Fears for T N pension after talks Unions representing workers at Turner   Newall say they are 'disappointed' after talks with stricken parent firm Federal Mogul.


The Race is On: Second Private Team Sets Launch Date for Human Spaceflight (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - TORONTO, Canada -- A second\team of rocketeers competing for the  #36;10 million Ansari X Prize, a contest for\privately funded suborbital space flight, has officially announced the first\launch date for its manned rocket.


Ky. Company Wins Grant to Study Peptides (AP) AP - A company founded by a chemistry researcher at the University of Louisville won a grant to develop a method of producing better peptides, which are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.


Prediction Unit Helps Forecast Wildfires (AP) AP - It's barely dawn when Mike Fitzpatrick starts his shift with a blur of colorful maps, figures and endless charts, but already he knows what the day will bring. Lightning will strike in places he expects. Winds will pick up, moist places will dry and flames will roar.


Calif. Aims to Limit Farm-Related Smog (AP) AP - Southern California's smog-fighting agency went after emissions of the bovine variety Friday, adopting the nation's first rules to reduce air pollution from dairy cow manure.


Open Letter Against British Copyright Indoctrination in Schools The British Department for Education and Skills (DfES) recently launched a "Music Manifesto" campaign, with the ostensible intention of educating the next generation of British musicians. Unfortunately, they also teamed up with the music industry (EMI, and various artists) to make this popular. EMI has apparently negotiated their end well, so that children in our schools will now be indoctrinated about the illegality of downloading music.The ignorance and audacity of this got to me a little, so I wrote an open letter to the DfES about it. Unfortunately, it's pedantic, as I suppose you have to be when writing to goverment representatives. But I hope you find it useful, and perhaps feel inspired to do something similar, if or when the same thing has happened in your area.


Loosing the War on Terrorism \\"Sven Jaschan, self-confessed author of the Netsky and Sasser viruses, is\responsible for 70 percent of virus infections in 2004, according to a six-month\virus roundup published Wednesday by antivirus company Sophos."\\"The 18-year-old Jaschan was taken into custody in Germany in May by police who\said he had admitted programming both the Netsky and Sasser worms, something\experts at Microsoft confirmed. (A Microsoft antivirus reward program led to the\teenager's arrest.) During the five months preceding Jaschan's capture, there\were at least 25 variants of Netsky and one of the port-scanning network worm\Sasser."\\"Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said it was staggeri ...\\


FOAFKey: FOAF, PGP, Key Distribution, and Bloom Filters \\FOAF/LOAF  and bloom filters have a lot of interesting properties for social\network and whitelist distribution.\\I think we can go one level higher though and include GPG/OpenPGP key\fingerpring distribution in the FOAF file for simple web-of-trust based key\distribution.\\What if we used FOAF and included the PGP key fingerprint(s) for identities?\This could mean a lot.  You include the PGP key fingerprints within the FOAF\file of your direct friends and then include a bloom filter of the PGP key\fingerprints of your entire whitelist (the source FOAF file would of course need\to be encrypted ).\\Your whitelist would be populated from the social network as your client\discovered new identit ...\\


E-mail scam targets police chief Wiltshire Police warns about "phishing" after its fraud squad chief was targeted.


Card fraud unit nets 36,000 cards In its first two years, the UK's dedicated card fraud unit, has recovered 36,000 stolen cards and 171 arrests - and estimates it saved 65m.


Group to Propose New High-Speed Wireless Format  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A group of technology companies  including Texas Instruments Inc. <TXN.N>, STMicroelectronics  <STM.PA> and Broadcom Corp. <BRCM.O>, on Thursday said they  will propose a new wireless networking standard up to 10 times  the speed of the current generation.


Apple Launches Graphics Software, Video Bundle  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc.<AAPL.O> on  Tuesday began shipping a new program designed to let users  create real-time motion graphics and unveiled a discount  video-editing software bundle featuring its flagship Final Cut  Pro software.


Dutch Retailer Beats Apple to Local Download Market  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Free Record Shop, a Dutch music  retail chain, beat Apple Computer Inc. to market on Tuesday  with the launch of a new download service in Europe's latest  battleground for digital song services.


Super ant colony hits Australia A giant 100km colony of ants  which has been discovered in Melbourne, Australia, could threaten local insect species.


Socialites unite dolphin groups Dolphin groups, or "pods", rely on socialites to keep them from collapsing, scientists claim.


Teenage T. rex's monster growth Tyrannosaurus rex achieved its massive size due to an enormous growth spurt during its adolescent years.


Scientists Discover Ganymede has a Lumpy Interior Jet Propulsion Lab -- Scientists have discovered irregular lumps beneath the icy surface of Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. These irregular masses may be rock formations, supported by Ganymede's icy shell for billions of years...


Mars Rovers Relay Images Through Mars Express European Space Agency -- ESAs Mars Express has relayed pictures from one of NASA's Mars rovers for the first time, as part of a set of interplanetary networking demonstrations.     The demonstrations pave the way for future Mars missions to draw on joint interplanetary networking capabilities...


Rocking the Cradle of Life When did life begin? One evidential clue stems from the fossil records in Western Australia, although whether these layered sediments are biological or chemical has spawned a spirited debate. Oxford researcher, Nicola McLoughlin, describes some of the issues in contention.


Storage, servers bruise HP earnings update Earnings per share rise compared with a year ago, but company misses analysts' expectations by a long shot.


IBM to hire even more new workers By the end of the year, the computing giant plans to have its biggest headcount since 1991.


Sun's Looking Glass Provides 3D View Developers get early code for new operating system 'skin' still being crafted.


IBM Chips May Someday Heal Themselves New technology applies electrical fuses to help identify and repair faults.


Some People Not Eligible to Get in on Google IPO Google has billed its IPO as a way for everyday people to get in on the process, denying Wall Street the usual stranglehold it's had on IPOs. Public bidding, a minimum of just five shares, an open process with 28 underwriters - all this pointed to a new level of public participation. But this isn't the case.


Rivals Try to Turn Tables on Charles Schwab By MICHAEL LIEDTKE     SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- With its low prices and iconoclastic attitude, discount stock broker Charles Schwab Corp. (SCH) represented an annoying stone in Wall Street's wing-tipped shoes for decades...


News: Sluggish movement on power grid cyber security Industry cyber security standards fail to reach some of the most vulnerable components of the power grid.\


Giddy Phelps Touches Gold for First Time Michael Phelps won the gold medal in the 400 individual medley and set a world record in a time of 4 minutes 8.26 seconds.


Tougher rules won't soften Law's game FOXBOROUGH -- Looking at his ridiculously developed upper body, with huge biceps and hardly an ounce of fat, it's easy to see why Ty Law, arguably the best cornerback in football, chooses physical play over finesse. That's not to imply that he's lacking a finesse component, because he can shut down his side of the field much as Deion Sanders ...


Shoppach doesn't appear ready to hit the next level With the weeks dwindling until Jason Varitek enters free agency, the Red Sox continue to carefully monitor Kelly Shoppach , their catcher of the future, in his climb toward the majors. The Sox like most of what they have seen at Triple A Pawtucket from Shoppach, though it remains highly uncertain whether he can make the adjustments at the plate ...


Mighty Ortiz makes sure Sox can rest easy Just imagine what David Ortiz could do on a good night's rest. Ortiz spent the night before last with his baby boy, D'Angelo, who is barely 1 month old. He had planned on attending the Red Sox' Family Day at Fenway Park yesterday morning, but he had to sleep in. After all, Ortiz had a son at home, and he ...


They've caught his eye In  quot;helping themselves, quot; Ricky Bryant, Chas Gessner, Michael Jennings, and David Patten did nothing Friday night to make Bill Belichick's decision on what to do with his receivers any easier.


Indians Mount Charge The Cleveland Indians pulled within one game of the AL Central lead by beating the Minnesota Twins, 7-1, Saturday night with home runs by Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez.


Sister of man who died in Vancouver police custody slams chief (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - VANCOUVER (CP) - The sister of a man who died after a violent confrontation with police has demanded the city's chief constable resign for defending the officer involved.


Man Sought  #36;50M From McGreevey, Aides Say (AP) AP - The man who claims Gov. James E. McGreevey sexually harassed him was pushing for a cash settlement of up to  #36;50 million before the governor decided to announce that he was gay and had an extramarital affair, sources told The Associated Press.


Explosions Echo Throughout Najaf NAJAF, Iraq - Explosions and gunfire rattled through the city of Najaf as U.S. troops in armored vehicles and tanks rolled back into the streets here Sunday, a day after the collapse of talks - and with them a temporary cease-fire - intended to end the fighting in this holy city...


Frail Pope Celebrates Mass at Lourdes LOURDES, France - A frail Pope John Paul II, breathing heavily and gasping at times, celebrated an open-air Mass on Sunday for several hundred thousand pilgrims, many in wheelchairs, at a shrine to the Virgin Mary that is associated with miraculous cures.    At one point he said "help me" in Polish while struggling through his homily in French...


Venezuela Prepares for Chavez Recall Vote Supporters and rivals warn of possible fraud; government says Chavez's defeat could produce turmoil in world oil market.


1994 Law Designed to Preserve Guard Jobs (AP) AP - A 1994 law strengthened job protections for National Guard and Reserve troops called to active duty. Here are major provisions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).


Iran Warns Its Missiles Can Hit Anywhere in Israel  TEHRAN (Reuters) - A senior Iranian military official said  Sunday Israel and the United States would not dare attack Iran  since it could strike back anywhere in Israel with its latest  missiles, news agencies reported.


Afghan Army Dispatched to Calm Violence KABUL, Afghanistan - Government troops intervened in Afghanistan's latest outbreak of deadly fighting between warlords, flying from the capital to the far west on U.S. and NATO airplanes to retake an air base contested in the violence, officials said Sunday...


Johnson Helps D-Backs End Nine-Game Slide (AP) AP - Randy Johnson took a four-hitter into the ninth inning to help the Arizona Diamondbacks end a nine-game losing streak Sunday, beating Steve Trachsel and the New York Mets 2-0.


Retailers Vie for Back-To-School Buyers (Reuters) Reuters - Apparel retailers are hoping their\back-to-school fashions will make the grade among\style-conscious teens and young adults this fall, but it could\be a tough sell, with students and parents keeping a tighter\hold on their wallets.


Politics an Afterthought Amid Hurricane (AP) AP - If Hurricane Charley had struck three years ago, President Bush's tour through the wreckage of this coastal city would have been just the sort of post-disaster visit that other presidents have made to the scenes of storms, earthquakes, floods and fires.


Spam suspension hits Sohu.com shares (FT.com) FT.com - Shares in Sohu.com, a leading US-listed Chinese internet portal, fell more than 10 per cent on Friday after China's biggest mobile phone network operator imposed a one-year suspension on its multimedia messaging services because of customers being sent spam.


