League finals: ...

MUMBAI, SEPTEMBER 21: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today informed the Bombay High Court that it was cancelling the entire tender process regarding cricket telecast rights as also the conditional deal with Zee TV.

CHICAGO - Delta Air Lines (DAL) said Wednesday it plans to eliminate between 6,000 and 6,900 jobs during the next 18 months, implement a 10 across-the-board pay reduction and reduce employee benefits.

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. - Even though he's facing double hip replacement surgery, Bill Smith is more than happy to struggle out the door each morning, limp past his brand new P.T...

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were likely to open flat  on Wednesday, with high oil prices and profit warnings weighing  on the market before earnings reports start and key jobs data  is released this week.

Best known for its popular search engine, Google is rapidly rolling out new products and muscling into Microsoft's stronghold: the computer desktop. The competition means consumers get more choices and better products.

Toshiba Corp. #39;s new desktop-replacement multimedia notebooks, introduced on Tuesday, are further evidence that US consumers still have yet to embrace the mobility offered by Intel Corp.

JEJU, South Korea : Grace Park of South Korea won an LPGA Tour tournament, firing a seven-under-par 65 in the final round of the 1.35-million dollar CJ Nine Bridges Classic.

 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  poured cold water on Tuesday on recent international efforts to  restart stalled peace talks with Syria, saying there was "no  possibility" of returning to previous discussions.

Dutch smugness was slapped hard during the past fortnight. The rude awakening began with the barbaric slaying of controversial filmmaker Theo van Gogh on November 2. Then followed a reciprocal cycle of some 

AP - The NHL will lock out its players Thursday, starting a work stoppage that threatens to keep the sport off the ice for the entire 2004-05 season.

 MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Gazprom said on Tuesday it will  bid for embattled oil firm YUKOS' main unit next month, as the  Kremlin seeks to turn the world's biggest gas producer into a  major oil player.

pee writes  quot;A passenger on a commuter plane in northern Norway attacked both pilots and at least one passenger with an axe as the aircraft was coming in to land.

Aregular Amazon customer, Yvette Thompson has found shopping online to be mostly convenient and trouble-free. But last month, after ordering two CDs on Amazon.com, the Silver Spring reader discovered on her bank statement that she was double-charged for the \$26.98 order. And there was a \$25 charge that was a mystery.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged Sunday to escalate a broad Israeli offensive in northern Gaza, saying troops will remain until Palestinian rocket attacks are halted. Israeli officials said the offensive -- in which 58 Palestinians and three Israelis have been killed -- will help clear the way for an Israeli withdrawal.

Federal Reserve officials raised a key short-term interest rate Tuesday for the fifth time this year, and indicated they will gradually move rates higher next year to keep inflation under control as the economy expands.

Canadians are paying more to borrow money for homes, cars and other purchases today after a quarter-point interest-rate increase by the Bank of Canada yesterday was quickly matched by the chartered banks.

NEW YORK - Wall Street professionals know to keep their expectations in check in September, historically the worst month of the year for stocks. As summertime draws to a close, money managers are getting back to business, cleaning house, and often sending the market lower in the process...

A group linked to al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it had tried to kill Iraq #39;s environment minister on Tuesday and warned it would not miss next time, according to an Internet statement.

The Israeli military killed four Palestinian militants on Wednesday as troops in tanks and armored vehicles pushed into another town in the northern Gaza Strip, extending 

When Paula Radcliffe dropped out of the Olympic marathon miles from the finish, she sobbed uncontrollably. Margaret Okayo knew the feeling.

Delta Air Lines is to issue millions of new shares without shareholder consent as part of moves to ensure its survival.

First baseman Richie Sexson agrees to a four-year contract with the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.

KIRKUK, Iraq - A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb Saturday outside a police academy in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk as hundreds of trainees and civilians were leaving for the day, killing at least 20 people and wounding 36, authorities said.    Separately, U.S and Iraqi forces clashed with insurgents in another part of northern Iraq after launching an operation to destroy an alleged militant cell in the town of Tal Afar, the U.S...

Genta (GNTA:Nasdaq - news - research) is never boring! Monday night, the company announced that its phase III Genasense study in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) met its primary endpoint, which was tumor shrinkage.

Finnish mobile giant Nokia has described its new Preminet solution, which it launched Monday (Oct. 25), as a  quot;major worldwide initiative.

While the entire airline industry #39;s finances are under water, ATA Airlines will have to hold its breath longer than its competitors to keep from going belly up.

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - At virtually every turn, Intel  Corp. executives are heaping praise on an emerging long-range  wireless technology known as WiMAX, which can blanket entire  cities with high-speed Internet access.

One day after ousting its chief executive, the nation's largest insurance broker said it will tell clients exactly how much they are paying for services and renounce back-door payments from carriers.

LONDON (CBS.MW) -- Outlining an expectation for higher oil prices and increasing demand, Royal Dutch/Shell on Wednesday said it #39;s lifting project spending to \$45 billion over the next three years.

Tuesday #39;s meeting could hold clues to whether it #39;ll be a November or December pause in rate hikes. By Chris Isidore, CNN/Money senior writer.

Phishing is one of the fastest-growing forms of personal fraud in the world. While consumers are the most obvious victims, the damage spreads far wider--hurting companies #39; finances and reputations and potentially 

Reuters - The U.S. Interior Department on\Friday gave final approval to a plan by ConocoPhillips and\partner Anadarko Petroleum Corp. to develop five tracts around\the oil-rich Alpine field on Alaska's North Slope.

The dollar may fall against the euro for a third week in four on concern near-record crude oil prices will temper the pace of expansion in the US economy, a survey by Bloomberg News indicates.

The battle for the British-based Chelsfield plc hotted up at the weekend, with reports from London that the property giant #39;s management was working on its own bid to thwart the 585 million (\$A1.

Atari has opened the initial sign-up phase of the closed beta for its Dungeons  amp; Dragons real-time-strategy title, Dragonshard.

AP - Many states are facing legal challenges over possible voting problems Nov. 2. A look at some of the developments Thursday:

Israeli troops withdrew from the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis on Tuesday morning, following a 30-hour operation that left 17 Palestinians dead.

Notes and quotes from various drivers following California Speedway #39;s Pop Secret 500. Jeff Gordon slipped to second in points following an engine failure while Jimmie Johnson moved back into first.

PM-designate Omar Karameh forms a new 30-member cabinet which includes women for the first time.

Bahrain #39;s king pardoned a human rights activist who convicted of inciting hatred of the government and sentenced to one year in prison Sunday in a case linked to criticism of the prime minister.

Big Blue adds features, beefs up training efforts in China; rival Unisys debuts new line and pricing plan.

 MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Sports Network) - The Memphis Grizzlies  signed All-Star forward Pau Gasol to a multi-year contract on  Friday. Terms of the deal were not announced.

Leaders from 38 Asian and European nations are gathering in Vietnam for a summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting, know as ASEM. One thousand delegates are to discuss global trade and regional politics during the two-day forum.

A US soldier has pleaded guilty to murdering a wounded 16-year-old Iraqi boy. Staff Sergeant Johnny Horne was convicted Friday of the unpremeditated murder 

Andre Agassi brushed past Jonas Bjorkman 6-3 6-4 at the Stockholm Open on Thursday to set up a quarter-final meeting with Spanish sixth seed Fernando Verdasco.

South Korea's Hynix Semiconductor Inc. and Swiss-based STMicroelectronics NV signed a joint-venture agreement on Tuesday to construct a memory chip manufacturing plant in Wuxi, about 100 kilometers west of Shanghai, in China.

SAN DIEGO --(Business Wire)-- Oct. 11, 2004 -- Breakthrough PeopleSoft EnterpriseOne 8.11 Applications Enable Manufacturers to Become Demand-Driven.

Reuters - Oil prices rose on Friday as tight\supplies of distillate fuel, including heating oil, ahead of\the northern hemisphere winter spurred buying.

Well, Intel did say - dismissively of course - that wasn #39;t going to try to match AMD #39;s little dual-core Opteron demo coup of last week and show off a dual-core Xeon at the Intel Developer Forum this week and - as good as its word - it didn #39;t.

Guinea-Bissau #39;s army chief of staff and former interim president, General Verissimo Correia Seabra, was killed Wednesday during unrest by mutinous soldiers in the former Portuguese 

31 October 2004 -- Exit polls show that Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and challenger Viktor Yushchenko finished on top in Ukraine #39;s presidential election today and will face each other in a run-off next month.

Nov. 18, 2004 - An FDA scientist says the FDA, which is charged with protecting America #39;s prescription drug supply, is incapable of doing so.

Rock singer Bono pledges to spend the rest of his life trying to eradicate extreme poverty around the world.

AP - Just when tourists thought it was safe to go back to the Princess Diana memorial fountain, the mud has struck.

The UK's inflation rate fell in September, thanks in part to a fall in the price of airfares, increasing the chance that interest rates will be kept on hold.

 HONG KONG/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - IBM is selling its  PC-making business to China's largest personal computer  company, Lenovo Group Ltd., for \$1.25 billion, marking the U.S.  firm's retreat from an industry it helped pioneer in 1981.

AP - Three times a week, The Associated Press picks an issue and asks President Bush and Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry a question about it. Today's question and their responses:

 BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston was tingling with anticipation on  Saturday as the Red Sox prepared to host Game One of the World  Series against the St. Louis Cardinals and take a step toward  ridding themselves of a hex that has hung over the team for  eight decades.

FOR the first time since his appointment as Newcastle United manager, Graeme Souness has been required to display the strong-arm disciplinary qualities that, to Newcastle directors, made 

In an apparent damage control exercise, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said he favored veto rights for India as new permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Nordstrom reported a strong second-quarter profit as it continued to select more relevant inventory and sell more items at full price. 

WHY IT HAPPENED Tom Coughlin won his first game as Giants coach and immediately announced a fine amnesty for all Giants. Just kidding.

A second-place finish in his first tournament since getting married was good enough to take Tiger Woods from third to second in the world rankings.

 COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (Reuters) - World 400 meters  champion Jerome Young has been given a lifetime ban from  athletics for a second doping offense, the U.S. Anti-Doping  Agency (USADA) said Wednesday.

AP - Nigeria's Senate has ordered a subsidiary of petroleum giant Royal/Dutch Shell to pay a Nigerian ethnic group  #36;1.5 billion for oil spills in their homelands, but the legislative body can't enforce the resolution, an official said Wednesday.

IT #39;S BEEN a heck of an interesting two days here in Iceland. I #39;ve seen some interesting technology, heard some inventive speeches and met some people with different ideas.

The Bank of England is set to keep interest rates on hold following the latest meeting of the its Monetary Policy Committee.

Australian troops in Baghdad came under attack today for the first time since the end of the Iraq war when a car bomb exploded injuring three soldiers and damaging an Australian armoured convoy.

The Bush administration upheld yesterday the imposition of penalty tariffs on shrimp imports from China and Vietnam, handing a victory to beleaguered US shrimp producers.

House prices rose 0.2 percent in September compared with the month before to stand up 17.8 percent on a year ago, the Nationwide Building Society says.

Reuters - Two clients of Germany's Postbank\(DPBGn.DE) fell for an e-mail fraud that led them to reveal\money transfer codes to a bogus Web site -- the first case of\this scam in German, prosecutors said on Thursday.

US spending on information technology goods, services, and staff will grow seven percent in 2005 and continue at a similar pace through 2008, according to a study released Monday by Forrester Research.

LONDON - In two years, Arsenal will play their home matches in the Emirates stadium. That is what their new stadium at Ashburton Grove will be called after the Premiership champions yesterday agreed to the 

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Jason Campbell threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 8 Auburn proved itself as a national title contender by overwhelming No. 10 Tennessee, 34-10, last night.

Look, Ma, no hands! The U.S. space agency's latest spacecraft can run an entire mission by itself. By Amit Asaravala.

Pakistans decision to refuse the International Atomic Energy Agency to have direct access to Dr AQ Khan is correct on both legal and political counts.

MANILA, 4 December 2004 - With floods receding, rescuers raced to deliver food to famished survivors in northeastern Philippine villages isolated by back-to-back storms that left more than 650 people dead and almost 400 missing.

Talks on where to build the world #39;s first nuclear fusion reactor ended without a deal on Tuesday but the European Union said Japan and the United States no longer firmly opposed its bid to put the plant in France.

Joining America Online, EarthLink and Yahoo against spamming, Microsoft Corp. today announced the filing of three new anti-Spam lawsuits under the CAN-SPAM federal law as part of its initiative in solving the Spam problem for Internet users worldwide.

WASHINGTON -- Another Revolution season concluded with an overtime elimination. Last night, the Revolution thrice rallied from deficits for a 3-3 tie with D.C. United in the Eastern Conference final, then lost in the first-ever Major League Soccer match decided by penalty kicks.

Dwyane Wade calls himself a  quot;sidekick, quot; gladly accepting the role Kobe Bryant never wanted in Los Angeles. And not only does second-year Heat point 

A nationwide inspection shows Internet users are not as safe online as they believe. The inspections found most consumers have no firewall protection, outdated antivirus software and dozens of spyware programs secretly running on their computers.

World number one golfer Vijay Singh of Fiji has captured his eighth PGA Tour event of the year with a win at the 84 Lumber Classic in Farmington, Pennsylvania.

The noise was deafening and potentially unsettling in the minutes before the start of the men #39;s Olympic 200-meter final. The Olympic Stadium crowd chanted  quot;Hellas!

CLEVELAND - The White House said Vice President Dick Cheney faces a "master litigator" when he debates Sen. John Edwards Tuesday night, a backhanded compliment issued as the Republican administration defended itself against criticism that it has not acknowledged errors in waging war in Iraq...

Brazilian forward Ronaldinho scored a sensational goal for Barcelona against Milan, making for a last-gasp 2-1. The 24-year-old #39;s brilliant left-foot hit at the Nou Camp Wednesday night sent Barcelona atop of Group F.

Nortel Networks says it will again delay the release of its restated financial results. The Canadian telecom vendor originally promised to release the restated results in September.

 CHICAGO (Reuters) - At first glance, paying \$13 or \$14 for  a hard-wired Internet laptop connection in a hotel room might  seem expensive.

SEOUL (Reuters) - The chairman of South Korea #39;s ruling Uri Party resigned on Thursday after saying his father had served as a military police officer during Japan #39;s 1910-1945 colonial rule on the peninsula. 

ALERE, Uganda -- Kasmiro Bongonyinge remembers sitting up suddenly in his bed. It was just after sunrise on a summer morning two years ago, and the old man, 87 years old and blind, knew something was wrong.

Reuters - An investigation into U.S. insurers\and brokers rattled insurance industry stocks for a second day\on Friday as investors, shaken further by subpoenas delivered\to the top U.S. life insurer, struggled to gauge how deep the\probe might reach.

Bee Staff Writer. SANTA CLARA - Andre Carter #39;s back injury has kept him out of the 49ers #39; lineup since Week 1. It #39;s also interfering with him rooting on his alma mater in person.

JAKARTA - Official results have confirmed former army general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the winner of Indonesia #39;s first direct presidential election, while incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri urged her nation Thursday to wait for the official announcement 

HOUSTON - With only a few seconds left in a certain victory for Miami, Peyton Manning threw a meaningless 6-yard touchdown pass to Marvin Harrison to cut the score to 24-15.

Reuters - A ragged band of children\emerges ghost-like from mists in Ethiopia's highlands,\thrusting bunches of carrots at a car full of foreigners.

DEADLY SCORER: Manchester United #39;s Wayne Rooney celebrating his three goals against Fenerbahce this week at Old Trafford. (AP).

AP - A U.N. human rights expert criticized the U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan for violating international law by allegedly beating Afghans to death and forcing some to remove their clothes or wear hoods.

You can feel the confidence level, not just with Team Canada but with all of Canada. There #39;s every expectation, from one end of the bench to the other, that Martin Brodeur is going to hold the fort.

Heading into the first game of a new season, every team has question marks. But in 2004, the Denver Broncos seemed to have more than normal.

 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  said on Thursday Yasser Arafat's death could be a turning point  for peacemaking but he would pursue a unilateral plan that  would strip Palestinians of some land they want for a state.

 AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald  Rumsfeld swept into an airbase in Iraq's western desert Sunday  to make a first-hand evaluation of operations to quell a raging  Iraqi insurgency in his first such visit in five months.

More than three out of four (76 percent) consumers are experiencing an increase in spoofing and phishing incidents, and 35 percent receive fake e-mails at least once a week, according to a recent national study.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average failed three times this year to exceed its previous high and fell to about 10,000 each time, most recently a week ago.

AP - Deep in the Atlantic Ocean, undersea explorers are living a safer life thanks to germ-fighting clothing made in Kinston.

Anaheim, Calif. - There is a decidedly right lean to the three-time champions of the American League Central. In a span of 26 days, the Minnesota Twins lost the left side of their infield to free agency.

Computer Associates Monday announced the general availability of three Unicenter performance management products for mainframe data management.

Reuters - The European Union approved on\Wednesday the first biotech seeds for planting and sale across\EU territory, flying in the face of widespread consumer\resistance to genetically modified (GMO) crops and foods.

With the NFL trading deadline set for 4 p.m. Tuesday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said there didn't seem to be much happening on the trade front around the league.

WASHINGTON - Democrat John Kerry accused President Bush on Monday of sending U.S. troops to the "wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time" and said he'd try to bring them all home in four years...

 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian share markets staged a  broad-based retreat on Wednesday, led by steelmakers amid  warnings of price declines, but also enveloping technology and  financial stocks on worries that earnings may disappoint.

p2pnet.net News:- A Microsoft UK  quot;WEIGHING THE COST OF LINUX VS. WINDOWS? LET #39;S REVIEW THE FACTS quot; magazine ad has been nailed as misleading by Britain #39;s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

More lorry drivers are bringing supplies to Nepal's capital in defiance of an indefinite blockade by Maoist rebels.

NEW YORK - CNN has a new boss for the second time in 14 months: former CBS News executive Jonathan Klein, who will oversee programming and editorial direction at the second-ranked cable news network.

Cut-price carrier Virgin Blue said Tuesday the cost of using Australian airports is spiraling upward and asked the government to review the deregulated system of charges.

The retail sector overall may be reporting a sluggish start to the season, but holiday shoppers are scooping up tech goods at a brisk pace -- and they're scouring the Web for bargains more than ever. &lt;FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2" color="#666666"&gt;&lt;B&gt;-washingtonpost.com&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;

AP - David Beckham broke his rib moments after scoring England's second goal in Saturday's 2-0 win over Wales in a World Cup qualifying game.

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, which account for almost half of OPEC #39;s oil output, said they #39;re committed to boosting capacity to meet soaring demand that has driven prices to a record.

The US Commerce Department said Thursday personal income posted its biggest increase in three months in August. The government agency also said personal spending was unchanged after rising strongly in July.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average opened up 0.54  percent on Monday with banks and exporters leading the way as a  stronger finish on Wall Street and declining oil prices soothed  worries over the global economic outlook.

 BEIJING (Reuters) - Floods and landslides have killed 76  people in southwest China in the past four days and washed away  homes and roads, knocked down power lines and cut off at least  one city, state media said on Monday.

Nothing changed at the top of Serie A as all top teams won their games to keep the distance between one another unaltered. Juventus came back from behind against Lazio to win thanks to another goal by Ibrahimovic 

The team behind the Beagle 2 mission has unveiled its design for a successor to the British Mars lander.

Survey points to popularity in Europe, the Middle East and Asia of receivers that skip the pay TV and focus on free programming.

RICHMOND, Va. Jeremy Mayfield won his first race in over four years, taking the Chevrolet 400 at Richmond International Raceway after leader Kurt Busch ran out of gas eight laps from the finish.

AP - Victims of the Sept. 11 attacks were mourned worldwide Saturday, but in the Middle East, amid sympathy for the dead, Arabs said Washington's support for Israel and the war on terror launched in the aftermath of the World Trade Center's collapse have only fueled anger and violence.

Linux publisher Red Hat Inc. said Tuesday that information-technology consulting firm Unisys Corp. will begin offering a business version of the company #39;s open-source operating system on its servers.

SEATTLE - Ichiro Suzuki set the major league record for hits in a season with 258, breaking George Sisler's 84-year-old mark with a pair of singles Friday night. The Seattle star chopped a leadoff single in the first inning, then made history with a grounder up the middle in the third...

The intruder who entered British Queen Elizabeth II #39;s official Scottish residence and caused a security scare was a reporter from the London-based Sunday Times newspaper, local media reported Friday.

IBM's p5-575, a specialized server geared for high-performance computing, has eight 1.9GHz Power5 processors.

Bruce Wasserstein, head of Lazard LLC, is asking partners to take a one-third pay cut as he readies the world #39;s largest closely held investment bank for a share sale, people familiar with the situation said.

Canadian Press - FREDERICTON (CP) - A New Brunswick truck driver arrested in Ontario this week has been accused by police of stealing 50,000 cans of Moosehead beer.

Reuters - British police said on Monday they had\charged a man with sending hoax emails to relatives of people\missing since the Asian tsunami, saying their loved ones had\been confirmed dead.

The Lemon Bay Manta Rays were not going to let a hurricane get in the way of football. On Friday, they headed to the practice field for the first time in eight 

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates has donated \$400,000 to a campaign in California trying to win approval of a measure calling for the state to sell \$3 billion in bonds to fund stem-cell research.

AP - Track star Marion Jones filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against the man whose company is at the center of a federal investigation into illegal steroid use among some of the nation's top athletes.

LOS ANGELES - On Sept. 1, former secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman replaced the legendary Jack Valenti as president and CEO of Hollywood #39;s trade group, the Motion Picture Association of America.

England #39;s players hit out at cricket #39;s authorities tonight and claimed they had been used as  quot;political pawns quot; after the Zimbabwe government produced a spectacular U-turn to ensure the controversial one-day series will go ahead.

Newspaper publisher Pulitzer Inc. said Sunday that company officials are considering a possible sale of the firm to boost shareholder value.

Shares of Merck  amp; Co. plunged almost 10 percent yesterday after a media report said that documents show the pharmaceutical giant hid or denied 

AP - The Japanese won the pregame home run derby. Then the game started and the major league All-Stars put their bats to work. Back-to-back home runs by Moises Alou and Vernon Wells in the fourth inning and by Johnny Estrada and Brad Wilkerson in the ninth powered the major leaguers past the Japanese stars 7-3 Sunday for a 3-0 lead in the eight-game series.

Reuters - Wall Street was expected to dip at\Thursday's opening, but shares of Texas Instruments Inc.\, may climb after it gave upbeat earnings guidance.

Chinese authorities detained a prominent, U.S.-based Buddhist leader in connection with his plans to reopen an ancient temple complex in the Chinese province of Inner Mongolia last week and have forced dozens of his American followers to leave the region, local officials said Wednesday.

The director of the National Hurricane Center stays calm in the midst of a storm, but wants everyone in hurricane-prone areas to get the message from his media advisories: Respect the storm's power and make proper response plans.

With Chelsea losing their unbeaten record and Manchester United failing yet again to win, William Hill now make Arsenal red-hot 2/5 favourites to retain the title.

Late in August, Boeing #39;s top sales execs flew to Singapore for a crucial sales pitch. They were close to persuading Singapore Airlines, one of the world #39;s leading airlines, to buy the American company #39;s new jet, the mid-sized 7E7.

SBC Communications and BellSouth will acquire YellowPages.com with the goal of building the site into a nationwide online business index, the companies said Thursday.

Theresa special bookcase in Al Grohs office completely full of game plans from his days in the NFL. Green ones are from the Jets.

SAN FRANCISCO Several California cities and counties, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, are suing Microsoft for what could amount to billions of dollars.

Newcastle ensured their place as top seeds in Friday #39;s third round UEFA Cup draw after holding Sporting Lisbon to a 1-1 draw at St James #39; Park.

Adorned with Turkish and EU flags, Turkey #39;s newspapers hailed Thursday an official EU report recommending the country start talks to join the bloc, while largely ignoring the stringent conditions attached to the announcement.

Google plans to release a version of its desktop search tool for computers that run Apple Computer #39;s Mac operating system, Google #39;s chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said Friday.

AMD : sicurezza e prestazioni ottimali con il nuovo processore mobile per notebook leggeri e sottili; Acer Inc. preme sull #39;acceleratore con il nuovo notebook a marchio Ferrari.

The sounds of tinkling bells could be heard above the bustle of the Farmers Market on the Long Beach Promenade, leading shoppers to a row of bright red tin kettles dotting a pathway Friday.

CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Bode Miller continued his impressive 2004-05 World Cup skiing season by winning a night slalom race in Sestriere, Italy on Monday.

Firefox use around the world climbed 34 percent in the last month, according to a report published by Web analytics company WebSideStory Monday.

If a plastic card that gives you credit for something you don't want isn't your idea of a great gift, you can put it up for sale or swap.

WASHINGTON Aug. 17, 2004  Scientists are planning to take the pulse of the planet and more in an effort to improve weather forecasts, predict energy needs months in advance, anticipate disease outbreaks and even tell fishermen where the catch will be ...

Damien Rhodes scored on a 2-yard run in the second overtime, then Syracuse's defense stopped Pittsburgh on fourth and 1, sending the Orange to a 38-31 victory yesterday in Syracuse, N.Y.

AP - Anthony Harris scored 18 of his career-high 23 points in the second half to help Miami upset No. 19 Florida 72-65 Saturday and give first-year coach Frank Haith his biggest victory.

LONDON Santander Central Hispano of Spain looked certain to clinch its bid for the British mortgage lender Abbey National, after HBOS, Britain #39;s biggest home-loan company, said Wednesday it would not counterbid, and after the European Commission cleared 

New communications technology could spawn future products. Could your purse tell you to bring an umbrella?

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Justice Department is  investigating possible accounting fraud at Fannie Mae, bringing  greater government scrutiny to bear on the mortgage finance  company, already facing a parallel inquiry by the SEC, a source  close to the matter said on Thursday.

AP - The five cities looking to host the 2012 Summer Games submitted bids to the International Olympic Committee on Monday, entering the final stage of a long process in hopes of landing one of the biggest prizes in sports.

SAP has won a \$35 million contract to install its human resources software for the US Postal Service. The NetWeaver-based system will replace the Post Office #39;s current 25-year-old legacy application 

The FIA has already cancelled todays activities at Suzuka as Super Typhoon Ma-On heads towards the 5.807km circuit. Saturday practice has been cancelled altogether while pre-qualifying and final qualifying 

Thailand's prime minister  visits the southern town where scores of Muslims died in army custody after a rally.

Indian industrial group Tata agrees to invest \$2bn in Bangladesh, the biggest single deal agreed by a firm in the south Asian country.

NewsFactor - For years, companies large and small have been convinced that if they want the sophisticated functionality of enterprise-class software like ERP and CRM systems, they must buy pre-packaged applications. And, to a large extent, that remains true.

Following in the footsteps of the RIAA, the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) announced that they have began filing lawsuits against people who use peer-to-peer software to download copyrighted movies off the Internet.

 GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (Reuters) - Betting on horses was  banned in Texas until as recently as 1987. Times have changed  rapidly since. Saturday, Lone Star Park race track hosts the  \$14 million Breeders Cup, global racing's end-of-season  extravaganza.

MacCentral - At a special music event featuring Bono and The Edge from rock group U2 held on Tuesday, Apple took the wraps off the iPod Photo, a color iPod available in 40GB or 60GB storage capacities. The company also introduced the iPod U2, a special edition of Apple's 20GB player clad in black, equipped with a red Click Wheel and featuring engraved U2 band member signatures. The iPod Photo is available immediately, and Apple expects the iPod U2 to ship in mid-November.

Beijing: At least 170 miners were trapped underground after a gas explosion on Sunday ignited a fire in a coalmine in north-west China #39;s Shaanxi province, reports said.

The steel tubing company reports sharply higher earnings, but the stock is falling.

It might be a stay of execution for Coach P, or it might just be a Christmas miracle come early. SU #39;s upset win over BC has given hope to the Orange playing in a post season Bowl game.

PHIL Neville insists Manchester United don #39;t fear anyone in the Champions League last 16 and declared:  quot;Bring on the Italians.

Playboy Enterprises, the adult entertainment company, has announced plans to open a private members club in Shanghai even though the company #39;s flagship men #39;s magazine is still banned in China.

Reuters - Oracle Corp is likely to win clearance\from the European Commission for its hostile  #36;7.7 billion\takeover of rival software firm PeopleSoft Inc., a source close\to the situation said on Friday.

TORONTO (CP) - Earnings warnings from Celestica and Coca-Cola along with a slowdown in US industrial production sent stock markets lower Wednesday.

IBM (Quote, Chart) said it would spend a quarter of a billion dollars over the next year and a half to grow its RFID (define) business.

Eastman Kodak Co., the world #39;s largest maker of photographic film, said Wednesday it expects sales of digital products and services to grow at an annual rate of 36 percent between 2003 and 2007, above prior growth rate estimates of 26 percent between 2002 

SAMARRA (Iraq): With renewe d wave of skirmishes between the Iraqi insurgents and the US-led coalition marines, several people including top police officers were put to death on Saturday.

SPACE.com - NASA released one of the best pictures ever made of Saturn's moon Titan as the Cassini spacecraft begins a close-up inspection of the satellite today. Cassini is making the nearest flyby ever of the smog-shrouded moon.

AFP - The Iraqi government plans to phase out slowly subsidies on basic products, such as oil and electricity, which comprise 50 percent of public spending, equal to 15 billion dollars, the planning minister said.

ANNAPOLIS ROYAL, NS - Nova Scotia Power officials continued to keep the sluice gates open at one of the utility #39;s hydroelectric plants Wednesday in hopes a wayward whale would leave the area and head for the open waters of the Bay of Fundy.

TORONTO -- Toronto Raptors point guard Alvin Williams will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee Monday.

The federal agency that insures pension plans said that its deficit, already at the highest in its history, had doubled in its last fiscal year, to \$23.3 billion.

AFP - Like most US Latinos, members of the extended Rodriguez family say they will cast their votes for Democrat John Kerry in next month's presidential polls.

A Milan judge on Tuesday opens hearings into whether to put on trial 32 executives and financial institutions over the collapse of international food group Parmalat in one of Europe #39;s biggest fraud cases.

AP - Tennessee's two freshmen quarterbacks have Volunteers fans fantasizing about the next four years. Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge surprised many with the nearly seamless way they rotated throughout a 42-17 victory over UNLV on Sunday night.

In fact, Larry Ellison compares himself to the warlord, according to PeopleSoft's former CEO, defending previous remarks he made.

FALLUJAH, Iraq -- Four Iraqi fighters huddled in a trench, firing rocket-propelled grenades at Lieutenant Eric Gregory's Bradley Fighting Vehicle and the US tanks and Humvees that were lumbering through tight streets between boxlike beige houses.

MADRID, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Portugal captain Luis Figo said on Wednesday he was taking an indefinite break from international football, but would not confirm whether his decision was final. 

The Bank of England on Thursday left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, at 4.75 percent, as policy makers assessed whether borrowing costs, already the highest in the Group of Seven, are constraining consumer demand.

AP - Several thousand Christians who packed a cathedral compound in the Egyptian capital hurled stones at riot police Wednesday to protest a woman's alleged forced conversion to Islam. At least 30 people were injured.

A group of Saudi religious scholars have signed an open letter urging Iraqis to support jihad against US-led forces.  quot;Fighting the occupiers is a duty for all those who are able, quot; they said in a statement posted on the internet at the weekend.

Fashion retailers Austin Reed and Ted Baker have reported contrasting fortunes on the High Street. Austin Reed reported interim losses of 2.

AP - Shaun Rogers is in the backfield as often as some running backs. Whether teams dare to block Detroit's star defensive tackle with one player or follow the trend of double-teaming him, he often rips through offensive lines with a rare combination of size, speed, strength and nimble footwork.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday approved  Citigroup Inc.'s \$2.6 billion settlement with  WorldCom Inc.  investors who lost billions when an accounting scandal plunged  the telecommunications company into bankruptcy protection.

The Lions and Eagles entered Sunday #39;s game at Ford Field in the same place -- atop their respective divisions -- and with identical 2-0 records.

An unspecified number of cochlear implants to help people with severe hearing loss are being recalled because they may malfunction due to ear moisture, the US Food and Drug Administration announced.

Profits triple at McDonald's Japan after the fast-food chain starts selling larger burgers.  

After Marcos Moreno threw four more interceptions in last week's 14-13 overtime loss at N.C. A T, Bison Coach Ray Petty will start Antoine Hartfield against Norfolk State on Saturday.

You can empty your pockets of change, take off your belt and shoes and stick your keys in the little tray. But if you've had radiation therapy recently, you still might set off Homeland Security alarms.

Mountaineers retrieve three bodies believed to have been buried for 22 years on an Indian glacier.

SEOUL, Oct 19 Asia Pulse - LG.Philips LCD Co. (KSE:034220), the world #39;s second-largest maker of liquid crystal display (LCD), said Tuesday it has developed the world #39;s largest organic light emitting diode 

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- Looking ahead to the US championship game almost cost Conejo Valley in the semifinals of the Little League World Series.

The Cubs didn #39;t need to fly anywhere near Florida to be in the eye of the storm. For a team that is going on 100 years since last winning a championship, the only thing they never are at a loss for is controversy.

Security experts warn of banner ads with a bad attitude--and a link to malicious code. Also: Phishers, be gone.

KETTERING, Ohio Oct. 12, 2004 - Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Justin Smith pleaded not guilty to a driving under the influence charge.

com October 15, 2004, 5:11 AM PT. Wood paneling and chrome made your dad #39;s station wagon look like a million bucks, and they might also be just the ticket for Microsoft #39;s fledgling 

President Thabo Mbeki met with Ivory Coast Prime Minister Seydou Diarra for three hours yesterday as part of talks aimed at bringing peace to the conflict-wracked Ivory Coast.

MINNEAPOLIS -- For much of the 2004 season, Twins pitcher Johan Santana didn #39;t just beat opposing hitters. Often, he overwhelmed and owned them in impressive fashion.

Britain #39;s inflation rate fell in August further below its 2.0 percent government-set upper limit target with clothing and footwear prices actually falling, official data showed on Tuesday.

 KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's Maoist rebels have  temporarily suspended a crippling economic blockade of the  capital from Wednesday, saying the move was in response to  popular appeals.

Reuters - An Algerian suspected of being a leader\of the Madrid train bombers has been identified as one of seven\people who blew themselves up in April to avoid arrest, Spain's\Interior Ministry said on Friday.

KABUL: An Afghan man was found guilty on Saturday of killing four journalists in 2001, including two from Reuters, and sentenced to death.

Yasser Arafat, the leader for decades of a fight for Palestinian independence from Israel, has died at a military hospital in Paris, according to news reports.

 LONDON (Reuters) - European shares shrugged off a spike in  the euro to a fresh all-time high Wednesday, with telecoms  again leading the way higher after interim profits at Britain's  mm02 beat expectations.

WASHINGTON - Weighed down by high energy prices, the US economy grew slower than the government estimated in the April-June quarter, as higher oil prices limited consumer spending and contributed to a record trade deficit.

CHICAGO United Airlines says it will need even more labor cuts than anticipated to get out of bankruptcy. United told a bankruptcy court judge in Chicago today that it intends to start talks with unions next month on a new round of cost savings.

 JABALYA, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - Israel pulled most of its  forces out of the northern Gaza Strip Saturday after a four-day  incursion it said was staged to halt Palestinian rocket attacks  on southern Israeli towns.

Computer Associates International yesterday reported a 6 increase in revenue during its second fiscal quarter, but posted a \$94 million loss after paying to settle government investigations into the company, it said yesterday.

