ukraine revisits state sell-offs ukraine is preparing what could be a wholesale review of the privatisation of thousands of businesses by the previous administration.  the new president  viktor yushchenko  has said a  limited  list of companies is being drawn up. but on wednesday prime minister yulia tymoshenko said the government was planning to renationalise 3 000 firms. the government says many privatised firms were sold to allies of the last administration at rock-bottom prices. more than 90 000 businesses in all  from massive corporations to tiny shopfronts  have been sold off since 1992  as the command economy built up when ukraine was part of the soviet union was dismantled.  ms tymoshenko said prosecutors had drawn up a list of more than 3 000 businesses which were to be reviewed.  we will return to the state that which was illegally put into private hands.   a day earlier  mr yushchenko - keen to reassure potential investors - had said only 30 to 40 top firms would be targeted. the list  will be limited and final  and will not be extended after its completion   he said. an open-ended list could further damage outside investors  fragile faith in ukraine  said stuart hensel of the economist intelligence unit. but the government seemed keen not to make the review look like the kind of wholesale renationalisation which many fear in russia  mr hensel said. as a result  it was planning to resell rather than keep firms in state hands.  they re aware of the need not to scare investors  and to be careful of internal divides within ukraine   he said.  they don t want to be seen to be transferring assets from one set of oligarchs to a new set.  foreign investment in ukraine  at about $40 a head in 2004  is one of the lowest among ex-soviet states.  mr yushchenko became president after two elections in december  the first of which was annulled amid allegations of voting irregularities and massive street protests.  his opponent  viktor yanukovich  still has huge support in the country s eastern industrial heartland. mr yushchenko s administration has accused its predecessor  led by ex-president leonid kuchma  of corruption. the privatisation review s number one target is a steel mill sold to a consortium which included viktor pinchuk  mr kuchma s son-in-law  for $800m (£424m) despite higher bids from several foreign groups. the mill  krivorizhstal  is one of the world s most profitable.  we say krivorizhstal was stolen  and at any cost we will return it to the state   mr yushchenko told an investors  conference in kiev.  one of the jilted bidders  netherlands-based group lnm  said it welcomed the possibility that the mill might be back on the market.   if the original privatisation is annulled and a new tender issued  then we would look at it with great interest   a spokesman told bbc news. a resale of krivorizhstal could potentially triple the price  according to the economist intelligence unit s mr hensel. but he warned that the government could decide to take the easy route of revaluing the company and charging the existing owners the revised price rather than undertaking a fresh sale.  that way  mr yushchenko can go to the public and say he has forced the oligarchs to play by the rules   he told bbc news.


edwards tips idowu for euro gold world outdoor triple jump record holder and bbc pundit jonathan edwards believes phillips idowu can take gold at the european indoor championships.  idowu landed 17.30m at the british trials in sheffield last month to lead the world triple jump rankings.  it s all down to him  but if he jumps as well as he did in sheffield he could win the gold medal   said edwards.  his ability is undoubted but all his best performances seem to happen in domestic meetings.   idowu made his breakthrough five years ago but so far has only a commonwealth silver medal to his name. edwards himself kept idowu off top spot at the manchester games. but he believes the european indoors in madrid represent a chance for the 26-year-old to prove his credentials as britain s top triple jumper.  he has to start producing at international level and here is the beginning   said edwards.  phillips still needs to be much more consistent. i m sure a victory in madrid will build up his confidence and self-belief that he can be best in the world.  the qualifying round of the men s triple jump in madrid takes place on friday with the final scheduled for saturday. olympic champion christian olsson will not be taking part as he is out for the entire indoor season with an ankle injury.


zambia confident and cautious zambia s technical director  kalusha bwalya is confident and cautious ahead of the cosafa cup final against angola on saturday in lusaka.  bwalya said:  nothing short of victory will do.  however bwalya warned his side not to be too complacent.  i don t want my team to be too comfortable or too sure of victory as it is going to be a difficult game.  for me the main aim of the game is to enjoy and to win.  zambia have shown their determination to win this final by recalling nine of their foreign-based players. however the 41 year-old bwalya  who became the oldest player to appear in the competition when he played and scored against mauritius  is uncertain whether he will take to the field or not. the chipolopolo fans however are not being so cautious with a  victory  concert already scheduled for after the match featuring some of the country s top musicians. both sides are hoping to win the competition for a record third time  and so keep the trophy for good. the chipolopolo won the first two editions of the regional tournament for southern african nations in 1997 and 1998. they were prevented from a third straight win by angola who knocked out the zambians at the semi-final stage in 1999. that victory for angola also marked a first defeat in 14 years for zambia at lusaka s independence stadium  where saturday s game is being played. angola named just four overseas-based players in their preliminary squad. the palancas negras have been unable to secure the release of many of their portugal-based players.