Erstad's Double Lifts Angels to Win (AP) AP - Darin Erstad doubled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the Anaheim Angels to a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday. The win pulled Anaheim within a percentage point of Boston and Texas in the AL wild-card race.


Drew Out of Braves' Lineup After Injury (AP) AP - Outfielder J.D. Drew missed the Atlanta Braves' game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night with a sore right quadriceps.


Venezuelans Flood Polls, Voting Extended  CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelans voted in huge  numbers on Sunday in a historic referendum on whether to recall  left-wing President Hugo Chavez and electoral authorities  prolonged voting well into the night.


Dell Exits Low-End China Consumer PC Market  HONG KONG (Reuters) - Dell Inc. <DELL.O>, the world's  largest PC maker, said on Monday it has left the low-end  consumer PC market in China and cut its overall growth target  for the country this year due to stiff competition in the  segment.


China Says Taiwan Spy Also Operated in U.S. - Media  BEIJING (Reuters) - Beijing on Monday accused a  Chinese-American arrested for spying for Taiwan of building an  espionage network in the United States, and said he could go on  trial very soon.


Another Major Non-Factor Another major, another disappointment for Tiger Woods, the No. 1 ranked player in the world who has not won a major championship since his triumph at the 2002 U.S. Open.


US fighter squadron to be deployed in South Korea next month (AFP) AFP - A squadron of US Air Force F-15E fighters based in Alaska will fly to South Korea next month for temporary deployment aimed at enhancing US firepower on the Korean peninsula, US authorities said.


Johnson Back to His Best as D-Backs End Streak  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Randy Johnson struck out 14 batters in  8 1/3 innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks end a nine-game  losing streak with a 2-0 win over the host New York Mets in the  National League Sunday.


Restive Maldives eases curfew after rounding up dissidents (AFP) AFP - A curfew in the capital of the Maldives was eased but parliament sessions were put off indefinitely and emergency rule continued following last week's riots, officials and residents said.


Vodafone hires Citi for Cesky bid (TheDeal.com) TheDeal.com - The U.K. mobile giant wants to find a way to disentagle the Czech wireless and fixed-line businesses.


Dollar Briefly Hits 4-Wk Low Vs Euro  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar dipped to a four-week low  against the euro on Monday before rising slightly on  profit-taking, but steep oil prices and weak U.S. data  continued to fan worries about the health of the world's  largest economy.


Promoting a Shared Vision As Michael Kaleko kept running into people who were getting older and having more vision problems, he realized he could do something about it.


India's Tata expands regional footprint via NatSteel buyout (AFP) AFP - India's Tata Iron and Steel Company Ltd. took a strategic step to expand its Asian footprint with the announcement it will buy the Asia-Pacific steel operations of Singapore's NatSteel Ltd.


Delegates Urge Cleric to Pull Out of Najaf BAGHDAD, Iraq - Delegates at Iraq's National Conference called on radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to abandon his uprising against U.S. and Iraqi troops and pull his fighters out of a holy shrine in Najaf...


Treasuries Slip as Stocks Rally  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury debt prices slipped on  Monday, though traders characterized the move as profit-taking  rather than any fundamental change in sentiment.


Dollar Rises Vs Euro on Asset Flows Data  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar extended gains against the  euro on Monday after a report on flows into U.S. assets showed  enough of a rise in foreign investments to offset the current  account gap for the month.


Sutton Adds Haas, Cink to Ryder Cup Team  MILWAUKEE (Sports Network) - U.S. Ryder Cup captain Hal  Sutton finalized his team on Monday when he announced the  selections of Jay Haas and Stewart Cink as his captain's picks.


Haas and Cink Selected for Ryder Cup Team Jay Haas joined Stewart Cink as the two captain's picks for a U.S. team that will try to regain the cup from Europe next month.


Natalie Coughlin Wins 100M Backstroke (AP) AP - American Natalie Coughlin won Olympic gold in the 100-meter backstroke Monday night. Coughlin, the only woman ever to swim under 1 minute in the event, finished first in 1 minute, 0.37 seconds. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe, who swims at Auburn University in Alabama, earned the silver in 1:00.50. Laure Manaudou of France took bronze in 1:00.88.


Oracle Overhauls Sales-Side Apps for CRM Suite (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) has revamped its sales-side CRM applications in version 11i.10 of its sales, marketing, partner relationship management and e-commerce application.


UN launches 210-million-dollar appeal for flood-hit Bangladesh (AFP) AFP - The United Nations launched an appeal here for 210 million dollars to help flood victims facing "grave" food shortages after two-thirds of Bangladesh was submerged, destroying crops and killing more than 700 people.


Indian state rolls out wireless broadband Government in South Indian state of Kerala sets up wireless kiosks as part of initiative to bridge digital divide.


Hurricane Survivors Wait for Water, Gas PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - Urban rescue teams, insurance adjusters and National Guard troops scattered across Florida Monday to help victims of Hurricane Charley and deliver water and other supplies to thousands of people left homeless...


Jackson Squares Off With Prosecutor SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Fans of Michael Jackson erupted in cheers Monday as the pop star emerged from a double-decker tour bus and went into court for a showdown with the prosecutor who has pursued him for years on child molestation charges...


Bobcats Trade Drobnjak to Hawks for Pick (AP) AP - The Charlotte Bobcats traded center Predrag Drobnjak to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday for a second round pick in the 2005 NBA draft.


Suspect charged in abduction, sexual assault of 11-year-old girl (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - LANGLEY, B.C. (CP) - Police have arrested a man in the kidnapping and sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl that frightened this suburban Vancouver community last week.


China's Red Flag Linux to focus on enterprise Red Flag Software Co., the company behind China's leading Linux client distribution, plans to focus more on its server operating system and enterprise customers, the company's acting president said.


AOL Properties Sign Girafa For Thumbnail Search Images AOL Properties Sign Girafa For Thumbnail Search Images\\Girafa.com Inc. announced today that the CompuServe, Netscape, AIM and ICQ properties of America Online, Inc., have signed an agreement with Girafa to use Girafa's thumbnail search images as an integrated part of their search results.\\Using Girafa's thumbnail search service, search users can ...


Cassini Spies Two Little Saturn Moons (AP) AP - NASA's Cassini spacecraft has spied two new little moons around satellite-rich Saturn, the space agency said Monday.


On front line of AIDS in Russia An industrial city northwest of Moscow struggles as AIDS hits a broader population.


Nobel Laureate Decries Stem Cell Limits (AP) AP - A Nobel laureate in medicine said Monday the Bush administration's limits on funding for embryonic stem cell research effectively have stopped the clock on American scientists' efforts to develop treatments for a host of chronic, debilitating diseases.


Jury Can Hear of Kobe Accuser's Sex Life (AP) AP - Prosecutors suffered another setback Monday in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case, losing a last-ditch attempt to keep the NBA star's lawyers from telling jurors about the alleged victim's sex life.


North Korea Talks Still On, China Tells Downer (Reuters) Reuters - China has said no date has been set for\working-level talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis and gave\no indication that the meeting has been canceled, Australian\Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said on Tuesday.


Griffin to Anchor D-Line The Redskins expect huge things from 300-pound Cornelius Griffin, who was signed to aid the team's weakest unit - the defensive line.


Last American defector in North Korea agrees to tell story (AFP) AFP - The last surviving American defector to communist North Korea wants to tell his story to put a human face on the Stalinist state which he believes is unfairly vilified abroad, British film-makers said.


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


Kerry Widens Lead in California, Poll Finds (Reuters) Reuters - Democratic challenger John Kerry\has a commanding lead over President Bush in California of 54\percent to 38 percent among likely voters, a poll released on\Tuesday found.


Capacity Crowds at Beach Volleyball Rock the Joint  ATHENS (Reuters) - At the beach volleyball, the 2004  Olympics is a sell-out, foot-stomping success.


Dollar Near Recent Lows, Awaits ZEW/CPI  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar held steady near this week's  four-week low against the euro on Tuesday with investors  awaiting a German investor confidence survey and U.S. consumer  inflation numbers to shed light on the direction.


Intel to delay product aimed for high-definition TVs SAN FRANCISCO -- In the latest of a series of product delays, Intel Corp. has postponed the launch of a video display chip it had previously planned to introduce by year end, putting off a showdown with Texas Instruments Inc. in the fast-growing market for high-definition television displays.


Venezuela vote keeps Chavez as president CARACAS -- Venezuelans voted resoundingly to keep firebrand populist Hugo Chavez as their president in a victory that drew noisy reactions yesterday from both sides in the streets. International observers certified the results as clean and accurate.


Jailing of HK democrat in China 'politically motivated' (AFP) AFP - Hong Kong democrats accused China of jailing one of their members on trumped-up prostitution charges in a bid to disgrace a political movement Beijing has been feuding with for seven years.


Kmart Swings to Profit in 2Q; Stock Surges (AP) AP - Shares of Kmart Holding Corp. surged 17 percent Monday after the discount retailer reported a profit for the second quarter and said chairman and majority owner Edward Lampert is now free to invest the company's  #36;2.6 billion in surplus cash.


Fischer's Fiancee: Marriage Plans Genuine (AP) AP - Former chess champion Bobby Fischer's announcement thathe is engaged to a Japanese woman could win him sympathy among Japanese officials and help him avoid deportation to the United States, his fiancee and one of his supporters said Tuesday.


U.S. Misses Cut in Olympic 100 Free ATHENS, Greece - Top American sprinters Jason Lezak and Ian Crocker missed the cut in the Olympic 100-meter freestyle preliminaries Tuesday, a stunning blow for a country that had always done well in the event.    Pieter van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands and Australian Ian Thorpe advanced to the evening semifinal a day after dueling teenager Michael Phelps in the 200 freestyle, won by Thorpe...


Consumers Would Pay In Phone Proposal A proposal backed by a coalition of telephone carriers would cut billions of dollars in fees owed by long-distance companies to regional phone giants but would allow the regional companies to make up some of the difference by raising monthly phone bills for millions of consumers. -The Washington Post


U.S. Brokers Cease-fire in Western Afghanistan  KABUL (Reuters) - The United States has brokered a  cease-fire between a renegade Afghan militia leader and the  embattled governor of the western province of Herat,  Washington's envoy to Kabul said Tuesday.


Sneaky Credit Card Tactics Keep an eye on your credit card issuers -- they may be about to raise your rates.


Intel Delays Launch of Projection TV Chip In another product postponement, semiconductor giant Intel Corp. said it won't be offering a chip for projection TVs by the end of 2004 as it had announced earlier this year.


Fund pessimism grows NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Money managers are growing more pessimistic about the economy, corporate profits and US stock market returns, according to a monthly survey by Merrill Lynch released Tuesday.