THE Turkish embassy in Baghdad was investigating a television report that two Turkish hostages had been killed in Iraq, but no confirmation was available so far, a senior Turkish diplomat said today.

Reuters - Thousands of supporters of Ukraine's\opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko, celebrated on the streets\in the early hours on Monday after an exit poll showed him\winner of a bitterly fought presidential election.

LONDON : The United States faced rare criticism over human rights from close ally Britain, with an official British government report taking Washington to task over concerns about Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay jail.

The University of California, Berkeley, has signed an agreement with the Samoan government to isolate, from a tree, the gene for a promising anti- Aids drug and to share any royalties from the sale of a gene-derived drug with the people of Samoa.

PC World - Send your video throughout your house--wirelessly--with new gateways and media adapters.

At a charity auction in New Jersey last weekend, baseball memorabilia dealer Warren Heller was approached by a man with an unusual but topical request.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei average jumped 2.5 percent  by mid-afternoon on Monday as semiconductor-related stocks such  as Advantest Corp. mirrored a rally by their U.S. peers while  banks and brokerages extended last week's gains.

INTER Milan coach Roberto Mancini believes the club #39;s lavish (northern) summer signings will enable them to mount a serious Serie A challenge this season.

LONDON - A bomb threat that mentioned Iraq forced a New York-bound Greek airliner to make an emergency landing Sunday at London's Stansted Airport escorted by military jets, authorities said.    An airport spokeswoman said an Athens newspaper had received a phone call saying there was a bomb on board the Olympic Airlines plane...

Links to this week's topics from search engine forums across the web: New MSN Search Goes LIVE in Beta - Microsoft To Launch New Search Engine - Google Launches 'Google Advertising Professionals' - Organic vs Paid Traffic ROI? - Making Money With AdWords? - Link Building 101

AP - Brad Ott shot an 8-under 64 on Sunday to win the Nationwide Tour's Price Cutter Charity Championship for his first Nationwide victory.

AP - New York Jets running back Curtis Martin passed Eric Dickerson and Jerome Bettis on the NFL career rushing list Sunday against the St. Louis Rams, moving to fourth all-time.

Eight conservation groups are fighting the US government over a plan to poison thousands of prairie dogs in the grasslands of South Dakota, saying wildlife should not take a backseat to ranching interests.

ATHENS, Greece - Sheryl Swoopes made three big plays at the end - two baskets and another on defense - to help the United States squeeze out a 66-62 semifinal victory over Russia on Friday. Now, only one game stands between the U.S...

Instead of standing for ante meridian and post meridian, though, fans will remember the time periods of pre-Mia and after-Mia. After playing for 18 years and shattering nearly every record 

General Motors (GM) plans to announce a massive restructuring Thursday that will eliminate as many as 12,000 jobs in Europe in a move to stem the five-year flow of red ink from its auto operations in the region.

Scientists are developing a device which could improve the lives of kidney dialysis patients.

KABUL, Afghanistan The Afghan government is blaming drug smugglers for yesterday #39;s attack on the leading vice presidential candidate .

Stephon Marbury, concerned about his lousy shooting in Athens, used an off day to go to the gym and work on his shot. By finding his range, he saved the United States #39; hopes for a basketball gold medal.

 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices held firm on Wednesday as  Hurricane Ivan closed off crude output and shut refineries in  the Gulf of Mexico, while OPEC's Gulf producers tried to  reassure traders by recommending an output hike.

State-owned, running a monopoly on imports of jet fuel to China #39;s fast-growing aviation industry and a prized member of Singapore #39;s Stock Exchange.

Google has won a trade mark dispute, with a District Court judge finding that the search engines sale of sponsored search terms Geico and Geico Direct did not breach car insurance firm GEICOs rights in the trade marked terms.

Wall Street bounded higher for the second straight day yesterday as investors reveled in sharply falling oil prices and the probusiness agenda of the second Bush administration. The Dow Jones industrials gained more than 177 points for its best day of 2004, while the Standard  amp; Poor's 500 closed at its highest level since early 2002.

Key factors help determine if outsourcing benefits or hurts Americans.

The US Trade Representative on Monday rejected the European Union #39;s assertion that its ban on beef from hormone-treated cattle is now justified by science and that US and Canadian retaliatory sanctions should be lifted.

One of the leading figures in the Greek Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Alexandria Peter VII, has been killed in a helicopter crash in the Aegean Sea.

Siding with chip makers, Microsoft said it won't charge double for its per-processor licenses when dual-core chips come to market next year.

NEW YORK -- Wall Street's fourth-quarter rally gave stock mutual funds a solid performance for 2004, with small-cap equity funds and real estate funds scoring some of the biggest returns. Large-cap growth equities and technology-focused funds had the slimmest gains.

CANBERRA, Australia -- The sweat-stained felt hats worn by Australian cowboys, as much a part of the Outback as kangaroos and sun-baked soil, may be heading for the history books. They fail modern industrial safety standards.

Big Food Group Plc, the UK owner of the Iceland grocery chain, said second-quarter sales at stores open at least a year dropped 3.3 percent, the second consecutive decline, after competitors cut prices.

A London-to-Washington flight is diverted after a security alert involving the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first case of soybean rust has  been found on the mainland United States and could affect U.S.  crops for the near future, costing farmers millions of dollars,  the Agriculture Department said on Wednesday.

IBM and the Spanish government have introduced a new supercomputer they hope will be the most powerful in Europe, and one of the 10 most powerful in the world.

The Supreme Court today overturned a five-figure damage award to an Alexandria man for a local auto dealer #39;s alleged loan scam, ruling that a Richmond-based federal appeals court had wrongly 

AP - President Bush declared Friday that charges of voter fraud have cast doubt on the Ukrainian election, and warned that any European-negotiated pact on Iran's nuclear program must ensure the world can verify Tehran's compliance.

TheSpaceShipOne team is handed the \$10m cheque and trophy it won for claiming the Ansari X-Prize.

Security officials have identified six of the militants who seized a school in southern Russia as being from Chechnya, drawing a strong connection to the Chechen insurgents who have been fighting Russian forces for years.

AP - Randy Moss is expected to play a meaningful role for the Minnesota Vikings this weekend against the Giants, even without a fully healed right hamstring.

Pros: Fits the recent profile (44, past PGA champion, fiery Ryder Cup player); the job is his if he wants it. Cons: Might be too young to be willing to burn two years of play on tour.

SEOUL -- North Korea set three conditions yesterday to be met before it would consider returning to six-party talks on its nuclear programs.

Official figures show the 12-nation eurozone economy continues to grow, but there are warnings it may slow down later in the year.

Elmer Santos scored in the second half, lifting East Boston to a 1-0 win over Brighton yesterday afternoon and giving the Jets an early leg up in what is shaping up to be a tight Boston City League race.

In upholding a lower court #39;s ruling, the Supreme Court rejected arguments that the Do Not Call list violates telemarketers #39; First Amendment rights.

US-backed Iraqi commandos were poised Friday to storm rebel strongholds in the northern city of Mosul, as US military commanders said they had  quot;broken the back quot; of the insurgency with their assault on the former rebel bastion of Fallujah.

Infineon Technologies, the second-largest chip maker in Europe, said Wednesday that it planned to invest about \$1 billion in a new factory in Malaysia to expand its automotive chip business and be closer to customers in the region.

Mozilla's new web browser is smart, fast and user-friendly while offering a slew of advanced, customizable functions. By Michelle Delio.

Saints special teams captain Steve Gleason expects to be fined by the league after being ejected from Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers for throwing a punch.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, facing a party mutiny over his plan to quit the Gaza Strip, has approved 1,000 more Israeli settler homes in the West Bank in a move that drew a cautious response on Tuesday from ...

Play has begun in the Australian Masters at Huntingdale in Melbourne with around half the field of 120 players completing their first rounds.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Washington Post Co. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=WPO.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;WPO.N&lt;/A&gt; said on  Friday that quarterly profit jumped, beating analysts'  forecasts, boosted by results at its Kaplan education unit and  television broadcasting operations.

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, 6 October 2004 - Wartime security was rolled out for Afghanistans interim President Hamid Karzai as he addressed his first election campaign rally outside the capital yesterday amid spiraling violence.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville men #39;s basketball head coach Rick Pitino and senior forward Ellis Myles met with members of the media on Friday to preview the Cardinals #39; home game against rival Kentucky on Satursday.

AP - Sounds like David Letterman is as big a "Pops" fan as most everyone else.

originally offered on notebook PCs -- to its Opteron 32- and 64-bit x86 processors for server applications. The technology will help servers to run 

New orders for US-made durable goods increased 0.2pc in September, held back by a big drop in orders for transportation goods, the US Commerce Department said today.

Siblings are the first ever to be convicted for sending boatloads of junk e-mail pushing bogus products. Also: Microsoft takes MSN music download on a Euro trip....  Nokia begins legal battle against European counterparts.... and more.

I always get a kick out of the annual list published by Forbes singling out the richest people in the country. It #39;s almost as amusing as those on the list bickering over their placement.

MacCentral - After Apple unveiled the iMac G5 in Paris this week, Vice President of Hardware Product Marketing Greg Joswiak gave Macworld editors a guided tour of the desktop's new design. Among the topics of conversation: the iMac's cooling system, why pre-installed Bluetooth functionality and FireWire 800 were left out, and how this new model fits in with Apple's objectives.

Williams-Sonoma Inc., operator of home furnishing chains including Pottery Barn, said third-quarter earnings rose 19 percent, boosted by store openings and catalog sales.

We #39;ve known about  quot;strained silicon quot; for a while--but now there #39;s a better way to do it. Straining silicon improves chip performance.

This week, Sir Richard Branson announced his new company, Virgin Galactic, has the rights to the first commercial flights into space.

71-inch HDTV comes with a home stereo system and components painted in 24-karat gold.

Arsenal was held to a 1-1 tie by struggling West Bromwich Albion on Saturday, failing to pick up a Premier League victory when Rob Earnshaw scored with 11 minutes left.

TOKYO - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said today it #39;s in talks to buy a plot of land in central Japan #39;s Nagoya city from Mitsubishi Motors for building aircraft parts.

China has confirmed that it found a deadly strain of bird flu in pigs as early as two years ago. China #39;s Agriculture Ministry said two cases had been discovered, but it did not say exactly where the samples had been taken.

Baseball #39;s executive vice president Sandy Alderson insisted last month that the Cubs, disciplined for an assortment of run-ins with umpires, would not be targeted the rest of the season by umpires who might hold a grudge.

As Superman and Batman would no doubt reflect during their cigarette breaks, the really draining thing about being a hero was that you have to keep riding to the rescue.

MacCentral - RealNetworks Inc. said on Tuesday that it has sold more than a million songs at its online music store since slashing prices last week as part of a limited-time sale aimed at growing the user base of its new digital media software.

With the presidential election less than six weeks away, activists and security experts are ratcheting up concern over the use of touch-screen machines to cast votes.  &lt;FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"&gt;&lt;B&gt;-washingtonpost.com&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;

NEW YORK, September 14 (New Ratings) - Yahoo! Inc (YHOO.NAS) has agreed to acquire Musicmatch Inc, a privately held digital music software company, for about \$160 million in cash.

Japan #39;s Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. said Tuesday it proposed to UFJ Holdings Inc. that the two banks merge on an equal basis in its latest attempt to woo UFJ away from a rival suitor.

Oil futures prices were little changed Thursday as traders anxiously watched for indications that the supply or demand picture would change in some way to add pressure to the market or take some away.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich plans to propose a ban Thursday on the sale of violent and sexually explicit video games to minors, something other states have tried with little success.

 CHICAGO (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=DAL.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;DAL.N&lt;/A&gt; said on  Tuesday it will cut wages by 10 percent and its chief executive  will go unpaid for the rest of the year, but it still warned of  bankruptcy within weeks unless more cuts are made.

AP - Ten years after the Irish Republican Army's momentous cease-fire, negotiations resumed Wednesday in hope of reviving a Catholic-Protestant administration, an elusive goal of Northern Ireland's hard-fought peace process.

A cable channel plans to resurrect each of the 1,230 regular-season games listed on the league's defunct 2004-2005 schedule by setting them in motion on a video game console.

  SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Sept. 18 -- Tropical Storm Jeanne headed for the Bahamas on Saturday after an assault on the Dominican Republic that killed 10 people, destroyed hundreds of houses and forced thousands from their homes.

An explosion tore apart a car in Gaza City Monday, killing at least one person, Palestinian witnesses said. They said Israeli warplanes were circling overhead at the time of the blast, indicating a possible missile strike.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former Fannie Mae &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=FNM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;FNM.N&lt;/A&gt; employee  who gave U.S. officials information about what he saw as  accounting irregularities will not testify as planned before a  congressional hearing next week, a House committee said on  Friday.

Beijing, Oct. 25 (PTI): China and the US today agreed to work jointly to re-energise the six-party talks mechanism aimed at dismantling North Korea #39;s nuclear programmes while Washington urged Beijing to resume 

AFP - Sporadic gunfire and shelling took place overnight in the disputed Georgian region of South Ossetia in violation of a fragile ceasefire, wounding seven Georgian servicemen.

PARIS, Nov 4 (AFP) - The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company reported Thursday that its nine-month net profit more than doubled, thanks largely to sales of Airbus aircraft, and raised its full-year forecast.

AP - Eric Hinske and Vernon Wells homered, and the Toronto Blue Jays completed a three-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles with an 8-5 victory Sunday.

SiliconValley.com - When "Halo" became a smash video game hit following Microsoft's launch of the Xbox console in 2001, it was a no-brainer that there would be a sequel to the science fiction shoot-em-up.

The number of people claiming unemployment benefit last month fell by 6,100 to 830,200, according to the Office for National Statistics.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Todd Walker homered, had three hits  and drove in four runs to lead the Chicago Cubs to a 12-5 win  over the Cincinnati Reds in National League play at Wrigley  Field on Monday.

PARIS -- The city of Paris intends to reduce its dependence on software suppliers with "de facto monopolies," but considers an immediate switch of its 17,000 desktops to open source software too costly, it said Wednesday.

 FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces hit Iraq's rebel  stronghold of Falluja with the fiercest air and ground  bombardment in months, as insurgents struck back on Saturday  with attacks that killed up to 37 people in Samarra.

MIAMI (Sports Network) - Shaquille O #39;Neal made his home debut, but once again it was Dwyane Wade stealing the show with 28 points as the Miami Heat downed the Cleveland Cavaliers, 92-86, in front of a record crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena.

AP - The San Diego Chargers looked sharp  #151; and played the same way. Wearing their powder-blue throwback jerseys and white helmets from the 1960s, the Chargers did almost everything right in beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 34-21 on Sunday.

The vast majority of consumers are unaware that an Apple iPod digital music player only plays proprietary iTunes files, while a smaller majority agree that it is within RealNetworks #39; rights to develop a program that will make its music files compatible 

Tyler airlines are gearing up for the beginning of holiday travel, as officials offer tips to help travelers secure tickets and pass through checkpoints with ease.

 NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - The fate of a radical Shi'ite  rebellion in the holy city of Najaf was uncertain Friday amid  disputed reports that Iraqi police had gained control of the  Imam Ali Mosque.

 PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - You change the oil in your car  every 5,000 miles or so. You clean your house every week or  two. Your PC needs regular maintenance as well -- especially if  you're using Windows and you spend a lot of time on the  Internet.

NERVES - no problem. That #39;s the verdict of Jose Mourinho today after his Chelsea side gave a resolute display of character at Highbury.

AP - The latest low point in Ron Zook's tenure at Florida even has the coach wondering what went wrong. Meanwhile, Sylvester Croom's first big win at Mississippi State has given the Bulldogs and their fans a reason to believe in their first-year leader. Jerious Norwood's 37-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds remaining lifted the Bulldogs to a 38-31 upset of the 20th-ranked Gators on Saturday.

A criminal trial scheduled to start Monday involving former Enron Corp. executives may shine a rare and potentially harsh spotlight on the inner workings 

The Motley Fool - Here's something you don't see every day -- the continuing brouhaha between Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL - News) and PeopleSoft (Nasdaq: PSFT - News) being a notable exception. South Africa's Harmony Gold Mining Company (NYSE: HMY - News) has announced a hostile takeover bid to acquire fellow South African miner Gold Fields Limited (NYSE: GFI - News). The transaction, if it takes place, would be an all-stock acquisition, with Harmony issuing 1.275 new shares in payment for each share of Gold Fields. The deal would value Gold Fields at more than  #36;8 billion. ...

Someone forgot to inform the US Olympic basketball team that it was sent to Athens to try to win a gold medal, not to embarrass its country.

SPACE.com - NASA's Mars \rover Opportunity nbsp;will back its \way out of a nbsp;crater it has spent four months exploring after reaching terrain nbsp;that appears \too treacherous to tread. nbsp;

Sony Corp. announced Tuesday a new 20 gigabyte digital music player with MP3 support that will be available in Great Britain and Japan before Christmas and elsewhere in Europe in early 2005.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. #39;s Asda, the UK #39;s second biggest supermarket chain, surpassed Marks  amp; Spencer Group Plc as Britain #39;s largest clothing retailer in the last three months, according to the Sunday Telegraph.

Ten-man Paris St Germain clinched their seventh consecutive victory over arch-rivals Olympique Marseille with a 2-1 triumph in Ligue 1 on Sunday thanks to a second-half winner by substitute Edouard Cisse.

Until this week, only a few things about the strange, long-ago disappearance of Charles Robert Jenkins were known beyond a doubt. In the bitter cold of Jan. 5, 1965, the 24-year-old US Army sergeant was leading 

Roy Oswalt wasn #39;t surprised to hear the Astros were flying Sunday night through the remnants of a tropical depression that dumped several inches of rain in Louisiana and could bring showers today in Atlanta.

AP - This hardly seemed possible when Pitt needed frantic rallies to overcome Division I-AA Furman or Big East cellar dweller Temple. Or when the Panthers could barely move the ball against Ohio  #151; not Ohio State, but Ohio U.

Everyone is moaning about the fallout from last weekend but they keep on reporting the aftermath.  #39;The fall-out from the so-called  quot;Battle of Old Trafford quot; continues to settle over the nation and the debate 

Oil supply concerns and broker downgrades of blue-chip companies left stocks mixed yesterday, raising doubts that Wall Street #39;s year-end rally would continue.

Genentech Inc. said the marketing of Rituxan, a cancer drug that is the company #39;s best-selling product, is the subject of a US criminal investigation.

American Lindsay Davenport regained the No. 1 ranking in the world for the first time since early 2002 by defeating Dinara Safina of Russia 6-4, 6-2 in the second round of the Kremlin Cup on Thursday.

 The world's No. 2 soft drink company said on Thursday  quarterly profit rose due to tax benefits.

TOKYO (AP) -- The electronics and entertainment giant Sony Corp. (SNE) is talking with Wal-Mart Stores Inc...

After an unprecedented span of just five days, SpaceShipOne is ready for a return trip to space on Monday, its final flight to clinch a \$10 million prize.

The United States on Tuesday modified slightly a threat of sanctions on Sudan #39;s oil industry in a revised text of its UN resolution on atrocities in the country #39;s Darfur region.

Freshman Jeremy Ito kicked four field goals and Ryan Neill scored on a 31-yard interception return to lead improving Rutgers to a 19-14 victory on Saturday over visiting Michigan State.

Hi-tech monitoring of livestock at pig farms could help improve the animal growth process and reduce costs.

Third-seeded Guillermo Canas defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (1), 6-3 Monday on the first day of the Shanghai Open on Monday.

AP - France intensified efforts Tuesday to save the lives of two journalists held hostage in Iraq, and the Arab League said the militants' deadline for France to revoke a ban on Islamic headscarves in schools had been extended.

Cable  amp; Wireless plc (NYSE: CWP - message board) is significantly ramping up its investment in local loop unbundling (LLU) in the UK, and it plans to spend up to 85 million (\$152.

USATODAY.com - Personal finance software programs are the computer industry's version of veggies: Everyone knows they're good for you, but it's just hard to get anyone excited about them.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rebounded on Monday after  last week's heavy selloff, but analysts were uncertain if the  rally would hold after fresh economic data suggested the  December U.S. jobs report due Friday might not live up to  expectations.

AFP - Microsoft said that it had launched a new desktop search tool that allows personal computer users to find documents or messages on their PCs.

At least 12 people die in an explosion at a fuel pipeline on the outskirts of Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos.

The three largest computer makers spearheaded a program today designed to standardize working conditions for their non-US workers.

Description: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is backing state legislation that would ban sales or rentals of video games with graphic sexual or violent content to children under 18.

Volkswagen demanded a two-year wage freeze for the 170,000-strong workforce at Europe #39;s biggest car maker yesterday, provoking union warnings of imminent conflict at key pay and conditions negotiations.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures pointed to a lower  open on Wall Street on Thursday, extending the previous  session's sharp fall, with rising energy prices feeding  investor concerns about corporate profits and slower growth.

But to play as feebly as it did for about 35 minutes last night in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals and lose by only four points -- on the road, no less -- has to be the best confidence builder since Cindy St.

MILAN General Motors and Fiat on Wednesday edged closer to initiating a legal battle that could pit the two carmakers against each other in a New York City court room as early as next month.

Are you bidding on keywords through Overture's Precision Match, Google's AdWords or another pay-for-placement service? If so, you're eligible to participate in their contextual advertising programs.

Two of the Ford Motor Company #39;s most senior executives retired on Thursday in a sign that the company #39;s deep financial crisis has abated, though serious challenges remain.

Citing security concerns, the U.S. Embassy on Thursday banned its employees from using the highway linking the embassy area to the international airport, a 10-mile stretch of road plagued by frequent suicide car-bomb attacks.

Nobel Laureate Wilkins, 87, played an important role in the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA, the molecule that carries our  quot;life code quot;, Kazinform refers to BBC News.

With yesterday #39;s report on its athletic department violations completed, the University of Washington says it is pleased to be able to move forward.

 LONDON (Reuters) - Wall Street was expected to start little  changed on Friday as investors continue to fret over the impact  of high oil prices on earnings, while Boeing &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BA.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;BA.N&lt;/A&gt; will be  eyed after it reiterated its earnings forecast.

AP - Tom Daschle bade his fellow Senate Democrats farewell Tuesday with a plea that they seek common ground with Republicans yet continue to fight for the less fortunate.

Sammy Sosa was fined \$87,400 -- one day's salary -- for arriving late to the Cubs' regular-season finale at Wrigley Field and leaving the game early. The slugger's agent, Adam Katz , said yesterday Sosa most likely will file a grievance. Sosa arrived 70 minutes before Sunday's first pitch, and he apparently left 15 minutes after the game started without ...

Having an always-on, fast net connection is changing the way Britons use the internet, research suggests.

AP - Police defused a bomb in a town near Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's villa on the island of Sardinia on Wednesday shortly after British Prime Minister Tony Blair finished a visit there with the Italian leader.

Is the Oklahoma defense a notch below its predecessors? Is Texas #39; offense a step-ahead? Why is Texas Tech feeling good about itself despite its recent loss?

The coffin of Yasser Arafat, draped with the Palestinian flag, was bound for Ramallah in the West Bank Friday, following a formal funeral on a military compound near Cairo.

US Ambassador to the United Nations John Danforth resigned on Thursday after serving in the post for less than six months. Danforth, 68, said in a letter released Thursday 

Crude oil futures prices dropped below \$51 a barrel yesterday as supply concerns ahead of the Northern Hemisphere winter eased after an unexpectedly high rise in US inventories.

New York gets 57 combined points from its starting backcourt of Jamal Crawford and Stephon Marbury and tops Denver, 107-96.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Photos were published yesterday in newspapers across Pakistan of six terror suspects, including a senior Al Qaeda operative, the government says were behind attempts to assassinate the nation's president.

AP - Shawn Marion had a season-high 33 points and 15 rebounds, leading the Phoenix Suns on a fourth-quarter comeback despite the absence of Steve Nash in a 95-86 win over the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night.

By Lilly Vitorovich Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Rupert Murdoch has seven weeks to convince News Corp. (NWS) shareholders a move to the US will make the media conglomerate more attractive to 

A number of signs point to increasing demand for tech workers, but not all the clouds have been driven away.

Messina upset defending champion AC Milan 2-1 Wednesday, while Juventus won its third straight game to stay alone atop the Italian league standings.

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) filed nine new lawsuits against spammers who send unsolicited e-mail, including an e-mail marketing Web hosting company, the world #39;s largest software maker said on Thursday.

AP - Padraig Harrington rallied to a three-stroke victory in the German Masters on a windy Sunday, closing with a 2-under-par 70 and giving his game a big boost before the Ryder Cup.

 ATHENS (Reuters) - The Athens Paralympics canceled  celebrations at its closing ceremony after seven schoolchildren  traveling to watch the event died in a bus crash on Monday.

The rocket plane SpaceShipOne is just one flight away from claiming the Ansari X-Prize, a \$10m award designed to kick-start private space travel.

Reuters - Three American scientists won the\2004 Nobel physics prize on Tuesday for showing how tiny quark\particles interact, helping to explain everything from how a\coin spins to how the universe was built.

Ironically it was the first regular season game for the Carolina Panthers that not only began the history of the franchise, but also saw the beginning of a rivalry that goes on to this day.

Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis did not appear at his arraignment Friday, but his lawyers entered a not guilty plea on charges in an expanded drug conspiracy indictment.

AP - Sharp Electronics Corp. plans to stop selling its Linux-based handheld computer in the United States, another sign of the slowing market for personal digital assistants.

After serving a five-game suspension, Milton Bradley worked out with the Dodgers as they prepared for Tuesday's opener against the St. Louis Cardinals.

AP - Prime Time won't be playing in prime time this time. Deion Sanders was on the inactive list and missed a chance to strut his stuff on "Monday Night Football."

Reuters - Glaciers once held up by a floating\ice shelf off Antarctica are now sliding off into the sea --\and they are going fast, scientists said on Tuesday.

DUBAI : An Islamist group has threatened to kill two Italian women held hostage in Iraq if Rome does not withdraw its troops from the war-torn country within 24 hours, according to an internet statement.

AP - Warning lights flashed atop four police cars as the caravan wound its way up the driveway in a procession fit for a presidential candidate. At long last, Azy and Indah had arrived. They even flew through a hurricane to get here.

The man who delivered the knockout punch was picked up from the Seattle scrap heap just after the All-Star Game. Before that, John Olerud certainly hadn't figured on facing Pedro Martinez in Yankee Stadium in October.

\Female undergraduates work harder and are more open-minded than males, leading to better results, say scientists.

A heavy quake rocked Indonesia #39;s Papua province killing at least 11 people and wounding 75. The quake destroyed 150 buildings, including churches, mosques and schools.

LONDON : A consortium, including former world champion Nigel Mansell, claims it has agreed terms to ensure Silverstone remains one of the venues for the 2005 Formula One world championship.

 BATON ROUGE, La. (Sports Network) - LSU has named Les Miles  its new head football coach, replacing Nick Saban.

The United Nations annual World Robotics Survey predicts the use of robots around the home will surge seven-fold by 2007. The boom is expected to be seen in robots that can mow lawns and vacuum floors, among other chores.

The long-term economic health of the United States is threatened by \$53 trillion in government debts and liabilities that start to come due in four years when baby boomers begin to retire.

Reuters - A small group of suspected\gunmen stormed Uganda's Water Ministry Wednesday and took three\people hostage to protest against proposals to allow President\Yoweri Museveni for a third term.\Police and soldiers with assault rifles cordoned off the\three-story building, just 328 feet from Uganda's parliament\building in the capital Kampala.

The Moscow Arbitration Court ruled on Monday that the YUKOS oil company must pay RUR 39.113bn (about \$1.34bn) as part of its back tax claim for 2001.

NOVEMBER 11, 2004 -- Bankrupt US Airways this morning said it had reached agreements with lenders and lessors to continue operating nearly all of its mainline and US Airways Express fleets.

Venezuela suggested Friday that exiles living in Florida may have masterminded the assassination of a prosecutor investigating a short-lived coup against leftist President Hugo Chvez 

Want to dive deep -- really deep -- into the technical literature about search engines?  Here's a road map to some of the best web information retrieval resources available online.

Reuters - Ancel Keys, a pioneer in public health\best known for identifying the connection between a\cholesterol-rich diet and heart disease, has died.

The US government asks the World Trade Organisation to step in to stop EU member states from "subsidising" planemaker Airbus.

Reuters - T-Mobile USA, the U.S. wireless unit\of Deutsche Telekom AG (DTEGn.DE), does not expect to offer\broadband mobile data services for at least the next two years,\its chief executive said on Thursday.

Verizon Communications is stepping further into video as a way to compete against cable companies.

Facing a popular outcry at home and stern warnings from Europe, the Turkish government discreetly stepped back Tuesday from a plan to introduce a motion into a crucial penal reform bill to make adultery a crime punishable by prison.

Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it received US regulatory approval for a device to treat complications that arise in patients with end-stage kidney disease who need dialysis.

North-west Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham has called for the release of an old college friend accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea.

With the economy slowly turning up, upgrading hardware has been on businesses radar in the past 12 months as their number two priority.

AP - The Chicago Blackhawks re-signed goaltender Michael Leighton to a one-year contract Wednesday.

Oracle Corp. plans to release the latest version of its CRM (customer relationship management) applications within the next two months, as part of an ongoing update of its E-Business Suite.

Toyota Motor Corp. #39;s shares fell for a second day, after the world #39;s second-biggest automaker had an unexpected quarterly profit drop.

Hosted CRM service provider Salesforce.com took another step forward last week in its strategy to build an online ecosystem of vendors that offer software as a service.

Britain-based HBOS says it will file a complaint to the European Commission against Spanish bank Santander Central Hispano (SCH) in connection with SCH #39;s bid to acquire British bank Abbey National 

AFP - Steven Gerrard has moved to allay Liverpool fans' fears that he could be out until Christmas after breaking a metatarsal bone in his left foot.

Verizon Wireless on Thursday announced an agreement to acquire all the PCS spectrum licenses of NextWave Telecom Inc. in 23 markets for \$3 billion.

washingtonpost.com - Technology giants IBM and Hewlett-Packard are injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into radio-frequency identification technology, which aims to advance the tracking of items from ho-hum bar codes to smart tags packed with data.

ATHENS -- She won her first Olympic gold medal in kayaking when she was 18, the youngest paddler to do so in Games history. Yesterday, at 42, Germany #39;s golden girl Birgit Fischer won her eighth Olympic gold in the four-woman 500-metre kayak race.

England boss Sven Goran Eriksson has defended goalkeeper David James after last night #39;s 2-2 draw in Austria. James allowed Andreas Ivanschitz #39;s shot to slip through his fingers to complete Austria comeback from two goals down.

MINSK - Legislative elections in Belarus held at the same time as a referendum on whether President Alexander Lukashenko should be allowed to seek a third term fell significantly short of democratic standards, foreign observers said here Monday.

An Olympic sailor is charged with the manslaughter of a Briton who died after being hit by a car in Athens.

The Norfolk Broads are on their way to getting a clean bill of ecological  health after a century of stagnation.

AP - Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday praised the peace deal that ended fighting in Iraq's holy city of Najaf and said the presence of U.S. forces in the area helped make it possible.

The  quot;future quot; is getting a chance to revive the presently struggling New York Giants. Two other teams also decided it was time for a change at quarterback, but the Buffalo Bills are not one of them.

For the second time this year, an alliance of major Internet providers - including Atlanta-based EarthLink -iled a coordinated group of lawsuits aimed at stemming the flood of online junk mail.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The PIMCO mutual fund group has  agreed to pay \$50 million to settle fraud charges involving  improper rapid dealing in mutual fund shares, the U.S.  Securities and Exchange Commission said on Monday.

Via Technologies has released a version of the open-source Xine media player that is designed to take advantage of hardware digital video acceleration capabilities in two of the company #39;s PC chipsets, the CN400 and CLE266.

The Conference Board reported Thursday that the Leading Economic Index fell for a third consecutive month in August, suggesting slower economic growth ahead amid rising oil prices.

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Software maker Adobe Systems  Inc.&lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=ADBE.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;ADBE.O&lt;/A&gt; on Thursday posted a quarterly profit that rose  more than one-third from a year ago, but shares fell 3 percent  after the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat software did not raise  forecasts for fiscal 2005.

William Morrison Supermarkets has agreed to sell 114 small Safeway stores and a distribution centre for 260.2 million pounds. Morrison bought these stores as part of its 3 billion pound 

SCO Group has a plan to keep itself fit enough to continue its legal battles against Linux and to develop its Unix-on-Intel operating systems.

Flushing Meadows, NY (Sports Network) - The men #39;s semifinals at the 2004 US Open will be staged on Saturday, with three of the tournament #39;s top-five seeds ready for action at the USTA National Tennis Center.

Pepsi pushes a blue version of Mountain Dew only at Taco Bell. Is this a winning strategy?

New software helps corporate travel managers track down business travelers who overspend. But it also poses a dilemma for honest travelers who are only trying to save money.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has called a meeting of NATO states and Russia on Tuesday to discuss the siege of a school by Chechen separatists in which more than 335 people died, a NATO spokesman said.

26 August 2004 -- Iraq #39;s top Shi #39;ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, arrived in the city of Al-Najaf today in a bid to end a weeks-long conflict between US forces and militiamen loyal to Shi #39;ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

AFP - Senior executives at business software group PeopleSoft unanimously recommended that its shareholders reject a 8.8 billion dollar takeover bid from Oracle Corp, PeopleSoft said in a statement Wednesday.

Reuters - Neolithic people in China may have\been the first in the world to make wine, according to\scientists who have found the earliest evidence of winemaking\from pottery shards dating from 7,000 BC in northern China.

Given nearly a week to examine the security issues raised by the now-infamous brawl between players and fans in Auburn Hills, Mich., Nov. 19, the Celtics returned to the FleetCenter last night with two losses and few concerns about their on-court safety.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Electronics conglomerate Sony Corp.  unveiled eight new flat-screen televisions on Thursday in a  product push it hopes will help it secure a leading 35 percent  of the domestic market in the key month of December.

As the election approaches, Congress abandons all pretense of fiscal responsibility, voting tax cuts that would drive 10-year deficits past \$3 trillion.

PARIS : French trade unions called on workers at France Telecom to stage a 24-hour strike September 7 to protest government plans to privatize the public telecommunications operator, union sources said.

ServiceMaster profitably bundles services and pays a healthy 3.5 dividend.

The Indonesian tourism industry has so far not been affected by last week #39;s bombing outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta and officials said they do not expect a significant drop in visitor numbers as a result of the attack.

\$222.5 million -- in an ongoing securities class action lawsuit against Enron Corp. The settlement, announced Friday and 

Arsenals Thierry Henry today missed out on the European Footballer of the Year award as Andriy Shevchenko took the honour. AC Milan frontman Shevchenko held off competition from Barcelona pair Deco and 

Donald Halsted, one target of a class-action suit alleging financial improprieties at bankrupt Polaroid, officially becomes CFO.

Neil Mellor #39;s sensational late winner for Liverpool against Arsenal on Sunday has earned the back-up striker the chance to salvage a career that had appeared to be drifting irrevocably towards the lower divisions.

ABOUT 70,000 people were forced to evacuate Real Madrid #39;s Santiago Bernabeu stadium minutes before the end of a Primera Liga match yesterday after a bomb threat in the name of ETA Basque separatist guerillas.

The team learned on Monday that full-back Jon Ritchie will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart said on  Wednesday she wants to start serving her prison sentence for  lying about a suspicious stock sale as soon as possible, so she  can put her "nightmare" behind her.

Apple Computer's iPod remains the king of digital music players, but robust pretenders to the throne have begun to emerge in the Windows universe. One of them is the Zen Touch, from Creative Labs.