Kederis proclaims innocence Olympic champion Kostas Kederis today left hospital ahead of his date with IOC inquisitors claiming his innocence and vowing:  quot;After the crucifixion comes the resurrection. quot; ...


Eriksson doesn #39;t feel any extra pressure following scandal NEWCASTLE, England (AP) - England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said Tuesday he isn #39;t under any extra pressure in the aftermath of a scandal that damaged the Football Association #39;s reputation.


Injured Heskey to miss England friendly NEWCASTLE, England (AP) - Striker Emile Heskey has pulled out of the England squad ahead of Wednesday #39;s friendly against Ukraine because of a tight hamstring, the Football Association said Tuesday.


Staples Profit Up, to Enter China Market  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Staples Inc. SPLS.O, the top U.S.  office products retailer, on Tuesday reported a 39 percent jump  in quarterly profit, raised its full-year forecast and said it  plans to enter the fast-growing Chinese market, sending its  shares higher.


Delegation Is Delayed Before Reaching Najaf AGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 17  A delegation of Iraqis was delayed for security reasons today but still intended to visit Najaf to try to convince a rebellious Shiite cleric and his militia to evacuate a shrine in the holy city and end ...


Consumer Prices Down, Industry Output Up  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. consumer prices dropped in July  for the first time in eight months as a sharp run up in energy  costs reversed, the government said in a report that suggested  a slow rate of interest rate hikes is likely.


Olympic history for India, UAE An Indian army major shot his way to his country #39;s first ever individual Olympic silver medal on Tuesday, while in the same event an member of Dubai #39;s ruling family became the first ever medallist from the United Arab Emirates.


Home Depot Likes High Oil Rising fuel prices, a bugbear for most of the retail sector, are helping Home Depot (HD:NYSE - news - research), the remodeling giant that reported a surge in second-quarter earnings Tuesday and guided the rest of the year higher.


China cracks down on  quot;phone sex quot; services BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- China is carrying out a nationwide campaign to crack down on  quot;phone sex quot; services, paralleling another sweeping operation against Internet pornography, Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong said here Tuesday.


Surviving Biotech's Downturns Charly Travers offers advice on withstanding the volatility of the biotech sector.


Mr Downer shoots his mouth off Just what Alexander Downer was thinking when he declared on radio last Friday that  quot;they could fire a missile from North Korea to Sydney quot; is unclear. The provocative remark, just days before his arrival yesterday on his second visit to the North Korean ...


Edwards Banned from Games - Source  ATHENS (Reuters) - World 100 meters champion Torri Edwards  will miss the Athens Olympics after her appeal against a  two-year drugs ban was dismissed on Tuesday, a source told  Reuters.


Stocks Climb on Drop in Consumer Prices NEW YORK - Stocks rose for a second straight session Tuesday as a drop in consumer prices allowed investors to put aside worries about inflation, at least for the short term.    With gasoline prices falling to eight-month lows, the Consumer Price Index registered a small drop in July, giving consumers a respite from soaring energy prices...


Iliadis, Tanimoto win judo golds Ilias Iliadis of Greece thrilled the home crowd Tuesday, beating Roman Gontyuk of Ukraine to win the gold medal in the 81-kilogram class.


Sudan vows to restore order to Darfur but calls for African peacekeepers (AFP) AFP - Sudan will take the lead in restoring order to its rebellious Darfur region but needs the support of African peacekeepers and humanitarian aid, Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said.


TGn Sync Proposes New WLAN Standard The battle over home entertainment networking is heating up as a coalition proposes yet another standard for the IEEE #39;s consideration.


Yahoo! Ups Ante for Small Businesses Web giant Yahoo! is gambling that price cuts on its domain name registration and Web hosting products will make it more competitive with discounters in the space -- which means that small businesses looking to move online get a sweeter deal through ...


IBM Buys Two Danish Services Firms IBM said Tuesday it has acquired a pair of Danish IT services firms as part of its effort to broaden its presence in Scandinavia. As a result of the moves, IBM will add about 3,700 IT staffers to its global head count. Financial terms of ...


Motorola and HP in Linux tie-up Motorola plans to sell mobile phone network equipment that uses Linux-based code, a step forward in network gear makers #39; efforts to rally around a standard.


Microsoft Pushes Off SP2 Release Microsoft will delay the release of its SP2 update for another week to fix software glitches. But not everyone is quite so eager to install the SP2 update for Windows XP. In fact, many companies have demanded the ability to prevent their ...


Cassini Space Probe Spots Two New Saturn Moons (Reuters) Reuters - Two new moons were spotted around\Saturn by the Cassini space probe, raising the total to 33\moons for the ringed planet, NASA said on Monday.


Buckeyes have lots to replace but are brimming with optimism There are remarkable similarities between the 2004 Ohio State Buckeyes and those that won the national championship just two years ago.


IBM adds midrange server to eServer lineup The new IBM Power5 eServer i5 550 also features higher performance and new virtualization capabilities that allow it to run multiple operating systems at once on separate partitions.


iPod Comparison Newsday #146;s Stephen Williams reports on seeing Sony #146;s NW-HD1 audio player in a store:  #147; #145;How #146;s it compare to the iPod? #146; I asked a salesman.  #145;Battery life is a lot longer, up to 30 hours, #146; he said.  #145;The LCD readout is kind of dim, #146; I said.   #146;Battery life is a lot longer, #146; he said.  #145;I understand it can #146;t play MP3 files, #146; I said.  #145;Battery life is a lot longer, #146; he said. #148; Aug 17


Mills Grabs \$1B Portfolio; Taubman Likely to Lose Contracts Mills Corp. agreed to purchase a 50 percent interest in nine malls owned by General Motors Asset Management Corp. for just over \$1 billion, creating a new joint venture between the groups. The deal will extend ...


Women stumble to silver ATHENS -- The mistakes were so minor. Carly Patterson #39;s foot scraping the lower of the uneven bars. Courtney Kupets #39; tumbling pass that ended here instead of there. Mohini Bhardwaj #39;s slight stumble on the beam.


Oil prices bubble to record high The price of oil has continued its sharp rise overnight, closing at a record high. The main contract in New York, light sweet crude for delivery next month, has closed at a record \$US46.75 a barrel - up 70 cents on yesterday #39;s close.


Notable quotes Tuesday at the Athens Olympics  quot;It hurt like hell. I could see (Thorpe) coming up. But when I was breathing, I saw my team going crazy -- and that really kept me going. quot; ...


AMD Ships Notebook Chips It wasn #39;t the first to go small, and it won #39;t be the biggest producer, but AMD #39;s (Quote, Chart) 64-bit 90-nanometer (nm) chips are expected to make waves in the semiconductor pool.


UK charges 8 in terror plot linked to alert in US LONDON, AUGUST 17: Britain charged eight terror suspects on Tuesday with conspiracy to commit murder and said one had plans that could be used in striking US buildings that were the focus of security scares this month.


IBM Seeks To Have SCO Claims Dismissed (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - IBM (NYSE: IBM) has -- again -- sought to have the pending legal claims by The SCO Group dismissed. According to a motion it filed in a U.S. district court, IBM argues that SCO has no evidence to support its claims that it appropriated confidential source code from Unix System V and placed it in Linux.


SUVs: Live And Let Die NEW YORK - The newly released traffic crash fatality data have something for everyone in the debate about the safety of sport utility vehicles.


Security scare as intruder dives in A CANADIAN husband #39;s love for his wife has led to a tightening of security at all Olympic venues in Athens.


Team USA barely wins, but struggles not all players #39; fault Now that everybody in and around USA Basketball has breathed a huge sigh of relief, let #39;s not get carried away.


UPI NewsTrack Sports -- The United States men #39;s basketball team capped off a big day for the USA by fighting off Greece for a vital win, 77-71.  quot;They played with heart, quot; said Coach Larry Brown.  quot;That #39;s all you can ask. quot; ...


Peace delegation leaves Najaf empty-handed as fighting continues BAGHDAD, Iraq - A national political conference #39;s bid to end the fighting in the Shiite Muslim holy city of Najaf appeared to have failed Tuesday.


Georgian president calls for international conference on South Ossetia TBILISI, Georgia  Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili appealed to world leaders Tuesday to convene an international conference on the conflict in breakaway South Ossetia, where daily exchanges of gunfire threaten to spark ...


Shelling, shooting resumes in breakaway Georgian region (AFP) AFP - Georgian and South Ossetian forces overnight accused each other of trying to storm the other side's positions in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia, as four Georgian soldiers were reported to be wounded.


Youkilis, McCarty placed on 15-day disabled list BOSTON -- It was another busy day on the medical front for the Red Sox, as a series of roster moves were announced prior to Tuesday night #39;s game against the Blue Jays.


Kerry-Kerrey Confusion Trips Up Campaign (AP) AP - John Kerry, Bob Kerrey. It's easy to get confused.


Former Florida Swimming Coach Dies at 83 (AP) AP - William H. Harlan, the retired University of Florida swimming coach who led the Gators to eight conference titles, died Tuesday, school officials said. He was 83.


US Men Have Right Touch in Relay Duel Against Australia THENS, Aug. 17 - So Michael Phelps is not going to match the seven gold medals won by Mark Spitz. And it is too early to tell if he will match Aleksandr Dityatin, the Soviet gymnast who won eight total medals in 1980. But those were not the ...


Schrder adopts Russian orphan Three-year-old Victoria, from St Petersburg, has been living at the Schrders #39; family home in Hanover in northern Germany for several weeks.


Cabrera Leads Red Sox Past Blue Jays 5-4 (AP) AP - Orlando Cabrera hit a run-scoring double off the Green Monster in the ninth inning on reliever Justin Speier's second pitch of the game, giving the Boston Red Sox a 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night.


United Arab Emirates trap shooter secures nation #39;s first Olympic gold Sheik Ahmed bin Hashr Al-Maktoum earned the first-ever Olympic medal for the United Arab Emirates when he took home the gold medal in men #39;s double trap shooting on Tuesday in Athens.


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


So. Cal Player Investigated in Sex Assault (AP) AP - At least one member of the top-ranked Southern California football team is under investigation for sexual assault, the Los Angeles Police Department said Tuesday.


Bush Promotes His Plan for Missile Defense System President Bush, in Pennsylvania, said that opponents of a missile defense system were putting the nation's security at risk.


China Sighs in Relief as Yao Scores High BEIJING (Reuters) - China breathed a measured sigh of relief after the skills of its basketball giant Yao Ming dwarfed New Zealand to sweep his team nearer to their goal of reaching the Athens Olympics semi-finals.


Israelis OK new homes in West Bank A leaked Israeli plan to build 1,000 new Jewish settler homes in the West Bank yesterday sent Bush administration officials scrambling for a response in the sensitive period before November #39;s presidential election.


Britain accuses 8 of terror plot LONDON - British police charged eight terrorist suspects yesterday with conspiring to commit murder and use radioactive materials, toxic gases, chemicals or explosives to cause  quot;fear or injury. quot; ...


Israel kills 5 in strike at Hamas activist Islamic group #39;s armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades. Doctors said he suffered leg wounds.


Zambrano Out Early; So Are Mets ENVER, Aug. 17 - Victor Zambrano came to the Mets with radical movement on his pitches, fixable flaws in his delivery and a curious sore spot lingering around his right elbow.


Dollar Stuck, CPI Offers Little Direction  TOKYO (Reuters) - The dollar moved in tight ranges on  Wednesday as most investors shrugged off lower-than-expected  U.S. inflation data and stuck to the view the U.S. Federal  Reserve would continue raising rates.


St. Louis Cardinals News Right-hander Matt Morris threw seven solid innings, but the Cardinals needed a bases-loaded walk to second baseman Tony Womack and a grand slam from new right fielder Larry Walker to key a six-run eighth inning for a ...


Greek sprinters arrive at IOC hearing ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek sprinters Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou have arrived at an Athens hotel for an International Olympic Committee (IOC) hearing into their missed doped tests, a saga that has shamed and angered the Olympic host ...


Flop in the ninth inning sinks Jays BOSTON -- The Toronto Blue Jays have had worse hitting games this season against lesser pitchers than Pedro Martinez.


Fresh Fighting Shatters Short-Lived Ceasefire Deal Renewed clashes in South Ossetia, which resulted in death of two Georgian soldiers, erupted late on August 17, several hours after the South Ossetian and Georgian officials agreed on ceasefire. As a result Tbilisi has already announced that it will not ...


Hamm hopes to get on a roll Paul Hamm takes another shot at history tonight, when he'll try to become the first American to win the Olympic men's all-around in gymnastics.


Karzai Promises Afghans Security for Election (Reuters) Reuters - Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai\promised Afghans greater security when they go to vote in the\country's first ever democratic election during an independence\day speech on Wednesday.


Google Lowers Its IPO Price Range SAN JOSE, Calif. - In a sign that Google Inc.'s initial public offering isn't as popular as expected, the company lowered its estimated price range to between \$85 and \$95 per share, down from the earlier prediction of \$108 and \$135 per share...


Future Doctors, Crossing Borders Students at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine learn that diet and culture shape health in East Harlem.


Oil Sets New Record \$47 on Iraq Threat  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices surged to a new high of \$47 a  barrel on Wednesday after a new threat by rebel militia against  Iraqi oil facilities and as the United States said inflation  had stayed in check despite rising energy costs.


Greek sprinters quit to end Games scandal ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece #39;s two top athletes have pulled out of the Athens Olympics and apologised to the Greek people for a scandal over missed dope tests that has tarnished the Games #39; return to their birthplace.


Phelps Eyes Fourth Gold  ATHENS (Reuters) - A weary Michael Phelps targeted his  fourth Olympic gold medal in Athens, turning his attention on  Wednesday to the 200 meters individual medley and settling for  the second-fastest overall time in the heats.


Israel Kills 5 in Attempt to Assassinate Hamas Man  GAZA (Reuters) - A senior Hamas leader survived an Israeli  assassination attempt in the Gaza Strip Wednesday but at least  five other Palestinians were killed in the explosion that tore  through his home.


Giants win 6th straight, but Schmidt is injured SAN FRANCISCO -- With the first doubleheader at SBC Park set to go off, today already stood to be a long workday for the Giants. It will come on the heels of an even longer night.


SEC may put end to quid pro quo (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to vote Wednesday to prohibit mutual fund companies from funneling stock trades to brokerage firms that agree to promote their funds to investors.


Real targets iPod with download price cut RealNetworks has kicked off what it claims is the biggest online music sale in history. For a limited time, every song in the firm #39;s RealPlayer Music Store can be downloaded for 49 cents, with most albums available for \$4.99.


Philippine Rebels Free Troops, Talks in Doubt  PRESENTACION, Philippines (Reuters) - Philippine communist  rebels freed Wednesday two soldiers they had held as "prisoners  of war" for more than five months, saying they wanted to  rebuild confidence in peace talks with the government.


British Terror Suspects Make First Court Appearance  LONDON (Reuters) - British terror suspects charged in a  plot linked to security alerts at financial targets in New  York, New Jersey and Washington made their first court  appearance Wednesday inside a high security prison.


UPDATE: China Mobile 1H Net Up 7.8 On Subscriber Growth HONG KONG (Dow Jones)--China Mobile (Hong Kong) Ltd. (CHL), the listed unit of China #39;s biggest cellular phone operator, posted Wednesday a 7.8 rise in first-half net profit on a 23 increase in its subscriber base.


Monsanto Says Justice Dept Closes Inquiry  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Monsanto Co. MON.N on Wednesday said  the U.S. Justice Department has closed an inquiry into  potential antitrust issues regarding a key ingredient used in  its Roundup herbicide.


Cox Communications forms committee to advise on buyout Cox Communications Inc. #39;s board of directors has formed a special committee of independent directors to consider Cox Enterprises Inc. #39;s proposal to take the company private in a \$8 billion stock buyout.


Afghan women make brief Olympic debut Afghan women made a short-lived debut in the Olympic Games on Wednesday as 18-year-old judo wildcard Friba Razayee was defeated after 45 seconds of her first match in the under-70kg middleweight.


North Korea peace efforts in peril THE international effort to end the North Korean nuclear crisis appears at risk of unravelling, despite Foreign Minister Alexander Downer #39;s high-profile mission to the secretive Stalinist state.


10 features for a perfect browser   There are some  great  browsers  out there. But they all seem to have some slight niggles, different for  each, that make it hard for me to kick back and enjoy them.        While there are some projects out there to make browsers more useful for  some specialised purposes  or by bolting on handy  extensions, wouldn't it be great if these people could come up with a  standardised set of nice features like these? A lot of browsers may support  one or two, but I'll bet none have them all.


Cops Test Handheld Fingerprint Reader Several Minnesota police departments are field testing a handheld device that scans a suspect's fingerprint and digitally checks it against Minnesota's criminal history and fingerprint database.


Ross Stores Profit Plummets 40 Percent (AP) AP - Discount retailer Ross Stores Inc. Wednesday said its profit fell about 40 percent in the latest quarter due to problems with a new computer system that limited the company's ability to respond to changes in customer demand.


Small computers can have multiple personalities, too BOSTON The jury is still out on whether a computer can ever truly be intelligent, but there is no question that it can have multiple personalities. It #39;s just a matter of software. We usually think of the processor chip as the brains of a computer. The ...


Rebel threat on the roads leaves Katmandu isolated KATMANDU, Nepal The Nepali capital was largely cut off from the rest of the country on Wednesday after Maoist rebels threatened to attack any vehicles traveling on main roads, in a virtual blockade of Katmandu to press their demands for the release of ...


Immigrants settled in big cities, but less likely to find work: StatsCan (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Most of the nearly two million immigrants who arrived in Canada during the 1990s settled in one of the country's 27 census metropolitan areas, but still found it harder to find work than natural-born citizens, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday.


Sun postpones September user show Sun Microsystems Inc. has decided to postpone its September SunNetwork 2004 San Francisco user conference, and is contemplating merging the event with its JavaOne 2005 developer conference, scheduled for the end of June 2005.


Olympics: Emotional Zijlaard-van Moorsel defends time trial title ATHENS : Dutch cycling great Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel emotionally defended her Olympic time trial gold medal here.


Oracle launches Business Integlligence 10g Oracle introduced a new BI platform yesterday, Business Intelligence 10g that rolls up into one solution all of their BI tools. However, more interesting than the nitty-gritty details of what is included is the back story taking place at the same time.


Dutch cyclist defends Olympic gold AMSTERDAM  Cyclist Leontien Zijlaard-Van Moorsel won the first gold medal for the Netherlands at the Athens Olympic Games on Wednesday.


Kroger's Profit Up; Price Cuts Weigh  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kroger Co., the top U.S. grocer, on  Tuesday posted a 29 percent rise in quarterly profit due to  cost controls, but price cuts to lure shoppers caused earnings  to miss Wall Street estimates and shares fell.


Expanding West Major League Soccer's two expansion teams, Real Salt Lake and Club Deportivo Chivas USA, will join the Western Conference for the 2005 season.


Pacers Activate Foster From Injured List (AP) AP - The Indiana Pacers activated center Jeff Foster from the injured list Tuesday.


Microsoft finalises three-year government deal Hot on the heels of its 10-year strategic partnership with the London Borough of Newham, Microsoft is close to signing a new broad three-year public sector agreement with the government.


Airlines Agree to Cut Flights at Chicago O'Hare  CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. airlines have agreed to limit  flights into Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to 88  arrivals per hour between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. in an effort to cut  congestion that has slowed the whole U.S. aviation system,  federal officials said on Wednesday.


Russia ready to contribute to settlement of South Ossetia conflict: Putin MOSCOW, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Russia is ready to contribute to a settlement of conflict between Georgia and its separatist province of South Ossetia.


NASA confident of debris solution Six months before NASA plans to return the shuttle to space, officials think they #39;ve essentially solved the problem that doomed Columbia in 2003 -- debris coming off its fuel


Burundi Police Forcibly Disperse Tutsi Protest Police in Burundi #39;s capital, Bujumbura, used tear gas to break up a demonstration Wednesday held to protest the massacre of Congolese Tutsi refugees.


Veterans Committee counts for little The Hall of Fame released the latest Veterans Committee ballot yesterday. As you might (or might not) remember, there #39;s a (nearly) new committee in town.


Drive maker files counterclaims in patent suit Cornice blasts Seagate's suit over patents for tiny hard drives used in portable gadgets.


HP moves network scanning software into beta CHICAGO - Hewlett-Packard(HP) has moved its Active Counter Measures network security software into beta tests with a select group of European and North American customers in hopes of readying the product for a 2005 release, an HP executive said at the HP World conference here in Chicago Wednesday.


Martin announces major overhaul of key staff in Prime Minister's Office (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Paul Martin announced a major overhaul of his senior staff Wednesday, with several close confidants and one ex-cabinet minister handed major roles in the Prime Minister's Office in a post-election shakeup.


Kerry assails Bush troop withdrawal plan (AFP) AFP - Democratic White House hopeful Senator John Kerry warned that President George W. Bush's plan to withdraw 70,000 troops from Europe and Asia would hinder the war on terrorism and embolden North Korea.


Iraq cleric 'to end Najaf revolt' Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr reportedly agrees to end an uprising in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf.


Medtronic Quarterly Earnings Rise  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc. MDT.N on Wednesday  said its quarterly earnings rose amid brisk demand for devices  that manage irregular heart beats and products used to treat  the spine.