The 7710 model features a touch screen, pen input, a digital camera, an Internet browser, a radio, video playback and streaming and recording capabilities, the company said.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Crude futures closed under \$46 a barrel Wednesday for the first time since late September and heating-oil and unleaded gasoline prices dropped more than 6 percent following an across-the-board climb in US petroleum inventories.

The University of Iowa #39;s market for US presidential futures, founded 16-years ago, has been overtaken by a Dublin-based exchange that is now 25 times larger.

Venus Williams barely kept alive her hopes of qualifying for next week #39;s WTA Tour Championships. Williams, seeded fifth, survived a third-set tiebreaker to outlast Yuilana Fedak of the Ukraine, 6-4 2-6 7-6 

 SYDNEY (Reuters) - Arnold Palmer has taken a swing at  America's top players, criticizing their increasing reluctance  to travel abroad to play in tournaments.

MARK Thatcher will have to wait until at least next April to face trial on allegations he helped bankroll a coup attempt in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.

A top Red Hat executive has attacked the open-source credentials of its sometime business partner Sun Microsystems. In a Web log posting Thursday, Michael Tiemann, Red Hat #39;s vice president of open-source affairs 

President Bush #39;s drive to deploy a multibillion-dollar shield against ballistic missiles was set back on Wednesday by what critics called a stunning failure of its first full flight test in two years.

Although he was well-beaten by Retief Goosen in Sunday #39;s final round of The Tour Championship in Atlanta, there has been some compensation for the former world number one, Tiger Woods.

WAYNE Rooney and Henrik Larsson are among the players nominated for FIFAs prestigious World Player of the Year award. Rooney is one of four Manchester United players on a list which is heavily influenced by the Premiership.

It didn #39;t look good when it happened on the field, and it looked worse in the clubhouse. Angels second baseman Adam Kennedy left the Angels #39; 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners 

Air travelers moved one step closer to being able to talk on cell phones and surf the Internet from laptops while in flight, thanks to votes by the Federal Communications Commission yesterday.

MySQL developers turn to an unlikely source for database tool: Microsoft. Also: SGI visualizes Linux, and the return of Java veteran Kim Polese.

DESPITE the budget deficit, continued increases in oil and consumer prices, the economy, as measured by gross domestic product, grew by 6.3 percent in the third 

NEW YORK - A drop in oil prices and upbeat outlooks from Wal-Mart and Lowe's helped send stocks sharply higher Monday on Wall Street, with the swing exaggerated by thin late summer trading. The Dow Jones industrials surged nearly 130 points...

Freshman Darius Walker ran for 115 yards and scored two touchdowns, helping revive an Irish offense that had managed just one touchdown in the season's first six quarters.

Consumers who cut it close by paying bills from their checking accounts a couple of days before depositing funds will be out of luck under a new law that takes effect Oct. 28.

Dell Inc. said its profit surged 25 percent in the third quarter as the world's largest personal computer maker posted record sales due to rising technology spending in the corporate and government sectors in the United States and abroad.

AP - NBC is adding a 5-second delay to its NASCAR telecasts after Dale Earnhardt Jr. used a vulgarity during a postrace TV interview last weekend.

 BOSTON (Sports Network) - The New York Yankees will start  Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez in Game 4 of the American League  Championship Series on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox.

The future of Sven-Goran Eriksson as England coach is the subject of intense discussion after the draw in Austria. Has the Swede lost the confidence of the nation or does he remain the best man for the job?

Component problems meant Brillian's new big screens missed the NFL's kickoff party.

Spain begin their third final in five seasons at the Olympic stadium hoping to secure their second title since their first in Barcelona against Australia in 2000.

Second-seeded David Nalbandian of Argentina lost at the Japan Open on Thursday, beaten by Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-4 in the third round.

Thursday #39;s unexpected resignation of Memphis Grizzlies coach Hubie Brown left a lot of questions unanswered. In his unique way of putting things, the 71-year-old Brown seemed to indicate he was burned out and had some health concerns.

RUDI Voller had quit as coach of Roma after a 3-1 defeat away to Bologna, the Serie A club said today. Under the former Germany coach, Roma had taken just four league points from a possible 12.

A Russian court on Thursday rejected an appeal by the Yukos oil company seeking to overturn a freeze on the accounts of the struggling oil giant #39;s core subsidiaries.

ONE by one, the players #39; faces had flashed up on the giant Ibrox screens offering season #39;s greetings to the Rangers fans. But the main presents were reserved for Auxerre.

Switzerland #39;s struggling national airline reported a second-quarter profit of 45 million Swiss francs (\$35.6 million) Tuesday, although its figures were boosted by a legal settlement in France. 

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia -- Hundreds of protesters ransacked and occupied the regional administration building in a southern Russian province Tuesday, demanding the resignation of the region #39;s president, whose former son-in-law has been linked to a multiple 

SIPTU has said it is strongly opposed to any privatisation of Aer Lingus as pressure mounts on the Government to make a decision on the future funding of the airline.

Reuters - SBC Communications said on Monday it\would offer a television set-top box that can handle music,\photos and Internet downloads, part of SBC's efforts to expand\into home entertainment.

Molson Inc. Chief Executive Officer Daniel O #39;Neill said he #39;ll provide investors with a positive #39; #39; response to their concerns over the company #39;s plan to let stock- option holders vote on its planned merger with Adolph Coors Co.

South Korea #39;s Grace Park shot a seven-under-par 65 to triumph at the CJ Nine Bridges Classic on Sunday. Park #39;s victory made up her final-round collapse at the Samsung World Championship two weeks ago.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hopes -- and worries -- that U.S.  regulators will soon end the ban on using wireless phones  during U.S. commercial flights are likely at least a year or  two early, government officials and analysts say.

AFP - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari arrived unexpectedly in the holy city of Mecca Wednesday where he met Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, the official SPA news agency reported.

Titans QB Steve McNair was released from a Nashville hospital after a two-night stay for treatment of a bruised sternum. McNair was injured during the fourth quarter of the Titans #39; 15-12 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday.

Keith Miller, Australia #39;s most prolific all-rounder in Test cricket, died today at a nursing home, Cricket Australia said. He was 84.

Haitian police and UN troops moved into a slum neighborhood on Sunday and cleared street barricades that paralyzed a part of the capital.

TORONTO Former Toronto pitcher John Cerutti (seh-ROO #39;-tee) was found dead in his hotel room today, according to the team. He was 44.

withdrawal of troops and settlers from occupied Gaza next year. Militants seek to claim any pullout as a victory.  quot;Islamic Jihad will not be broken by this martyrdom, quot; said Khaled al-Batsh, a senior political leader in Gaza.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The world's largest gold producer,  Newmont Mining Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NEM.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;NEM.N&lt;/A&gt;, on Wednesday said higher gold  prices drove up quarterly profit by 12.5 percent, even though  it sold less of the precious metal.

The U.S. military has found nearly 20 houses where intelligence officers believe hostages were tortured or killed in this city, including the house with the cage that held a British contractor who was beheaded last month.

AFP - Opponents of the Lao government may be plotting bomb attacks in Vientiane and other areas of Laos timed to coincide with a summit of Southeast Asian leaders the country is hosting next month, the United States said.

After a year of pilots and trials, Siebel Systems jumped with both feet into the SMB market Tuesday, announcing a new approach to offer Siebel Professional CRM applications to SMBs (small and midsize businesses) -- companies with revenues up to about \$500 million.

AP - Russia agreed Thursday to send warships to help NATO naval patrols that monitor suspicious vessels in the Mediterranean, part of a push for closer counterterrorism cooperation between Moscow and the western alliance.

Intel won't release a 4-GHz version of its flagship Pentium 4 product, having decided instead to realign its engineers around the company's new design priorities, an Intel spokesman said today.  \\

AP - A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American rocketed closer Friday to its docking with the international space station, where the current three-man crew made final departure preparations.

Defense: Ken Lucas. His biggest play was his first one. The fourth-year cornerback intercepted a Ken Dorsey pass that kissed off the hands of wide receiver Rashaun Woods and returned it 25 yards to set up the Seahawks #39; first score.

Scientists have manipulated carbon atoms to create a material that could be used to create light-based, versus electronic, switches. The material could lead to a supercharged Internet based entirely on light, scientists say.

A military plane crashed in the mountains near Caracas, killing all 16 persons on board, including two high-ranking military officers, officials said.

The powerful St. Louis trio of Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen and Jim Edmonds is 4 for 23 with one RBI in the series and with runners on base, they are 1 for 13.

A voice recording said to be that of suspected Al Qaeda commander Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, claims Iraq #39;s Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is the militant network #39;s number one target.

BEIJING -- More than a year after becoming China's president, Hu Jintao was handed the full reins of power yesterday when his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, gave up the nation's most powerful military post.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)  Qualcomm has dropped an \$18 million claim for monetary damages from rival Texas Instruments for publicly discussing terms of a licensing pact, a TI spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. 

Hewlett-Packard is the latest IT vendor to try blogging. But analysts wonder if the weblog trend is the 21st century equivalent of CB radios, which made a big splash in the 1970s before fading.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fannie Mae executives and their  regulator squared off on Wednesday, with executives denying any  accounting irregularity and the regulator saying the housing  finance company's management may need to go.

The scientists behind Dolly the sheep apply for a license to clone human embryos. They want to take stem cells from the embryos to study Lou Gehrig's disease.

As the first criminal trial stemming from the financial deals at Enron opened in Houston on Monday, it is notable as much for who is not among the six defendants as who is - and for how little money was involved compared with how much in other Enron 

LONDON (CBS.MW) -- British bank Barclays on Thursday said it is in talks to buy a majority stake in South African bank ABSA. Free!

The Jets signed 33-year-old cornerback Terrell Buckley, who was released by New England on Sunday, after putting nickel back Ray Mickens on season-ending injured reserve yesterday with a torn ACL in his left knee.

Some of the silly tunes Japanese pay to download to use as the ring tone for their mobile phones sure have their knockers, but it #39;s for precisely that reason that a well-known counselor is raking it in at the moment, according to Shukan Gendai (10/2).

WEST INDIES thrilling victory yesterday in the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy meant the world to the five million people of the Caribbean.

AP - Greenpeace activists scaled the walls of Ford Motor Co.'s Norwegian headquarters Tuesday to protest plans to destroy hundreds of non-polluting electric cars.

Investors sent stocks sharply lower yesterday as oil prices continued their climb higher and new questions about the safety of arthritis drugs pressured pharmaceutical stocks.

Scotland manager Berti Vogts insists he is expecting nothing but victory against Moldova on Wednesday. The game certainly is a must-win affair if the Scots are to have any chance of qualifying for the 2006 World Cup finals.

IBM announced yesterday that it will invest US\$250 million (S\$425 million) over the next five years and employ 1,000 people in a new business unit to support products and services related to sensor networks.

AFP - The chances of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp relocating from Australia to the United States have increased after one of its biggest institutional investors has chosen to abstain from a vote next week on the move.

AFP - An Indian minister said a school text-book used in the violence-prone western state of Gujarat portrayed Adolf Hitler as a role model.

Reuters - The head of UAL Corp.'s United\Airlines said on Thursday the airline's restructuring plan\would lead to a significant number of job losses, but it was\not clear how many.

DOVER, N.H. (AP) -- Democrat John Kerry is seizing on the Bush administration's failure to secure hundreds of tons of explosives now missing in Iraq.

AP - Microsoft Corp. goes into round two Friday of its battle to get the European Union's sweeping antitrust ruling lifted having told a judge that it had been prepared during settlement talks to share more software code with its rivals than the EU ultimately demanded.

 INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Jenny Thompson will take the  spotlight from injured U.S. team mate Michael Phelps at the  world short course championships Saturday as she brings down  the curtain on a spectacular swimming career.

Martin Brodeur made 27 saves, and Brad Richards, Kris Draper and Joe Sakic scored goals to help Canada beat Russia 3-1 last night in the World Cup of Hockey, giving the Canadians a 3-0 record in round-robin play.

AP - Sears, Roebuck and Co., which has successfully sold its tools and appliances on the Web, is counting on having the same magic with bedspreads and sweaters, thanks in part to expertise gained by its purchase of Lands' End Inc.

com September 14, 2004, 9:12 AM PT. With the economy slowly turning up, upgrading hardware has been on businesses radar in the past 12 months as their number two priority.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Children's Place Retail Stores Inc.  &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=PLCE.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;PLCE.O&lt;/A&gt; said on Wednesday it will buy 313 retail stores from  Walt Disney Co., and its stock rose more than 14 percent in  early morning trade.

ALBANY, N.Y. -- A California-based company that brokers life, accident, and disability policies for leading US companies pocketed millions of dollars a year in hidden payments from insurers and from charges on clients' unsuspecting workers, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer charged yesterday.

NORTEL Networks plans to slash its workforce by 3500, or ten per cent, as it struggles to recover from an accounting scandal that toppled three top executives and led to a criminal investigation and lawsuits. 

Ebay Inc. (EBAY.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it would buy Rent.com, an Internet housing rental listing service, for \$415 million in a deal that gives it access to a new segment of the online real estate market.

Austin police are working with overseas officials to bring charges against an English man for sexual assault of a child, a second-degree felony.

United Nations officials report security breaches in internally displaced people and refugee camps in Sudan #39;s embattled Darfur region and neighboring Chad.

Noranda Inc., Canada #39;s biggest mining company, began exclusive talks on a takeover proposal from China Minmetals Corp. that would lead to the spinoff of Noranda #39;s aluminum business to shareholders.

San Francisco developer/publisher lands coveted Paramount sci-fi license, \$6.5 million in funding on same day. Although it is less than two years old, Perpetual Entertainment has acquired one of the most coveted sci-fi licenses on the market.

ST. LOUIS -- Mike Martz #39;s week of anger was no empty display. He saw the defending NFC West champions slipping and thought taking potshots at his players might be his best shot at turning things around.

Google warned Thursday that increased competition and the maturing of the company would result in an  quot;inevitable quot; slowing of its growth.

By KELLY WIESE    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri will allow members of the military stationed overseas to return absentee ballots via e-mail, raising concerns from Internet security experts about fraud and ballot secrecy...

Avis Europe PLC has dumped a new ERP system based on software from PeopleSoft Inc. before it was even rolled out, citing substantial delays and higher-than-expected costs.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - The Nikkei average rose 0.55 percent by  midsession on Wednesday as some techs including Advantest Corp.  gained ground after Wall Street reacted positively to results  from Intel Corp. released after the U.S. market close.

Yahoo #39;s (Quote, Chart) public embrace of the RSS content syndication format took a major leap forward with the release of a revamped My Yahoo portal seeking to introduce the technology to mainstream consumers.

KINGSTON, Jamaica - Hurricane Ivan's deadly winds and monstrous waves bore down on Jamaica on Friday, threatening a direct hit on its densely populated capital after ravaging Grenada and killing at least 33 people.    The Jamaican government ordered the evacuation of half a million people from coastal areas, where rains on Ivan's outer edges were already flooding roads...

North Korea has denounced as  quot;wicked terrorists quot; the South Korean officials who orchestrated last month #39;s airlift to Seoul of 468 North Korean defectors.

The Black Watch regiment has returned to its base in Basra in southern Iraq after a month-long mission standing in for US troops in a more violent part of the country, the Ministry of Defence says.

Romanian soccer star Adrian Mutu as he arrives at the British Football Association in London, ahead of his disciplinary hearing, Thursday Nov. 4, 2004.

Australia completed an emphatic Test series sweep over New Zealand with a 213-run win Tuesday, prompting a caution from Black Caps skipper Stephen Fleming for other cricket captains around the globe.

AP - A senior Congolese official said Tuesday his nation had been invaded by neighboring Rwanda, and U.N. officials said they were investigating claims of Rwandan forces clashing with militias in the east.

Liverpool, England (Sports Network) - Former English international and Liverpool great Emlyn Hughes passed away Tuesday from a brain tumor.

 ATLANTA (Reuters) - Soft drink giant Coca-Cola Co. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=KO.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;KO.N&lt;/A&gt;,  stung by a prolonged downturn in North America, Germany and  other major markets, on Thursday lowered its key long-term  earnings and sales targets.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- They were singing in the Colts #39; locker room today, singing like a bunch of wounded songbirds. Never mind that Marcus Pollard, Dallas Clark and Ben Hartsock won #39;t be recording a remake of Kenny Chesney #39;s song,  quot;Young, quot; any time soon.

TOKYO (AP) -- Japanese electronics and entertainment giant Sony Corp. (SNE) plans to begin selling a camcorder designed for consumers that takes video at digital high-definition quality and is being priced at about \$3,600...

As the close-knit NASCAR community mourns the loss of team owner Rick Hendrick #39;s son, brother, twin nieces and six others in a plane crash Sunday, perhaps no one outside of the immediate family grieves more deeply than Darrell Waltrip.

AP - Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton has no trouble remembering how he felt after last year's game at Michigan.

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations #39; nuclear agency says it is concerned about the disappearance of equipment and materials from Iraq that could be used to make nuclear weapons.

 BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The EU's historic deal with Turkey to  open entry talks with the vast Muslim country was hailed by  supporters as a bridge builder between Europe and the Islamic  world.

Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar, who was due in Paris on Sunday to start a European tour, has postponed his visit to France due to the ongoing hostage drama involving two French journalists, Arab diplomats said Friday.

 SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - President Luiz Inacio Lula da  Silva's Workers' Party (PT) won the mayoralty of six state  capitals in Sunday's municipal vote but was forced into a  run-off to defend its hold on the race's biggest prize, the  city of Sao Paulo.

ATHENS, Greece - They are America's newest golden girls - powerful and just a shade from perfection. The U.S...

AMMAN, Sept. 15. - The owner of a Jordanian truck company announced today that he had ordered its Iraq operations stopped in a bid to save the life of a driver held hostage by a militant group.

Israel is prepared to back a Middle East conference convened by Tony Blair early next year despite having expressed fears that the British plans were over-ambitious and designed 

AP - U.S. State Department officials learned that seven American children had been abandoned at a Nigerian orphanage but waited more than a week to check on the youths, who were suffering from malnutrition, malaria and typhoid, a newspaper reported Saturday.

\Angry mobs in Ivory Coast's main city, Abidjan, marched on the airport, hours after it came under French control.

Several workers are believed to have been killed and others injured after a contruction site collapsed at Dubai airport. The workers were trapped under rubble at the site of a \$4.

Talks between Sudan #39;s government and two rebel groups to resolve the nearly two-year battle resume Friday. By Abraham McLaughlin  Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor.

In a meeting of the cinematic with the scientific, Hollywood helicopter stunt pilots will try to snatch a returning NASA space probe out of the air before it hits the ground.

Legend has it (incorrectly, it seems) that infamous bank robber Willie Sutton, when asked why banks were his favorite target, responded,  quot;Because that #39;s where the money is.

Brown is a second year player from Memphis and has spent the 2004 season on the Steelers #39; practice squad. He played in two games last year.

A Canadian court approved Air Canada #39;s (AC.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) plan of arrangement with creditors on Monday, clearing the way for the world #39;s 11th largest airline to emerge from bankruptcy protection at the end of next month 

Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Purdue Pharma are the first drugmakers willing to take the plunge and use radio frequency identification technology to protect their US drug supply chains from counterfeiters.

Barret Jackman, the last of the Blues left to sign before the league #39;s probable lockout on Wednesday, finalized a deal Monday that is rare in the current economic climate but fitting for him.

 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices eased on Monday after rebels  in Nigeria withdrew a threat to target oil operations, but  lingering concerns over stretched supplies ahead of winter kept  prices close to \$50.

AP - In the tumult of the visitors' clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, champagne pouring all around him, Theo Epstein held a beer. "I came in and there was no champagne left," he said this week. "I said, 'I'll have champagne if we win it all.'" Get ready to pour a glass of bubbly for Epstein. No I.D. necessary.

Search any fee-based digital music service for the best-loved musical artists of the 20th century and most of the expected names show up.

Barcelona held on from an early Deco goal to edge game local rivals Espanyol 1-0 and carve out a five point tabletop cushion. Earlier, Ronaldo rescued a point for Real Madrid, who continued their middling form with a 1-1 draw at Real Betis.

MONTREAL (CP) - The Expos may be history, but their demise has heated up the market for team memorabilia. Vintage 1970s and 1980s shirts are already sold out, but everything from caps, beer glasses and key-chains to dolls of mascot Youppi!

Stansted airport is the designated emergency landing ground for planes in British airspace hit by in-flight security alerts. Emergency services at Stansted have successfully dealt 

The massive military operation to retake Fallujah has been  quot;accomplished quot;, a senior Iraqi official said. Fierce fighting continued in the war-torn city where pockets of resistance were still holding out against US forces.

There are some signs of progress in resolving the Nigerian conflict that is riling global oil markets. The leader of militia fighters threatening to widen a battle for control of Nigeria #39;s oil-rich south has 

A strong earthquake hit Taiwan on Monday, shaking buildings in the capital Taipei for several seconds. No casualties were reported.

America Online Inc. is packaging new features to combat viruses, spam and spyware in response to growing online security threats. Subscribers will be able to get the free tools 

A 76th minute goal from European Footballer of the Year Pavel Nedved gave Juventus a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday handing the Italians clear control at the top of Champions League Group C.

 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices climbed above \$42 a barrel on  Wednesday, rising for the third day in a row as cold weather  gripped the U.S. Northeast, the world's biggest heating fuel  market.

A policeman ran amok at a security camp in Indian-controlled Kashmir after an argument and shot dead seven colleagues before he was gunned down, police said on Sunday.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Some NHL players who took part in a charity hockey game at the University of Michigan on Thursday were hopeful the news that the NHL and the players association will resume talks next week 

New York police have developed a pre-emptive strike policy, cutting off demonstrations before they grow large.

CAPE CANAVERAL-- NASA aims to launch its first post-Columbia shuttle mission during a shortened nine-day window March, and failure to do so likely would delay a planned return to flight until at least May.

Travelers headed home for Thanksgiving were greeted Wednesday with snow-covered highways in the Midwest, heavy rain and tornadoes in parts of the South, and long security lines at some of the nation #39;s airports.

BOULDER, Colo. -- Vernand Morency ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns and Donovan Woods threw for three more scores, lifting No. 22 Oklahoma State to a 42-14 victory over Colorado yesterday.

The Chinese city of Beijing has cancelled an order for Microsoft software, apparently bowing to protectionist sentiment. The deal has come under fire in China, which is trying to build a domestic software industry.

Apple says it will deliver its iTunes music service to more European countries next month. Corroborating several reports in recent months, Reuters is reporting today that Apple Computer is planning the next 

Reuters - Motorola Inc., the world's\second-largest mobile phone maker, said on Tuesday it expects\to sustain strong sales growth in the second half of 2004\thanks to new handsets with innovative designs and features.

PULLMAN - Last week, in studying USC game film, Cougar coaches thought they found a chink in the national champions armor. And not just any chink - one with the potential, right from the get go, to 

The union representing flight attendants on Friday said it mailed more than 5,000 strike authorization ballots to its members employed by US Airways as both sides continued talks that are expected to stretch through the weekend.

AP - Matt Leinart was quite a baseball prospect growing up, showing so much promise as a left-handed pitcher that scouts took notice before high school.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic -- Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon during the final Apollo landing, said Thursday he doesn't expect space tourism to become reality in the near future, despite a strong demand.   Cernan, now 70, who was commander of NASA's Apollo 17 mission and set foot on the lunar surface in December 1972 during his third space flight, acknowledged that "there are many people interested in space tourism."     But the former astronaut said he believed "we are a long way away from the day when we can send a bus of tourists to the moon." He spoke to reporters before being awarded a medal by the Czech Academy of Sciences for his contribution to science...

Never shy about entering a market late, Microsoft Corp. is planning to open the virtual doors of its long-planned Internet music store next week. &lt;FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"&gt;&lt;B&gt;-Leslie Walker&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;

AP - On his first birthday Thursday, giant panda cub Mei Sheng delighted visitors by playing for the first time in snow delivered to him at the San Diego Zoo. He also sat on his ice cake, wrestled with his mom, got his coat incredibly dirty, and didn't read any of the more than 700 birthday wishes sent him via e-mail from as far away as Ireland and Argentina.

AP - Researchers put a satellite tracking device on a 15-foot shark that appeared to be lost in shallow water off Cape Cod, the first time a great white has been tagged that way in the Atlantic.

LSU will stick with a two-quarterback rotation Saturday at Auburn, according to Tigers coach Nick Saban, who seemed to have some fun telling the media what he will and won #39;t discuss Monday.

Bulgaria has started its first co-mission with the EU in Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with some 30 countries, including Canada and Turkey.

The Windows Future Storage (WinFS) technology that got cut out of Windows  quot;Longhorn quot; is in serious trouble, and not just the hot water a feature might encounter for missing its intended production vehicle.

Seattle -- - Not so long ago, the 49ers were inflicting on other teams the kind of pain and embarrassment they felt in their 34-0 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.

AP - The pileup of events in the city next week, including the Republican National Convention, will add to the security challenge for the New York Police Department, but commissioner Ray Kelly says, "With a big, experienced police force, we can do it."

washingtonpost.com - Let the games begin. Not the Olympics again, but the all-out battle between video game giants Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co. Ltd. The two Japanese companies are rolling out new gaming consoles, but Nintendo has beaten Sony to the punch by announcing an earlier launch date for its new hand-held game player.

London - Manchester City held fierce crosstown rivals Manchester United to a 0-0 draw on Sunday, keeping the Red Devils eleven points behind leaders Chelsea.

LONDON, Dec 11 (IranMania) - Iraqi Vice-President Ibrahim al-Jaafari refused to believe in remarks published Friday that Iran was attempting to influence Iraqi polls with the aim of creating a  quot;crescent quot; dominated by Shiites in the region.

LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) - The US Securities and Exchange Commission is probing transactions between Delphi Corp and EDS, which supplies the automotive parts and components giant with technology services, Delphi said late Wednesday.

MONTREAL (CP) - Molson Inc. and Adolph Coors Co. are sweetening their brewery merger plan with a special dividend to Molson shareholders worth \$381 million.

AP - Echoing what NASA officials said a day earlier, a Russian space official on Friday said the two-man crew on the international space station could be forced to return to Earth if a planned resupply flight cannot reach them with food supplies later this month.

InfoWorld - SANTA CLARA, CALIF. -- Accommodating large patch sets in Linux is expected to mean forking off of the 2.7 version of the platform to accommodate these changes, according to Andrew Morton, lead maintainer of the Linux kernel for Open Source Development Labs (OSDL).

AMSTERDAM The mobile phone giants Vodafone and Nokia teamed up on Thursday to simplify cellphone software written with the Java computer language.

WELLINGTON: National carrier Air New Zealand said yesterday the Australian Competition Tribunal has approved a proposed alliance with Qantas Airways Ltd, despite its rejection in New Zealand.

The late Princess Dianas former bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, dismisses her suspicions that one of her lovers was bumped off. Princess Diana had an affair with Barry Mannakee, a policeman who was assigned to protect her.

Long considered beyond the reach of mainland mores, the Florida city is trying to limit blatant displays of sexual behavior.

The overall Linux market is far larger than previous estimates show, a new study says. In an analysis of the Linux market released late Tuesday, market research firm IDC estimated that the Linux market -- including 

By PAUL ELIAS    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Several California cities and counties, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, sued Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) on Friday, accusing the software giant of illegally charging inflated prices for its products because of monopoly control of the personal computer operating system market...

New Ole Miss head coach Ed Orgeron, speaking for the first time since his hiring, made clear the goal of his football program.  quot;The goal of this program will be to go to the Sugar Bowl, quot; Orgeron said.

"Everyone's nervous," Acting Undersecretary of Defense Michael W. Wynne warned in a confidential e-mail to Air Force Secretary James G. Roche on July 8, 2003.

Reuters - Alpharma Inc.  on Friday began\selling a cheaper generic version of Pfizer Inc.'s   #36;3\billion a year epilepsy drug Neurontin without waiting for a\court ruling on Pfizer's request to block the copycat medicine.

Public opinion of the database giant sinks to 12-year low, a new report indicates.

Opinion: Privacy hysterics bring old whine in new bottles to the Internet party. The desktop search beta from this Web search leader doesn #39;t do anything you can #39;t do already.

It is much too easy to call Pedro Martinez the selfish one, to say he is walking out on the Red Sox, his baseball family, for the extra year of the Mets #39; crazy money.

It is impossible for young tennis players today to know what it was like to be Althea Gibson and not to be able to  quot;walk in the front door, quot; Garrison said.

Senator John Kerry said today that the war in Iraq was a "profound diversion" from the war on terror and Osama bin Laden.

For spammers, it #39;s been a summer of love. Two newly issued reports tracking the circulation of unsolicited e-mails say pornographic spam dominated this summer, nearly all of it originating from Internet addresses in North America. 

The Nordics fared well because of their long-held ideals of keeping corruption clamped down and respect for contracts, rule of law and dedication to one-on-one business relationships.

Microsoft portrayed its Longhorn decision as a necessary winnowing to hit the 2006 timetable. The announcement on Friday, Microsoft executives insisted, did not point to a setback in software 

Here #39;s an obvious word of advice to Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley as he kicks off another search for the Gators football coach: Get Steve Spurrier on board.

Don't bother with the small stuff. Here's what really matters to your lender.

A problem in the Service Pack 2 update for Windows XP may keep owners of AMD-based computers from using the long-awaited security package, according to Microsoft.

Five years ago, running a telephone company was an immensely profitable proposition. Since then, those profits have inexorably declined, and now that decline has taken another gut-wrenching dip.

NEW YORK - The litigious Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is involved in another legal dispute with a P-to-P (peer-to-peer) technology maker, but this time, the RIAA is on defense. Altnet Inc. filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing the RIAA and several of its partners of infringing an Altnet patent covering technology for identifying requested files on a P-to-P network.

A group claiming to have captured two Indonesian women in Iraq has said it will release them if Jakarta frees Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir being held for alleged terrorist links.

Amid the stormy gloom in Gotham, the rain-idled Yankees last night had plenty of time to gather in front of their televisions and watch the Red Sox Express roar toward them. The national telecast might have been enough to send a jittery Boss Steinbrenner searching his Bartlett's Familiar Quotations for some  quot;Little Engine That Could quot; metaphor.

FULHAM fans would have been singing the late Elvis #39; hit  #39;The wonder of you #39; to their player Elvis Hammond. If not for Frank Lampard spoiling the party, with his dedication to his late grandfather.

Indonesian police said yesterday that DNA tests had identified a suicide bomber involved in a deadly attack this month on the Australian embassy in Jakarta.

NEW YORK - Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s warning of disappointing sales sent stocks fluctuating Monday as investors' concerns about a slowing economy offset their relief over a drop in oil prices.    October contracts for a barrel of light crude were quoted at \$46.48, down 24 cents, on the New York Mercantile Exchange...

Iraq #39;s top Shi #39;ite cleric made a sudden return to the country on Wednesday and said he had a plan to end an uprising in the  quot;burning city quot; of Najaf, where fighting is creeping ever closer to its holiest shrine.

For two weeks before MTV debuted U2 #39;s video for the new single  quot;Vertigo, quot; fans had a chance to see the band perform the song on TV -- in an iPod commercial.

A bird #39;s eye view of the circuit at Shanghai shows what an event Sunday #39;s Chinese Grand Prix will be. The course is arguably one of the best there is, and so it should be considering the amount of money that has been spent on it.

KABUL, Afghanistan Aug. 22, 2004 - US soldiers sprayed a pickup truck with bullets after it failed to stop at a roadblock in central Afghanistan, killing two women and a man and critically wounding two other 

Oct. 26, 2004 - The US-European spacecraft Cassini-Huygens on Tuesday made a historic flyby of Titan, Saturn #39;s largest moon, passing so low as to almost touch the fringes of its atmosphere.

Reuters - A volcano in central Japan sent smoke and\ash high into the sky and spat out molten rock as it erupted\for a fourth straight day on Friday, but experts said the peak\appeared to be quieting slightly.

Shares of Google Inc. made their market debut on Thursday and quickly traded up 19 percent at \$101.28. The Web search company #39;s initial public offering priced at \$85 

SYDNEY -- Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, a key US ally and supporter of the Iraq war, celebrated his election win over opposition Labor after voters enjoying the fruits of a strong economy gave him another term.

Reuters - Global warming is melting\Ecuador's cherished mountain glaciers and could cause several\of them to disappear over the next two decades, Ecuadorean and\French scientists said on Wednesday.

AP - Sirius Satellite Radio signed a deal to air the men's NCAA basketball tournament through 2007, the latest move made in an attempt to draw customers through sports programming.

Rather than tell you, Dan Kranzler chooses instead to show you how he turned Mforma into a worldwide publisher of video games, ringtones and other hot downloads for mobile phones.

UK interest rates have been kept on hold at 4.75 following the latest meeting of the Bank of England #39;s rate-setting committee.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two rockets hit a downtown Baghdad hotel housing foreigners and journalists Thursday, and gunfire erupted in the neighborhood across the Tigris River from the U.S. Embassy compound...

The Prevention of Terrorism Act 2002 (Pota) polarised the country, not just by the manner in which it was pushed through by the NDA government through a joint session of Parliament but by the shabby and often biased manner in which it was enforced.

Not being part of a culture with a highly developed language, could limit your thoughts, at least as far as numbers are concerned, reveals a new study conducted by a psychologist at the Columbia University in New York.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. A native of Red Oak, Iowa, who was a pioneer in astronomy who proposed the  quot;dirty snowball quot; theory for the substance of comets, has died.

Resurgent oil prices paused for breath as the United States prepared to draw on its emergency reserves to ease supply strains caused by Hurricane Ivan.

(Sports Network) - The inconsistent San Diego Padres will try for consecutive wins for the first time since August 28-29 tonight, when they begin a huge four-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

A Portuguese-sounding version of the virus has appeared in the wild. Be wary of mail from Manaus.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top seed Roger Federer survived a  stirring comeback from twice champion Andre Agassi to reach the  semifinals of the U.S. Open for the first time on Thursday,  squeezing through 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

President Bush, who credits three years of tax relief programs with helping strengthen the slow economy, said Saturday he would sign into law the Working Families Tax Relief Act to preserve tax cuts.

HEN investors consider the bond market these days, the low level of interest rates should be more cause for worry than for gratitude.

Reuters - Hunters soon may be able to sit at\their computers and blast away at animals on a Texas ranch via\the Internet, a prospect that has state wildlife officials up\in arms.

The Bedminster-based company yesterday said it was pushing into 21 new markets with the service, AT amp;T CallVantage, and extending an introductory rate offer until Sept. 30. In addition, the company is offering in-home installation of up to five ...

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has developed a new LCD (liquid crystal display) technology that builds a touch screen into the display, a development that could lead to thinner and cheaper display panels for mobile phones, the company said Tuesday.

The US military says marines in Fallujah shot and killed an insurgent who engaged them as he was faking being dead, a week after footage of a marine killing an apparently unarmed and wounded Iraqi caused a stir in the region.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rallied on Monday after  software maker PeopleSoft Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=PSFT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;PSFT.O&lt;/A&gt; accepted a sweetened  \$10.3 billion buyout by rival Oracle Corp.'s &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=ORCL.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;ORCL.O&lt;/A&gt; and other  big deals raised expectations of more takeovers.

SAN FRANCISCO - What Babe Ruth was to the first half of the 20th century and Hank Aaron was to the second, Barry Bonds has become for the home run generation.

Description: NPR #39;s Alex Chadwick talks to Colin Brown, deputy political editor for the United Kingdom #39;s Independent newspaper, currently covering the British Labour Party Conference.

Birgit Fischer settled for silver, leaving the 42-year-old Olympian with two medals in two days against decidedly younger competition.