Airlines Agree to Cuts at O'Hare Federal officials today announced plans to temporarily cut 37 flights operating at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to help reduce the delay problems that ripple across the country.


Stock Prices Climb Ahead of Google IPO NEW YORK - Investors shrugged off rising crude futures Wednesday to capture well-priced shares, sending the Nasdaq composite index up 1.6 percent ahead of Google Inc.'s much-anticipated initial public offering of stock.    In afternoon trading, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 67.10, or 0.7 percent, to 10,039.93...


Today in Athens Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel of the Netherlands wipes a tear after winning the gold medal in the women #39;s road cycling individual time trial at the Vouliagmeni Olympic Centre in Athens on Wednesday.


Medtronic Quarterly Net Up  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Medtronic Inc. MDT.N on Wednesday  said its quarterly earnings rose on brisk demand for devices  that manage irregular heart beats and products used to treat  the spine.


Greek sprinters quit Games ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece #39;s top two sprinters have quit the Olympic Games after submitting their country to six days of embarrassment in a hide-and-seek contest with anti-doping enforcers.


Strong Family Equals Strong Education Single mothers, poverty were big factors in school performance    HealthDayNews -- American teenagers who live with poor single mothers are more likely to get into trouble at school and have poor marks and are less likely to think they'll go to college, says a Rice University study.    Holly Heard, an assistant professor of sociology, analyzed data from thousands of teens who took part in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health...


NetRatings survey shows broadband users now a majority in US AUGUST 18, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - A majority of US home Internet users now have broadband, according to a survey by NetRatings Inc.


Stunt pilots to save sun dust IT PROMISES to be a scene worthy of a science fiction spectacular. A space probe carrying primordial material scooped from outer space starts to plunge towards our planet. But before it can strike, a helicopter flown by a Hollywood stunt ...


U.S. Forces Kill 50 Sadr Militia in Baghdad Suburb  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces killed more than 50 Shi'ite  militiamen on Wednesday in a significant advance into a Baghdad  suburb that is a powerbase for radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr,  the military said.


Owners Seek Best Ballpark Deal for Expos (AP) AP - Trying to get the best possible ballpark deal for the Montreal Expos, major league baseball instructed its lawyers to press ahead with negotiations involving four of the areas bidding for the team.


Crowd Inspires Greek Beach Volleyballers; U.S. Duo Ousted  ATHENS (Reuters) - A roaring crowd helped inspire Greece's  top women's beach volleyball team to trounce China on Wednesday  and reach the next round.


Boro Captain Warns of Duo #39;s Threat Gareth Southgate has warned Barclays Premiership defences to be wary of Middlesbroughs back-to-form strikers Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.


Intuit Posts Wider Loss After Charge (Reuters) Reuters - Intuit Inc. (INTU.O), maker of\the No. 1 U.S. tax presentation software TurboTax, on Wednesday\posted a wider quarterly loss after taking a goodwill\impairment charge during its seasonally weaker fourth quarter.


Hamilton Wins Cycling Time Trial Event THENS, Aug. 18  Tyler Hamilton had bruises splotched all over his back, painful souvenirs of a Tour de France gone terribly wrong.


Alaska Wildfires Grow to Record 5 Million Acres (Reuters) Reuters - Wildfires have scorched over\5 million acres in Alaska as of Tuesday, forestry officials\said, a new record that signals possible changes in climate\conditions and the composition of the vast forests.


Britain #39;s Olympic medal total takes sudden turn for the better Great Britain #39;s performances in the Olympic Games made a dramatic and unexpected improvement yesterday as they won a silver and three bronze medals. They were also guaranteed at least a silver medal in badminton #39;s mixed doubles.


Putin faults Georgia on  #39;90s tactics in 2 regions TBILISI, Georgia The separatist conflicts in Georgia resulted from the  quot;foolish quot; move by Georgia to strip South Ossetia and Abkhazia of their autonomous status during the Soviet collapse, President Vladimir Putin of Russia was quoted as saying on ...


Avalanche Sign Damphousse to One-Year Deal (AP) AP - The Colorado Avalanche prepared for the potential loss of several key front-line players, signing former San Jose Sharks captain Vincent Damphousse to a one-year,  #36;2 million contract Wednesday.


Government gives partial clearance to Bangla tour The Government today gave a partial go-ahead for the Indian cricket team #39;s tour of Bangladesh for the first Test match beginning on Thursday but its security delegation will go to Chittagong, the other venue, to make an assessment of the threat perception


Viduka Brace Helps Boro To Win After a spell without scoring, Mark Viduka grabbed two goals as Middlesbrough beat Manchester City 3-2. Boro went ahead when Viduka took Stewart Downings pass, brought it sweetly under control and chipped it over onrushing City keeper David James.


Hurricane center #39;s projection on Charley not far off, data show FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - (KRT) - Despite criticism that it should have better anticipated Hurricane Charley #39;s rapid intensification and quick turn, the National Hurricane Center #39;s forecast wasn #39;t that far off, a preliminary post-mortem shows.


UPDATE 1-J amp;J in talks to buy Guidant - sources Health care and consumer products maker Johnson  amp; Johnson (JNJ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) is in negotiations to acquire medical-device maker Guidant Corp.


AMP shrugs off British debacle Australian insurer AMP returned to the black in the first half of the year with net profits of A\$378m (150m) after a disastrous foray into Britain pushed it A\$2.16 billion into the red last year.


Lloyds TSB cashes in on VoIP Lloyds TSB is gearing up to roll out one of the largest converged networks in Europe, a 500m 70,000 phone VoIP infrastructure linking all the bank #39;s branches and cash points.


British athletics appoint psychologist for 2008 Olympics British athletics chiefs have appointed sports psychologist David Collins as Performance Director to produce medal winners at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.


Olympic Daily Preview - Thursday, August 19 Athens, Greece (Sports Network) - Wednesday night it was Paul Hamm #39;s turn to shine for the United States, as he won the gold medal in the men #39;s all-around competition. Will Thursday produce a sweep for the US at the Olympics? ...


Arafat urges reforms to rectify his  #39;mistakes #39; YASSER Arafat, the Palestinian president, made a rare acknowledgement of mistakes under his rule yesterday and urged reforms to end corruption.


Selling Houston Warts and All, Especially Warts Descriptions of urban afflictions and images of giant mosquitoes and cockroaches to convey a sense of how Houston is nevertheless beloved by many residents.


Brazil beats Haiti in goodwill soccer game The boys from Brazil beat Haiti #39;s national soccer team Wednesday in a friendly goodwill game 6-0. The game was the brainchild of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was on hand in the Haitian capital for the historical match.


Credit Suisse to merge CSFB unit into parent Credit Suisse Group announced plans to merge its Credit Suisse First Boston Securities unit with the rest of the company #39;s operations and cut as many as 300 jobs.


Holiday-Shopping Season Remains Sluggish (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. shoppers have kept a tight grip\on their wallets this holiday season with indices on Tuesday\showing sluggish sales in the second week of the  season.


UN to begin second airlift of Vietnamese Montagnards (AFP) AFP - The second major airlift of Vietnamese Montagnards who fled to Cambodia's remote jungles after April anti-government protests will begin at the weekend.


Tennis: Roddick and Williams ousted ATHENS Shell-shocked Americans Andy Roddick and Venus Williams joined already-beaten men #39;s top seed Roger Federer in the favourites #39;exodus from the Olympic tennis tournament on Wednesday.


Insurer lowers hurricane estimate Hurricane Charley, the worst storm to hit the US in over a decade, will cost insurers just \$7.4bn, one insurance expert estimates.


Nepal Seeks Talks to End Rebel Blockade of Capital  KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The fear of attack kept most vehicles  off roads leading to Nepal's capital for a second day on  Thursday as authorities sought talks to end a siege called by  Maoist insurgents.


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


Scandal won #39;t go away ATHENS -- It was telling yesterday that the majority of the dozens of journalists who asked questions and attended a news conference into a Greek doping scandal were mostly Canadian. Question after question came from Canadians. We were all there, I think, ...


Hundreds laid off at Fleet offices Bank of America Corp. yesterday laid off hundreds of workers at Fleet bank branches across the Northeast as the North Carolina bank began to implement its brand of ...


NetApp CEO: No Storage Spending Shortfall (TechWeb) TechWeb - Customers are decoupling storage from server purchases, which explains why EMC and NetApp earnings were up and why Sun and HP were flat or down, Warmenhoven says.


Justices to debate mail-order wine Being freelance wine critics may sound like a sweet gig, but Ray and Eleanor Heald have soured on it. Because their home state, Michigan, blocks direct shipments from out-of-state


Stanford's Cubit Hired As W. Mich. Coach (AP) AP - Stanford offensive coordinator Bill Cubit was hired Tuesday as head coach at Western Michigan.


Oil prices surge to a new high WASHINGTON -- The price of oil charged to a new high above \$47 a barrel yesterday amid nagging concerns about instability in Iraq, the uncertain fate of Russian petroleum giant Yukos, and the world's limited supply cushion.


A shot in the arm for all OLYMPIA, Greece -- A brilliant idea, taking the shot put back to the birthplace of the Olympic Games, proving, if nothing else, that everything old really can become new again.


Bomb found near Berlusconi #39;s villa Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi (left) goes for a walk with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair at Berlusconi #39;s villa, Monday. AP ...


After Wait, Google Set for Market Debut  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc. will make their  Nasdaq stock market debut on Thursday after the year's most  anticipated initial public offering priced far below initial  estimates, raising \$1.67 billion.


Bill Clinton Helps Launch Search Engine 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.


Harris #39; three-run double in ninth sinks Gagne LOS ANGELES - Paul Lo Duca never got to moonwalk to home plate, though he did skip gleefully to the dugout moments after facing former batterymate Eric Gagne for the first time.


Ali gives Iraq fighting chance The back of his shirt told the story last night at the Peristeri Olympic Boxing Hall.


Survey: Napster, iTunes beat other download brands (MacCentral) MacCentral - Market research company Ipsos-Insight on Tuesday announced the results of TEMPO, a quarterly survey of digital music behaviors. According to the report, consumers aged 12 and older in the United States were as likely to be aware of Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store and Napster 2.0 when it came to recognizing digital music download brands -- each music service registered 20 percent of what TEMPO refers to as "top-of-mind" awareness.


Qantas says record profit not big enough Australia #39;s flagship carrier Qantas Airways has reported a record annual net profit but warned oil prices threatened its performance, increasing the chance of a hike in ticket price surcharges to offset its fuel bill.


State, drug chains reach agreement The state of Maine, Rite Aid Corp., and Community Pharmacy LP have agreed to a consent decree placing conditions on the sale of five Community Pharmacy stores to Rite Aid.


Most US homes have broadband connections While the total number of home internet users has reached a plateau in the US, those who do use the internet are adopting broadband at a rapid pace, according to Marc Ryan, senior director of analysis at the audience measurement company.