The New Jersey-based Accoona Corporation, an industry pioneer in artificial intelligence search technology, announced on Monday the launch of Accoona.

Hamas vowed revenge yesterday after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed one of its senior commanders - the latest assassination to have weakened the militant group.

There was no mystery ... no secret strategy ... no baited trap that snapped shut and changed the course of history #39;s most lucrative non-heavyweight fight.

Notre Dame accepted an invitation Sunday to play in the Insight Bowl in Phoenix against a Pac-10 team on Dec. 28. The Irish (6-5) accepted the bid a day after losing to Southern California 

Greg Anderson has so dominated Pro Stock this season that his championship quest has evolved into a pursuit of NHRA history. By Bob Hesser, Racers Edge Photography.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Thursday said fourth-quarter profit rose as its fixed-income, currency and commodities business soared while a rebounding stock market boosted investment banking.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rose on Monday in a  retracement from last week's steep losses, but dealers said the  bias toward a weaker greenback remained intact.

Michael Powell, chairman of the FCC, said Wednesday he was disappointed with ABC for airing a sexually suggestive opening to "Monday Night Football."

The message against illegally copying CDs for uses such as in file-sharing over the Internet has widely sunk in, said the company in it #39;s recent announcement to drop the Copy-Control program.

Former Washington football coach Rick Neuheisel looked forward to a return to coaching Wednesday after being cleared by the NCAA of wrongdoing related to his gambling on basketball games.

Reuters - California will become hotter and\drier by the end of the century, menacing the valuable wine and\dairy industries, even if dramatic steps are taken to curb\global warming, researchers said on Monday.

A senior member of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas has been released from an Israeli prison after completing a two-year sentence.

IBM said Monday that it won a 500 million (AUD\$1.25 billion), seven-year services contract to help move UK bank Lloyds TBS from its traditional voice infrastructure to a converged voice and data network.

MPs have announced a new inquiry into family courts and whether parents are treated fairly over issues such as custody or contact with their children.

Canadian Press - MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A 36-year-old businesswoman was believed to be the first woman to walk around Australia on Friday after striding into her hometown of Melbourne to complete her 16,700-kilometre trek in 365 days.

Most remaining Pakistani prisoners held at the US Guantanamo Bay prison camp are freed, officials say.

Space shuttle astronauts will fly next year without the ability to repair in orbit the type of damage that destroyed the Columbia vehicle in February 2003.

Moscow - Russia plans to combine Gazprom, the world #39;s biggest natural gas producer, with state-owned oil producer Rosneft, easing rules for trading Gazprom shares and creating a company that may dominate the country #39;s energy industry.

AP - Rutgers basketball player Shalicia Hurns was suspended from the team after pleading guilty to punching and tying up her roommate during a dispute over painkilling drugs.

By cutting WinFS from Longhorn and indefinitely delaying the storage system, Microsoft Corp. has also again delayed the Microsoft Business Framework (MBF), a new Windows programming layer that is closely tied to WinFS.

French police are investigating an arson-caused fire at a Jewish Social Center that might have killed dozens without the quick response of firefighters.

Rodney King, whose videotaped beating led to riots in Los Angeles in 1992, is out of jail now and talking frankly for the first time about the riots, himself and the American way of life.

AFP - Radical Islamic cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri was set to learn Thursday whether he would be charged under Britain's anti-terrorism law, thus delaying his possible extradition to the United States to face terrorism-related charges.

Diversified manufacturer Honeywell International Inc. (HON.N: Quote, Profile, Research) posted a rise in quarterly profit as strong demand for aerospace equipment and automobile components 

This was the event Michael Phelps didn't really need to compete in if his goal was to win eight golds. He probably would have had a better chance somewhere else.

Samsung's new SPH-V5400 mobile phone sports a built-in 1-inch, 1.5-gigabyte hard disk that can store about 15 times more data than conventional handsets, Samsung said.

Reuters - U.S. housing starts jumped a\larger-than-expected 6.4 percent in October to the busiest pace\since December as buyers took advantage of low mortgage rates,\a government report showed on Wednesday.

Gabe Kapler became the first player to leave the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, agreeing to a one-year contract with the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo.

Louisen Louis, 30, walked Monday in the middle of a street that resembled a small river with brown rivulets and waves. He wore sandals and had a cut on one of his big toes.

BALI, Indonesia - Svetlana Kuznetsova, fresh off her championship at the US Open, defeated Australian qualifier Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-4 Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Wismilak International.

The Securities and Exchange Commission ordered mutual funds to stop paying higher commissions to brokers who promote the companies' funds and required portfolio managers to reveal investments in funds they supervise.

A car bomb exploded outside the main hospital in Chechny #39;s capital, Grozny, on Sunday, injuring 17 people in an attack apparently targeting members of a Chechen security force bringing in wounded from an earlier explosion 

AP - Just like the old days in Dallas, Emmitt Smith made life miserable for the New York Giants on Sunday.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), Japans second largest bank, today put forward a 3,200 billion (\$29 billion) takeover bid for United Financial Group (UFJ), the countrys fourth biggest lender, in an effort to regain initiative in its bidding 

AP - Gay marriage is emerging as a big enough issue in several states to influence races both for Congress and the presidency.

TAMPA, Fla. - Chris Simms first NFL start lasted 19 plays, and it might be a while before he plays again for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Vendor says it #39;s developing standards-based servers in various form factors for the telecom market. By Darrell Dunn. Hewlett-Packard on Thursday unveiled plans to create a portfolio of products and services 

Jarno Trulli made the most of the conditions in qualifying to claim pole ahead of Michael Schumacher, while Fernando finished third.

More than 30 aid workers have been airlifted to safety from a town in Sudan #39;s troubled Darfur region after fighting broke out and their base was bombed, a British charity says.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. chain store retail sales slipped  during the Thanksgiving holiday week, as consumers took  advantage of discounted merchandise, a retail report said on  Tuesday.

Ziff Davis - The company this week will unveil more programs and technologies designed to ease users of its high-end servers onto its Integrity line, which uses Intel's 64-bit Itanium processor.

The Mac maker says it will replace about 28,000 batteries in one model of PowerBook G4 and tells people to stop using the notebook.

It #39;s the mildest of mild winters down here in the south of Italy and, last weekend at Bcoli, a pretty suburb by the seaside west of Naples, the customers of Pizzeria  quot;Da Enrico quot; were making the most of it.

By George Chamberlin , Daily Transcript Financial Correspondent. Concerns about oil production leading into the winter months sent shivers through the stock market Wednesday.

Airbus has withdrawn a filing that gave support for Microsoft in an antitrust case before the European Union #39;s Court of First Instance, a source close to the situation said on Friday.

WASHINGTON - A spotty job market and stagnant paychecks cloud this Labor Day holiday for many workers, highlighting the importance of pocketbook issues in the presidential election.   "Working harder and enjoying it less," said economist Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics, summing up the state of working America...

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday lifted  by a merger between retailers Kmart and Sears,  better-than-expected earnings from Hewlett-Packard and data  showing a slight rise in core inflation.

AP - Authorities are investigating whether bettors at New York's top thoroughbred tracks were properly informed when jockeys came in overweight at races, a source familiar with the probe told The Associated Press.

European Commission president Romano Prodi has unveiled proposals to loosen the deficit rules under the EU Stability Pact. The loosening was drafted by monetary affairs commissioner Joaquin Almunia, who stood beside the president at the announcement.

Canadian Press - MONTREAL (CP) - A 19-year-old man charged in a firebombing at a Jewish elementary school pleaded guilty Thursday to arson.

Retail sales in Britain saw the fastest growth in September since January, casting doubts on the view that the economy is slowing down, according to official figures released Thursday.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Interstate Bakeries Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=IBC.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;IBC.N&lt;/A&gt;,  maker of Hostess Twinkies and Wonder Bread, filed for  bankruptcy on Wednesday after struggling with more than \$1.3  billion in debt and high costs.

Delta Air Lines (DAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday said it reached a deal with FedEx Express to sell eight McDonnell Douglas MD11 aircraft and four spare engines for delivery in 2004.

Michael Owen scored his first goal for Real Madrid in a 1-0 home victory over Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League. The England striker toe-poked home Ronaldo #39;s cross in the 35th minute to join the Russians 

 quot;Resuming uranium enrichment is not in our agenda. We are still committed to the suspension, quot; Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza.

Leading OPEC producer Saudi Arabia said on Monday in Vienna, Austria, that it had made a renewed effort to deflate record high world oil prices by upping crude output again.

The U.S. military presence in Iraq will grow to 150,000 troops by next month, the highest level since the invasion last year.

UPDATE, SUN 9PM: More than a million people have left their homes in Cuba, as Hurricane Ivan approaches. The ferocious storm is headed that way, after ripping through the Cayman Islands, tearing off roofs, flooding homes and causing general havoc.

Jason Giambi has returned to the New York Yankees' clubhouse but is still clueless as to when he will be able to play again.

Seventy-five National Hockey League players met with union leaders yesterday to get an update on a lockout that shows no sign of ending.

Howard, at 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, can clinch a winning record in the MEAC with a win over Delaware State on Saturday.

Millions of casual US anglers are having are larger than appreciated impact on sea fish stocks, scientists claim.

The founders of the Pilgrim Baxter  amp; Associates money-management firm agreed yesterday to personally fork over \$160 million to settle charges they allowed a friend to 

 ATHENS (Reuters) - Top-ranked Argentina booked their berth  in the women's hockey semi-finals at the Athens Olympics on  Friday but defending champions Australia now face an obstacle  course to qualify for the medal matches.

IBM Corp. Tuesday announced plans to acquire software vendor Systemcorp ALG for an undisclosed amount. Systemcorp of Montreal makes project portfolio management software aimed at helping companies better manage their IT projects.

The Notre Dame message boards are no longer discussing whether Tyrone Willingham should be fired. Theyre already arguing about whether the next coach should be Barry Alvarez or Steve Spurrier.

Forbes.com - By now you probably know that earnings of Section 529 college savings accounts are free of federal tax if used for higher education. But taxes are only part of the problem. What if your investments tank? Just ask Laurence and Margo Williams of Alexandria, Va. In 2000 they put  #36;45,000 into the Virginia Education Savings Trust to open accounts for daughters Lea, now 5, and Anne, now 3. Since then their investment has shrunk 5 while the average private college tuition has climbed 18 to  #36;18,300.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Sunday that there was  quot;no problem quot; with Germany #39;s support to the start of negotiations on Turkey #39;s entrance into EU.

Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd., Australia #39;s biggest soft-drink maker, offered A\$500 million (\$382 million) in cash and stock for fruit canner SPC Ardmona Ltd.

US technology shares tumbled on Friday after technology bellwether Intel Corp. (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) slashed its revenue forecast, but blue chips were only moderately lower as drug and industrial stocks made solid gains.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Final U.S. government tests on an  animal suspected of having mad cow disease were not yet  complete, the U.S. Agriculture Department said, with no  announcement on the results expected on Monday.

MANILA Fernando Poe Jr., the popular actor who challenged President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the presidential elections this year, died early Tuesday.

 THOMASTOWN, Ireland (Reuters) - World number three Ernie  Els overcame difficult weather conditions to fire a sparkling  eight-under-par 64 and move two shots clear after two rounds of  the WGC-American Express Championship Friday.

Lamar Odom supplemented 20 points with 13 rebounds and Kobe Bryant added 19 points to overcome a big night from Yao Ming as the Los Angeles Lakers ground out an 84-79 win over the Rockets in Houston Saturday.

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - A Dutch filmmaker who outraged members of the Muslim community by making a film critical of the mistreatment of women in Islamic society was gunned down and stabbed to death Tuesday on an Amsterdam street.

Microsoft Xbox Live traffic on service provider networks quadrupled following the November 9th launch of Halo-II -- which set entertainment industry records by selling 2.4-million units in the US and Canada on the first day of availability, driving cash 

Lawyers in a California class action suit against Microsoft will get less than half the payout they had hoped for. A judge in San Francisco ruled that the attorneys will collect only \$112.

Google Browser May Become Reality\\There has been much fanfare in the Mozilla fan camps about the possibility of Google using Mozilla browser technology to produce a GBrowser - the Google Browser. Over the past two weeks, the news and speculation has escalated to the point where even Google itself is ...

Metro, Germany's biggest retailer, turns in weaker-than-expected profits as sales at its core supermarkets division dip lower.

It rained Sunday, of course, and but another soppy, sloppy gray day at Westside Tennis Club did nothing to deter Roger Federer from his appointed rounds.

Hewlett-Packard has joined with Brocade to integrate Brocade #39;s storage area network switching technology into HP Bladesystem servers to reduce the amount of fabric infrastructure needed in a datacentre.

Zimbabwe #39;s most persecuted white MP began a year of hard labour last night after parliament voted to jail him for shoving the Justice Minister during a debate over land seizures.

BOSTON (CBS.MW) -- First Command has reached a \$12 million settlement with federal regulators for making misleading statements and omitting important information when selling mutual funds to US military personnel.

A smashing blow is being dealt to thousands of future pensioners by a law that has just been brought into force by the Federal Government.

The US Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved a measure that would provide up to \$1 billion to ensure consumers can still watch television when broadcasters switch to new, crisp digital signals.

Amelie Mauresmo was handed a place in the Advanta Championships final after Maria Sharapova withdrew from their semi-final because of injury.

AP - An Israeli helicopter fired two missiles in Gaza City after nightfall Wednesday, one at a building in the Zeitoun neighborhood, witnesses said, setting a fire.

Reuters - Internet stocks are\as volatile as ever, with growth-starved investors flocking to\the sector in the hope they've bought shares in the next online\blue chip.

The federal government, banks and aircraft lenders are putting the clamps on airlines, particularly those operating under bankruptcy protection.

EURO DISNEY, the financially crippled French theme park operator, has admitted that its annual losses more than doubled last financial year as it was hit by a surge in costs.

 EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Sports Network) - Retired NBA  center and seven-time All- Star Alonzo Mourning is going to  give his playing career one more shot.

NASA has released an inventory of the scientific devices to be put on board the Mars Science Laboratory rover scheduled to land on the surface of Mars in 2009, NASAs news release reads.

The U.S. Congress needs to invest more in the U.S. education system and do more to encourage broadband adoption, the chief executive of Cisco said Wednesday.&lt;p&gt;ADVERTISEMENT&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.us.ifw.general/sbcspotrssfeed;sz=1x1;ord=200301151450?" width="1" height="1" border="0"/&gt;&lt;a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;9228975;9651165;a?http://www.infoworld.com/spotlights/sbc/main.html?lpid0103035400730000idlp"&gt;SBC Case Study: Crate   Barrel&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;What sold them on improving their network? A system that could cut management costs from the get-go. Find out more.&lt;/p&gt;

The Philippines put the toll at more than 1,000 dead or missing in four storms in two weeks but, even with a break in the weather on Saturday 

Reuters - Four explosions were reported at petrol\stations in the Madrid area on Friday, Spanish radio stations\said, following a phone warning in the name of the armed Basque\separatist group ETA to a Basque newspaper.

Thirty-two countries and regions will participate the Fifth China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, opening Nov. 1 in Zhuhai, a city in south China #39;s Guangdong Province.

Jordan have confirmed that Timo Glock will replace Giorgio Pantano for this weekend #39;s Chinese GP as the team has terminated its contract with Pantano.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Hurricane Jeanne got stronger, bigger and faster as it battered the Bahamas and bore down on Florida Saturday, sending huge waves crashing onto beaches and forcing thousands into shelters just weeks after Frances ravaged this area...

p2pnet.net News:- Virgin Electronics has joined the mp3 race with a \$250, five gig player which also handles Microsoft #39;s WMA format.

WASHINGTON The idea of a no-bid contract for maintaining airport security equipment has turned into a non-starter for the Transportation Security Administration.

Eyetech (EYET:Nasdaq - news - research) did not open for trading Friday because a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee is meeting to review the small New York-based biotech #39;s experimental eye disease drug.

The continuing heartache of Wake Forest #39;s ACC football season was best described by fifth-ranked Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, after his Seminoles had edged the Deacons 20-17 Saturday at Groves Stadium.

On September 13, 2001, most Americans were still reeling from the shock of the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon two days before.

Microsoft has suspended the beta testing of the next version of its MSN Messenger client because of a potential security problem, a company spokeswoman said Wednesday.

AP - Business software maker Oracle Corp. attacked the credibility and motives of PeopleSoft Inc.'s board of directors Monday, hoping to rally investor support as the 17-month takeover battle between the bitter business software rivals nears a climactic showdown.

NEW YORK - Elena Dementieva shook off a subpar serve that produced 15 double-faults, an aching left thigh and an upset stomach to advance to the semifinals at the U.S. Open with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) victory Tuesday over Amelie Mauresmo...

THE glory days have returned to White Hart Lane. When Spurs new first-team coach Martin Jol promised a return to the traditions of the 1960s, nobody could have believed he was so determined to act so quickly and so literally.

A new worm has been discovered in the wild that #39;s not just settling for invading users #39; PCs--it wants to invade their homes too.

Domestic air travelers could be surfing the Web by 2006 with government-approved technology that allows people access to high-speed Internet connections while they fly.

GENEVA: Cross-border investment is set to bounce in 2004 after three years of deep decline, reflecting a stronger world economy and more international merger activity, the United Nations (UN) said overnight.

Researchers have for the first time established the existence of odd-parity superconductors, materials that can carry electric current without any resistance.

Chewing gum giant Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. on Thursday said it plans to phase out production of its Eclipse breath strips at a plant in Phoenix, Arizona and shift manufacturing to Poznan, Poland.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh inaugurated a research centre in the Capital on Thursday to mark 400 years of compilation of Sikh holy book the Guru Granth Sahib.

com September 16, 2004, 7:58 AM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- European antitrust regulators said Monday they have extended their review of a deal between Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Time Warner Inc...

AP - When Paula Radcliffe dropped out of the Olympic marathon miles from the finish, she sobbed uncontrollably. Margaret Okayo knew the feeling. Okayo pulled out of the marathon at the 15th mile with a left leg injury, and she cried, too. When she watched Radcliffe quit, Okayo thought, "Let's cry together."

Tightness in the labour market notwithstanding, the prospects for hiring in the third quarter are down from the second quarter, according to the new Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

THE re-election of British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be seen as an endorsement of the military action in Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard said today.

Fans who can't get enough of "The Apprentice" can visit a new companion Web site each week and watch an extra 40 minutes of video not broadcast on the Thursday show.&lt;br&gt;&lt;FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"&gt;&lt;B&gt;-Leslie Walker&lt;/b&gt;&lt;/font&gt;

 ATLANTA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Hawks signed free  agent Kevin Willis on Wednesday, nearly a decade after the  veteran big man ended an 11- year stint with the team.

An adult Web site publisher is suing Google, saying the search engine company made it easier for users to see the site #39;s copyrighted nude photographs without paying or gaining access through the proper channels.

When his right-front tire went flying off early in the Ford 400, the final race of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, Kurt Busch, it seemed, was destined to spend his offseason 

A Washington-based public opinion firm has released the results of an election day survey of Nevada voters showing 81 support for the issuance of paper receipts when votes are cast electronically.

NAPSTER creator SHAWN FANNING has revealed his plans for a new licensed file-sharing service with an almost unlimited selection of tracks.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rose on Friday, after a  U.S. report showed consumer prices in line with expections,  reminding investors that the Federal Reserve was likely to  continue raising interest rates, analysts said.

Brandon Backe and Woody Williams pitched well last night even though neither earned a win. But their outings will show up in the record books.

President George W. Bush pledged Friday to spend some of the political capital from his re-election trying to secure a lasting Middle East peace, and he envisioned the establishment 

The Football Association today decided not to charge David Beckham with bringing the game into disrepute. The FA made the surprise announcement after their compliance unit ruled 

Last year some election watchers made a bold prediction that this presidential election would set a record: the first half billion dollar campaign in hard money alone.

It #39;s one more blow to patients who suffer from arthritis. Pfizer, the maker of Celebrex, says it #39;s painkiller poses an increased risk of heart attacks to patients using the drugs.

NEW DELHI - A bomb exploded during an Independence Day parade in India's remote northeast on Sunday, killing at least 15 people, officials said, just an hour after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to fight terrorism. The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom was suspected of being behind the attack in Assam state and a second one later in the area, said Assam Inspector General of Police Khagen Sharma...

Two separate studies by U.S. researchers find that super drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis are at the tipping point of a global epidemic, and only small changes could help them spread quickly.

 CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland (Reuters) - World number  three Ernie Els says he feels a failure after narrowly missing  out on three of the year's four major championships.

A UN envoy to Sudan will visit Darfur tomorrow to check on the government #39;s claim that some 70,000 people displaced by conflict there have voluntarily returned to their homes, a spokesman said.

Dell cut prices on some servers and PCs by as much as 22 percent because it #39;s paying less for parts. The company will pass the savings on components such as memory and liquid crystal displays 

AP - Most of the presidential election provisional ballots rejected so far in Ohio came from people who were not even registered to vote, election officials said after spending nearly two weeks poring over thousands of disputed votes.

Striker Bonaventure Kalou netted twice to send AJ Auxerre through to the first knockout round of the UEFA Cup at the expense of Rangers on Wednesday.

AP - Rival inmates fought each other with knives and sticks Wednesday at a San Salvador prison, leaving at least 31 people dead and two dozen injured, officials said.

WASHINGTON: The European-American Cassini-Huygens space probe has detected traces of ice flowing on the surface of Saturn #39;s largest moon, Titan, suggesting the existence of an ice volcano, NASA said Tuesday.

The economic growth rate in the July-September period was revised slightly downward from an already weak preliminary report, the government said Wednesday.

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Day 7 of joint Exp.9/Exp.10 operations and last full day before 8S undocking.

BAGHDAD - Two Egyptian employees of a mobile phone company were seized when gunmen stormed into their Baghdad office, the latest in a series of kidnappings in the country.

BRISBANE, Australia - The body of a whale resembling a giant dolphin that washed up on an eastern Australian beach has intrigued local scientists, who agreed Wednesday that it is rare but are not sure just how rare.

 quot;Magic can happen. quot; Sirius Satellite Radio (nasdaq: SIRI - news - people ) may have signed Howard Stern and the men #39;s NCAA basketball tournaments, but XM Satellite Radio (nasdaq: XMSR - news - people ) has its sights on your cell phone.

Trick-or-treaters can expect an early Halloween treat on Wednesday night, when a total lunar eclipse makes the moon look like a glowing pumpkin.

THIS weekend sees the  quot;other quot; showdown between New York and New England as the Jets and Patriots clash in a battle of the unbeaten teams.

Sifting through millions of documents to locate a valuable few is tedious enough, but what happens when those files are scattered across different repositories?

President Bush aims to highlight American drug-fighting aid in Colombia and boost a conservative Latin American leader with a stop in the Andean nation where thousands of security forces are deployed to safeguard his brief stay.

Dubai - Former Palestinian security minister Mohammed Dahlan said on Monday that a  quot;gang of mercenaries quot; known to the Palestinian police were behind the shooting that resulted in two deaths in a mourning tent for Yasser Arafat in Gaza.

A drug company executive who spoke out in support of Montgomery County's proposal to import drugs from Canada and similar legislation before Congress said that his company has launched an investigation into his political activities.

Nicolas Anelka is fit for Manchester City #39;s Premiership encounter against Tottenham at Eastlands, but the 13million striker will have to be content with a place on the bench.

 PITTSBURGH (Reuters) - Ben Roethlisberger passed for 183  yards and two touchdowns, Hines Ward scored twice and the  Pittsburgh Steelers rolled to a convincing 27-3 victory over  Philadelphia on Sunday for their second straight win against an  undefeated opponent.

 ATHENS (Reuters) - The U.S. men's basketball team got their  first comfortable win at the Olympic basketball tournament  Monday, routing winless Angola 89-53 in their final preliminary  round game.

A Frenchman working for Thales SA, Europe #39;s biggest maker of military electronics, was shot dead while driving home at night in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.

Often, the older a pitcher becomes, the less effective he is on the mound. Roger Clemens apparently didn #39;t get that memo. On Tuesday, the 42-year-old Clemens won an unprecedented 

NASA #39;s Mars rovers have uncovered more tantalizing evidence of a watery past on the Red Planet, scientists said Wednesday. And the rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are continuing to do their jobs months after they were expected to ...

SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia #39;s commodity exports are forecast to increase by 15 percent to a record 95 billion dollars (71 million US), the government #39;s key economic forecaster said.

Google won a major legal victory when a federal judge ruled that the search engines advertising policy does not violate federal trademark laws.

Intel Chief Technology Officer Pat Gelsinger said on Thursday, Sept. 9, that the Internet needed to be upgraded in order to deal with problems that will become real issues soon.

China will take tough measures this winter to improve the country #39;s coal mine safety and prevent accidents. State Councilor Hua Jianmin said Thursday the industry should take 

AT amp;T Corp. on Thursday said it is reducing one fifth of its workforce this year and will record a non-cash charge of approximately \$11.

BAGHDAD (Iraq): As the intensity of skirmishes swelled on the soils of Iraq, dozens of people were put to death with toxic shots by the US helicopter gunship, which targeted the civilians, milling around a burning American vehicle in a Baghdad street on 

 LONDON (Reuters) - Television junkies of the world, get  ready for "Friends," "Big Brother" and "The Simpsons" to phone  home.

A rift appeared within Canada #39;s music industry yesterday as prominent artists called on the CRTC to embrace satellite radio and the industry warned of lost revenue and job losses.

Reuters - A key Iranian nuclear facility which the\U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has urged Tehran to shut down is\nearing completion, a senior Iranian nuclear official said on\Sunday.

Spain's Football Federation launches an investigation into racist comments made by national coach Luis Aragones.

Bricks and plaster blew inward from the wall, as the windows all shattered and I fell to the floorwhether from the shock wave, or just fright, it wasn #39;t clear.

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 13 September 2004: - - Hurricane Ivan, one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the Caribbean, killed at least 16 people in Jamaica, where it wrecked houses and washed away roads on Saturday, but appears to have spared 

I #39;M FEELING a little bit better about the hundreds of junk e-mails I get every day now that I #39;ve read that someone else has much bigger e-mail troubles.

NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan agreed on Monday to step up cooperation in the energy sector, which could lead to Pakistan importing large amounts of diesel fuel from its neighbour, according to Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri.

LONDON, England -- A US scientist is reported to have observed a surprising jump in the amount of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.

Microsoft's antispam Sender ID technology continues to get the cold shoulder. Now AOL adds its voice to a growing chorus of businesses and organizations shunning the proprietary e-mail authentication system.

PSV Eindhoven faces Arsenal at Highbury tomorrow night on the back of a free-scoring start to the season. Despite losing Mateja Kezman to Chelsea in the summer, the Dutch side has scored 12 goals in the first 

Through the World Community Grid, your computer could help address the world's health and social problems.

Zimbabwe #39;s ruling Zanu-PF old guard has emerged on top after a bitter power struggle in the deeply divided party during its five-yearly congress, which ended yesterday.

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Playing with a broken nose, Seattle point guard Sue Bird set a WNBA playoff record for assists with 14, also pumping in 10 points as the Storm claimed the Western Conference title last night.

Reuters - Thousands of demonstrators pressing to\install Ukraine's opposition leader as president after a\disputed election launched fresh street rallies in the capital\for the third day Wednesday.

Michael Jackson wishes he had fought previous child molestation claims instead of trying to "buy peace", his lawyer says.

North Korea says it will not abandon its weapons programme after the South admitted nuclear activities.

While there is growing attention to ongoing genocide in Darfur, this has not translated into either a meaningful international response or an accurate rendering of the scale and evident course of the catastrophe.

A planned component for Microsoft #39;s next version of Windows is causing consternation among antivirus experts, who say that the new module, a scripting platform called Microsoft Shell, could give birth to a whole new generation of viruses and remotely 

THE prosecution on terrorism charges of extremist Islamic cleric and accused Jemaah Islamiah leader Abu Bakar Bashir will rely heavily on the potentially tainted testimony of at least two convicted Bali bombers, his lawyers have said.

SAN JOSE, California Yahoo will likely have a tough time getting American courts to intervene in a dispute over the sale of Nazi memorabilia in France after a US appeals court ruling.

TORONTO (CP) - Glamis Gold of Reno, Nev., is planning a takeover bid for Goldcorp Inc. of Toronto - but only if Goldcorp drops its \$2.4-billion-Cdn offer for another Canadian firm, made in early December.

Clashes between US troops and Sadr militiamen escalated Thursday, as the US surrounded Najaf for possible siege.

eBay Style director Constance White joins Post fashion editor Robin Givhan and host Janet Bennett to discuss  how to find trends and bargains and pull together a wardrobe online.

This week will see the release of October new and existing home sales, a measure of strength in the housing industry. But the short holiday week will also leave investors looking ahead to the holiday travel season.

Frankfurt - World Cup winners Brazil were on Monday drawn to meet European champions Greece, Gold Cup winners Mexico and Asian champions Japan at the 2005 Confederations Cup.

Third baseman Vinny Castilla said he fits fine with the Colorado youth movement, even though he #39;ll turn 38 next season and the Rockies are coming off the second-worst 

With a sudden shudder, the ground collapsed and the pipe pushed upward, buckling into a humped shape as Cornell University scientists produced the first simulated earthquake 

AFP - A battle group of British troops rolled out of southern Iraq on a US-requested mission to deadlier areas near Baghdad, in a major political gamble for British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

(Sports Network) - Two of the top teams in the American League tangle in a possible American League Division Series preview tonight, as the West-leading Oakland Athletics host the wild card-leading Boston Red Sox for the first of a three-game set at the 

over half the children in the world - suffer extreme deprivation because of war, HIV/AIDS or poverty, according to a report released yesterday by the United Nations Children #39;s Fund.

Microsoft (Quote, Chart) has fired another salvo in its ongoing spam battle, this time against porn peddlers who don #39;t keep their smut inside the digital equivalent of a  quot;Brown Paper Wrapper.

 BETHESDA, Md. (Reuters) - The use of some antidepressant  drugs appears linked to an increase in suicidal behavior in  some children and teen-agers, a U.S. advisory panel concluded  on Tuesday.

 SEATTLE (Reuters) - The next version of the Windows  operating system, Microsoft Corp.'s &lt;A HREF="http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=MSFT.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"&gt;MSFT.O&lt;/A&gt; flagship product,  will ship in 2006, the world's largest software maker said on  Friday.

Reuters - Philippine rescue teams\evacuated thousands of people from the worst flooding in the\central Luzon region since the 1970s as hungry victims hunted\rats and birds for food.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle appointed Craig Brewster as its new manager-player Thursday although he #39;s unable to play for the team until January.

The Afghan president expresses deep concern after a bomb attack which left at least seven people dead.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. technology stocks opened lower on  Thursday after a sales warning from Applied Materials Inc.  &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=AMAT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;AMAT.O&lt;/A&gt;, while weekly jobless claims data met Wall Street's  expectations, leaving the Dow and S P 500 market measures  little changed.

ATHENS, Greece -- Alan Shearer converted an 87th-minute penalty to give Newcastle a 1-0 win over Panionios in their UEFA Cup Group D match.

Fossil remains of the oldest and smallest known ancestor of Tyrannosaurus rex, the world #39;s favorite ferocious dinosaur, have been discovered in China with evidence that its body was cloaked in downy  quot;protofeathers.

Derek Jeter turned a season that started with a terrible slump into one of the best in his accomplished 10-year career.  quot;I don #39;t think there is any question, quot; the New York Yankees manager said.

Gardez (Afghanistan), Sept. 16 (Reuters): Afghan President Hamid Karzai escaped an assassination bid today when a rocket was fired at his US military helicopter as it was landing in the southeastern town of Gardez.

The Jets came up with four turnovers by Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler in the second half, including an interception returned 66 yards for a touchdown.

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

GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (Ticker) -- Brett Favre will be hoping his 200th consecutive start turns out better than his last two have against the St.

People fishing for sport are doing far more damage to US marine fish stocks than anyone thought, accounting for nearly a quarter of the 

When an NFL team opens with a prolonged winning streak, former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula and his players from the 17-0 team of 1972 root unabashedly for the next opponent.

MIANNE Bagger, the transsexual golfer who prompted a change in the rules to allow her to compete on the professional circuit, made history yesterday by qualifying to play full-time on the Ladies European Tour.

Great Britain #39;s gold medal tally now stands at five after Leslie Law was handed the individual three day eventing title - in a courtroom.

This particular index is produced by the University of Michigan Business School, in partnership with the American Society for Quality and CFI Group, and is supported in part by ForeSee Results 

CHICAGO : Interstate Bakeries Corp., the maker of popular, old-style snacks Twinkies and Hostess Cakes, filed for bankruptcy, citing rising costs and falling sales.

Delta Air Lines (DAL:NYSE - commentary - research) will cut employees and benefits but give a bigger-than-expected role to Song, its low-cost unit, in a widely anticipated but still unannounced overhaul, TheStreet.com has learned. 

PC World - Symantec, McAfee hope raising virus-definition fees will move users to\  suites.

By byron kho. A consortium of movie and record companies joined forces on Friday to request that the US Supreme Court take another look at peer-to-peer file-sharing programs.

DUBLIN -- Prime Minister Bertie Ahern urged Irish Republican Army commanders yesterday to meet what he acknowledged was ''a heavy burden quot;: disarming and disbanding their organization in support of Northern Ireland's 1998 peace accord.

Mayor Tom Menino must be proud. His Boston Red Sox just won their first World Series in 86 years and his Hyde Park Blue Stars yesterday clinched their first Super Bowl berth in 32 years, defeating O'Bryant, 14-0. Who would have thought?

While reproductive planning and women #39;s equality have improved substantially over the past decade, says a United Nations report, world population will increase from 6.4 billion today to 8.9 billion by 2050, with the 50 poorest countries tripling in 

Instead of the skinny black line, showing a hurricane #39;s forecast track, forecasters have drafted a couple of alternative graphics to depict where the storms might go -- and they want your opinion.

South Korea have appealed to sport #39;s supreme legal body in an attempt to award Yang Tae-young the Olympic gymnastics all-round gold medal after a scoring error robbed him of the title in Athens.

BERLIN - Volkswagen AG #39;s announcement this week that it has forged a new partnership deal with Malaysian carmaker Proton comes as a strong euro and Europe #39;s weak economic performance triggers a fresh wave of German investment in Asia.

AP - Johan Santana had an early lead and was well on his way to his 10th straight win when the rain started to fall.

ATHENS-In one of the biggest shocks in Olympic judo history, defending champion Kosei Inoue was defeated by Dutchman Elco van der Geest in the men #39;s 100-kilogram category Thursday. 

Consumers in Dublin pay more for basic goods and services that people elsewhere in the country, according to figures released today by the Central Statistics Office.

LIBERTY Media #39;s move last week to grab up to 17.1 per cent of News Corporation voting stock has prompted the launch of a defensive shareholder rights plan.

NBC is adding a 5-second delay to its Nascar telecasts after Dale Earnhardt Jr. used a vulgarity during a postrace interview last weekend.

LONDON - Wild capuchin monkeys can understand cause and effect well enough to use rocks to dig for food, scientists have found. Capuchin monkeys often use tools and solve problems in captivity and sometimes 

San Francisco Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, who became the third player in Major League Baseball history to hit 700 career home runs, won the National League Most Valuable Player Award 

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index rose 171.88 points, or 1.22 percent, to 14,066.91. On Friday, the index had slipped 31.58 points, or 0.2 percent.

BAR's Anthony Davidson and Jenson Button set the pace at the first Chinese Grand Prix.

Shares plunge after company says its vein graft treatment failed to show benefit in late-stage test. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Biotechnology company Corgentech Inc.

WASHINGTON - Contradicting the main argument for a war that has cost more than 1,000 American lives, the top U.S. arms inspector reported Wednesday that he found no evidence that Iraq produced any weapons of mass destruction after 1991...

The key to hidden treasure lies in your handheld GPS unit. GPS-based "geocaching" is a high-tech sport being played by thousands of people across the globe.

AFP - Style mavens will be scanning the catwalks in Paris this week for next spring's must-have handbag, as a sweeping exhibition at the French capital's fashion and textile museum reveals the bag in all its forms.

Canadian Press - SAINT-QUENTIN, N.B. (CP) - A major highway in northern New Brunswick  remained closed to almost all traffic Monday, as local residents protested planned health care cuts.

The U.S. information tech sector lost 403,300 jobs between March 2001 and April 2004, and the market for tech workers remains bleak, according to a new report.

 NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A radical Iraqi cleric leading a  Shi'ite uprising agreed on Wednesday to disarm his militia and  leave one of the country's holiest Islamic shrines after  warnings of an onslaught by government forces.

Saudi security forces have killed a wanted militant near the scene of a deadly shootout Thursday. Officials say the militant was killed in a gunbattle Friday in the northern town of Buraida, hours after one 

Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric said on Tuesday that Harry Redknapp, who resigned as manager last week, was innocent of any wrong-doing over agent or transfer fees.

This record is for all the little guys, for all the players who have to leg out every hit instead of taking a relaxing trot around the bases, for all the batters whose muscles aren #39;t 

Two South Africans acquitted by a Zimbabwean court of charges related to the alleged coup plot in Equatorial Guinea are to be questioned today by the South African authorities.

Charlie Hodgson #39;s record-equalling performance against South Africa was praised by coach Andy Robinson after the Sale flyhalf scored 27 points in England #39;s 32-16 victory here at Twickenham on Saturday.

com September 30, 2004, 11:11 AM PT. SanDisk announced Thursday increased capacities for several different flash memory cards. The Sunnyvale, Calif.

MOSCOW (CP) - Russia mourned 89 victims of a double air disaster today as debate intensified over whether the two passenger liners could have plunged almost simultaneously from the sky by accident.

US blue-chip stocks rose slightly on Friday as government data showed better-than-expected demand in August for durable goods other than transportation equipment, but climbing oil prices limited gains.

BASEBALL Atlanta (NL): Optioned P Roman Colon to Greenville (Southern); recalled OF Dewayne Wise from Richmond (IL). Boston (AL): Purchased C Sandy Martinez from Cleveland (AL) and assigned him to Pawtucket (IL). Cleveland (AL): Recalled OF Ryan Ludwick from Buffalo (IL). Chicago (NL): Acquired OF Ben Grieve from Milwaukee (NL) for player to be named and cash; acquired C Mike ...

Australia #39;s prime minister says a body found in Fallujah is likely that of kidnapped aid worker Margaret Hassan. John Howard told Parliament a videotape of an Iraqi terrorist group executing a Western woman appears to have been genuine.

roundup Plus: Tech firms rally against copyright bill...Apple .Mac customers suffer e-mail glitches...Alvarion expands wireless broadband in China.

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- Kelvim Escobar was the latest Anaheim Angels #39; pitcher to subdue the New York Yankees. Escobar pitched seven strong innings and Bengie Molina tied a career-high with four hits, including 

Business software maker PeopleSoft Inc. said Monday that it expects third-quarter revenue to range between \$680 million and \$695 million, above average Wall Street estimates of \$651.

Sep 08 - Vijay Singh revelled in his status as the new world number one after winning the Deutsche Bank Championship by three shots in Boston on Monday.

Reuters - Enron Corp. , desperate to\meet profit targets, "parked" unwanted power generating barges\at Merrill Lynch in a sham sale designed to be reversed, a\prosecutor said on Tuesday in the first criminal trial of\former executives at the fallen energy company.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rebounded on Monday after a  heavy selloff last week, but analysts were uncertain if the  rally could hold as the drumbeat of expectation began for to  the December U.S. jobs report due Friday.

AP - Their first debate less than a week away, President Bush and Democrat John Kerry kept their public schedules clear on Saturday and began to focus on their prime-time showdown.

Many people in golf are asking that today. He certainly wasn #39;t A-list and he wasn #39;t Larry Nelson either. But you couldn #39;t find a more solid guy to lead the United States into Ireland for the 2006 Ryder Cup Matches.

Coles Myer Ltd. Australia #39;s biggest retailer, increased second-half profit by 26 percent after opening fuel and convenience stores, selling more-profitable groceries and cutting costs.

MOSCOW: Us oil major ConocoPhillips is seeking to buy up to 25 in Russian oil giant Lukoil to add billions of barrels of reserves to its books, an industry source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

Australian Stuart Appleby, who was the joint second-round leader, returned a two-over 74 to drop to third at three-under while American Chris DiMarco moved into fourth with a round of 69.

PARIS Getting to the bottom of what killed Yassar Arafat could shape up to be an ugly family tug-of-war. Arafat #39;s half-brother and nephew want copies of Arafat #39;s medical records from the suburban Paris hospital 

Red Hat is acquiring security and authentication tools from Netscape Security Solutions to bolster its software arsenal. Red Hat #39;s CEO and chairman Matthew Szulik spoke about the future strategy of the Linux supplier.

With a doubleheader sweep of the Minnesota Twins, the New York Yankees moved to the verge of clinching their seventh straight AL East title.

Global Web portal Yahoo! Inc. Wednesday night made available a beta version of a new search service for videos. Called Yahoo! Video Search, the search engine crawls the Web for different types of media files 

Interactive posters at 25 underground stations are helping Londoners travel safely over Christmas.

Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - The first official track event took place this morning and Italy #39;s Ivano Brugnetti won the men #39;s 20km walk at the Summer Olympics in Athens. 

 THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Former Yugoslav President Slobodan  Milosevic condemned his war crimes trial as a "pure farce" on  Wednesday in a defiant finish to his opening defense statement  against charges of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.

US Airways Group (otc: UAIRQ - news - people ) on Thursday said it #39;ll seek a court injunction to prohibit a strike by disaffected unions.

Shares in Unilever fall after the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant issued a surprise profits warning.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - The Canadian government will sell its 19 percent stake in Petro-Canada for \$2.49 billion, according to the final prospectus filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday.

Champions Arsenal opened a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League after a 4-0 thrashing of Charlton Athletic at Highbury Saturday.

The Redskins and Browns have traded field goals and are tied, 3-3, in the first quarter in Cleveland.

 HYDERABAD, India (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MSFT.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;MSFT.O&lt;/A&gt; will  hire several hundred new staff at its new Indian campus in the  next year, its chief executive said on Monday, in a move aimed  at strengthening its presence in Asia's fourth-biggest economy.

According to Swiss authorities, history was made Sunday when 2723 people in four communities in canton Geneva, Switzerland, voted online in a national federal referendum.

 GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - People braved a steady drizzle  to come out to vote in a remote northeast Indian state on  Thursday, as troops guarded polling stations in an election  being held under the shadow of violence.

AFP - Three of the nine Canadian sailors injured when their newly-delivered, British-built submarine caught fire in the North Atlantic were airlifted Wednesday to hospital in northwest Ireland, officials said.

Alitalia SpA, Italy #39;s largest airline, reached an agreement with its flight attendants #39; unions to cut 900 jobs, qualifying the company for a government bailout that will keep it in business for another six months.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A series of strong explosions shook central Baghdad near dawn Sunday, and columns of thick black smoke rose from the Green Zone where U.S. and Iraqi government offices are located...

Forget September call-ups. The Red Sox may tap their minor league system for an extra player or two when the rules allow them to expand their 25-man roster Wednesday, but any help from the farm is likely to pale against the abundance of talent they gain from the return of numerous players, including Trot Nixon , from the disabled list.

P amp;Os cutbacks announced today are the result of the waves of troubles that have swamped the ferry industry of late. Some would say the company has done well to weather the storms for as long as it has.

Sven-Goran Eriksson may gamble by playing goalkeeper Paul Robinson and striker Jermain Defoe in Poland.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has flown to Khartoum on a mission to pile the pressure on the Sudanese government to tackle the humanitarian catastrophe in Darfur.

  Nextel was the big story in telecommunications yesterday, thanks to the Reston company's mega-merger with Sprint, but the future of wireless may be percolating in dozens of Washington area start-ups.

Reuters - A senior U.S. official said on Wednesday\deals should not be done with hostage-takers ahead of the\latest deadline set by Afghan Islamic militants who have\threatened to kill three kidnapped U.N. workers.

I have been anticipating this day like a child waits for Christmas. Today, PalmOne introduces the Treo 650, the answer to my  quot;what smart phone will I buy?

THOUSAND OAKS -- Anonymity is only a problem if you want it to be, and it is obvious Vijay Singh doesn #39;t want it to be. Let others chase fame.

Wikipedia has surprised Web watchers by growing fast and maturing into one of the most popular reference sites.

It only takes 20 minutes on the Internet for an unprotected computer running Microsoft Windows to be taken over by a hacker. Any personal or financial information stored 

TORONTO (CP) - Russia #39;s Severstal has made an offer to buy Stelco Inc., in what #39;s believed to be one of several competing offers emerging for the restructuring but profitable Hamilton steel producer.

Prices for flash memory cards -- the little modules used by digital cameras, handheld organizers, MP3 players and cell phones to store pictures, music and other data -- are headed down -- way down. Past trends suggest that prices will drop 35 percent a year, but industry analysts think that rate will be more like 40 or 50 percent this year and next, due to more manufacturers entering the market.

Walt Disney Co. #39;s directors nominated Michael Ovitz to serve on its board for another three years at a meeting just weeks before forcing him out of his job as 

The European Union, Japan, Brazil and five other countries won World Trade Organization approval to impose tariffs worth more than \$150 million a year on imports from the United 

Industrial conglomerate Honeywell International on Wednesday said it has filed a lawsuit against 34 electronics companies including Apple Computer and Eastman Kodak, claiming patent infringement of its liquid crystal display technology.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has put the pressure for the success or failure of the Northern Ireland assembly talks firmly on the shoulders of Ian Paisley.

Australia #39;s Computershare has agreed to buy EquiServe of the United States for US\$292 million (\$423 million), making it the largest US share registrar and driving its shares up by a third.

David Coulthard #39;s season-long search for a Formula One drive next year is almost over. Negotiations between Red Bull Racing and Coulthard, who tested for the Austrian team for the first time 

Interest rates on short-term Treasury securities were mixed in yesterday's auction. The Treasury Department sold \$18 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 1.640 percent, up from 1.635 percent last week. An additional \$16 billion was sold in six-month bills at a rate of 1.840 percent, down from 1.860 percent.

Two top executives of scandal-tarred insurance firm Marsh Inc. were ousted yesterday, the company said, the latest casualties of an industry probe by New York's attorney general.

AP - Southern California tailback LenDale White remembers Justin Holland from high school. The Colorado State quarterback made quite an impression.

TIM HENMAN last night admitted all of his energy has been drained away as he bowed out of the Madrid Masters. The top seed, who had a blood test on Wednesday to get to the bottom of his fatigue, went down 

USDA #39;s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) this morning announced it has confirmed a detection of soybean rust from two test plots at Louisiana State University near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

 JAKARTA (Reuters) - President Megawati Sukarnoputri urged  Indonesians on Thursday to accept the results of the country's  first direct election of a leader, but stopped short of  conceding defeat.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan early Monday test-fired its indigenously developed short-range nuclear-capable Ghaznavi missile, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

While the US software giant Microsoft has achieved almost sweeping victories in government procurement projects in several Chinese provinces and municipalities, the process 

Mexican Cemex, being the third largest cement maker in the world, agreed to buy its British competitor - RMC Group - for \$5.8 billion, as well as their debts in order to expand their activity on the building materials market of the USA and Europe.

Microsoft Corp. has delayed automated distribution of a major security upgrade to its Windows XP Professional operating system, citing a desire to give companies more time to test it.

The trial of a man accused of murdering York backpacker Caroline Stuttle begins in Australia.

Gateway computers will be more widely available at Office Depot, in the PC maker #39;s latest move to broaden distribution at retail stores since acquiring rival eMachines this year. 

ATHENS -- US sailors needed a big day to bring home gold and bronze medals from the sailing finale here yesterday. But rolling the dice on windshifts and starting tactics backfired both in Star and Tornado classes, and the Americans had to settle for a single silver medal.

Intel Corp. is refreshing its 64-bit Itanium 2 processor line with six new chips based on the Madison core. The new processors represent the last single-core Itanium chips that the Santa Clara, Calif.

The  world's largest insurance group pays \$126m in fines as part of a settlement with US regulators over its dealings with two firms.

BRUSSELS: The EU sought Wednesday to keep pressure on Turkey over its bid to start talks on joining the bloc, as last-minute haggling seemed set to go down to the wire at a summit poised to give a green light to Ankara.

AP - J. Cofer Black, the State Department official in charge of counterterrorism, is leaving government in the next few weeks.

For the first time, broadband connections are reaching more than half (51 percent) of the American online population at home, according to measurement taken in July by Nielsen/NetRatings, a Milpitas-based Internet audience measurement and research ...

AP - Cavaliers forward Luke Jackson was activated Wednesday after missing five games because of tendinitis in his right knee. Cleveland also placed forward Sasha Pavlovic on the injured list.

The tobacco firm John Player  amp; Sons has announced plans to lay off 90 workers at its cigarette factory in Dublin. The company said it was planning a phased closure of the factory between now and February as part of a review of its global operations.

AP - Consumers borrowed more freely in September, especially when it came to racking up charges on their credit cards, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

AFP - The United States presented a draft UN resolution that steps up the pressure on Sudan over the crisis in Darfur, including possible international sanctions against its oil sector.

AFP - At least 33 people were killed and dozens others wounded when two bombs ripped through a congregation of Sunni Muslims in Pakistan's central city of Multan, police said.

Bold, innovative solutions are key to addressing the rapidly rising costs of higher education and the steady reduction in government-subsidized help to finance such education.

Just as the PhD crowd emerge with different interpretations of today's economy, everyday Americans battling to balance the checkbook hold diverse opinions about where things stand now and in the future.

The Brisbane Lions #39; football manager stepped out of the changerooms just before six o #39;clock last night and handed one of the milling supporters a six-pack of beer.

Authorities here are always eager to show off their accomplishments, so when Beijing hosted the World Toilet Organization conference last week, delegates were given a grand tour of the city's toilets.

Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund is in  quot;serious quot; negotiations to sell the NBA franchise, which has enjoyed a dramatic financial turnaround since the arrival of star LeBron James.

WASHINGTON Trying to break a deadlock on energy policy, a diverse group of environmentalists, academics and former government officials were to publish a report on Wednesday that presents strategies for making the United States cleaner, more competitive 

After two days of gloom, China was back on the winning rails on Thursday with Liu Chunhong winning a weightlifting title on her record-shattering binge and its shuttlers contributing two golds in the cliff-hanging finals. 

One question that arises whenever a player is linked to steroids is, "What would he have done without them?" Baseball history whispers an answer.

AFP - A series of torchlight rallies and vigils were held after darkness fell on this central Indian city as victims and activists jointly commemorated a night of horror 20 years ago when lethal gas leaked from a pesticide plant and killed thousands.

Consider the New World of Information - stuff that, unlike the paper days of the past, doesn't always physically exist. You've got notes, scrawlings and snippets, Web graphics, photos and sounds. Stuff needs to be cut, pasted, highlighted, annotated, crossed out, dragged away. And, as Ross Perot used to say (or maybe it was Dana Carvey impersonating him), don't forget the graphs and charts.

The second round of the Canadian Open golf tournament continues Saturday Glenn Abbey Golf Club in Oakville, Ontario, after play was suspended late Friday due to darkness.

A consortium led by Royal Dutch/Shell Group that is developing gas reserves off Russia #39;s Sakhalin Island said Thursday it has struck a US\$6 billion (euro4.

Major Hollywood studios on Tuesday announced scores of lawsuits against computer server operators worldwide, including eDonkey, BitTorrent and DirectConnect networks, for allowing trading of pirated movies.

A massive plan to attract the 2012 Summer Olympics to New York, touting the city's diversity, financial and media power, was revealed Wednesday.

A Zimbabwe court Friday convicted a British man accused of leading a coup plot against the government of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea on weapons charges, but acquitted most of the 69 other men held with him.

But will Wi-Fi, high-definition broadcasts, mobile messaging and other enhancements improve the game, or wreck it?\&lt;br /&gt; Photos of tech-friendly parks\

An audit by international observers supported official elections results that gave President Hugo Chavez a victory over a recall vote against him, the secretary-general of the Organisation of American States announced.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - The fatal stabbing of a young man trying to eject unwanted party guests from his family home, the third such knifing in just weeks, has police worried about a potentially fatal holiday recipe: teens, alcohol and knives.

NICK Heidfeld #39;s test with Williams has been brought forward after BAR blocked plans for Anthony Davidson to drive its Formula One rival #39;s car.

MOSCOW - A female suicide bomber set off a shrapnel-filled explosive device outside a busy Moscow subway station on Tuesday night, officials said, killing 10 people and injuring more than 50.

Grace Park closed with an eagle and two birdies for a 7-under-par 65 and a two-stroke lead after three rounds of the Wachovia LPGA Classic on Saturday.

ABIDJAN (AFP) - Two Ivory Coast military aircraft carried out a second raid on Bouake, the stronghold of the former rebel New Forces (FN) in the divided west African country, a French military source told AFP.

Carlos Beltran drives in five runs to carry the Astros to a 12-3 rout of the Braves in Game 5 of their first-round NL playoff series.

On-demand viewing isn't just for TiVo owners anymore. Television over internet protocol, or TVIP, offers custom programming over standard copper wires.

Apple is recalling 28,000 faulty batteries for its 15-inch Powerbook G4 laptops.

Since Lennox Lewis #39;s retirement, the heavyweight division has been knocked for having more quantity than quality. Eight heavyweights on Saturday night #39;s card at Madison Square Garden hope to change that perception, at least for one night.

PalmSource #39;s European developer conference is going on now in Germany, and this company is using this opportunity to show off Palm OS Cobalt 6.1, the latest version of its operating system.

The former Chief Executive Officer of Computer Associates was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York Wednesday for allegedly participating in a massive fraud conspiracy and an elaborate cover up of a scheme that cost investors 

Speaking to members of the Massachusetts Software Council, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer touted a bright future for technology but warned his listeners to think twice before adopting open-source products like Linux.

MIAMI - The Trillian instant messaging (IM) application will feature several enhancements in its upcoming version 3.0, including new video and audio chat capabilities, enhanced IM session logs and integration with the Wikipedia online encyclopedia, according to information posted Friday on the product developer's Web site.

Honeywell International Inc., the world #39;s largest supplier of building controls, agreed to buy Novar Plc for 798 million pounds (\$1.53 billion) to expand its security, fire and ventilation-systems business in Europe.

San Francisco investment bank Thomas Weisel Partners on Thursday agreed to pay \$12.5 million to settle allegations that some of the stock research the bank published during the Internet boom was tainted by conflicts of interest.

AFP - A state of civil emergency in the rebellion-hit Indonesian province of Aceh has been formally extended by six month, as the country's president pledged to end violence there without foreign help.

Forbes.com - Peter Frankling tapped an unusual source to fund his new business, which makes hot-dog-shaped ice cream treats known as Cool Dogs: Two investors, one a friend and the other a professional venture capitalist, put in more than  #36;100,000 each from their Individual Retirement Accounts. Later Franklin added  #36;150,000 from his own IRA.

Reuters - Online DVD rental service Netflix Inc.\and TiVo Inc., maker of a digital video recorder, on Thursday\said they have agreed to develop a joint entertainment\offering, driving shares of both companies higher.

A San Diego insurance brokerage has been sued by New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer for allegedly soliciting payoffs in exchange for steering business to preferred insurance companies.

The European Union agreed Monday to lift penalties that have cost American exporters \$300 million, following the repeal of a US corporate tax break deemed illegal under global trade rules.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday said he had spoken to both Indian Foreign Minister K Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri late last week before the two met in New Delhi this week for talks.

NEW YORK - Victor Diaz hit a tying, three-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning, and Craig Brazell's first major league home run in the 11th gave the New York Mets a stunning 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday.    The Cubs had much on the line...

AFP - At least 54 people have died and more than a million have fled their homes as torrential rains lashed parts of India and Bangladesh, officials said.

LOS ANGELES - California has adopted the world's first rules to reduce greenhouse emissions for autos, taking what supporters see as a dramatic step toward cleaning up the environment but also ensuring higher costs for drivers.    The rules may lead to sweeping changes in vehicles nationwide, especially if other states opt to follow California's example...

 LONDON (Reuters) - European stock markets scaled near-2-1/2  year highs on Friday as oil prices held below \$48 a barrel, and  the euro held off from mounting another assault on \$1.30 but  hovered near record highs against the dollar.

Tim Duncan had 17 points and 10 rebounds, helping the San Antonio Spurs to a 99-81 victory over the New York Kicks. This was the Spurs fourth straight win this season.

Nagpur: India suffered a double blow even before the first ball was bowled in the crucial third cricket Test against Australia on Tuesday when captain Sourav Ganguly and off spinner Harbhajan Singh were ruled out of the match.

AFP - Republican and Democratic leaders each declared victory after the first head-to-head sparring match between President George W. Bush and Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry.

THIS YULE is all about console supply and there #39;s precious little units around, it has emerged. Nintendo has announced that it is going to ship another 400,000 units of its DS console to the United States to meet the shortfall there.

Annual global semiconductor sales growth will probably fall by half in 2005 and memory chip sales could collapse as a supply glut saps prices, world-leading memory chip maker Samsung Electronics said on Monday.

NEW YORK - Traditional phone systems may be going the way of the Pony Express. Voice-over-Internet Protocol, technology that allows users to make and receive phone calls using the Internet, is giving the old circuit-switched system a run for its money.

AP - Former New York Yankees hitting coach Rick Down was hired for the same job by the Mets on Friday, reuniting him with new manager Willie Randolph.

Last night in New York, the UN secretary-general was given a standing ovation - a robust response to a series of attacks in past weeks.

FILDERSTADT (Germany) - Amelie Mauresmo and Lindsay Davenport took their battle for the No. 1 ranking and Porsche Grand Prix title into the semi-finals with straight-sets victories on Friday.

Reuters - The company behind the Atkins Diet\on Friday shrugged off a recent decline in interest in low-carb\diets as a seasonal blip, and its marketing chief said\consumers would cut out starchy foods again after picking up\pounds over the holidays.

There #39;s something to be said for being the  quot;first mover quot; in an industry trend. Those years of extra experience in tinkering with a new idea can be invaluable in helping the first 

JOHANNESBURG -- Meeting in Nigeria four years ago, African leaders set a goal that 60 percent of children and pregnant women in malaria-affected areas around the continent would be sleeping under bed nets by the end of 2005.

AP - The first U.S. cases of the fungus soybean rust, which hinders plant growth and drastically cuts crop production, were found at two research sites in Louisiana, officials said Wednesday.

Carter returned, but it was running back Curtis Martin and the offensive line that put the Jets ahead. Martin rushed for all but 10 yards of a 45-yard drive that stalled at the Cardinals 10.

 quot;There #39;s no way anyone would hire them to fight viruses, quot; said Sophos security analyst Gregg Mastoras.  quot;For one, no security firm could maintain its reputation by employing hackers.

Symantec has revoked its decision to blacklist a program that allows Web surfers in China to browse government-blocked Web sites. The move follows reports that the firm labelled the Freegate program, which 

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Chiron Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=CHIR.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;CHIR.O&lt;/A&gt; fell 7  percent before the market open on Friday, a day after the  biopharmaceutical company said it is delaying shipment of its  flu vaccine, Fluvirin, because lots containing 4 million  vaccines do not meet product sterility standards.

The nation's top telecommunications regulator said yesterday he will push -- before the next president is inaugurated -- to protect fledgling Internet telephone services from getting taxed and heavily regulated by the 50 state governments.

Microsoft has signed a pact to work with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to increase computer use, Internet access and teacher training in developing countries.

DENVER (Ticker) -- Jake Plummer more than made up for a lack of a running game. Plummer passed for 294 yards and two touchdowns as the Denver Broncos posted a 23-13 victory over the San Diego Chargers in a battle of AFC West Division rivals.

DALLAS -- Belo Corp. said yesterday that it would cut 250 jobs, more than half of them at its flagship newspaper, The Dallas Morning News, and that an internal investigation into circulation overstatements 

AP - Duke Bainum outspent Mufi Hannemann in Honolulu's most expensive mayoral race, but apparently failed to garner enough votes in Saturday's primary to claim the office outright.

roundup Plus: Microsoft tests Windows Marketplace...Nortel delays financials again...Microsoft updates SharePoint.

The Federal Reserve still has some way to go to restore US interest rates to more normal levels, Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Anthony Santomero said on Monday.

It took all of about five minutes of an introductory press conference Wednesday at Heritage Hall for USC basketball to gain something it never really had before.

Delta Air Lines (DAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday its auditors have expressed doubt about the airline #39;s financial viability.

POLITICIANS and aid agencies yesterday stressed the importance of the media in keeping the spotlight on the appalling human rights abuses taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan.

AP - The Boston Red Sox looked at the out-of-town scoreboard and could hardly believe what they saw. The New York Yankees were trailing big at home against the Cleveland Indians in what would be the worst loss in the 101-year history of the storied franchise.

The Red Sox will either complete an amazing comeback as the first team to rebound from a 3-0 deficit in postseason history, or the Yankees will stop them.

\Children who have a poor diet are more likely to become aggressive and anti-social, US researchers believe.

OPEN SOURCE champion Microsoft is expanding its programme to give government organisations some of its source code. In a communique from the lair of the Vole, in Redmond, spinsters have said that Microsoft 

The Red Sox have reached agreement with free agent pitcher Matt Clement yesterday on a three-year deal that will pay him around \$25 million, his agent confirmed yesterday.

Takeover target Ronin Property Group said it would respond to an offer by Multiplex Group for all the securities in the company in about three weeks.

Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Contrary to Immigration Department claims, there is no shortage of native-borne exotic dancers in Canada, says a University of Toronto law professor who has studied the strip club business.

HEN Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz hit consecutive home runs Sunday night in Chicago to put the Red Sox ahead, there was dancing in the streets in Boston.

Google Inc. is trying to establish an online reading room for five major libraries by scanning stacks of hard-to-find books into its widely used Internet search engine.

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 1, 2004-- L #39;operazione crea una centrale globale per l #39;analisi strategica el #39;approfondimento del settore energetico IHS Energy, fonte globale leader di software, analisi e informazioni 

The European Union presidency yesterday expressed optimism that a deal could be struck over Turkey #39;s refusal to recognize Cyprus in the lead-up to next weekend #39;s EU summit, which will decide whether to give Ankara a date for the start of accession talks.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Friday set a  four-year goal of seeing a Palestinian state established and he  and British Prime Minister Tony Blair vowed to mobilize  international support to help make it happen now that Yasser  Arafat is dead.

WASHINGTON Can you always tell when somebody #39;s lying? If so, you might be a wizard of the fib. A California psychology professor says there #39;s a tiny subculture of people that can pick out a lie nearly every time they hear one.

 KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan on Saturday questioned U.N.  estimates that up to 70,000 people have died from hunger and  disease in its remote Darfur region since a rebellion began 20  months ago.

Type design was once the province of skilled artisans. With the help of new computer programs, neophytes have flooded the Internet with their creations.

RCN Inc., co-owner of Starpower Communications LLC, the Washington area television, telephone and Internet provider, filed a plan of reorganization yesterday that it said puts the company 

MIAMI -- Bryan Randall grabbed a set of Mardi Gras beads and waved them aloft, while his teammates exalted in the prospect of a trip to New Orleans.

&lt;strong&gt;Letters&lt;/strong&gt; Reports of demise premature

TORONTO (CP) - With an injured Vince Carter on the bench, the Toronto Raptors dropped their sixth straight game Friday, 101-87 to the Denver Nuggets.

The US airline industry, riddled with excess supply, will see a significant drop in capacity, or far fewer seats, as a result of at least one airline liquidating in the next year, according to AirTran Airways Chief Executive Joe Leonard.

Boeing (nyse: BA - news - people ) Chief Executive Harry Stonecipher is keeping the faith. On Monday, the head of the aerospace and military contractor insists he #39;s confident his firm will ultimately win out 

While not quite a return to glory, Monday represents the Redskins' return to the national consciousness.

Australia #39;s biggest supplier of fresh milk, National Foods, has posted a net profit of \$68.7 million, an increase of 14 per cent on last financial year.

Lawyers for customers suing Merck  amp; Co. want to question CEO Raymond Gilmartin about what he knew about the dangers of Vioxx before the company withdrew the drug from the market because of health hazards.

Vijay Singh has won the US PGA Tour player of the year award for the first time, ending Tiger Woods #39;s five-year hold on the honour.

New York; September 23, 2004 - The Department of Justice (DoJ), FBI and US Attorney #39;s Office handed down a 10-count indictment against former Computer Associates (CA) chairman and CEO Sanjay Kumar and Stephen Richards, former CA head of worldwide sales.

AFP - At least four Georgian soldiers were killed and five wounded in overnight clashes in Georgia's separatist, pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, Georgian officers near the frontline with Ossetian forces said early Thursday.

Intel, the world #39;s largest chip maker, scrapped a plan Thursday to enter the digital television chip business, marking a major retreat from its push into consumer electronics.

PACIFIC Hydro shares yesterday caught an updraught that sent them more than 20 per cent higher after the wind farmer moved to flush out a bidder.

The European Commission is expected later this week to recommend EU membership talks with Turkey. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan are anticipating a  quot;positive report.

The US is the originator of over 42 of the worlds unsolicited commercial e-mail, making it the worst offender in a league table of the top 12 spam producing countries published yesterday by anti-virus firm Sophos.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence retreated in  August while Chicago-area business activity slowed, according  to reports on Tuesday that added to worries the economy's patch  of slow growth may last beyond the summer.

Intel is drawing the curtain on some of its future research projects to continue making transistors smaller, faster, and less power-hungry out as far as 2020.

England got strikes from sparkling debut starter Jermain Defoe and Michael Owen to defeat Poland in a Uefa World Cup qualifier in Chorzow.

The Canadian government signalled its intention yesterday to reintroduce legislation to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

A screensaver targeting spam-related websites appears to have been too successful.

Titleholder Ernie Els moved within sight of a record sixth World Match Play title on Saturday by solving a putting problem to overcome injured Irishman Padraig Harrington 5 and 4.

If the Washington Nationals never win a pennant, they have no reason to ever doubt that DC loves them. Yesterday, the District City Council tentatively approved a tab for a publicly financed ballpark that could amount to as much as \$630 million.

By SIOBHAN McDONOUGH    WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fewer American youths are using marijuana, LSD and Ecstasy, but more are abusing prescription drugs, says a government report released Thursday.    The 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health also found youths and young adults are more aware of the risks of using pot once a month or more frequently...

 ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast warplanes killed nine  French soldiers on Saturday in a bombing raid during the  fiercest clashes with rebels for 18 months and France hit back  by destroying most of the West African country's small  airforce.

Unilever has reported a three percent rise in third-quarter earnings but warned it is reviewing its targets up to 2010, after issuing a shock profits warning last month.

A TNO engineer prepares to start capturing images for the world's biggest digital photo.

Defensive back Brandon Johnson, who had two interceptions for Tennessee at Mississippi, was suspended indefinitely Monday for violation of team rules.

Points leader Kurt Busch spun out and ran out of fuel, and his misfortune was one of the reasons crew chief Jimmy Fennig elected not to pit with 20 laps to go.

 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices extended recent heavy losses  on Wednesday ahead of weekly U.S. data expected to show fuel  stocks rising in time for peak winter demand.

(CP) - The NHL all-star game hasn #39;t been cancelled after all. It #39;s just been moved to Russia. The agent for New York Rangers winger Jaromir Jagr confirmed Monday that the Czech star had joined Omsk Avangard 

PalmOne is aiming to sharpen up its image with the launch of the Treo 650 on Monday. As previously reported, the smart phone update has a higher-resolution screen and a faster processor than the previous top-of-the-line model, the Treo 600.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- Islamic militant groups behind many suicide bombings dismissed yesterday a call from Mahmoud Abbas, the interim Palestinian leader, to halt attacks in the run-up to a Jan. 9 election to replace Yasser Arafat.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is wrapping up an East Asia trip focused on prodding North Korea to resume talks aimed at ending its nuclear-weapons program.

HERE in the land of myth, that familiar god of sports -- karma -- threw a bolt of lightning into the Olympic stadium yesterday. Marion Jones lunged desperately with her baton in the 4 x 100m relay final, but couldn #39;t reach her target.

kinrowan writes  quot;MIT, inventor of Kerberos, has announced a pair of vulnerabities in the software that will allow an attacker to either execute a DOS attack or execute code on the machine.

The risk of intestinal damage from common painkillers may be higher than thought, research suggests.

AN earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale hit western Japan this morning, just hours after another strong quake rocked the area.

Vodafone has increased the competition ahead of Christmas with plans to launch 10 handsets before the festive season. The Newbury-based group said it will begin selling the phones in November.

Reuters - Former Pink Floyd mainman Roger\Waters released two new songs, both inspired by the U.S.-led\invasion of Iraq, via online download outlets Tuesday.

A former assistant treasurer at Enron Corp. (ENRNQ.PK: Quote, Profile, Research) agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud on Tuesday and will cooperate with 

Britain #39;s Prince Harry, struggling to shed a growing  quot;wild child quot; image, won #39;t apologize to a photographer he scuffled with outside an exclusive London nightclub, a royal spokesman said on Saturday.

UK house prices fell by 1.1 in October, confirming a softening of the housing market, Halifax has said. The UK #39;s biggest mortgage lender said prices rose 18.

Pakistan #39;s interim Prime Minister Chaudhry Shaujaat Hussain has announced his resignation, paving the way for his successor Shauket Aziz.

A previously unknown group calling itself Jamaat Ansar al-Jihad al-Islamiya says it set fire to a Jewish soup kitchen in Paris, according to an Internet statement.

More than six newspaper companies have received letters from the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking information about their circulation practices.

THE 64,000 dollar - correction, make that 500 million dollar -uestion hanging over Shire Pharmaceuticals is whether the 5 per cent jump in the companys shares yesterday reflects relief that US regulators have finally approved its drug for 

The deadliest attack on Americans in Iraq since May came as Iraqi officials announced that Saddam Hussein's deputy had not been captured on Sunday.

AP - Kenny Rogers lost at the Coliseum for the first time in more than 10 years, with Bobby Crosby's three-run double in the fifth inning leading the Athletics to a 5-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.

A fundraising concert will be held in London in memory of the hundreds of victims of the Beslan school siege.

Dambulla, Sri Lanka - Kumar Sangakkara and Avishka Gunawardene slammed impressive half-centuries to help an under-strength Sri Lanka crush South Africa by seven wickets in the fourth one-day international here on Saturday.

Fresh off being the worst team in baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks set a new record this week: fastest team to both hire and fire a manager.

Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan runs off the field at halftime of the game against Baylor in Lincoln, Neb., Saturday, Oct. 16, 2004.

NASA has been working on a test flight project for the last few years involving hypersonic flight. Hypersonic flight is fight at speeds greater than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

AFP - The landmark trial of a Rwandan Roman Catholic priest accused of supervising the massacre of 2,000 of his Tutsi parishioners during the central African country's 1994 genocide opens at a UN court in Tanzania.

The Irish government has stepped up its efforts to free the British hostage in Iraq, Ken Bigley, whose mother is from Ireland, by talking to diplomats from Iran and Jordan.