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


Caterpillar snaps up another remanufacturer of engines PEORIA - Caterpillar Inc. said Wednesday it will acquire a South Carolina remanufacturer of engines and automatic transmissions, increasing its US employment base by 500 people.


Kidnappers threaten to kill western journalist The kidnappers of an American-French journalist in Iraq have threatened to execute him within 48 hours unless US forces withdraw from the holy city of Najaf.


Qantas wants better tax treatment MARK COLVIN: Qantas might have posted yet another record profit, but the national carrier #39;s boss, Geoff Dixon, claims earnings are being hampered by unfair subsidies for international carriers allowed to fly in and out of Australia.


SA 'mercenaries' plead not guilty Sixty-six men accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea deny breaching Zimbabwe's security laws.


Olympics: Hansen still strong enough to take bronze Every ounce of his energy was expended, leaving an empty fuel tank. But, even in a depleted state, Brendan Hansen found a way to bolster his ever-growing swimming legacy.


Oil Hits New High Over \$48 as Iraq Violence Flares  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices struck a fresh record above  \$48 a barrel on Thursday, spurred higher by renewed violence in  Iraq and fresh evidence that strong demand growth in China and  India has not been slowed yet by higher energy costs.


Economic Indicators Declined in July A closely watched measure of future economic activity fell in July for the second consecutive month, reinforcing evidence that the nation's financial recovery is slackening.


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


Colgate to Cut 4,400 Jobs, Shut Plants  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Colgate-Palmolive Co. CL.N will cut  about 4,400 jobs, or 12 percent of its work force, and close  nearly a third of its factories under a restructuring, the  consumer products company said on Tuesday.


Drugstore Offers New Wave of Disposable Cameras  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pharmacy chain CVS Corp. on Thursday  said it would offer the world's first disposable digital camera  with a bright color viewing screen that allows consumers to  instantly preview pictures.


Ciena Posts a Loss, Forecasts Flat Sales

 By Deborah Cohen

 CHICAGO (Reuters) - Telecommunications equipment makerCiena Corp. <CIEN.O> on Thursday reported a wider loss for thefiscal third quarter due to slack demand and forecast sales inthe current quarter would be little changed from the thirdquarter.


U.S. Broadband Penetration Tops 51 By ANICK JESDANUN    NEW YORK (AP) -- The number of Americans who get on the Internet via high-speed lines has now equaled the number using dial-up connections.    July measurements from Nielsen/NetRatings placed the broadband audience at 51 percent of the U.S...


American Aaron Peirsol Wins Gold on Appeal  ATHENS (Reuters) - Aaron Peirsol won his second gold medal  at the Athens Olympics Thursday after winning an appeal against  his disqualification from the men's 200 meter backstroke.


Abu Ghraib report 'spreads blame' A report on the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal will blame at least two dozen more people, say US officials.


Ecuadorean Lawsuit Vs Texaco Boils Down to Science (Reuters) Reuters - After a decade\of court battles, lawyers on Wednesday took a lawsuit by\Ecuadorean Indians accusing U.S. oil firm ChevronTexaco Corp..\of polluting the Amazon jungle into the field.


Priceline, Ramada to Make Sites More Accessible to Blind In one of the first enforcement actions of the Americans with Disabilities Act on the Internet, two major travel services have agreed to make sites more accessible to the blind and visually impaired.


Atlantis "Evidence" Found in Spain, Ireland In 360 B.C. the Greek philosopher Plato described an island he called Atlantis. Now contradicting new evidence claims the fabled city-state was based on a real place.


Groups Eager to Meet With Bush, Kerry (AP) AP - Organizations representing the nation's 3 million scientists, engineers and doctors have invited both presidential candidates to have a word with them  #151; online.


Carly Patterson Wins the Women's All-Round  ATHENS (Reuters) - Carly Patterson upstaged Russian diva  Svetlana Khorkina to become the first American in 20 years to  seize the women's Olympic gymnastics all-round gold medal on  Thursday.


Court: File-swapping software not liable for copyright violations The makers of two leading file-sharing programs are not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works swapped online by their users, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a stinging blow to the entertainment industry.


Olympics: Olympic weightlifting reels as six more lifters fail drug tests ATHENS : Weightlifting was reeling from the latest crisis to hit the perennially drug-tainted sport here as six more athletes were kicked out of the Olympics for failing dope tests.


Colts' Carthon Hopes to Follow Dad in NFL (AP) AP - Ran Carthon tried to avoid playing football after seeing the pain it inflicted on his father, Maurice. Bloodlines, his friends and reality forced a changed of heart.


LPGA's Nabisco to Change Dates in 2006 (AP) AP - The Kraft Nabisco Championship will be played one week later than usual starting in 2006, preventing the LPGA Tour's first major from getting lost among other big sporting events.


Georgian Troops Leave South Ossetia The soldiers withdrew from the heights above the Ossetian of capital of Tskhinvali Thursday, turning the area over to peacekeepers. Georgia says three of its soldiers were killed in earlier fighting, while Ossetian authorities say three civilians died ...


Ohio Sues Best Buy, Alleging Used Sales (AP) AP - Ohio authorities sued Best Buy Co. Inc. on Thursday, alleging the electronics retailer engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices.


Cisco Flaw Leaves Router Vulnerable to Attack Cisco Systems issued a security advisory warning that some networks using its routers may be vulnerable to denial-of-service attacks. Devices running Internetwork Operating System and enabled for the open shortest path first (OSPF) ...


Sprint is chock full of potential heros It would be nice to see this week #39;s 100-meter sprint as simply the best footrace of all time. We could witness four sub-10-second sprints for the first time ever. It would be nice to watch with raised eyebrows instead of furrowed ones. It ...


Scientists Study the Hudson River (AP) AP - Scientists are plunking a series of high-tech sensors into the Hudson River in an effort to unravel mysteries of the murky waterway.


Study to Examine Effects of Ship Waste (AP) AP - A team of scientists is traveling a 600-mile stretch of the Inside Passage this month to study the effects of cruise ship waste and other contaminants in Southeast Alaska waters.


Cink Leads NEC Invitational by One Shot (AP) AP - Free from the burden of trying to make the Ryder Cup team, Stewart Cink looked at ease Thursday on a marathon day at the NEC Invitational that ended with his name atop the leaderboard.


Briefly: China interest in key Yukos unit China is interested in participating in the bidding for Yuganskneftegaz, the top oil-producing subsidiary of the Russian oil giant Yukos, a Chinese economic official was quoted as saying in a report Thursday by the Russian news agency Interfax. The ...


Apple recalls 28,000 batteries APPLE has issued a safety recall for 28,000 batteries for its Powerbook notebooks, saying they posed a potential fire hazard.


Best Buy a Bad Deal? Attorney General Jim Petro is suing Best Buy, alleging the electronics retailer has engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices.


Liu brings China 4th gold in weightlifting at Athens Games ATHENS, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Chinese Hercules Liu Chunhong Thursday lifted three world records on her way to winning the women #39;s 69kg gold medal at the Athens Olympics, the fourth of the power sport competition for China.


Battling Davenport through Lindsay Davenport continued her dominant recent run and reached the last eight of the Cincinnati Open with a 4-6 6-4 6-1 win over Lilia Osterloh.


Genesis Spacecraft Prepares to Return to Earth with a Piece of the Sun In a dramatic ending that marks a beginning in scientific research, NASA's Genesis spacecraft is set to swing by Earth and jettison a sample return capsule filled with particles of the Sun that may ultimately tell us more about the genesis of our solar system.


Badminton pair want more Nathan Robertson says there is no reason why he and badminton partner Gail Emms should not win the next Olympics.


Darfur warring parties to meet in Nigeria for peace talks (AFP) AFP - Sudan's government and its foes in the Darfur region's rebel movements will meet on Monday for peace talks which mark a last chance for African diplomacy to solve the crisis before the United Nations steps in.


Iraq Oil Exports Still Halved After Basra HQ Attack  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq continued to export oil at one  million barrels per day on Friday after an attack on the South  Oil Company headquarters took sabotage operations to a new  level, an official at the state-owned entity said.


US unemployment claims slip but picture still murky NEW YORKFewer Americans lined up to claim first-time jobless benefits last week but analysts said the modest decline said very little about the current state of the labour market.


Vt. sues over importing drugs Vermont's Republican governor challenged the Bush administration's prescription drug policy in federal court yesterday, marking the first time a state has chosen a legal avenue in the expanding battle over Canadian imports.


For starters, Giants #39; Manning on mark Manning had a decent debut as a starter, but Delhomme overshadowed the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft by throwing for a touchdown and running for another in the Carolina Panthers #39; 27-20 exhibition victory last night over ...


Clemens deal is waived off CHICAGO -- The Red Sox were ready to welcome Roger Clemens back to Boston. His uniform number (21) was available. Pedro Martinez , who has expressed the utmost respect for Clemens, almost certainly would have made some room for the Rocket near the locker Clemens long used and Martinez now occupies. Curt Schilling would have been thrilled to pitch with ...


Life without numbers in a unique Amazon tribe 11=2. Mathematics doesn #39;t get any more basic than this, but even 11 would stump the brightest minds among the Piraha tribe of the Amazon.


P2P Services in the Clear In a major setback for the music and movie industries, a federal appeals court upholds a lower court's decision in the infamous Grokster case, ruling peer-to-peer services Morpheus and Grokster are not liable for the copyright infringement of their users. By Katie Dean.


Swap Your PC, or Your President The producer of ads featuring PC users who switched to Macs is applying the same tactic to political commercials. This time, he'll focus on former backers of President Bush, recruited online, who've changed their political allegiance. By Louise Witt.


Agassi cruises into Washington Open ATP quarter-finals WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Andre Agassi cruised into quarter-finals in Washington Open tennis with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Kristian Pless of Denmark here on Thursday night.


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


30,000 More Sudanese Threaten to Cross to Chad -UN (Reuters) Reuters - Some 30,000 Sudanese, victims of fresh\attacks by Arab militia inside Darfur, have threatened to cross\into Chad, the U.N. refugee agency warned on Friday.


Google scores first-day bump of 18 (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Even a big first-day jump in shares of Google (GOOG) couldn't quiet debate over whether the Internet search engine's contentious auction was a hit or a flop.


Carly Patterson Wins Gymnastics All-Around Gold  ATHENS (Reuters) - Carly Patterson upstaged Russian diva  Svetlana Khorkina to become the first American in 20 years to  win the women's Olympic gymnastics all-round gold medal on  Thursday.


ChevronTexaco hit with \$40.3M ruling Montana jury orders oil firm to pay up over gas pipeline leak from 1955; company plans to appeal. NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Montana jury ordered ChevronTexaco Corp., the number two US oil company, to pay \$40.3 million for environmental damage from a gasoline ...