AP - Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who flirted with changing political parties in the wake of President Bush's re-election victory, says he will stay in the GOP.

AP - Microsoft Corp. announced Wednesday that it would offer a low-cost, localized version of its Windows XP operating system in India to tap the large market potential in this country of 1 billion people, most of whom do not speak English.

Businesses saw inventories rise in July and sales picked up, the government reported Wednesday. The Commerce Department said that stocks of unsold goods increased 0.9 in July, down from a 1.1 rise in June.

 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Sports Network) - The Toronto  Raptors have traded All-Star swingman Vince Carter to the New  Jersey Nets in exchange for center Alonzo Mourning, forward  Eric Williams, center/forward Aaron Williams and two first-  round draft picks.

AP - Utah State University has secured a  #36;40 million contract with NASA to build an orbiting telescope that will examine galaxies and try to find new stars.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun pays a surprise visit to troops in Iraq, after his government decided to extend their mandate.

As the European Union approaches a contentious decision - whether to let Turkey join the club - the Continent #39;s rulers seem to have left their citizens behind.

What riot?  quot;An Argentine friend of mine was a little derisive of the Pacers-Pistons eruption, quot; says reader Mike Gaynes.  quot;He snorted,  #39;Is that what Americans call a riot?

All season, Chris Barnicle seemed prepared for just about everything, but the Newton North senior was not ready for the hot weather he encountered yesterday in San Diego at the Footlocker Cross-Country National Championships. Racing in humid conditions with temperatures in the 70s, the Massachusetts Division 1 state champion finished sixth in 15 minutes 34 seconds in the 5-kilometer race. ...

Shares of Genta Inc. (GNTA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) soared nearly 50 percent on Monday after the biotechnology company presented promising data on an experimental treatment for blood cancers.

I spend anywhere from three to eight hours every week sweating along with a motley crew of local misfits, shelving, sorting, and hauling ton after ton of written matter in a rowhouse basement in Baltimore. We have no heat nor air conditioning, but still, every week, we come and work. Volunteer night is Wednesday, but many of us also work on the weekends, when we're open to the public. There are times when we're freezing and we have to wear coats and gloves inside, making handling books somewhat tricky; other times, we're all soaked with sweat, since it's 90 degrees out and the basement is thick with bodies. One learns to forget about personal space when working at The Book Thing, since you can scarcely breathe without bumping into someone, and we are all so accustomed to having to scrape by each other that most of us no longer bother to say "excuse me" unless some particularly dramatic brushing occurs. 

 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A deadline set by militants who have  threatened to kill two Americans and a Briton seized in Iraq  was due to expire Monday, and more than two dozen other  hostages were also facing death unless rebel demands were met.

Alarmed by software glitches, security threats and computer crashes with ATM-like voting machines, officials from Washington, D.C., to California are considering an alternative from an unlikely place: Nevada.

Some Venezuelan television channels began altering their programs Thursday, citing fears of penalties under a new law restricting violence and sexual content over the airwaves.

SBC Communications Inc. plans to cut at least 10,000 jobs, or 6 percent of its work force, by the end of next year to compensate for a drop in the number of local-telephone customers.

afrol News, 4 October - Hundred years of conservation efforts have lifted the southern black rhino population from about hundred to 11,000 animals.

THE death of Philippine movie star and defeated presidential candidate Fernando Poe has drawn some political backlash, with some people seeking to use his sudden demise as a platform to attack President Gloria Arroyo.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major cigarette makers go on trial  on Tuesday in the U.S. government's \$280 billion racketeering  case that charges the tobacco industry with deliberately  deceiving the public about the risks of smoking since the  1950s.

More Americans are quitting their jobs and taking the risk of starting a business despite a still-lackluster job market.

AP - Coach Tyrone Willingham was fired by Notre Dame on Tuesday after three seasons in which he failed to return one of the nation's most storied football programs to prominence.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Joel Statham completed 18 of 25 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns in No. 23 Maryland's 45-22 victory over Temple last night, the Terrapins' 12th straight win at Byrd Stadium.

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wants the FA to punish Arsenal good guy Dennis Bergkamp for taking a swing at Alan Smith last Sunday.

VIENTIANE, Laos China moved yet another step closer in cementing its economic and diplomatic relationships with Southeast Asia today when Prime Minister Wen Jiabao signed a trade accord at a regional summit that calls for zero tariffs on a wide range of 

SPACE.com - With nbsp;food stores nbsp;running low, the two \astronauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are cutting back \their meal intake and awaiting a critical cargo nbsp;delivery expected to arrive \on Dec. 25.

British judges in London Tuesday ordered radical Muslim imam Abu Hamza to stand trial for soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred.

Federal Reserve policy-makers raised the benchmark US interest rate a quarter point to 2.25 per cent and restated a plan to carry out 

 DETROIT (Reuters) - A Canadian law firm on Tuesday said it  had filed a lawsuit against Ford Motor Co. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=F.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;F.N&lt;/A&gt; over what it  claims are defective door latches on about 400,000 of the  automaker's popular pickup trucks and SUVs.

Published reports say Barry Bonds has testified that he used a clear substance and a cream given to him by a trainer who was indicted in a steroid-distribution ring.

SARASOTA, Fla. - The devastation brought on by Hurricane Charley has been especially painful for an elderly population that is among the largest in the nation...

 ATHENS (Reuters) - Christos Angourakis added his name to  Greece's list of Paralympic medal winners when he claimed a  bronze in the T53 shot put competition Thursday.

 quot;He is charged for having a part in the Bali incident, quot; state prosecutor Andi Herman told Reuters on Saturday. bombing attack at the US-run JW.

Jay Fiedler threw for one touchdown, Sage Rosenfels threw for another and the Miami Dolphins got a victory in a game they did not want to play, beating the New Orleans Saints 20-19 Friday night.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Terrell Owens scored three touchdowns  and the Philadelphia Eagles amassed 35 first-half points on the  way to a 49-21 drubbing of the Dallas Cowboys in Irving, Texas,  Monday.

AstraZeneca Plc suffered its third setback in two months on Friday as lung cancer drug Iressa failed to help patients live longer 

Virgin Electronics hopes its slim Virgin Player, which debuts today and is smaller than a deck of cards, will rise as a lead competitor to Apple's iPod.

Researchers train a monkey to feed itself by guiding a mechanical arm with its mind. It could be a big step forward for prosthetics. By David Cohn.

Bruce Wasserstein, the combative chief executive of investment bank Lazard, is expected to agree this week that he will quit the group unless he can pull off a successful 

A late strike by Salomon Kalou sealed a 2-1 win for Feyenoord over NEC Nijmegen, while second placed AZ Alkmaar defeated ADO Den Haag 2-0 in the Dutch first division on Sunday.

The United Nations called on Monday for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Congo as fighting between rival army factions flared for a third day.

What a disgrace Ron Artest has become. And the worst part is, the Indiana Pacers guard just doesn #39;t get it. Four days after fueling one of the biggest brawls in the history of pro sports, Artest was on national 

Allowing dozens of casinos to be built in the UK would bring investment and thousands of jobs, Tony Blair says.

The shock here was not just from the awful fact itself, that two vibrant young Italian women were kidnapped in Iraq, dragged from their office by attackers who, it seems, knew their names.

Tehran/Vianna, Sept. 19 (NNN): Iran on Sunday rejected the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) call to suspend of all its nuclear activities, saying that it will not agree to halt uranium enrichment.

A 15-year-old Argentine student opened fire at his classmates on Tuesday in a middle school in the south of the Buenos Aires province, leaving at least four dead and five others wounded, police said.

Dr. David J. Graham, the FDA drug safety reviewer who sounded warnings over five drugs he felt could become the next Vioxx has turned to a Whistleblower protection group for legal help.

AP - Scientists in 17 countries will scout waterways to locate and study the world's largest freshwater fish species, many of which are declining in numbers, hoping to learn how to better protect them, researchers announced Thursday.

AP - Google Inc.'s plans to move ahead with its initial public stock offering ran into a roadblock when the Securities and Exchange Commission didn't approve the Internet search giant's regulatory paperwork as requested.

Jenson Button has revealed dissatisfaction with the way his management handled a fouled switch to Williams. Not only did the move not come off, his reputation may have been irreparably damaged amid news headline 

The Kmart purchase of Sears, Roebuck may be the ultimate expression of that old saying in real estate: location, location, location.

Citing security risks, a state university is urging students to drop Internet Explorer in favor of alternative Web browsers such as Firefox and Safari.

Redknapp and his No2 Jim Smith resigned from Portsmouth yesterday, leaving controversial new director Velimir Zajec in temporary control.

Despite being ranked eleventh in the world in broadband penetration, the United States is rolling out high-speed services on a  quot;reasonable and timely basis to all Americans, quot; according to a new report narrowly approved today by the Federal Communications 

Sprint Corp. (FON.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday said it plans to cut up to 700 jobs as it realigns its business to focus on wireless and Internet services and takes a non-cash network impairment charge.

As the season winds down for the Frederick Keys, Manager Tom Lawless is starting to enjoy the progress his pitching staff has made this season.

Britain #39;s Bradley Wiggins won the gold medal in men #39;s individual pursuit Saturday, finishing the 4,000-meter final in 4:16.

And when David Akers #39; 50-yard field goal cleared the crossbar in overtime, they did just that. They escaped a raucous Cleveland Browns Stadium relieved but not broken, tested but not cracked.

NEW YORK - A cable pay-per-view company has decided not to show a three-hour election eve special with filmmaker Michael Moore that included a showing of his documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11," which is sharply critical of President Bush.    The company, iN DEMAND, said Friday that its decision is due to "legitimate business and legal concerns." A spokesman would not elaborate...

Democracy candidates picked up at least one more seat in parliament, according to exit polls.

The IOC wants suspended Olympic member Ivan Slavkov to be thrown out of the organisation.

 BANGKOK (Reuters) - The ouster of Myanmar's prime minister,  architect of a tentative "roadmap to democracy," has dashed  faint hopes for an end to military rule and leaves Southeast  Asia's policy of constructive engagement in tatters.

San Antonio, TX (Sports Network) - Dean Wilson shot a five-under 65 on Friday to move into the lead at the halfway point of the Texas Open.

Now that Chelsea have added Newcastle United to the list of clubs that they have given what for lately, what price Jose Mourinho covering the Russian-funded aristocrats of west London in glittering glory to the tune of four trophies?

AP - Former Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Warren has been arrested in Virginia on a federal warrant, accused of failing to pay  #36;137,147 in child support for his two daughters in Washington state.

The anguish of hostage Kenneth Bigley in Iraq hangs over Prime Minister Tony Blair today as he faces the twin test of a local election and a debate by his Labour Party about the divisive war.

Says that amount would have been earned for the first 9 months of 2004, before AT amp;T purchase. LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) - Cingular Wireless would have posted a net profit of \$650 million for the first nine months 

NewsFactor - Taking an innovative approach to the marketing of high-performance \computing, Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) is offering its N1 Grid program in a pay-for-use pricing model that mimics the way such commodities as electricity and wireless phone plans are sold.

 CHICAGO (Reuters) - Goodyear Tire   Rubber Co. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=GT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;GT.N&lt;/A&gt; said  on Friday it will cut 340 jobs in its engineered products and  chemical units as part of its cost-reduction efforts, resulting  in a third-quarter charge.

 quot;There were 16 people travelling aboard. ... It crashed into a mountain, quot; Col. Antonio Rivero, head of the Civil Protection service, told.

Reuters - Shares of long-distance phone\companies AT T Corp.  and MCI Inc.  have plunged\about 20 percent this year, but potential buyers seem to be\holding out for clearance sales.

Reuters - Madonna and m-Qube have\made it possible for the star's North American fans to download\polyphonic ring tones and other licensed mobile content from\her official Web site, across most major carriers and without\the need for a credit card.

President Bush is reveling in winning the popular vote and feels he can no longer be considered a one-term accident of history.

Russian oil giant Yukos files for bankruptcy protection in the US in a last ditch effort to stop the Kremlin auctioning its main production unit.

British Airways #39; (BA) chief executive Rod Eddington has admitted that the company  quot;got it wrong quot; after staff shortages led to three days of travel chaos for passengers.

It #39;s official: US Open had never gone into the third round with only two American men, including the defending champion, Andy Roddick.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Thousands of Royal Bank clerks are being asked to display rainbow stickers at their desks and cubicles to promote a safe work environment for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.

The chipmaker is back on a buying spree, having scooped up five other companies this year.

The issue of drug advertising directly aimed at consumers is becoming political.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson has urged the international soccer authorities to preserve the health of the world superstar footballers for major tournaments, who expressed his will in Slaley of England on Tuesday ...

 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb killed two American soldiers  and wounded eight when it exploded in Baghdad on Saturday, the  U.S. military said in a statement.

Juventus coach Fabio Capello has ordered his players not to kick the ball out of play when an opponent falls to the ground apparently hurt because he believes some players fake injury to stop the match.

AP - China's economic boom is still roaring despite efforts to cool sizzling growth, with the gross domestic product climbing 9.5 percent in the first three quarters of this year, the government reported Friday.

Soaring petroleum prices pushed the cost of goods imported into the U.S. much higher than expected in August, the government said today.

Anheuser-Busch teams up with Vietnam's largest brewer, laying the groundwork for future growth in the region.

You #39;re angry. You want to lash out. The Red Sox are doing it to you again. They #39;re blowing a playoff series, and to the Yankees no less.

TORONTO -- There is no mystique to it anymore, because after all, the Russians have become commoners in today's National Hockey League, and Finns, Czechs, Slovaks, and Swedes also have been entrenched in the Original 30 long enough to turn the ongoing World Cup of Hockey into a protracted trailer for the NHL season.

Sudanese authorities have moved hundreds of pro-government fighters from the crisis-torn Darfur region to other parts of the country to keep them out of sight of foreign military observers demanding the militia #39;s disarmament, a rebel leader charged 

CHARLOTTE, NC - Shares of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. #39;s fell sharply Monday as a 79 percent plunge in third-quarter earnings and an intensifying accounting investigation overshadowed the pastrymaker #39;s statement that the low-carb craze might be easing.

The company hopes to lure software partners by promising to save them from infrastructure headaches.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb Tuesday ripped through a busy market near a Baghdad police headquarters where Iraqis were waiting to apply for jobs on the force, and gunmen opened fire on a van carrying police home from work in Baqouba, killing at least 59 people total and wounding at least 114.    The attacks were the latest attempts by militants to wreck the building of a strong Iraqi security force, a keystone of the U.S...

The Israeli prime minister said today that he wanted to begin withdrawing settlers from Gaza next May or June.

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - The Indiana Pacers try to win their second straight game tonight, as they host Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the third of a four-game homestand at Conseco Fieldhouse.

OXNARD - A leak of explosive natural gas forced dozens of workers to evacuate an offshore oil platform for hours Thursday but no damage or injuries were reported.

AP - Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds rose by  #36;2.85 billion in the latest week to  #36;845.69 billion, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.

Peter Mandelson provoked fresh Labour in-fighting yesterday with an implied attack on Gordon Brown #39;s  quot;exaggerated gloating quot; about the health of the British economy.

Queen Elizabeth II stopped short of apologizing for the Allies #39; bombing of Dresden during her first state visit to Germany in 12 years and instead acknowledged  quot;the appalling suffering of war on both sides.

JC Penney said yesterday that Allen I. Questrom, the chief executive who has restyled the once-beleaguered chain into a sleeker and more profitable entity, would be succeeded by Myron E. Ullman III, another longtime retail executive.

 In the cosmetics department at Hecht's in downtown Washington, construction crews have ripped out the traditional glass display cases, replacing them with a system of open shelves stacked high with fragrances from Chanel, Burberry and Armani, now easily within arm's reach of the impulse buyer.

 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices slid from record highs above  \$50 a barrel Wednesday as the U.S. government reported a  surprise increase in crude stocks and rebels in Nigeria's  oil-rich delta region agreed to a preliminary cease-fire.

Rocky Shoes and Boots makes an accretive acquisition -- and gets Dickies and John Deere as part of the deal.

AP - Fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has fallen out with some of his lieutenants, who blame him for the rebels' failure to disrupt the landmark Afghan presidential election, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

HAVANA -- Cuban President Fidel Castro's advancing age -- and ultimately his mortality -- were brought home yesterday, a day after he fractured a knee and arm when he tripped and fell at a public event.

 BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - The United States and Brazil  predicted on Tuesday Latin America's largest country would  resolve a dispute with the U.N. nuclear watchdog over  inspections of a uranium enrichment plant.

Call it the Maximus factor. Archaeologists working at the site of an old Roman temple near Guy #39;s hospital in London have uncovered a pot of cosmetic cream dating back to AD2.

It is a team game, this Ryder Cup stuff that will commence Friday at Oakland Hills Country Club. So what are the teams? For the Americans, captain Hal Sutton isn't saying.

Two bombs exploded today near a tea shop and wounded 20 people in southern Thailand, police said, as violence continued unabated in the Muslim-majority region where residents are seething over the deaths of 78 detainees while in military custody.

BONN: Deutsche Telekom is bidding 2.9 bn for the 26 it does not own in T-Online International, pulling the internet service back into the fold four years after selling stock to the public.

Motorola Inc. says it #39;s ready to make inroads in the cell-phone market after posting a third straight strong quarter and rolling out a series of new handsets in time for the holiday selling season.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, back in Tokyo after an 11-day diplomatic mission to the Americas, hunkered down with senior ruling party officials on Friday to focus on a major reshuffle of cabinet and top party posts.

Costs of employer-sponsored health plans are expected to climb an average of 8 percent in 2005, the first time in five years increases have been in single digits.

NEW YORK - A sluggish gross domestic product reading was nonetheless better than expected, prompting investors to send stocks slightly higher Friday on hopes that the economic slowdown would not be as bad as first thought.    The 2.8 percent GDP growth in the second quarter, a revision from the 3 percent preliminary figure reported in July, is a far cry from the 4.5 percent growth in the first quarter...

After again posting record earnings for the third quarter, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) expects to see its first sequential drop in fourth-quarter revenues, coupled with a sharp drop in capacity utilization rates.

 SEOUL (Reuters) - A huge explosion in North Korea last week  may have been due to a combination of demolition work for a  power plant and atmospheric clouds, South Korea's spy agency  said on Wednesday.

The deal comes as Cisco pushes to develop a market for CRS-1, a new line of routers aimed at telephone, wireless and cable companies.

Many people who have never bounced a check in their life could soon bounce their first check if they write checks to pay bills a couple of days before their paycheck is deposited into their checking account.

 LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp told a judge on  Thursday that the European Commission must be stopped from  ordering it to give up secret technology to competitors.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Sun Microsystems Inc. and Microsoft Corp. next month plan to provide more details on the work they are doing to make their products interoperable, a Sun executive said yesterday.

MANCHESTER United today dramatically rejected the advances of Malcolm Glazer, the US sports boss who is mulling an 825m bid for the football club.

Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declined amid concern an upcoming report on manufacturing may point to slowing economic growth.

AP - Astronomy buffs and amateur stargazers turned out to watch a total lunar eclipse Wednesday night  #151; the last one Earth will get for nearly two and a half years.

Reuters - U.S. industrial output advanced in\July, as American factories operated at their highest capacity\in more than three years, a Federal Reserve report on Tuesday\showed.

As usual, the Big Ten coaches were out in full force at today #39;s Big Ten Teleconference. Both OSU head coach Jim Tressel and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz offered some thoughts on the upcoming game between OSU 

Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, yesterday declared he was  quot;very impressed quot; with Grey Global, stoking speculation WPP will bid for the US advertising company. 

The compact disc has at least another five years as the most popular music format before online downloads chip away at its dominance, a new study said on Tuesday.

New York Knicks #39; Stephon Marbury (3) fires over New Orleans Hornets #39; Dan Dickau (2) during the second half in New Orleans Wednesday night, Dec. 8, 2004.

AP - Sudan's U.N. ambassador challenged the United States to send troops to the Darfur region if it really believes a genocide is taking place as the U.S. Congress and President Bush's administration have determined.

At the very moment when the Red Sox desperately need someone slightly larger than life to rally around, they suddenly have the man for the job: Thrilling Schilling.

Does Your Site Need a Custom Search Engine Toolbar?\\Today's surfers aren't always too comfortable installing software on their computers. Especially free software that they don't necessarily understand. With all the horror stories of viruses, spyware, and adware that make the front page these days, it's no wonder. So is there ...

Dale Earnhardt Jr, right, talks with Matt Kenseth, left, during a break in practice at Lowe #39;s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, Thursday Oct. 14, 2004 before qualifying for Saturday #39;s UAW-GM Quality 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race.

Several starting spots may have been usurped or at least threatened after relatively solid understudy showings Sunday, but few players welcome the kind of shot delivered to Oakland 

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Neil Rackers kicked four field goals and the Arizona Cardinals stifled rookie Chris Simms and the rest of the Tampa Bay offense for a 12-7 victory yesterday in a matchup of two sputtering teams out of playoff contention. Coach Jon Gruden's team lost its fourth in a row to finish 5-11, Tampa Bay's worst record since going ...

AFP - A junior British minister said that people living in camps after fleeing their villages because of conflict in Sudan's Darfur region lived in fear of leaving their temporary homes despite a greater presence now of aid workers.

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage (L) shakes hands with Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri prior to their meeting in Islamabad, 09 November 2004.

Spammers aren't ducking antispam laws by operating offshore, they're just ignoring it.

AP - Biologists plan to use large nets and traps this week in Chicago's Burnham Harbor to search for the northern snakehead  #151; a type of fish known for its voracious appetite and ability to wreak havoc on freshwater ecosystems.

BAE Systems PLC  and Northrop Grumman Corp. won \$45 million contracts yesterday to develop prototypes of anti-missile technology that could protect commercial aircraft from shoulder-fired missiles.

AP - Democrat John Edwards kept up a long-distance debate over his "two Americas" campaign theme with Vice President Dick Cheney on Tuesday, saying it was no illusion to thousands of laid-off workers in Ohio.

Like introductory credit card rates and superior customer service, some promises just aren #39;t built to last. And so it is that Bank of America - mere months after its pledge to preserve 

A group of 76 Eritreans on a repatriation flight from Libya Friday forced their plane to change course and land in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, where they 

Reuters - Accounting firm KPMG will pay  #36;10\million to settle charges of improper professional conduct\while acting as auditor for Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.\, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on\Wednesday.

Family matters made public: As eager cousins wait for a slice of the \$15 billion cake that is the Pritzker Empire, Circuit Court Judge David Donnersberger has ruled that the case will be conducted in open court.

Users of Microsoft #39;s Hotmail, most of whom are accustomed to getting regular sales pitches for premium e-mail accounts, got a pleasant surprise in their inboxes this week: extra storage for free.

AP - They say that opposites attract, and in the case of Sen. John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry, that may be true  #151; at least in their public personas.

The weekly survey from mortgage company Freddie Mac had rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages inching higher this week, up to an average 5.82 percent from last week #39;s 5.81 percent.

The classic power struggle between Walt Disney Co. CEO Michael Eisner and former feared talent agent Michael Ovitz makes for high drama in the courtroom - and apparently on cable.

ATHENS France, Britain and the United States issued a joint challenge Thursday to Germany #39;s gold medal in equestrian team three-day eventing. 

LONDON (CBS.MW) -- Elan (UK:ELA) (ELN) and partner Biogen (BIIB) said the FDA has approved new drug Tysabri to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

IT services provider Electronic Data Systems yesterday reported a net loss of \$153 million for the third quarter, with earnings hit in part by an asset impairment charge of \$375 million connected with EDS's N/MCI project.

ATLANTA - Who could have imagined Tommy Tuberville in this position? Yet there he was Friday, standing alongside the SEC championship trophy, posing for pictures and undoubtedly chuckling a bit on the inside.

AP - Impoverished North Korea might resort to selling weapons-grade plutonium to terrorists for much-needed cash, and that would be "disastrous for the world," the top U.S. military commander in South Korea said Friday.

International Business Machines Corp. said Wednesday it had agreed to settle most of the issues in a suit over changes in its pension plans on terms that allow the company to continue to appeal a key question while capping its liability at \$1.7 billion. &lt;BR&gt;&lt;FONT face="verdana,MS Sans Serif,arial,helvetica" size="-2"\ color="#666666"&gt;&lt;B&gt;-The Washington Post&lt;/B&gt;&lt;/FONT&gt;

Dubai: Osama bin Laden on Thursday called on his fighters to strike Gulf oil supplies and warned Saudi leaders they risked a popular uprising in an audio message said to be by the Western world #39;s most wanted terror mastermind.

Bank of New Zealand has frozen all accounts held in the name of Access Brokerage, which was yesterday placed in liquidation after a client fund shortfall of around \$5 million was discovered.

Edward Kozel, Cisco's former chief technology officer, joins the board of Linux seller Red Hat.

Reuters - International Business Machines\Corp.  late on Wednesday rolled out a new version of its\database software aimed at users of Linux and Unix operating\systems that it hopes will help the company take away market\share from market leader Oracle Corp. .

NASA #39;s Mars Odyssey mission, originally scheduled to end on Tuesday, has been granted a stay of execution until at least September 2006, reveal NASA scientists.

ZDNet #39;s survey of IT professionals in August kept Wired  amp; Wireless on top for the 18th month in a row. Telecommunications equipment maker Motorola said Tuesday that it would cut 1,000 jobs and take related 

John Thomson threw shutout ball for seven innings Wednesday night in carrying Atlanta to a 2-0 blanking of the New York Mets. New York lost for the 21st time in 25 games on the 

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities have arrested or reprimanded more than 750 officials in recent months in connection with billions of dollars in financial irregularities ranging from unpaid taxes to embezzlement, according to a report made public yesterday.

Canadian Press - GAUHATI, India (AP) - Residents of northeastern India were bracing for more violence Friday, a day after bombs ripped through two buses and a grenade was hurled into a crowded market in attacks that killed four people and wounded 54.

Vikram Solanki beat the rain clouds to register his second one-day international century as England won the third one-day international to wrap up a series victory.

Some 28 people are charged with trying to overthrow Sudan's President Bashir, reports say.

Hong Kong #39;s Beijing-backed chief executive yesterday ruled out any early moves to pass a controversial national security law which last year sparked a street protest by half a million people.

BRITAIN #39;S largest financial institutions are being urged to take lead roles in lawsuits seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from the scandal-struck US insurance industry.

Bankrupt UAL Corp. (UALAQ.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday reported a narrower third-quarter net loss. The parent of United Airlines posted a loss of \$274 million, or 

A three-touchdown point spread and a recent history of late-season collapses had many thinking the UCLA football team would provide little opposition to rival USC #39;s march to the BCS-championship game at the Orange Bowl.

 PHOENIX (Sports Network) - Free agent third baseman Troy  Glaus is reportedly headed to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The European Union #39;s head office issued a bleak economic report Tuesday, warning that the sharp rise in oil prices will  quot;take its toll quot; on economic growth next year while the euro #39;s renewed climb could threaten crucial exports.

Third-string tailback Chris Markey ran for 131 yards to lead UCLA to a 34-26 victory over Oregon on Saturday. Markey, playing because of an injury to starter Maurice Drew, also caught five passes for 84 yards 

Though Howard Stern's defection from broadcast to satellite radio is still 16 months off, the industry is already trying to figure out what will fill the crater in ad revenue and listenership that he is expected to leave behind.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States set final  anti-dumping duties of up to 112.81 percent on shrimp imported  from China and up to 25.76 percent on shrimp from Vietnam to  offset unfair pricing, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday.

Jay Payton #39;s three-run homer led the San Diego Padres to a 5-1 win over the San Francisco Giants in National League play Saturday, despite a 701st career blast from Barry Bonds.

The optimists among Rutgers fans were delighted, but the Scarlet Knights still gave the pessimists something to worry about.

Beer consumption has doubled over the past five years, prompting legislators to implement new rules.

BusinessWeek Online - The jubilation that swept East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 long ago gave way to the sober reality of globalization and market forces. Now a decade of resentment seems to be boiling over. In Eastern cities such as Leipzig or Chemnitz, thousands have taken to the streets since July to protest cuts in unemployment benefits, the main source of livelihood for 1.6 million East Germans. Discontent among reunification's losers fueled big gains by the far left and far right in Brandenburg and Saxony state elections Sept. 19. ...

NEW YORK -- When Office Depot Inc. stores ran an electronics recycling drive last summer that accepted everything from cellphones to televisions, some stores were overwhelmed by the amount of e-trash they received.

In a discovery sure to set off a firestorm of debate over human migration to the western hemisphere, archaeologists in South Carolina say they have uncovered evidence that people lived in eastern North America at least 50,000 years ago - far earlier than 

AP - Former president Bill Clinton on Monday helped launch a new Internet search company backed by the Chinese government which says its technology uses artificial intelligence to produce better results than Google Inc.

The International Monetary Fund expressed concern Tuesday about the impact of the troubles besetting oil major Yukos on Russia #39;s standing as a place to invest.

Perhaps the sight of Maria Sharapova opposite her tonight will jog Serena Williams #39; memory. Wimbledon. The final. You and Maria.

At least 79 people were killed and 74 were missing after some of the worst rainstorms in recent years triggered landslides and flash floods in southwest China, disaster relief officials said yesterday.

LinuxWorld Conference  amp; Expo will come to Boston for the first time in February, underscoring the area's standing as a hub for the open-source software being adopted by thousands of businesses.

BANGKOK Thai military aircraft dropped 100 million paper birds over southern Thailand on Sunday in a gesture intended to promote peace in mainly Muslim provinces, where more than 500 people have died this year in attacks by separatist militants and 

Insurgents threatened on Saturday to cut the throats of two Americans and a Briton seized in Baghdad, and launched a suicide car bomb attack on Iraqi security forces in Kirkuk that killed at least 23 people.

Five days after making the putt that won the Ryder Cup, Colin Montgomerie looked set to miss the cut at a European PGA tour event.

Sun Microsystems plans to release its Sun Studio 10 development tool in the fourth quarter of this year, featuring support for 64-bit applications running on AMD Opteron and Nocona processors, Sun officials said on Tuesday.

Karachi - Captain Inzamam ul-Haq and coach Bob Woolmer came under fire on Thursday for choosing to bat first on a tricky pitch after Pakistan #39;s humiliating defeat in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final.

Scottish champions Celtic saw their three-year unbeaten home record in Europe broken Tuesday as they lost 3-1 to Barcelona in the Champions League Group F opener.

Interest rates on short-term Treasury securities rose in yesterday's auction. The Treasury Department sold \$19 billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 1.710 percent, up from 1.685 percent last week. An additional \$17 billion was sold in six-month bills at a rate of 1.950 percent, up from 1.870 percent.

Most IT Managers won #39;t question the importance of security, but this priority has been sliding between the third and fourth most important focus for companies.

AP - Andy Roddick searched out Carlos Moya in the throng of jumping, screaming Spanish tennis players, hoping to shake hands.

AP - The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday filed the first case in the country against software companies accused of infecting computers with intrusive "spyware" and then trying to sell people the solution.

While shares of Apple have climbed more than 10 percent this week, reaching 52-week highs, two research firms told investors Friday they continue to remain highly bullish about the stock.

Moody #39;s Investors Service on Wednesday said it may cut its bond ratings on HCA Inc. (HCA.N: Quote, Profile, Research) deeper into junk, citing the hospital operator #39;s plan to buy back about \$2.

States are now barred from imposing telecommunications regulations on Net phone providers.

Telekom Austria AG, the country #39;s biggest phone operator, won the right to buy Bulgaria #39;s largest mobile phone company, MobilTel EAD, for 1.6 billion euros (\$2.1 billion), an acquisition that would add 3 million subscribers.

Shares of ID Biomedical jumped after the company reported Monday that it signed long-term agreements with the three largest flu vaccine wholesalers in the United States in light of the shortage of vaccine for the current flu season.

ENGLAND captain and Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham has played down speculation that his club are moving for England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The federal government closed its window on the oil industry Thursday, saying that it is selling its last 19 per cent stake in Calgary-based Petro-Canada.

Strong sales of new mobile phone models boosts profits at Carphone Warehouse but the retailer's shares fall on concerns at a decline in profits from pre-paid phones.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - IBM and top scientific research  organizations are joining forces in a humanitarian effort to  tap the unused power of millions of computers and help solve  complex social problems.

 NEW YORK, Nov. 11 -- The 40 percent share price slide in Merck  #38; Co. in the five weeks after it pulled the painkiller Vioxx off the market highlighted larger problems in the pharmaceutical industry that may depress performance for years, according to academics and stock analysts who follow the sector.

Low-fare carrier Southwest Airlines Co. said Thursday that its third-quarter profit rose 12.3 percent to beat Wall Street expectations despite higher fuel costs.

Another shock hit the drug sector Friday when pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. announced that it found an increased heart risk to patients for its blockbuster arthritis drug Celebrex.

AFP - National Basketball Association players trying to win a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal for the United States have gotten the wake-up call that the "Dream Team" days are done even if supporters have not.

 BEIJING (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell will  urge China Monday to exert its influence over North Korea to  resume six-party negotiations on scrapping its suspected  nuclear weapons program.

Reuters - An Israeli missile strike killed at least\two Hamas gunmen in Gaza City Monday, a day after a top\commander of the Islamic militant group was killed in a similar\attack, Palestinian witnesses and security sources said.

England will be seeking their third clean sweep of the summer when the NatWest Challenge against India concludes at Lord #39;s. After beating New Zealand and West Indies 3-0 and 4-0 in Tests, they have come alive 

AP - The Pentagon has restored access to a Web site that assists soldiers and other Americans living overseas in voting, after receiving complaints that its security measures were preventing legitimate voters from using it.

The number of US information technology workers rose 2 percent to 10.5 million in the first quarter of this year, but demand for them is dropping, according to a new report.

Montreal - The British-built Canadian submarine HMCS Chicoutimi, crippled since a fire at sea that killed one of its crew, is under tow and is expected in Faslane, Scotland, early next week, Canadian naval commander Tyrone Pile said on Friday.

AP - Grizzly and black bears killed a majority of elk calves in northern Yellowstone National Park for the second year in a row, preliminary study results show.

Thirty-five Pakistanis freed from the US Guantanamo Bay prison camp arrived home on Saturday and were taken straight to prison for further interrogation, the interior minister said.

AP - Mark Richt knows he'll have to get a little creative when he divvies up playing time for Georgia's running backs next season. Not so on Saturday. Thomas Brown is the undisputed starter for the biggest game of the season.

Witnesses in the trial of a US soldier charged with abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib have told the court that the CIA sometimes directed abuse and orders were received from military command to toughen interrogations.

Insurance firm says its board now consists of its new CEO Michael Cherkasky and 10 outside members. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Marsh  amp; McLennan Cos.

Michael Phelps, the six-time Olympic champion, issued an apology yesterday after being arrested and charged with drunken driving in the United States.

PC World - The one-time World Class Product of the Year PDA gets a much-needed upgrade.

AP - Italian and Lebanese authorities have arrested 10 suspected terrorists who planned to blow up the Italian Embassy in Beirut, an Italian news agency and the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- John F. Kerry and President Bush clashed sharply over the war in Iraq last night during the first debate of the presidential campaign season, with the senator from Massachusetts accusing 

GONAIVES, Haiti -- While desperately hungry flood victims wander the streets of Gonaives searching for help, tons of food aid is stacking up in a warehouse guarded by United Nations peacekeepers.

As part of its much-touted new MSN Music offering, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) is testing a Web-based radio service that mimics nearly 1,000 local radio stations, allowing users to hear a version of their favorite radio station with far fewer interruptions.

AFP - The resignation of disgraced Fiji Vice-President Ratu Jope Seniloli failed to quell anger among opposition leaders and the military over his surprise release from prison after serving just three months of a four-year jail term for his role in a failed 2000 coup.

ATHENS Larry Brown, the US coach, leaned back against the scorer #39;s table, searching for support on a sinking ship. His best player, Tim Duncan, had just fouled out, and the options for an American team that 

Sourav Ganguly files an appeal against a two-match ban imposed for time-wasting.

Ziff Davis - A quick resolution to the Mambo open-source copyright dispute seems unlikely now that one of the parties has rejected an offer for mediation.

Greek police surrounded a bus full of passengers seized by armed hijackers along a highway from an Athens suburb Wednesday, police said.

Spain have named an unchanged team for the Davis Cup final against the United States in Seville on 3-5 December. Carlos Moya, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Rafael Nadal and Tommy Robredo will take on the US in front of 22,000 fans at the converted Olympic stadium.

BAGHDAD: A suicide car bomber attacked a police convoy in Baghdad yesterday as guerillas kept pressure on Iraq #39;s security forces despite a bloody rout of insurgents in Fallujah.

Slot machine maker International Game Technology (IGT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Tuesday posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings, as casinos bought 

Fixtures and fittings from Damien Hirst's restaurant Pharmacy sell for 11.1, 8m more than expected.

Last Tuesday night, Harvard knocked off rival Boston College, which was ranked No. 1 in the country. Last night, the Crimson knocked off another local foe, Boston University, 2-1, at Walter Brown Arena, which marked the first time since 1999 that Harvard had beaten them both in the same season.

Venezuelan election officials say they expect to announce Saturday, results of a partial audit of last Sunday #39;s presidential recall referendum.

About 500 prospective jurors will be in an Eagle, Colorado, courtroom Friday, answering an 82-item questionnaire in preparation for the Kobe Bryant sexual assault trial.

Students take note - endless journeys to the library could become a thing of the past thanks to a new multimillion-pound scheme to make classic texts available at the click of a mouse.

Moscow - The next crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is to contribute to the Russian search for a vaccine against Aids, Russian cosmonaut Salijan Sharipovthe said on Thursday.

Locked away in fossils is evidence of a sudden solar cooling. Kate Ravilious meets the experts who say it could explain a 3,000-year-old mass migration - and today #39;s global warming.

By ANICK JESDANUN    NEW YORK (AP) -- Taran Rampersad didn't complain when he failed to find anything on his hometown in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Instead, he simply wrote his own entry for San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago...

Five years after catastrophic floods and mudslides killed thousands along Venezuela's Caribbean coast, survivors in this town still see the signs of destruction - shattered concrete walls and tall weeds growing atop streets covered in dried mud.

How do you top a battle between Marines and an alien religious cult fighting to the death on a giant corona in outer space? The next logical step is to take that battle to Earth, which is exactly what Microsoft 

Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd., the mobile-phone venture owned by Sony Corp. and Ericsson AB, said third-quarter profit rose 45 percent on camera phone demand and forecast this quarter will be its strongest.

NEW YORK, September 17 (newratings.com) - Alcatel (ALA.NYS) has expanded its operations and presence in the core North American telecommunication market with two separate acquisitions for about \$277 million.

Four U.S. agencies yesterday announced a coordinated attack to stem the global trade in counterfeit merchandise and pirated music and movies, an underground industry that law-enforcement officials estimate to be worth \$500 billion each year.

BEIJING The NBA has reached booming, basketball-crazy China _ but the league doesn #39;t expect to make any money soon. The NBA flew more than 100 people halfway around the world for its first games in China, featuring 

The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed Monday that nearly 400 tons of powerful explosives that could be used in conventional or nuclear missiles disappeared from an unguarded military installation in Iraq.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Curt Schilling pitched 6 2/3 innings  and Manny Ramirez hit a three-run homer in a seven-run fourth  frame to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 9-3 win over the host  Anaheim Angels in their American League Divisional Series  opener Tuesday.

AP - The game between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees on Tuesday night was postponed by rain.

Oil giant Shell swept aside nearly 100 years of history today when it unveiled plans to merge its UK and Dutch parent companies. Shell said scrapping its twin-board structure 

Caesars Entertainment Inc. on Thursday posted a rise in third-quarter profit as Las Vegas hotels filled up and Atlantic City properties squeaked out a profit that was unexpected by the company.

Half of all U.S. Secret Service agents are dedicated to protecting President Washington #151;and all the other Presidents on U.S. currency #151;from counterfeiters.

One of India #39;s leading telecommunications providers will use Cisco Systems #39; gear to build its new Ethernet-based broadband network.

Militants in Iraq have killed the second of two US civilians they were holding hostage, according to a statement on an Islamist website.

PARIS The verdict is in: The world #39;s greatest race car driver, the champion of champions - all disciplines combined - is Heikki Kovalainen.

Pakistan won the toss and unsurprisingly chose to bowl first as they and West Indies did battle at the Rose Bowl today for a place in the ICC Champions Trophy final against hosts England.

Shares of Beacon Roofing Suppler Inc. shot up as much as 26 percent in its trading debut Thursday, edging out bank holding company Valley Bancorp as the biggest gainer among a handful of new stocks that went public this week.

More than 4,000 American and Iraqi soldiers mounted a military assault on the insurgent-held city of Samarra.

Maxime Faget conceived and proposed the development of the one-man spacecraft used in Project Mercury, which put the first American astronauts into suborbital flight, then orbital flight 

The first weekend of holiday shopping went from red-hot to dead white, as a storm that delivered freezing, snowy weather across Colorado kept consumers at home.

 MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Vicente Fox said  on Monday he hoped President Bush's re-election meant a  bilateral accord on migration would be reached before his own  term runs out at the end of 2006.

 LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar fell within half a cent of  last week's record low against the euro on Thursday after  capital inflows data added to worries the United States may  struggle to fund its current account deficit.

 BRUSSELS (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac said  on Friday he had not refused to meet Iraqi interim Prime  Minister Iyad Allawi after reports he was snubbing the Iraqi  leader by leaving an EU meeting in Brussels early.

China has pledged to invest \$20 billion in Argentina in the next 10 years, La Nacion reported Wednesday. The announcement came during the first day of a two-day visit 

NEW YORK - Former President Bill Clinton was in good spirits Saturday, walking around his hospital room in street clothes and buoyed by thousands of get-well messages as he awaited heart bypass surgery early this coming week, people close to the family said.    Clinton was expected to undergo surgery as early as Monday but probably Tuesday, said Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe, who said the former president was "upbeat" when he spoke to him by phone Friday...

Toyota Motor Corp., the world #39;s biggest carmaker by value, will invest 3.8 billion yuan (\$461 million) with its partner Guangzhou Automobile Group to boost manufacturing capacity in 

Poland will cut its troops in Iraq early next year and won #39;t stay in the country  quot;an hour longer quot; than needed, the country #39;s prime minister said Friday.

AP - Boston Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon is having a recurrence of migraine headaches that first bothered him after a collision in last year's playoffs.

The patch fixes a flaw in the e-mail server software that could be used to get access to in-boxes and information.

Felix Cardenas of Colombia won the 17th stage of the Spanish Vuelta cycling race Wednesday, while defending champion Roberto Heras held onto the overall leader #39;s jersey for the sixth day in a row.

AP - Being the biggest dog may pay off at feeding time, but species that grow too large may be more vulnerable to extinction, new research suggests.

A car bomb exploded at a US military convoy in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, causing several casualties, the army and Iraqi officials said.

Newest Efficeon processor also offers higher frequency using less power.

BAE Systems has launched a search for a senior American businessman to become a non-executive director. The high-profile appointment is designed to strengthen the board at a time when the defence giant is 

AP - In what it calls a first in international air travel, Finnair says it will let its frequent fliers check in using text messages on mobile phones.

Computer Associates International is expected to announce that its new chief executive will be John Swainson, an I.B.M. executive with strong technical and sales credentials.

Established star Landon Donovan and rising sensation Eddie Johnson carried the United States into the regional qualifying finals for the 2006 World Cup in emphatic fashion Wednesday night.

STOCKHOLM (Dow Jones)--Expectations for Telefon AB LM Ericsson #39;s (ERICY) third-quarter performance imply that while sales of mobile telephony equipment are expected to have dipped, the company 

ATHENS, Greece - Michael Phelps took care of qualifying for the Olympic 200-meter freestyle semifinals Sunday, and then found out he had been added to the American team for the evening's 400 freestyle relay final.    Phelps' rivals Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband and teammate Klete Keller were faster than the teenager in the 200 free preliminaries...

 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  intends to present a timetable for withdrawal from Gaza to  lawmakers from his Likud Party Tuesday despite a mutiny in the  right-wing bloc over the plan.

Search Engine for Programming Code\\An article at Newsforge pointed me to Koders ( http://www.koders.com ) a search engine for finding programming code. Nifty.\\The front page allows you to specify keywords, sixteen languages (from ASP to VB.NET) and sixteen licenses (from AFL to ZPL -- fortunately there's an information page to ...

 #147;Apple once again was the star of the show at the annual MacUser awards, #148; reports MacUser,  #147;taking away six Maxine statues including Product of the Year for the iTunes Music Store. #148; Other Apple award winners: Power Mac G5, AirPort Express, 20-inch Apple Cinema Display, GarageBand and DVD Studio Pro 3. Nov 22

 KABUL (Reuters) - Three U.N. workers held by militants in  Afghanistan were in their third week of captivity on Friday  after calls from both sides for the crisis to be resolved ahead  of this weekend's Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr.

AP - A sweeping wildlife preserve in southwestern Arizona is among the nation's 10 most endangered refuges, due in large part to illegal drug and immigrant traffic and Border Patrol operations, a conservation group said Friday.

ROME, Oct 29 (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac urged the head of the incoming European Commission Friday to take  quot;the appropriate decisions quot; to resolve a row over his EU executive team which has left the EU in limbo.

The Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell today sought to draw a line under its reserves scandal by announcing plans to spend \$15bn (8.4bn) a year to replenish reserves and develop production in its oil and gas business.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - At PeopleSoft Inc. #39;s Connect 2004 conference in San Francisco this week, the software vendor is expected to face questions from users about its ability to fend off Oracle Corp.

Russia's parliament will launch an inquiry into a school siege that killed over 300 hostages, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, but analysts doubt it will satisfy those who blame the carnage on security services.

Tony Blair talks to business leaders about new proposals for a major shake-up of the English exam system.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia A Malaysian woman has claimed a new world record after living with over six-thousand scorpions for 36 days straight.

PBS's Charlie Rose quizzes Sun co-founder Bill Joy,  Monster.com chief Jeff Taylor, and venture capitalist John Doerr.

Circulation declined at most major US newspapers in the last half year, the latest blow for an industry already rocked by a scandal involving circulation misstatements that has undermined the confidence of investors and advertisers.

Skype Technologies is teaming with Siemens to offer cordless phone users the ability to make Internet telephony calls, in addition to traditional calls, from their handsets.

AP - After years of resistance, the U.S. trucking industry says it will not try to impede or delay a new federal rule aimed at cutting diesel pollution.

INDIANAPOLIS - ATA Airlines has accepted a \$117 million offer from Southwest Airlines that would forge close ties between two of the largest US discount carriers.

could take drastic steps if the talks did not proceed as Tehran wants. Mehr news agency quoted him as saying on Wednesday. that could be used 

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan says the team is making a statement that immaturity will not be tolerated by suspending Kwame Brown one game for not taking part in a team huddle during a loss to Denver.

EVERETT  Fire investigators are still trying to determine what caused a two-alarm that destroyed a portion of a South Everett shopping center this morning. 

Umesh Patel, a 36-year old software engineer from California, debated until the last minute.

Sure, the PeopleSoft board told shareholders to just say no. This battle will go down to the wire, and even afterward Ellison could prevail.

Investors cheered by falling oil prices and an improving job picture sent stocks higher Tuesday, hoping that the news signals a renewal of economic strength and a fall rally in stocks.

AP - Andy Roddick has yet to face a challenge in his U.S. Open title defense. He beat No. 18 Tommy Robredo of Spain 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 Tuesday night to move into the quarterfinals without having lost a set.

Now that hell froze over in Boston, New England braces for its rarest season -- a winter of content. Red Sox fans are adrift from the familiar torture of the past.

 CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=WMT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;WMT.N&lt;/A&gt;, the  world's largest retailer, said on Saturday it still anticipates  September U.S. sales to be up 2 percent to 4 percent at stores  open at least a year.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo's Nikkei stock average opened down  0.15 percent on Wednesday as investors took a breather from the  market's recent rises and sold shares of gainers such as Sharp  Corp.

AP - From now until the start of winter, male tarantulas are roaming around, searching for female mates, an ideal time to find out where the spiders flourish in Arkansas.

Israeli authorities have launched an investigation into death threats against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other officials supporting his disengagement plan from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, Jerusalem police said Tuesday.

NewsFactor - While a U.S. District Court continues to weigh the legality of \Oracle's (Nasdaq: ORCL) attempted takeover of \PeopleSoft (Nasdaq: PSFT), Oracle has taken the necessary steps to ensure the offer does not die on the vine with PeopleSoft's shareholders.

NEW YORK : World oil prices fell, capping a drop of more than 14 percent in a two-and-a-half-week slide triggered by a perception of growing US crude oil inventories.

SUFFOLK -- Virginia Tech scientists are preparing to protect the state #39;s largest crop from a disease with strong potential to do damage.

It was a carefully scripted moment when Russian President Vladimir Putin began quoting Taras Shevchenko, this country #39;s 19th-century bard, during a live television 

China says it welcomes Russia #39;s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol that aims to stem global warming by reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

Analysts said the smartphone enhancements hold the potential to bring PalmSource into an expanding market that still has room despite early inroads by Symbian and Microsoft.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is proposing a tax increase to raise \$900 million a year to help pay for a five-year rebuilding program.

AFP - The Canadian armed forces chief of staff on was elected to take over as head of NATO's Military Committee, the alliance's highest military authority, military and diplomatic sources said.

AFP - Two proposed resolutions condemning widespread rights abuses in Sudan and Zimbabwe failed to pass a UN committee, mired in debate between African and western nations.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Citigroup Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=C.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;C.N&lt;/A&gt; the world's  largest financial services company, said on Tuesday it will  acquire First American Bank in the quickly-growing Texas  market.

 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices hovered just below  \$50 a barrel on Tuesday, holding recent gains on a rash of  crude supply outages and fears over thin heating oil tanks.

THE South Africans have called the Wallabies scrum cheats as a fresh round of verbal warfare opened in the Republic last night. 

The return of noted reformer Nabil Amr to Palestinian politics comes at a crucial juncture.

An overwhelming majority of NHL players who expressed their opinion in a poll said they would not support a salary cap even if it meant saving a season that was supposed to have started Oct. 13.

Tony Eury Sr. oversees Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the racetrack, but Sunday he extended his domain to Victory Lane. Earnhardt was unbuckling to crawl out of the No.

AP - After two debates, voters have seen President Bush look peevish and heard him pass the buck. They've watched Sen. John Kerry deny he's a flip-flopper and then argue that Saddam Hussein was a threat  #151; and wasn't. It's no wonder so few minds have changed.

(Sports Network) - The New York Yankees try to move one step closer to a division title when they conclude their critical series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.

US retail sales fell 0.3 in August as rising energy costs and bad weather persuaded shoppers to reduce their spending.

The United States says the Lebanese parliament #39;s decision Friday to extend the term of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud made a  quot;crude mockery of democratic principles.

Kurt Busch claimed a stake in the points lead in the NASCAR Chase for the Nextel Cup yesterday, winning the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway.

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan #39;s Fujitsu and Cisco Systems of the US said they have agreed to form a strategic alliance focusing on routers and switches that will enable businesses to build advanced Internet Protocol (IP) networks.

GEORGETOWN, Del., Oct. 28 -- Plaintiffs in a shareholder lawsuit over former Walt Disney Co. president Michael Ovitz's \$140 million severance package attempted Thursday to portray Ovitz as a dishonest bumbler who botched the hiring of a major television executive and pushed the release of a movie that angered the Chinese government, damaging Disney's business prospects in the country.

US stocks gained ground in early trading Thursday after tame inflation reports and better than expected jobless news. Oil prices held steady as Hurricane Ivan battered the Gulf coast, where oil operations have halted.

It #39;s a new internet browser. The first full version, Firefox 1.0, was launched earlier this month. In the sense it #39;s a browser, yes, but the differences are larger than the similarities.

LOUDON, NH - As this newfangled stretch drive for the Nextel Cup championship ensues, Jeff Gordon has to be considered the favorite for a fifth title.

PepsiCo. Inc., the world #39;s No. 2 soft- drink maker, plans to buy General Mills Inc. #39;s stake in their European joint venture for \$750 million in cash, giving it complete ownership of Europe #39;s largest snack-food company.

Microsoft will accelerate SP2 distribution  to meet goal of 100 million downloads in two months.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened little changed on  Friday, after third-quarter gross domestic product data showed  the U.S. economy grew at a slower-than-expected pace.

International Business Machines Corp., taken to court by workers over changes it made to its traditional pension plan, has decided to stop offering any such plan to new employees.

NEW YORK - With four of its executives pleading guilty to price-fixing charges today, Infineon will have a hard time arguing that it didn #39;t fix prices in its ongoing litigation with Rambus.

By nick giongco. YOU KNOW you have reached the status of a boxing star when ring announcer extraordinaire Michael Buffer calls out your name in his trademark booming voice during a high-profile event like yesterday 

Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - The prime minister says he's been assured by President George W. Bush that the U.S. missile defence plan does not necessarily involve the weaponization of space.

AP - Even with a big lead, Eric Gagne wanted to pitch in front of his hometown fans one last time.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Limited Brands Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=LTD.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;LTD.N&lt;/A&gt; on  Thursday reported higher quarterly operating profit as cost  controls and strong lingerie sales offset poor results at the  retailer's Express apparel stores.

General Motors and DaimlerChrysler are collaborating on development of fuel- saving hybrid engines in hopes of cashing in on an expanding market dominated by hybrid leaders Toyota and Honda.

ATHENS, Greece -- Larry Brown was despondent, the head of the US selection committee was defensive and an irritated Allen Iverson was hanging up on callers who asked what went wrong. 

Fifty-six miners are dead and another 92 are still stranded underground after a gas blast at the Daping coal mine in Central China #39;s Henan Province, safety officials said Thursday.

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Three Lebanese men and their Iraqi driver have been kidnapped in Iraq, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said Sunday, as Iraq's prime minister said his government was working for the release of two Americans and a Briton also being held hostage.    Gunmen snatched the three Lebanese, who worked for a travel agency with a branch in Baghdad, as they drove on the highway between the capital and Fallujah on Friday night, a ministry official said...

PORTLAND, Ore. - It's been almost a year since singer-songwriter Elliott Smith committed suicide, and fans and friends will be looking for answers as the posthumous "From a Basement on the Hill" is released...

AP - Courtney Brown refuses to surrender to injuries. He's already planning another comeback.

 GAZA (Reuters) - Israel expanded its military offensive in  northern Gaza, launching two air strikes early on Monday that  killed at least three Palestinians and wounded two, including a  senior Hamas leader, witnesses and medics said.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Nintendo Co. Ltd. raised its 2004  shipment target for its DS handheld video game device by 40  percent to 2.8 million units on Thursday after many stores in  Japan and the United States sold out in the first week of  sales.

It took an off-the-cuff reference to a serial murderer/cannibal to punctuate the Robby Gordon storyline. Gordon has been vilified by his peers and put on probation 

By BOBBY ROSS JR. Associated Press Writer. play the Atlanta Hawks. They will be treated to free food and drink and have. their pictures taken with Mavericks players, dancers and team officials.

ARSENAL #39;S Brazilian World Cup winning midfielder Gilberto Silva is set to be out for at least a month with a back injury, the Premiership leaders said.

INDIANAPOLIS -- With a package of academic reforms in place, the NCAA #39;s next crusade will address what its president calls a dangerous drift toward professionalism and sports entertainment.

Autodesk  this week unwrapped an updated version of its hosted project collaboration service targeted at the construction and manufacturing industries. Autodesk Buzzsaw lets multiple, dispersed project participants -- including building owners, developers, architects, construction teams, and facility managers -- share and manage data throughout the life of a project, according to Autodesk officials.

AP - It was difficult for Southern California's Pete Carroll and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops to keep from repeating each other when the two coaches met Thursday.

Reuters - Sudan's government resumed\talks with rebels in the oil-producing south on Thursday while\the United Nations set up a panel to investigate charges of\genocide in the west of Africa's largest country.

Andy Roddick, along with Olympic silver medalist Mardy Fish and the doubles pair of twins Bob and Mike Bryan will make up the US team to compete with Belarus in the Davis Cup, reported CRIENGLISH.

NEW YORK - Optimism that the embattled technology sector was due for a recovery sent stocks modestly higher Monday despite a new revenue warning from semiconductor company Broadcom Inc.    While Broadcom, which makes chips for television set-top boxes and other electronics, said high inventories resulted in delayed shipments, investors were encouraged as it said future quarters looked brighter...

A report indicates that many giants of the industry have been able to capture lasting feelings of customer loyalty.

It is the news that Internet users do not want to hear: the worldwide web is in danger of collapsing around us. Patrick Gelsinger, the chief technology officer for computer chip maker Intel, told a conference 

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers hired just 96,000  workers in September, the government said on Friday in a weak  jobs snapshot, the final one ahead of presidential elections  that also fueled speculation about a pause in interest-rate  rises.

Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers said today that his company plans to offer twice as many new products this year as ever before.

While the world #39;s best athletes fight the noble Olympic battle in stadiums and pools, their fans storm the streets of Athens, turning the Greek capital into a huge international party every night.

Carlos Barrios Orta squeezed himself into his rubber diving suit, pulled on an 18-pound helmet that made him look like an astronaut, then lowered himself into the sewer. He disappeared into the filthy water, which looked like some cauldron of rancid beef stew, until the only sign of him was air bubbles breaking the surface.

The mutilated body of a woman of about sixty years, amputated of arms and legs and with the sliced throat, has been discovered this morning in a street of the south of Faluya by the Marines, according to a statement by AFP photographer.

Every day, somewhere in the universe, there #39;s an explosion that puts the power of the Sun in the shade. Steve Connor investigates the riddle of gamma-ray bursts.

Ten months after NASA #39;s twin rovers landed on Mars, scientists reported this week that both robotic vehicles are still navigating their rock-studded landscapes with all instruments operating 

EVERTON showed they would not be bullied into selling Wayne Rooney last night by rejecting a 23.5million bid from Newcastle - as Manchester United gamble on Goodison #39;s resolve to keep the striker.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- The magazine known for evaluating cars and electronics is setting its sights on finding the best value and quality of prescription drugs on the market.

After months of legal wrangling, the case of &lt;em&gt;People v. Kobe Bean Bryant&lt;/em&gt; commences on Friday in Eagle, Colo., with testimony set to begin next month.

(SH) - In Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai defeated a raft of candidates to win his historic election. In Iraq, more than 200 political parties have registered for next month #39;s elections.

Lyon coach Paul le Guen has admitted his side would be happy with a draw at Old Trafford on Tuesday night. The three-times French champions have assured themselves of qualification for the Champions League 

British scientists say they have found a new, greener way to power cars and homes using sunflower oil, a commodity more commonly used for cooking fries.

A mouse, a house, and your tax-planning spouse all factor huge in the week of earnings that lies ahead.

The United States #39; top computer-security official has resigned after a little more than a year on the job, the US Department of Homeland Security said on Friday.

Reuters - Barry Bonds failed to collect a hit in\his bid to join the 700-homer club, but he did score a run to\help the San Francisco Giants edge the host Milwaukee Brewers\3-2 in National League action on Tuesday.

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=INTC.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"&gt;INTC.O&lt;/A&gt; on Thursday  outlined its vision of the Internet of the future, one in which  millions of computer servers would analyze and direct network  traffic to make the Web safer and more efficient.

Margaret Hassan, who works for charity Care International, was taken hostage while on her way to work in Baghdad. Here are the main events since her kidnapping.

DALLAS (CBS.MW) -- Royal Dutch/Shell Group will pay a \$120 million penalty to settle a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation of its overstatement of nearly 4.5 billion barrels of proven reserves, the federal agency said Tuesday.

After waiting an entire summer for the snow to fall and Beaver Creek to finally open, skiers from around the planet are coming to check out the Birds of Prey World Cup action Dec. 1 - 5. Although everyones 

TOKYO, Sep 08, 2004 (AFX-UK via COMTEX) -- Sony Corp will launch its popular projection televisions with large liquid crystal display (LCD) screens in China early next year, a company spokeswoman said.

I confess that I am a complete ignoramus when it comes to women #39;s beach volleyball. In fact, I know only one thing about the sport - that it is the supreme aesthetic experience available on planet Earth.

Manchester United Plc may offer US billionaire Malcolm Glazer a seat on its board if he agrees to drop a takeover bid for a year, the Observer said, citing an unidentified person in the soccer industry.

PHOENIX America West Airlines has backed away from a potential bidding war for bankrupt ATA Airlines, paving the way for AirTran to take over ATA operations.

US stock-index futures declined. Dow Jones Industrial Average shares including General Electric Co. slipped in Europe. Citigroup Inc.

For a guy who spent most of his first four professional seasons on the disabled list, Houston Astros reliever Brad Lidge has developed into quite the ironman these past two days.

AFP - Outgoing EU competition commissioner Mario Monti wants to reach a decision on Oracle's proposed takeover of business software rival PeopleSoft by the end of next month, an official said.

Former Bengal Corey Dillon found his stride Sunday in his second game for the New England Patriots. Dillon gained 158 yards on 32 carries as the Patriots beat the Arizona Cardinals, 23-12, for their 17th victory in a row.

If legend is to be believed, the end of a victorious war was behind Pheidippides #39; trek from Marathon to Athens 2,500 years ago.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Satellite companies would be able to  retransmit broadcasters' television signals for another five  years but would have to offer those signals on a single dish,  under legislation approved by Congress on Saturday.

 BEIJING (Reuters) - Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova  demolished fellow Russian Tatiana Panova 6-1, 6-1 to advance to  the quarter-finals of the China Open on Wednesday.

Sven Jaschan, who may face five years in prison for spreading the Netsky and Sasser worms, is now working in IT security. Photo: AFP.

Padres general manager Kevin Towers called Expos general manager Omar Minaya on Thursday afternoon and told him he needed a shortstop because Khalil Greene had broken his 

Motorsport.com. Nine of the ten Formula One teams have united to propose cost-cutting measures for the future, with the notable exception of Ferrari.

Reuters - The United States modified its\call for U.N. sanctions against Sudan on Tuesday but still kept\up the threat of punitive measures if Khartoum did not stop\atrocities in its Darfur region.

Human rights and environmental activists have hailed the award of the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize to Wangari Maathai of Kenya as fitting recognition of the growing role of civil society 

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has done it again. For at least the fourth time this year, he has touched the electrified third rail of American politics - Social Security.

An Al Qaeda-linked militant group beheaded an American hostage in Iraq and threatened last night to kill another two Westerners in 24 hours unless women prisoners were freed from Iraqi jails.

TechWeb - An Indian Institute of Technology professor--and open-source evangelist--discusses the role of Linux and open source in India.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:    -----      Contaminated Fish in Many U.S. Lakes and Rivers      Fish that may be contaminated with dioxin, mercury, PCBs and pesticides are swimming in more than one-third of the United States' lakes and nearly one-quarter of its rivers, according to a list of advisories released by the Environmental Protection Agency...

Argentina, Denmark, Greece, Japan and Tanzania on Friday won coveted two-year terms on the UN Security Council at a time when pressure is mounting to expand the powerful 15-nation body.

Description: Scientists say the arthritis drug Bextra may pose increased risk of cardiovascular troubles. Bextra is related to Vioxx, which was pulled off the market in September for the same reason.

Steve Francis and Shaquille O #39;Neal enjoyed big debuts with their new teams. Kobe Bryant found out he can #39;t carry the Lakers all by himself.

The trial of a lawsuit by Walt Disney Co. shareholders who accuse the board of directors of rubberstamping a deal to hire Michael Ovitz 

Australia, by winning the third Test at Nagpur on Friday, also won the four-match series 2-0 with one match to go. Australia had last won a Test series in India way back in December 1969 when Bill Lawry #39;s team beat Nawab Pataudi #39;s Indian team 3-1.

LOS ANGELES Grocery giant Albertsons says it has purchased Bristol Farms, which operates eleven upscale stores in Southern California.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India agreed on Friday to re-open the Khokhropar-Munabao railway link, which was severed nearly 40 years ago.

Final Score: Connecticut 61, New York 51 New York, NY (Sports Network) - Nykesha Sales scored 15 points to lead Connecticut to a 61-51 win over New York in Game 1 of their best-of-three Eastern Conference Finals series at Madison Square Garden.

NEW YORK - Stocks moved higher Friday as a stronger than expected retail sales report showed that higher oil prices aren't scaring consumers away from spending. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's positive comments on oil prices also encouraged investors...

The figures from a survey released today are likely to throw more people into the ranks of the uninsured, analysts said.

Bill Gates is giving his big speech right now at Microsofts big Digital Entertainment Anywhere event in Los Angeles. Well have a proper report for you soon, but in the meantime we figured wed 

Spinal and non-spinal fractures are reduced by almost a third in women age 80 or older who take a drug called strontium ranelate, European investigators announced 

JB Oxford Holdings Inc., a Beverly Hills-based discount brokerage firm, was sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly allowing thousands of improper trades in more than 600 mutual funds.

BERLIN: Apple Computer Inc is planning the next wave of expansion for its popular iTunes online music store with a multi-country European launch in October, the services chief architect said on Wednesday.

Charlotte, NC -- LeBron James poured in a game-high 19 points and Jeff McInnis scored 18 as the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Charlotte Bobcats, 106-89, at the Charlotte Coliseum.

Goldman Sachs reported strong fourth quarter and full year earnings of \$1.19bn, up 36 per cent on the previous quarter. Full year profit rose 52 per cent from the previous year to \$4.55bn.

Saddam Hussein lives in an air-conditioned 10-by-13 foot cell on the grounds of one of his former palaces, tending plants and proclaiming himself Iraq's lawful ruler.

Lehmann, who was at fault in two matches in the tournament last season, was blundering again with the German set to take the rap for both Greek goals.

Calls to 13 other countries will be blocked to thwart auto-dialer software.

AP - Brazilian U.N. peacekeepers will remain in Haiti until presidential elections are held in that Caribbean nation sometime next year, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday.

com September 27, 2004, 5:00 AM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been improving or obtaining CRM and ERP software for the past year and a half.

Jeju Island, South Korea (Sports Network) - Grace Park and Carin Koch posted matching rounds of six-under-par 66 on Friday to share the lead after the first round of the CJ Nine Bridges Classic.

SPACE.com - The Zero Gravity Corporation \  has been given the thumbs up by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to \  conduct  quot;weightless flights quot; for the general public, providing the \  sensation of floating in space.

A 32-year-old woman in Belgium has become the first woman ever to give birth after having ovarian tissue removed, frozen and then implanted back in her body.

Argosy Gaming (AGY:NYSE - news - research) jumped in early trading Thursday, after the company agreed to be acquired by Penn National Gaming (PENN:Nasdaq - news - research) in a \$1.

No sweat, says the new CEO, who's imported from IBM. He also knows this will be the challenge of a lifetime.

Iraq is  quot;working 24 hours a day to ... stop the terrorists, quot; interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Monday. Iraqis are pushing ahead with reforms and improvements, Allawi told 

AP - Their discoveries may be hard for many to comprehend, but this year's Nobel Prize winners still have to explain what they did and how they did it.

The DuPont Co. has agreed to pay up to \$340 million to settle a lawsuit that it contaminated water supplies in West Virginia and Ohio with a chemical used to make Teflon, one of its best-known brands.

Benfica and Real Madrid set the standard for soccer success in Europe in the late 1950s and early  #39;60s. The clubs have evolved much differently, but both have struggled 

AP - Musicians, composers and authors were among the more than two dozen people Wednesday honored with National Medal of Arts and National Humanities awards at the White House.

More than 15 million homes in the UK will be able to get on-demand movies by 2008, say analysts.

Wynton Marsalis, the trumpet-playing star and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, has become an entity above and around the daily jazz world.

A well-researched study by the National Academy of Sciences makes a persuasive case for refurbishing the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA, which is reluctant to take this mission, should rethink its position.

BUENOS AIRES: Pakistan has ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Climatic Change, Environment Minister Malik Khan said on Thursday. He said that Islamabad has notified UN authorities of ratification, which formally comes into effect in February 2005.

Reuters - Jeffrey Greenberg, chairman and chief\executive of embattled insurance broker Marsh   McLennan Cos.\, is expected to step down within hours, a newspaper\reported on Friday, citing people close to the discussions.

Staff Sgt. Johnny Horne, Jr., and Staff Sgt. Cardenas Alban have been charged with murder in the death of an Iraqi, the 1st Cavalry Division announced Monday.

LONDON -- In a deal that appears to buck the growing trend among governments to adopt open-source alternatives, the U.K.'s Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is negotiating a renewal of a three-year agreement with Microsoft Corp.

WASHINGTON - A Pennsylvania law requiring Internet service providers (ISPs) to block Web sites the state's prosecuting attorneys deem to be child pornography has been reversed by a U.S. federal court, with the judge ruling the law violated free speech rights.

The Microsoft Corp. chairman receives four million e-mails a day, but practically an entire department at the company he founded is dedicated to ensuring that nothing unwanted gets into his inbox, the company #39;s chief executive said Thursday.

The 7100t has a mobile phone, e-mail, instant messaging, Web browsing and functions as an organiser. The device looks like a mobile phone and has the features of the other BlackBerry models, with a large screen 

President Vladimir Putin makes a speech as he hosts Russia #39;s Olympic athletes at a Kremlin banquet in Moscow, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004.

Apple Computer has unveiled two new versions of its hugely successful iPod: the iPod Photo and the U2 iPod. Apple also has expanded 

Pakistan are closing in fast on Sri Lanka #39;s first innings total after impressing with both ball and bat on the second day of the opening Test in Faisalabad.

A state regulatory board yesterday handed a five-year suspension to a Lawrence funeral director accused of unprofessional conduct and deceptive practices, including one case where he refused to complete funeral arrangements for a client because she had purchased a lower-priced casket elsewhere.

AP - This year's hurricanes spread citrus canker to at least 11,000 trees in Charlotte County, one of the largest outbreaks of the fruit-damaging infection to ever affect Florida's citrus industry, state officials said.

AFP - Hundreds of Buddhists in southern Russia marched through snow to see and hear the Dalai Lama as he continued a long-awaited visit to the country in spite of Chinese protests.

British officials were on diplomatic tenterhooks as they awaited the arrival on Thursday of French President Jacques Chirac for a two-day state visit to Britain.

 SYDNEY (Reuters) - A group of women on Pitcairn Island in  the South Pacific are standing by their men, who face underage  sex charges, saying having sex at age 12 is a tradition dating  back to 18th century mutineers who settled on the island.

Two aircraft are flying out from the UK on Sunday to deliver vital aid and supplies to Haiti, which has been devastated by tropical storm Jeanne.

A scare triggered by a vibrating sex toy shut down a major Australian regional airport for almost an hour Monday, police said. The vibrating object was discovered Monday morning 

IBM moved back into the iSCSI (Internet SCSI) market Friday with a new array priced at US\$3,000 and aimed at the small and midsize business market.

Ron Artest has been hit with a season long suspension, unprecedented for the NBA outside doping cases; Stephen Jackson banned for 30 games; Jermaine O #39;Neal for 25 games and Anthony Johnson for five.

The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday upheld a \$12.1 million fine against Cingular Wireless, related to a two-year investigation into the cellular telephone company #39;s business practices.