3 US boxers punched out of Games Athens -- Vanes Martirosyan became the second American to bow out of the Olympic boxing tournament Thursday when he was defeated 20-11 by Lorenzo Aragon of Cuba in their welterweight bout at 152 pounds.


Before-the Bell; Rouse Co. Shares Jump  RSE.N jumped before the bell after General Growth  Properties Inc. GGP.N, the No. 2 U.S. shopping mall owner, on  Friday said it would buy Rouse for \$7.2 billion.


Services make big gains in Japan Tertiary index comes in at almost double expectations, drives up yen and helps Nikkei overcome oil. LONDON (Reuters) - The yen hit a four-week high against the dollar Friday as stronger-than-expected Japanese service sector data raised optimism about the ...


Google shares bounce up 18 in trading debut In the stock #39;s first day of trading, investors bought, sold and flipped shares at a furious pace, with the price ending just above \$100 - 18 percent higher than where it started. It was, in other words, everything the company #39;s founders, Sergy Brin and ...


Stocks Lower as Oil Prices Steam Higher With the much-ballyhooed initial public offering of Google behind them and oil chugging to a new record high, investors took a step back today.


Don #39;t expect Tiger to relinquish his top ranking without a fight They #39;re calling Ohio a  quot;battleground state, quot; one of the two or three places likely to decide November #39;s presidential election. On local TV, the Bush and Kerry ads air so frequently that it #39;s easy to forget it #39;s Bob Costas who actually runs the country.


Understanding Google AdWords Understanding Google AdWords\\Unlike many search engines Google, to its credit, clearly denotes search listings that are paid placement. In fact, Google AdWords appear in a separate section down the left side of the screen.\\Google AdWords provide an inexpensive advertising venue for businesses to advertise products or services to a targeted ...


Service packs, senators and civil liberties Letters: The bulging postbag gives up its secrets


Saints Revoke Waiver Claim on Derek Ross (AP) AP - One day after placing a waiver claim on troubled cornerback Derek Ross, the Saints did an about-face and released the former Ohio State standout after he missed a scheduled flight to New Orleans on Wednesday night.


Hooker Furniture Puts Investors First Closing a factory is never popular, but it's the right thing to do.


Clicking on Profits The latest data from the US Department of Commerce further bolsters what we have all suspected: E-commerce sales are increasing. Not only might one suspect that consumer confidence has been bolstered since last year, there ...


French Take Gold, Bronze in Single Kayak ATHENS, Greece - Winning on whitewater runs in the family for Frenchman Benoit Peschier, though an Olympic gold is something new. Peschier paddled his one-man kayak aggressively but penalty free in both his semifinal and final runs on the manmade Olympic ...


Dogs in Training to Sniff Out Cancer Experts have trained unwanted dogs into supersniffers that can detect drugs or bombs. Now they're focusing on a new threat #151;prostate cancer.


Antidepressants to Reflect Suicide Risk  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug  Administration plans to update antidepressant labels to reflect  studies that suggest a link between the drugs and suicide in  youths, but remains cautious about the strength of such ties,   according to documents released on Friday.


UAL and Its Creditors Agree to 30-Day Extension UAL's United Airlines will have a 30-day extention on the period in which it can file an exclusive bankruptcy reorganization plan.


Mood Mixed Among Darfur Rebels Ahead of Talks CORCHA CAMP, Sudan (Reuters) - A Sudanese rebel commander in a camp in Darfur tells his troops he is hoping for peace. But just a few hours march away, young men say they are convinced Sudan wants to drive them off the land.


Crude Price Spike May Send Gas Higher (AP) AP - Amid soaring crude oil prices, gasoline costs have been dropping. But don't expect that to last, economists say.


Amazon Snaps Up China's Largest Web Retailer (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN) has said it will buy Joyo.com Limited -- a British Virgin Islands company that operates the largest Internet retail Web site in China -- for US #36;75 million.


Swimming: Phelps Wins Gold, Pulls Out of Relay  ATHENS (Reuters) - Michael Phelps, who has won five gold  medals in the Olympic pool, said Friday he was pulling out of  Saturday's 4x100 meter medley relay final to give team mate Ian  Crocker the chance to swim.


Court Won't Halt Arch Coal's Triton Bid (Reuters) Reuters - A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday\that Arch Coal Inc. (ACI.N) may proceed with its bid to buy the\assets of rival Triton Coal Co. LLC, denying an emergency\request by the Federal Trade Commission to block the deal, a\spokesman for the agency said.


Treasury Prices Take a Breather Today  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices paused for breath  on Tuesday after a blistering two-session rally ran out of  steam, though analysts still saw room to the upside given the  large short-base in the market.


Sadr Militiamen Still in Control of Iraq Shrine  NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - Rebel Shi'ite fighters appeared  still to be in control of the Imam Ali mosque in the Iraqi city  Najaf early on Saturday, but the whereabouts of their leader,  the fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, were unknown.


Liverpool completes signings of Alonso, Garcia LIVERPOOL, England (AP) -- Spanish pair Xabi Alonso from Real Sociedad and Luis Garcia from Barcelona signed five-year contracts with Liverpool on Friday.


Report: Consumers tuning in to plasma TVs First-quarter shipments of plasma televisions in the United States more than doubled from the previous year, according to research firm iSuppli. Prices fell by nearly \$1,000 over the same period.


Seven seize ATHENS -- He was behind at the start. He was behind at the turn. He was behind for 99.99 of the 100 meters. His head was behind Ian Crocker's head at the finish. And yet somehow last night, Michael Phelps won again -- for the fourth and final time in an individual race at these Olympics.


One in four servers to run Linux by 2008 In a report, the research firm painted a bright future for the open source operating system, claiming that shipments of servers running Linux -- and revenues from those shipments -- will rise significantly over the next five years.


Republican Convention Light on Stars (AP) AP - The Republicans will have one sure Hollywood star for their convention  #151; California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger  #151; along with performers to keep the country music fans happy. But they'll be hard-pressed to match the Democratic convention's appeal to young voters led by Ben Affleck.


Italian PM #39;s transplant confirmed After days of speculation sparked by the white bandanna worn by Mr Berlusconi on holiday in Sardinia, Piero Rosati said the results of the operation would show in a couple of months.


Apple Recalls Flaming 15-inch PowerBook G4 Battery The affected batteries could overheat, posing a fire hazard. Apple received four reports of these batteries overheating. No injuries have been reported.


Samsung plans to invest Won25,000bn in chips Samsung Electronics, the world #39;s second largest computer chip manufacturer, yesterday said that it would invest Won25,000bn (\$24bn) in its semiconductor business by 2010 to generate


Rosetta Mission Sniffing a Comet The European Rosetta mission will sample a comet as it tries to harpoon and hook onto its surface. A specially designed oven will cook the comet in analogy to sniffing for recognizable elements.


More gold for Britain as Wiggins strikes Bradley Wiggins has given Britain their second Olympic cycling gold medal in two days, winning the men #39;s 4-km individual pursuit.


Soldiers Kill Palestinian Near Gaza-Israel Fence Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian as he approached a security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip, Israeli military sources said on Saturday.


Militia, Shiite Leaders Bicker Over Shrine NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr kept their hold on a revered shrine, and clashes flared in Najaf on Saturday, raising fears that a resolution to the crisis in the holy city could collapse amid bickering between Shiite leaders.    The clashes between U.S...


Strongwoman hoists 100th gold for Chinese delegation Tang Gonghong lifted a world record to claim in Athens the 100th Olympic gold for China since its participation in 1984 Olympic Games on Saturday when


West Mulls Boundries for African Fighting (AP) AP - As the month-end deadline nears for Sudan to disarm the mostly Arab pro-government militias in Darfur, the United Nations and Western powers are in a dilemma over how far to go to stop the killing in an African country.


Chavez victory confirmed Caracas, Venezuela - The results of an audit support the official vote count showing that President Hugo Chavez won this month #39;s recall referendum in Venezuela, the head of the Organization of American States said Saturday.


Wall St.'s Nest Egg - the Housing Sector  NEW YORK (Reuters) - If there were any doubts that we're  still living in the era of the stay-at-home economy, the rows  of empty seats at the Athens Olympics should help erase them.


Lithuanians deliver NBA stars another Olympic basketball dunking (AFP) AFP - Lithuania defeated the United States 94-90 in an Olympic men's basketball preliminary round game, only the fourth loss in 115 Olympic starts for the defending champions.


Source: Dolphins, Bears on Verge of Deal (AP) AP - The Chicago Bears agreed Saturday to trade receiver Marty Booker to the Miami Dolphins for unsigned Adewale Ogunleye  #151; if the Bears can reach a contract agreement with the Pro Bowl defensive end, a source close to the negotiations said.


Video Game Makers Go Hollywood. Uh-Oh. OVIE producers are often criticized for running at the sight of original ideas, preferring instead to milk plays, books, news events, toys and even video games for their screenplays.


Cricket-Lara mulls over future after England whitewash LONDON (AFP) - Brian Lara said he will take stock before deciding on his future as West Indies captain following his side #39;s 10-wicket defeat to England in the fourth and final Test.


Pakistani troops raid two terrorist hideouts PAKISTANI troops backed by artillery and aircraft attacked two suspected terrorist hideouts near the rugged Afghan border yesterday, killing and wounding a number of militants, Pakistan army and security officials said.


Fleisher Surges Clear Bruce Fleisher carded a seven-under-par 65 to take a three-shot lead after the second round of the Greater Hickory Classic in North Carolina.


Glory Comes Amid Empty Seats and Closed Shutters HERE in Old Europe, people install shutters outside their windows to keep out the heat, the pollution, the daylight, the noise. They also lock the shutters tight when they go away on holiday.


Amazon to Buy Chinese Retailer Joyo.com Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. said on Thursday that it will buy Joyo.com Ltd., which runs some of China #39;s biggest retail Web sites, for about \$75 million to gain entry into China #39;s fast-growing market.


Salesforce.com 2Q Profit Up Sharply Software developer Salesforce.com Inc. posted a sharp rise in second-quarter profit on better-than-expected revenue during its first quarter as a public company, but investors shunned the stock in late trading


Jerkens makes right call with Society Selection Trainer Allen Jerkens hemmed and hawed this past week over running Society Selection in Saturday #39;s Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga.


Unknown Nesterenko Makes World Headlines (Reuters) Reuters - Belarus' Yuliya Nesterenko won the top\women's athletics gold medal at the Olympics on Saturday,\triumphing over a field stripped of many big names because of\doping woes to win the 100 meters.


Ready to Bet on Alternative Energy? Well, Think Again When oil prices rise, public interest in alternative energy often does, too. But the logic is evidently escaping Wall Street.


Athletics 5, Devil Rays 0 Barry Zito scattered four hits over eight shutout innings, leading the AL West-leading Oakland Athletics past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-0 on Saturday night.


Fatah hopes Barghouti would take back candidacy Fatah, the mainstream Palestinian movement, hopes that its former West Bank leader Marwan Barghouti would take back his candidacy for the Jan. 9 presidential election.


Blasts hit Bangladesh party rally A series of grenade blasts has rocked an opposition party rally in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, killing at least 13 people. There were seven or eight explosions at the Awami League headquarters, as leader Sheikh Hasina addressed a crowd.


Belarus #39; Nesterenko fastest in women #39;s 100m first round Belarus #39; Yuliya Nesterenko became the fastest woman to qualify for the women #39;s 100 meters second round at the Olympic Games here on Friday.


Around the world The bombing of a UN election office in Afghanistan that injured six policemen drew calls from a UN union Friday for a withdrawal of staffers from the embattled nation.


Greek weightlifter awaits verdict Greek weightlifter Leonidas Sampanis will find out on Sunday if he is to be stripped of his medal.


Work done, Phelps basks in gold glor And on the eighth day, Michael Phelps actually got to rest. After swimming some 18 races in Olympic competition, Phelps was a mere spectator last night, watching his teammates cap a terrific week for the US swim team.


China confronts lack of pipelines China will spend about \$3.4 billion over two to three years laying thousands of miles of oil pipelines to help secure its energy supply in the face of soaring prices and demand.


Lane drives in winning run in ninth Jason Lane took an unusual post-game batting practice with hitting coach Gary Gaetti after a disappointing performance Friday night.


Games hammered with controversy The International Gymnastics Federation suspended three judges yesterday for a mistake they made in scoring the men #39;s all-around final, but said results would not be changed and Paul Hamm of the United States would keep his gold medal.


Admirers look to 2008 But as far as swim greats Rowdy Gaines and John Naber are concerned, what Phelps did in Athens exceeded what Spitz did in Munich in 1972.


Arson attack on Jewish centre in Paris (AFP) AFP - A Jewish social centre in central Paris was destroyed by fire overnight in an anti-Semitic arson attack, city authorities said.


Colgate to cut workforce CONSUMER goods maker Colgate-Palmolive said today it would cut about 12 per cent of its 37,000-person work force and close a third of its factories worldwide as part of a four-year restructuring.


A Founding Father? Give the guy some credit. Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong #39;s embattled Chief Executive, gets precious little of it from his people these daysand heaps of


Three People Killed at Afghan Checkpoint  KABUL (Reuters) - A man and two women were shot dead by  Afghan and U.S.-led troops after their vehicle ran through a  checkpoint on Saturday, a U.S. military statement said.


PRESS START FOR NOSTALGIA Like Led Zeppelin #39;s  #39; #39;Stairway to Heaven #39; #39; and Lynyrd Skynyrd #39;s  #39; #39;Freebird, #39; #39; classic video games like Frogger and Pong can bring back an entire era.


Emmons loses gold medal after aiming at wrong target American shooter Matt Emmons fired at the wrong target on his final shot Sunday, blowing a commanding lead in the Olympic 50-meter three-position rifle event and allowing Jia Zhanbo of China to take the gold.


Oil prices look set to dominate The price of oil looks set to grab headlines as analysts forecast that its record-breaking run may well continue.


Putin Visits Chechnya Ahead of Election (AP) AP - Russian President Vladimir Putin made an unannounced visit to Chechnya on Sunday, laying flowers at the grave of the war-ravaged region's assassinated president a week before elections for a new leader.


U.S. Softball Team Wins, Closes in on Gold ATHENS, Greece - Right now, the Americans aren't just a Dream Team - they're more like the Perfect Team. Lisa Fernandez pitched a three-hitter Sunday and Crystl Bustos drove in two runs as the Americans rolled to their eighth shutout in eight days, 5-0 over Australia, putting them into the gold medal game...


More Newcastle United Stories Legendary Real Madrid defender Goyo Benito believes the arrival of Jonathan Woodgate at the Santiago Bernabeu will help bring an avalanche of titles to Real Madrid.


Munch masterpiece 'The Scream' stolen from Oslo museum (AFP) AFP - A version of Edvard Munch's masterpiece "The Scream" and another famous painting by the great Norwegian artist were stolen from an Oslo museum by armed and hooded robbers, police said.


Men Set for Sizzling Duel in 100 Meters ATHENS, Greece - The preliminaries in the 100 meters were perhaps just a sample of what's to come Sunday, when a talented group of qualifiers - including Americans Shawn Crawford, Justin Gatlin and defending champion Maurice Greene - will try to turn their competition into the fastest show at the Athens Games.    Five men broke 10 seconds in qualifying Saturday, led by Crawford's time of 9.89...


Ulmer storms to gold New Zealand #39;s Sarah Ulmer stormed to gold in the women #39;s individual pursuit in a new world record time. Ulmer, fourth in Sydney four years ago, beat Australia #39;s Katie Mactier in a time of three minutes 24.


Goal-happy Ajax and Feyenoord maintain perfect starts Champions Ajax Amsterdam came from behind to thrash NAC Breda 6-2 on Sunday while Feyenoord hit four past Willem II Tilburg to regain the early lead in the Dutch first division.


Agency reports climate change major problem Rising sea levels, disappearing glaciers in the Alps and more deadly heat waves are coming for Europeans because of global warming, Europes environmental agency warned Wednesday.


Cycling: Ulmer #39;s scorching times in secret rides New Zealand #39;s star cyclist, Sarah Ulmer, last week rode under world record time twice in an hour during a secret training session in France.


Arsenal matches record of 42 league games without a loss on Sunday Arsenal rallied for three second-half goals in 11 minutes on Sunday to beat Middlesbrough 5-3, matching a 25-year-old record of 42 league games without a loss in the top-flight of English soccer.


Will High Oil Prices Lead to Recession? (AP) AP - High oil prices, which have been a factor in virtually all U.S. recessions over the past three decades, are surging again this year. And the higher crude oil prices climb, the more risk energy costs pose to what, until recently, many expected to be a banner year for the U.S. economy.


Labor: Anti-Peres meetings scheduled for Sunday Labor members have scheduled two  #39;rebel #39; anti-Peres conferences for Sunday, one to be headed by MK Matan Vilnai and the second by MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.


U.S. Gymnasts Win 3 Medals; Hamm Angry (AP) AP - Terin Humphrey and Annia Hatch got silver. Courtney Kupets got bronze. And Paul Hamm got mad. The United States upped its gymnastics medal haul to seven Sunday night, the most since the Americans won 16 at the boycotted Los Angeles Games in 1984. And they might not be finished yet.


Noguchi Wins Marathon BULLETIN
BC-OLY--Women's Marathon RUN,0058
BULLETIN
    ATHENS, Greece (AP)  --  Mizuki Noguchi of Japan won the marathon Sunday in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 20 seconds.


More Evidence for Past Water on Mars Summary - (Aug 22, 2004) NASA #39;s Spirit rover has dug up plenty of evidence on slopes of  quot;Columbia Hills quot; that water once covered the area.


Gatlin Sprints from Unknown to Olympic Gold  ATHENS (Reuters) - American Justin Gatlin roared from  virtual unknown to win the blue ribband Olympic men's 100  meters race on Sunday, upstaging more illustrious rivals in a  pulsating final.


Indexes in Japan fall short of hype Japanese stocks have failed to measure up to an assessment made in April by Merrill Lynch #39;s chief global strategist, David Bowers, who said Japan was  quot;very much everyone #39;s favorite equity market.


GAME DAY RECAP Sunday, August 22 Aramis Ramirez hit a three-run homer, Moises Alou also homered and the Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros 11-6 on Sunday in the testy conclusion of a three-game series between the NL Central rivals.


SI.com HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Kerry Wood got plenty of run support but didn #39;t stick around long enough to take advantage of it. Wood was ejected in the fifth inning for hitting Jeff Kent as the Cubs posted an 11-6 victory over the Astros.


Exhausted Massu Outlasts Fish for Gold  ATHENS (Reuters) - An exhausted Nicolas Massu reeled in  Mardy Fish in five tortuous sets on Sunday to win Chile their  second gold medal at an Olympic Games less than 24 hours after  helping them to their first.


Three people killed at Afghan checkpoint A man and two women were shot dead by Afghan and US-led troops after their vehicle ran through a checkpoint on Saturday, a US military statement said.


Karzai set for visit to Pakistan Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to visit Pakistan to discuss fighting terror and boosting trade.


Senate Republican Unveils Plan for Intelligence The plan would give the proposed national director responsibility for intelligence-gathering of the C.I.A. and the Pentagon.


Davenport wins in Cincinnati American Lindsay Davenport captured her fourth consecutive title, beating second seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the \$US170,000 WTA Cincinnati Open on Sunday.


Afghan-Coalition Soldiers Kill 3, Wound 2 at Checkpoint Coalition forces in Afghanistan say that three people were killed and two others critically wounded when their pickup truck tried to run a checkpoint in the province of Ghazni.


U.S. Plane Attacks Najaf Rebels as Tanks Near Shrine  NAJAF, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. AC-130 gunship attacked  Shi'ite militia positions in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf early  on Monday after tanks reinforced the siege of a shrine at the  center of a nearly three-week insurgency.


Soldiers face Abu Ghraib hearings Four US soldiers charged with abusing Iraqi prisoners  are set to face pre-trial hearings in Germany.


Colin Jackson: Hard lessons learnt in the human laboratory Yesterday #39;s Olympics treated us to the two extremes of athletics, the endurance race which tests the body to its limits, and the heavyweight showdown, the sprint, which is in the mind.


Cink surfaces as Donald sinks Stewart Cink, who needed only to play around par to convert a five-stroke lead after 54 holes into a win, did just that in the NEC Invitational at Firestone yesterday.


Wiretapping on the Net: Who pays? NEW YORK At first glance, it might seem like the simple extension of a standard tool in the fight against the bad guys. But in fact, wiretapping Internet phones to monitor criminals and terrorists is costly


Red Sox Rally to Beat White Sox 6-5 (AP) AP - Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz homered on consecutive pitches to start the eighth inning Sunday night and the streaking Boston Red Sox beat the Chicago White Sox 6-5 for their sixth straight win.


Nortel Downsizes Again Aug. 23, 2004 (TheDeal.com) Problem-plagued Nortel Networks Corp. announced plans Thursday, Aug. 19, to eliminate an additional 3,500 jobs and fire seven more senior executives as the company labors to reinvent


Prototype copter-cam: Here, there, everywhere It can only remain aloft for three minutes but weighs less than an empty soft drink can -- and it can take and transmit pictures in flight.


Cink Justifies Sutton #39;s Faith Three weeks away from the Ryder Cup, American Stewart Cink hopes he has silenced at least some of his critics - if indeed they exist.