Barclays, the British bank that left South Africa in 1986 after apartheid protests, may soon resume retail operations in the nation.

AP - An Indiana congressional candidate abruptly walked off the set of a debate because she got stage fright.

Italian-based Parmalat is suing its former auditors -- Grant Thornton International and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu -- for billions of dollars in damages. Parmalat blames its demise on the two companies #39; mismanagement of its finances. 

Reuters - Having reached out to Kashmiris during a two-day visit to the region, the prime minister heads this weekend to the country's volatile northeast, where public anger is high over alleged abuses by Indian soldiers.

SAN JUAN IXTAYOPAN, Mexico -- A pair of wooden crosses outside the elementary school are all that mark the macabre site where, just weeks ago, an angry mob captured two federal police officers, beat them unconscious, and set them on fire.

Three shots behind Grace Park with five holes to go, six-time LPGA player of the year Sorenstam rallied with an eagle, birdie and three pars to win her fourth Samsung World Championship by three shots over Park on Sunday.

update An alliance of technology workers on Tuesday accused conglomerate Honeywell International of planning to move thousands of jobs to low-cost regions over the next five years--a charge that Honeywell denies.

NSW Rugby CEO Fraser Neill believes Waratah star Mat Rogers has learned his lesson after he was fined and ordered to do community service following his controversial comments about the club rugby competition.

American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu has initiated coverage of Apple Computer (AAPL) with a  #39;buy #39; recommendation, and a 12-month target of US\$78 per share.

washingtonpost.com - Cell phone shoppers looking for new deals and features didn't find them yesterday, a day after Sprint Corp. and Nextel Communications Inc. announced a merger that the phone companies promised would shake up the wireless business.

ATHENS: China, the dominant force in world diving for the best part of 20 years, won six out of eight Olympic titles in Athens and prompted speculation about a clean sweep when they stage the Games in Beijing in 2008.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Northrop Grumman Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=NOC.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;NOC.N&lt;/A&gt;  reported higher third-quarter earnings on Wednesday and an 11  percent increase in sales on strength in its mission systems,  integrated systems, ships and space technology businesses.

JAPANESE GIANT Sharp has pulled the plug on its Linux-based PDAs in the United States as no-one seems to want them. The company said that it will continue to sell them in Japan where they sell like hot cakes 

DUBLIN : An Olympic Airlines plane diverted to Ireland following a bomb alert, the second faced by the Greek carrier in four days, resumed its journey to New York after no device was found on board, airport officials said.

New NavOne offers handy PDA and Pocket PC connectivity, but fails to impress on everything else.

TORONTO (CP) - Shares of Iamgold fell more than 10 per cent after its proposed merger with Gold Fields Ltd. was thrown into doubt Monday as South Africa #39;s Harmony Gold Mining Company Ltd.

The Marvel deal calls for Mforma to work with the comic book giant to develop a variety of mobile applications based on Marvel content.

 LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled again on Monday to an  8-week low under \$46 a barrel, as growing fuel stocks in the  United States eased fears of a winter supply crunch.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it  is preparing a new U.N. resolution on Darfur and that Secretary  of State Colin Powell might address next week whether the  violence in western Sudan constitutes genocide.

The Houston Astros won their 19th straight game at home and are one game from winning their first playoff series in 42 years.

washingtonpost.com - The Portable Media Center -- a new, Microsoft-conceived handheld device that presents video and photos as well as music -- would be a decent idea if there weren't such a thing as lampposts. Or street signs. Or trees. Or other cars.

Alcoa Inc., one of the world #39;s top producers of aluminum, said Monday that it received an unsolicited  quot;mini-tender quot; offer from Toronto-based TRC Capital Corp.

The European Commission is to warn Greece about publishing false information about its public finances.

The Air Force Reserve #39;s Hurricane Hunters, those fearless crews who dive into the eyewalls of hurricanes to relay critical data on tropical systems, were chased from their base on the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Hurricane Ivan.

 LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. shares were expected to open lower  on Wednesday after crude oil pushed to a fresh high overnight,  while Web search engine Google Inc. dented sentiment as it  slashed the price range on its initial public offering.

The eighth-seeded American fell to sixth-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia, 0-6 6-2 7-6 (7-5), on Friday - despite being up a break on four occasions in the third set.

TUCSON, Arizona (Ticker) -- No. 20 Arizona State tries to post its first three-game winning streak over Pac-10 Conference rival Arizona in 26 years when they meet Friday.

NAJAF, Iraq : Iraq #39;s top Shiite Muslim clerics, back in control of Najaf #39;s Imam Ali shrine after a four-month militia occupation, met amid the ruins of the city as life spluttered back to normality.

Embargo or not, Fidel Castro's socialist paradise has quietly become a pharmaceutical powerhouse. (They're still working on the capitalism thing.) By Douglas Starr from Wired magazine.

AP - Phillip Fulmer kept his cool when starting center Jason Respert drove off in the coach's golf cart at practice.

GOALS from Wayne Rooney and Ruud van Nistelrooy gave Manchester United the win at Newcastle. Alan Shearer briefly levelled matters for the Magpies but United managed to scrape through.

The telemarketer at the other end of Orlando Castelblanco #39;s line promised to reduce the consumer #39;s credit card debt by at least \$2,500 and get his 20 percent -- and growing -- interest rates down to single digits.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Blue-chip stocks fell slightly on  Monday after No. 1 retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=WMT.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;WMT.N&lt;/A&gt;  reported lower-than-expected Thanksgiving sales, while  technology shares were lifted by a rally in Apple Computer Inc.  &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=AAPL.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;AAPL.O&lt;/A&gt;.

Reuters - House of Representatives Majority\Leader Tom DeLay, admonished twice in six days by his chamber's\ethics committee, withstood calls on Thursday by rival\Democrats and citizen groups that he step aside.

WPP Group Inc., the world #39;s second- largest marketing and advertising company, said it won the bidding for Grey Global Group Inc.

AFP - Australia has accounted for all its nationals known to be working in Iraq following a claim by a radical Islamic group to have kidnapped two Australians, Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said.

A new worm can spy on users by hijacking their Web cameras, a security firm warned Monday. The Rbot.gr worm -- the latest in a long line of similar worms; one security firm estimates that more than 4,000 variations 

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks were slightly lower on Tuesday,  as concerns about higher oil prices cutting into corporate  profits and consumer demand weighed on sentiment, while retail  sales posted a larger-than-expected decline in August.

The separation of PalmOne and PalmSource will be complete with Eric Benhamou's resignation as the latter's chairman.

AP - Two-time U.S. Open doubles champion Max Mirnyi will lead the Belarus team that faces the United States in the Davis Cup semifinals in Charleston later this month.

The hurricane appeared to be strengthening and forecasters warned of an increased threat of serious flooding and wind damage.

AP - New York Jets safety Erik Coleman got his souvenir football from the equipment manager and held it tightly.

 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices climbed above \$42 a barrel  on Wednesday, rising for the third day in a row as the heavy  consuming U.S. Northeast feels the first chills of winter.

\\"(CNN) -- A longtime associate of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden surrendered to\Saudi Arabian officials Tuesday, a Saudi Interior Ministry official said."\\"But it is unclear what role, if any, Khaled al-Harbi may have had in any terror\attacks because no public charges have been filed against him."\\"The Saudi government -- in a statement released by its embassy in Washington --\called al-Harbi's surrender "the latest direct result" of its limited, one-month\offer of leniency to terror suspects."\\This is great!  I hope this really starts to pay off.  Creative solutions to\terrorism that don't involve violence.  \\How refreshing! \\Are you paying attention Bush administration?\\

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Merck   Co Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=MRK.N target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;MRK.N&lt;/A&gt; on Thursday  pulled its arthritis drug Vioxx off the market after a study  showed it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke, a move  that sent its shares plunging and erased \$25 billion from its  market value.

AT T Corp. is cutting 7,400 more jobs and slashing the book value of its assets by \$11.4 billion, drastic moves prompted by the company's plan to retreat from the traditional consumer telephone business following a lost court battle.

The government on Wednesday defended its decision to radically revise the country #39;s deficit figures, ahead of a European Commission meeting to consider possible disciplinary action against Greece for submitting faulty figures.

Ivan Hlinka coached the Czech Republic to the hockey gold medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics and became the coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins two years later.

Four homeless men were bludgeoned to death and six were in critical condition on Friday following early morning attacks by unknown assailants in downtown streets of Sao Paulo, a police spokesman said.

OPEC ministers yesterday agreed to increase their ceiling for oil production to help bring down stubbornly high prices in a decision that traders and analysts dismissed as symbolic because the cartel already is pumping more than its new target.

Williams-Sonoma Inc. said second- quarter profit rose 55 percent, boosted by the addition of Pottery Barn stores and sale of outdoor furniture.

Celerons form the basis of Intel #39;s entry-level platform which includes integrated/value motherboards as well. The Celeron 335D is the fastest - until the Celeron 340D - 2.93GHz - becomes mainstream - of the 

The entertainment industry asks the Supreme Court to reverse the Grokster decision, which held that peer-to-peer networks are not liable for copyright abuses of their users. By Michael Grebb.

 HONG KONG/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - China's largest  personal computer maker, Lenovo Group Ltd., said on Tuesday it  was in acquisition talks with a major technology company, which  a source familiar with the situation said was IBM.

Phone companies are not doing enough to warn customers about internet "rogue-dialling" scams, watchdog Icstis warns.

Reuters - Oil prices stayed close to  #36;49 a\barrel on Thursday, supported by a forecast for an early cold\snap in the United States that could put a strain on a thin\supply cushion of winter heating fuel.

AUBURN - Ah, easy street. No game this week. Light practices. And now Auburn is being touted as the No. 3 team in the Bowl Championship Series standings.

Portsmouth #39;s Harry Redknapp has been named as the Barclays manager of the month for October. Redknapp #39;s side were unbeaten during the month and maintained an impressive climb to ninth in the Premiership.

India's main opposition party takes action against senior party member Uma Bharti after a public row.

Hewlett-Packard will shell out \$16.1 billion for chips in 2005, but Dell's wallet is wide open, too.

WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- President Bush announced Monday that Kellogg chief executive Carlos Gutierrez would replace Don Evans as Commerce secretary, naming the first of many expected changes to his economic team.

Iron Mountain moved further into the backup and recovery space Tuesday with the acquisition of Connected Corp. for \$117 million. Connected backs up desktop data for more than 600 corporations, with more than 

Three directors of Manchester United have been ousted from the board after US tycoon Malcolm Glazer, who is attempting to buy the club, voted against their re-election.

The Russian military yesterday extended its offer of a \$10 million reward for information leading to the capture of two separatist leaders who, the Kremlin claims, were behind the Beslan massacre.

AP - Manny Ramirez singled and scored before leaving with a bruised knee, and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers 5-3 Friday night for their 10th victory in 11 games.

A remote attacker could take complete control over computers running many versions of Microsoft software by inserting malicious code in a JPEG image that executes through an unchecked buffer 

Montgomery County (website - news) is a big step closer to shopping for prescription drugs north of the border. On a 7-2 vote, the County Council is approving a plan that would give county 

Israels Shin Bet security service has tightened protection of the prime minister, MPs and parliament ahead of next weeks crucial vote on a Gaza withdrawal.

The news comes fast and furious. Pedro Martinez goes to Tampa to visit George Steinbrenner. Theo Epstein and John Henry go to Florida for their turn with Pedro. Carl Pavano comes to Boston to visit Curt Schilling. Jason Varitek says he's not a goner. Derek Lowe is a goner, but he says he wishes it could be different. Orlando Cabrera ...

The disclosure this week that a Singapore-listed company controlled by a Chinese state-owned enterprise lost \$550 million in derivatives transactions 

Reuters - Iraq's interim defense minister accused\neighbors Iran and Syria on Wednesday of aiding al Qaeda\Islamist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and former agents of Saddam\Hussein to promote a "terrorist" insurgency in Iraq.

AP - The Senate race in Kentucky stayed at fever pitch on Thursday as Democratic challenger Daniel Mongiardo stressed his opposition to gay marriage while accusing Republican incumbent Jim Bunning of fueling personal attacks that seemed to suggest Mongiardo is gay.

The lawsuit claims the companies use a patented Honeywell technology for brightening images and reducing interference on displays.

The co-president of Oracle testified that her company was serious about its takeover offer for PeopleSoft and was not trying to scare off its customers.

VANCOUVER - A Vancouver-based firm won #39;t sell 1.2 million doses of influenza vaccine to the United States after all, announcing Tuesday that it will sell the doses within Canada instead.

An extremely rare Hawaiian bird dies in captivity, possibly marking the extinction of its entire species only 31 years after it was first discovered.

Does Geico's trademark lawsuit against Google have merit? How will the case be argued?  What's the likely outcome of the trial?  A mock court of trademark experts weighs in with their verdict. 

Treo 650 boasts a high-res display, an improved keyboard and camera, a removable battery, and more. PalmOne this week is announcing the Treo 650, a hybrid PDA/cell-phone device that addresses many of the shortcomings 

FRED Hale Sr, documented as the worlds oldest man, has died at the age of 113. Hale died in his sleep on Friday at a hospital in Syracuse, New York, while trying to recover from a bout of pneumonia, his grandson, Fred Hale III said.

The Oakland Raiders have traded Jerry Rice to the Seattle Seahawks in a move expected to grant the most prolific receiver in National Football League history his wish to get more playing time.

consortium led by the Sony Corporation of America reached a tentative agreement today to buy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the Hollywood studio famous for James Bond and the Pink Panther, for 

International Business Machines Corp.'s possible exit from the personal computer business would be the latest move in what amounts to a long goodbye from a field it pioneered and revolutionized.

Leipzig Game Convention in Germany, the stage for price-slash revelations. Sony has announced that it #39;s slashing the cost of PS2 in the UK and Europe to 104.99 GBP. 

AP - Florida coach Ron Zook was fired Monday but will be allowed to finish the season, athletic director Jeremy Foley told The Gainesville Sun.

The country-cooking restaurant chain has agreed to pay \$8.7 million over allegations that it segregated black customers, subjected them to racial slurs and gave black workers inferior jobs.

Troy Brown has had to make a lot of adjustments while playing both sides of the football.  quot;You always want to score when you get the ball -- offense or defense 

 PORT LOUIS, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Southern African countries Tuesday pledged better trade and investment relations with China as well as India in the final communique released at the end of their two-day summit. 

In yet another devastating body blow to the company, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) announced it would be canceling its 4-GHz Pentium chip. The semiconductor bellwether said it was switching 

Jenson Button will tomorrow discover whether he is allowed to quit BAR and move to Williams for 2005. The Englishman has signed contracts with both teams but prefers a switch to Williams, where he began his Formula One career in 2000.

Seagate #39;s native SATA interface technology with Native Command Queuing (NCQ) allows the Barracuda 7200.8 to match the performance of 10,000-rpm SATA drives without sacrificing capacity 

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger last night suffered a Champions League setback as Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva (above) was left facing a long-term injury absence.

BAGHDAD - A militant group has released a video saying it kidnapped a missing journalist in Iraq and would kill him unless US forces left Najaf within 48 hours. 

18 August 2004 -- There has been renewed fighting in the Iraqi city of Al-Najaf between US and Iraqi troops and Shi #39;a militiamen loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. 

You #39;re probably already familiar with one of the most common questions we hear at iPodlounge:  quot;how can I load my iPod up with free music?

 SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Investors bought shares in Asian  exporters and electronics firms such as Fujitsu Ltd. on  Tuesday, buoyed by a favorable outlook from U.S. technology  bellwethers and a slide in oil prices.

Ace Ltd. will stop paying brokers for steering business its way, becoming the third company to make concessions in the five days since New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer unveiled a probe of the insurance industry.

Vice chairman of the office of the chief executive officer in Novell Inc, Chris Stone is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities in life.

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., the world #39;s largest maker of chewing gum, agreed to buy candy businesses including Altoids mints and Life Savers from Kraft Foods Inc.

American improves to 3-1 on the season with a hard-fought overtime win, 74-63, against Loyala at Bender Arena on Friday night.

Australia tighten their grip on the third Test and the series after dominating India on day two in Nagpur.

 #39;Reaching a preliminary pilot agreement is the single most important hurdle they have to clear, but certainly not the only one.

Bee Staff Writers. SAN FRANCISCO - As Eric Johnson drove to the stadium Sunday morning, his bruised ribs were so sore, he wasn #39;t sure he #39;d be able to suit up for the game.

The New England Patriots are so single-minded in pursuing their third Super Bowl triumph in four years that they almost have no room for any other history.

TORONTO (CP) - Canada #39;s big banks are increasing mortgage rates following a decision by the Bank of Canada to raise its overnight rate by one-quarter of a percentage point to 2.25 per cent.

 SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's two-year-old nuclear crisis  has taxed the world's patience, the chief United Nations  nuclear regulator said on Wednesday, urging communist Pyongyang  to return to its disarmament treaty obligations.

washingtonpost.com - Microsoft is going to Tinseltown today to announce plans for its revamped Windows XP Media Center, part of an aggressive push to get ahead in the digital entertainment race.

GROZNY, Russia - The Russian government's choice for president of war-ravaged Chechnya appeared to be the victor Sunday in an election tainted by charges of fraud and shadowed by last week's terrorist destruction of two airliners.    Little more than two hours after polls closed, acting Chechen president Sergei Abramov said preliminary results showed Maj...

Because, while the Eagles are certain to stumble at some point during the regular season, it seems inconceivable that they will falter against a team with as many offensive problems as Baltimore has right now.

AP - J.J. Arrington ran for 84 of his 121 yards in the second half and Aaron Rodgers shook off a slow start to throw two touchdown passes to help No. 5 California beat Washington 42-12 on Saturday.

BAGHDAD, Sept 5 (AFP) - Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, Saddam Hussein #39;s deputy whose capture was announced Sunday, is 62 and riddled with cancer, but was public enemy number two in Iraq for the world #39;s most powerful military.

AP - An explosion targeted the Baghdad governor's convoy as he was traveling through the capital Tuesday, killing two people but leaving him uninjured, the Interior Ministry said.

GENEVA: Rescuers have found the bodies of five Swiss firemen who died after the ceiling of an underground car park collapsed during a fire, a police spokesman said last night.

John Kerry has held 10 "front porch visit" events  an actual front porch is optional  where perhaps 100 people ask questions in a low-key campaigning style.

AP - Most of the turkeys gracing the nation's dinner tables Thursday have been selectively bred for their white meat for so many generations that simply walking can be a problem for many of the big-breasted birds and sex is no longer possible.

OTTAWA (CP) - The economy created another 43,000 jobs last month, pushing the unemployment rate down to 7.1 per cent from 7.2 per cent in August, Statistics Canada said Friday.

The right-win opposition Conservative Party and Liberal Center Union won 43 seats in the 141-member Lithuanian parliament, after more than 99 percent of the votes were counted 

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.39 percent  by midsession on Friday, bolstered by solid gains in stocks  dependent on domestic business such as Kao Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=4452.T target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;4452.T&lt;/A&gt;.

 FRANKFURT (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler and General Motors  will jointly develop new hybrid motors to compete against  Japanese rivals on the fuel-saving technology that reduces  harmful emissions, the companies said on Monday.

 SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. &lt;A HREF="http://www.reuters.co.uk/financeQuoteLookup.jhtml?ticker=MSFT.O qtype=sym infotype=info qcat=news"&gt;MSFT.O&lt;/A&gt; is making a  renewed push this week to get its software into living rooms  with the launch of a new version of its Windows XP Media  Center, a personal computer designed for viewing movies,  listening to music and scrolling through digital pictures.

KHARTOUM, Aug 18 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Wednesday it was very concerned by Sudan #39;s lack of practical progress in bringing security to Darfur, where more than a million people have fled their homes for fear of militia ...

SHANGHAI, China The Houston Rockets have arrived in Shanghai with hometown favorite Yao Ming declaring himself  quot;here on business.

Charleston, SC (Sports Network) - Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish will play singles for the United States in this weekend #39;s Davis Cup semifinal matchup against Belarus.

AFP - With less than two months until the November 2 election, President George W. Bush is working to shore up support among his staunchest supporters even as he courts undecided voters.

The bass should be in your face. That's what Matt Kelly, of Boston's popular punk rock band Dropkick Murphys, thinks is the mark of a great stereo system. And he should know. Kelly, 29, is the drummer for the band that likes to think of itself as a bit of an Irish lucky charm for the Red Sox.

Chile's government says it will build a  prison for officers convicted of human rights abuses in the Pinochet era.

Slumping corporate spending and exports caused the economy to slow to a crawl in the July-September period, with real gross domestic product expanding just 0.1 percent from the previous quarter, Cabinet Office data showed Friday.

US President George W. Bush signed into law a bill replacing an export tax subsidy that violated international trade rules with a \$145 billion package of new corporate tax cuts and a buyout for tobacco farmers.

The Nikkei average was up 0.37 percent in mid-morning trade on Thursday as a recovery in the dollar helped auto makers among other exporters, but trade was slow as investors waited for important Japanese economic data.

Jennifer Canada knew she was entering a boy's club when she enrolled in Southern Methodist University's Guildhall school of video-game making.

RICKY PONTING believes the game #39;s watchers have fallen for the  quot;myth quot; that New Zealand know how to rattle Australia.

MILWAUKEE (SportsTicker) - Barry Bonds tries to go where just two players have gone before when the San Francisco Giants visit the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas reiterated calls for his people to drop their weapons in the struggle for a state. a clear change of strategy for peace with Israel after Yasser Arafat #39;s death.

The new software is designed to simplify the process of knitting together back-office business applications.

SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Colorado Group Ltd. (CDO.AU), an Australian footwear and clothing retailer, said Monday it expects net profit for the fiscal year ending Jan. 29 to be over 30 higher than that of a year earlier.

NEW YORK - What are the odds that a tiny nation like Antigua and Barbuda could take on the United States in an international dispute and win?

AP - With Tom Brady as their quarterback and a stingy, opportunistic defense, it's difficult to imagine when the New England Patriots might lose again. Brady and defensive end Richard Seymour combined to secure the Patriots' record-tying 18th straight victory, 31-17 over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY -- The German subsidiaries of Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) and Novell Inc. are teaming to offer Linux-based products to the country's huge public sector.

SBC Communications expects to cut 10,000 or more jobs by the end of next year through layoffs and attrition. That #39;s about six percent of the San Antonio-based company #39;s work force.

 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's U.S.-backed government said on  Tuesday that "major neglect" by its American-led military  allies led to a massacre of 49 army recruits at the weekend.

SiliconValley.com - "I'm back," declared Apple Computer's Steve Jobs on Thursday morning in his first public appearance before reporters since cancer surgery in late July.

BEIJING -- Police have detained a man accused of slashing as many as nine boys to death as they slept in their high school dormitory in central China, state media reported today.

Health India: London, Nov 4 : Cosmetic face cream used by fashionable Roman women was discovered at an ongoing archaeological dig in London, in a metal container, complete with the lid and contents.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon #39;s Likud party agreed on Thursday to a possible alliance with opposition Labour in a vote that averted a snap election and strengthened his Gaza withdrawal plan.

Another United Airlines union is seeking to oust senior management at the troubled airline, saying its strategies are reckless and incompetent.

Approaching Hurricane Ivan has led to postponement of the game Thursday night between 10th-ranked California and Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Cal #39;s athletic director said Monday.

Global oil prices boomed on Wednesday, spreading fear that energy prices will restrain economic activity, as traders worried about a heating oil supply crunch in the American winter.

Custom-designed imported furniture was once an exclusive realm. Now, it's the economical alternative for commercial developers and designers needing everything from seats to beds to desks for their projects.

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - The San Diego Padres lacked speed and an experienced bench last season, things veteran infielder Eric Young is capable of providing.

This is an eye chart, reprinted as a public service to the New York Mets so they may see from what they suffer: myopia. Has ever a baseball franchise been so shortsighted for so long?

Short-term interest rate futures struggled on Thursday after a government report showing US core inflation for August below market expectations failed to alter views on Federal Reserve rate policy.

MacCentral - Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit on Tuesday issued a patch for Virtual PC 7 that fixes a problem that occurred when running the software on Power Mac G5 computers with more than 2GB of RAM installed. Previously, Virtual PC 7 would not run on those computers, causing a fatal error that crashed the application. Microsoft also noted that Virtual PC 7.0.1 also offers stability improvements, although it wasn't more specific than that -- some users have reported problems with using USB devices and other issues.

Samsung is now the world #39;s second-largest mobile phone maker, behind Nokia. According to market watcher Gartner, the South Korean company has finally knocked Motorola into third place.

Don't bother buying Star Wars: Battlefront if you're looking for a first-class shooter -- there are far better games out there. But if you're a Star Wars freak and need a fix, this title will suffice. Lore Sjberg reviews Battlefront.

While the American forces are preparing to launch a large- scale attack against Falluja and al-Ramadi, one of the chieftains of Falluja said that contacts are still continuous yesterday between members representing the city #39;s delegation and the interim 

UN Security Council ambassadors were still quibbling over how best to pressure Sudan and rebels to end two different wars in the country even as they left for Kenya on Tuesday for a meeting on the crisis.

HENDALA, Sri Lanka -- Day after day, locked in a cement room somewhere in Iraq, the hooded men beat him. They told him he would be beheaded. ''Ameriqi! quot; they shouted, even though he comes from this poor Sri Lankan fishing village.

THE kidnappers of British aid worker Margaret Hassan last night threatened to turn her over to the group which beheaded Ken Bigley if the British Government refuses to pull its troops out of Iraq.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Tokyo stocks climbed to a two week high  on Friday after Tokyo Electron Ltd. and other chip-related  stocks were boosted by a bullish revenue outlook from industry  leader Intel Corp.

More than by brain size or tool-making ability, the human species was set apart from its ancestors by the ability to jog mile after lung-stabbing mile with greater endurance than any other primate, according to research published today in the journal 

 LONDON (Reuters) - A medical product used to treat both  male hair loss and prostate problems has been added to the list  of banned drugs for athletes.

AP - Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis have the opportunity to go over 13,000 career yards rushing in the same game when Bettis and the Pittsburgh Steelers play Martin and the New York Jets in a big AFC matchup Sunday.

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; BOGOTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Ten Colombian police officerswere killed on Tuesday in an ambush by the National LiberationArmy, or ELN, in the worst attack by the Marxist group inyears, authorities told Reuters.&lt;/p&gt;

Woodland Hills-based Brilliant Digital Entertainment and its subsidiary Altnet announced yesterday that they have filed a patent infringement suit against the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

AFP - US President George W. Bush called his Philippines counterpart Gloria Arroyo and said their countries should keep strong ties, a spokesman said after a spat over Arroyo's handling of an Iraq kidnapping.

A scathing judgment from the UK #39;s highest court condemning the UK government #39;s indefinite detention of foreign terror suspects as a threat to the life of the nation, left anti-terrorist laws in the UK in tatters on Thursday.

Sony Ericsson and Cingular provide Z500a phones and service for military families to stay connected on today #39;s  quot;Dr. Phil Show quot;.

Reuters - Australia's conservative Prime Minister\John Howard, handed the most powerful mandate in a generation,\got down to work on Monday with reform of telecommunications,\labor and media laws high on his agenda.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Typhoon Megi killed one person as it  slammed ashore in northern Japan on Friday, bringing the death  toll to at least 13 and cutting power to thousands of homes  before heading out into the Pacific.

Cairo: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held telephone talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat about Israel #39;s plan to pull troops and the 8,000 Jewish settlers out of the Gaza Strip next year, the Egyptian news agency Mena said.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Adobe Systems Inc. &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=ADBE.O target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;ADBE.O&lt;/A&gt; on Monday  reported a sharp rise in quarterly profit, driven by robust  demand for its Photoshop and document-sharing software.

Dow Jones  amp; Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, has agreed to buy online financial news provider MarketWatch Inc. for about \$463 million in a bid to boost its revenue from the fast-growing Internet advertising market.

The first American military intelligence soldier to be court-martialed over the Abu Ghraib abuse scandal was sentenced Saturday to eight months in jail, a reduction in rank and a bad-conduct discharge.

 TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will seek an explanation at weekend  talks with North Korea on activity indicating Pyongyang may be  preparing a missile test, although Tokyo does not think a  launch is imminent, Japan's top government spokesman said.

Michigan Stadium was mostly filled with empty seats. The only cheers were coming from near one end zone -he Iowa section. By Carlos Osorio, AP.

The International Rugby Board today confirmed that three countries have expressed an interest in hosting the 2011 World Cup. New Zealand, South Africa and Japan are leading the race to host rugby union #39;s global spectacular in seven years #39; time.

Officials at EarthLink #39;s (Quote, Chart) R amp;D facility have quietly released a proof-of-concept file-sharing application based on the Session Initiated Protocol (define).

Low-fare airline ATA has announced plans to lay off hundreds of employees and to drop most of its flights out of Midway Airport in Chicago.

 BEIJING (Reuters) - Iran will never be prepared to  dismantle its nuclear program entirely but remains committed to  the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), its chief delegate to the  International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday.

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Germany's Bayer AG &lt;A HREF="http://www.investor.reuters.com/FullQuote.aspx?ticker=BAYG.DE target=/stocks/quickinfo/fullquote"&gt;BAYG.DE&lt;/A&gt; has  agreed to plead guilty and pay a \$4.7 million fine for taking  part in a conspiracy to fix the prices of synthetic rubber, the  U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday.

MIAMI (Ticker) -- In its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 11 Virginia Tech is headed to the BCS. Bryan Randall threw two touchdown passes and the Virginia Tech defense came up big all day as the Hokies knocked off No.

(CP) - Somehow, in the span of half an hour, the Detroit Tigers #39; pitching went from brutal to brilliant. Shortly after being on the wrong end of several records in a 26-5 thrashing from to the Kansas City 

&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; SANTIAGO, Chile (Reuters) - President Bush on Saturdayreached into a throng of squabbling bodyguards and pulled aSecret Service agent away from Chilean security officers afterthey stopped the U.S. agent from accompanying the president ata dinner.&lt;/p&gt;

 quot;It #39;s your mail, quot; the Google Web site said.  quot;You should be able to choose how and where you read it. You can even switch to other e-mail services without having to worry about losing access to your messages.

The US oil giant got a good price, Russia #39;s No. 1 oil company acquired a savvy partner, and Putin polished Russia #39;s image.

With the Huskies reeling at 0-4 - the only member of a Bowl Championship Series conference left without a win -an Jose State suddenly looms as the only team left on the schedule that UW will be favored to beat.

Darryl Sutter, who coached the Calgary Flames to the Stanley Cup finals last season, had an emergency appendectomy and was recovering Friday.

The maker of Hostess Twinkies, a cake bar and a piece of Americana children have snacked on for almost 75 years, yesterday raised concerns about the company #39;s ability to stay in business.

Iranian deputy foreign minister Gholamali Khoshrou denied Tuesday that his country #39;s top leaders were at odds over whether nuclear weapons were un-Islamic, insisting that it will  quot;never quot; make the bomb.

 quot;Israel mercenaries assisting the Ivory Coast army operated unmanned aircraft that aided aerial bombings of a French base in the country, quot; claimed 

Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - For the second straight day a Briton captured gold at the Olympic Velodrome. Bradley Wiggins won the men #39;s individual 4,000-meter pursuit Saturday, one day after teammate 

AFP - SAP, the world's leading maker of business software, may need an extra year to achieve its medium-term profit target of an operating margin of 30 percent, its chief financial officer said.

Tenet Healthcare Corp., the second- largest US hospital chain, said fourth-quarter charges may exceed \$1 billion and its loss from continuing operations will widen from the third quarter #39;s because of increased bad debt.

AFP - The airline Swiss said it had managed to cut its first-half net loss by about 90 percent but warned that spiralling fuel costs were hampering a turnaround despite increasing passenger travel.

Vulnerable youngsters expelled from schools in England are being let down by the system, say inspectors.

Yasser Arafat was undergoing tests for possible leukaemia at a military hospital outside Paris last night after being airlifted from his Ramallah headquarters to an anxious farewell from Palestinian well-wishers.

The world #39;s only captive great white shark made history this week when she ate several salmon fillets, marking the first time that a white shark in captivity 

Nepal #39;s main opposition party urged the government on Monday to call a unilateral ceasefire with Maoist rebels and seek peace talks to end a road blockade that has cut the capital off from the rest of the country.

Communications aggregator iPass said Monday that it is adding in-flight Internet access to its access portfolio. Specifically, iPass said it will add access offered by Connexion by Boeing to its list of access providers.

The London-based brokerage Collins Stewart Tullett placed 55m of new shares yesterday to help fund the 69.5m purchase of the money and futures broker Prebon.

BOSTON - The New York Yankees and Boston were tied 4-4 after 13 innings Monday night with the Red Sox trying to stay alive in the AL championship series.    Boston tied the game with two runs in the eighth inning on David Ortiz's solo homer, a walk to Kevin Millar, a single by Trot Nixon and a sacrifice fly by Jason Varitek...

A Steffen Iversen penalty was sufficient to secure the points for Norway at Hampden on Saturday. James McFadden was ordered off after 53 minutes for deliberate handball as he punched Claus Lundekvam #39;s header off the line.

Reuters - The country may be more\or less evenly divided along partisan lines when it comes to\the presidential race, but the Republican Party prevailed in\the Nielsen polling of this summer's nominating conventions.

 PARIS (Reuters) - European equities flirted with 5-month  peaks as hopes that economic growth was sustainable and a small  dip in oil prices helped lure investors back to recent  underperformers such as technology and insurance stocks.

 NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks looked to open higher on  Friday, as the fourth quarter begins on Wall Street with oil  prices holding below \$50 a barrel.

LONDON : World oil prices stormed above 54 US dollars for the first time Tuesday as strikes in Nigeria and Norway raised worries about possible supply shortages during the northern hemisphere winter.

AP - Ailing St. Louis reliever Steve Kline was unavailable for Game 3 of the NL championship series on Saturday, but Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa hopes the left-hander will pitch later this postseason.

Company launches free test version of service that fosters popular Internet activity.

Outdated computer systems are hampering the work of inspectors, says the UN nuclear agency.

 In Vice President Cheney's final push before next Tuesday's election, talk of nuclear annihilation and escalating war rhetoric have blended with balloon drops, confetti cannons and the other trappings of modern campaigning with such ferocity that it is sometimes tough to tell just who the enemy is.

MADRID: A stunning first-half free kick from David Beckham gave Real Madrid a 1-0 win over newly promoted Numancia at the Bernabeu last night.

MacCentral - You Software Inc. announced on Tuesday the availability of You Control: iTunes, a free\download that places iTunes controls in the Mac OS X menu bar. Without\leaving the current application, you can pause, play, rewind or skip songs,\as well as control iTunes' volume and even browse your entire music library\by album, artist or genre. Each time a new song plays, You Control: iTunes\also pops up a window that displays the artist and song name and the album\artwork, if it's in the library. System requirements call for Mac OS X\v10.2.6 and 10MB free hard drive space. ...

Favourites Argentina beat Italy 3-0 this morning to claim their place in the final of the men #39;s Olympic football tournament. Goals by leading goalscorer Carlos Tevez, with a smart volley after 16 minutes, and 

Shortly after Steve Spurrier arrived at Florida in 1990, the Gators were placed on NCAA probation for a year stemming from a child-support payment former coach Galen Hall made for a player.

The US Secret Service Thursday announced arrests in eight states and six foreign countries of 28 suspected cybercrime gangsters on charges of identity theft, computer fraud, credit-card fraud, and conspiracy.

US stocks were little changed on Thursday as an upbeat earnings report from chip maker National Semiconductor Corp. (NSM) sparked some buying, but higher oil prices limited gains.