sony psp tipped as a  must-have  sony s playstation portable is the top gadget for 2005  according to a round-up of ultimate gizmos compiled by stuff magazine.  it beats the ipod into second place in the top ten essentials list which predicts what gadget-lovers are likely to covet this year. owning all 10 gadgets will set the gadget lover back £7 455. that is £1 000 cheaper than last year s list due to falling manufacturing costs making gadgets more affordable.  portable gadgets dominate the list  including sharp s 902 3g mobile phone  the pentax optio sv digital camera and samsung s yepp yh-999 video jukebox.   what this year s essentials shows is that gadgets are now cheaper  sexier and more indispensable than ever. we ve got to the point where we can t live our lives without certain technology   said adam vaughan  editor of stuff essentials. the proliferation of gadgets in our homes is inexorably altering the role of the high street in our lives thinks mr vaughan.  take digital cameras  who would now pay to develop an entire film of photos  or legitimate downloads  who would travel miles to a record shop when they could download the song in minutes for 70p   he asks. next year will see a new set of technologies capturing the imaginations of gadget lovers  stuff predicts. the xbox 2  high-definition tv and mp3 mobiles will be among the list of must-haves that will dominate 2006  it says. the spring launch of the psp in the uk is eagerly awaited by gaming fans.


d arcy injury adds to ireland woe gordon d arcy has been ruled out of the ireland team for saturday s six nations clash against scotland in murrayfield.  like skipper brian o driscoll  d arcy failed to recover from a hamstring injury. the side will now be led by munster lock paul o connell. shane horgan switches from wing to centre where he will be joined by ulster s kevin maggs. girvan dempsey comes into the team to take the right wing spot while gavin duffy is called up to the replacements.   we gave gordon a chance but it didn t work out    said ireland coach eddie o sullivan.   in terms of the risk element  it was a sensible precaution. he should be fine for the next game but we do not want to tempt fate.    maggs  who will win his 67th cap  was the obvious replacement at centre while shane horgan was always likely to be moved from the wing. the only other change to the ireland side from last weekend s win in rome sees wasps flanker johnny o connor replacing denis leamy. o connor will be winning his third cap after making his debut in the victory over south africa last november.  : murphy  dempsey  horgan  maggs  hickie  o gara  stringer  corrigan  byrne  hayes  o kelly  o connell  capt  s easterby  o connor  foley.  : sheahan  horan  o callaghan  miller  g easterby  humphreys  duffy.


mitsubishi in peugeot link talks trouble-hit mitsubishi motors is in talks with french carmaker psa peugeot citroen about a possible alliance.  on tuesday mitsubishi  the only major japanese car firm in the red  confirmed earlier reports of negotiations. but a spokesman refused to comment on speculation that mitsubishi could end up building cars for psa and perhaps its japanese rival nissan. mitsubishi has been hit by a recall scandal and the withdrawal of support from shareholder daimlerchrysler. the us-german firm  once a majority shareholder  decided last april to stop providing financial backing. mitsubishi s sales have slid 41% in the past year  catalysed by the revelation that the company had systematically been hiding records of faults and then secretly repairing vehicles. mitsubishi is due to unveil a recovery plan later in january. analysts said that alliances with other carmakers would be a necessary part of whatever it came up with  not least because its own slow sales have left its manufacturing capacity under-used.


arnesen denies rift with santini tottenham sporting director frank arnesen has denied that coach jacques santini resigned because of a clash of personalities at white hart lane.  there had been newspaper speculation that santini had felt undermined by arnesen s role at the club.  it is absolutely not true   arnesen told bbc radio five live.  there is only one thing that made him resign and that is his own personal problems.  he has talked to me recently and said this matter is absolutely for himself.  arnesen said he was unable to throw any light onto the problems that caused santini to quit after just 13 games in charge. he added:  jacques has never gone into exactly what it was. but i trust him in that; you have to accept it. i think we should respect it.   the plan is now that over the weekend we will have talks with the board and then on monday we will clarify the situation.  arnesen countered criticism at the timing of the announcement  coming less than 24 hours before tottenham s premiership fixture with charlton.  when it comes down to personal problems  i don t think we should talk about timing   he said. and he also denied reports that santini had been given a £3m pay-off.  that is absolute nonsense. he is the one who said  i will go  and so he went    said the spurs sporting director. tottenham s structure of having a sporting director working alongside a coach is based on a continental model and arnesen sees no reason why they should change it.   i have confidence in this structure. i am confident that we have started something here in july and i still have a lot of confidence in tottenham and what we are doing   he said. however  former spurs and england defender gary stevens said he would not be surprised if the system had caused a rift.  i think the problems go a lot deeper  between the director of football at white hart lane and santini   stevens told five live.  on paper they could have worked together. but frank arnesen was a very creative  forward-thinking and expansive player - whereas i think santini was very much the opposite  more a case of being organised  disciplined and happy not conceding goals.  that sort of arrangement can work if the two people have the same principles and ideals and work very closely. but it seems that has not happened.


chinese exports rise 25% in 2004 exports from china leapt during 2004 over the previous year as the country continued to show breakneck growth.  the spurt put china s trade surplus - a sore point with some of its trading partners - at a six-year high. it may also increase pressure on china to relax the peg joining its currency  the yuan  with the weakening dollar. the figures released by the ministry of commerce come as china s tax chief confirmed that growth had topped 9% in 2004 for the second year in a row. state administration of taxation head xie xuren said a tightening of controls on tax evasion had combined with the rapid expansion to produce a 25.7% rise in tax revenues to 2.572 trillion yuan ($311bn; £165bn).  according to the ministry of commerce  china s exports totalled $63.8bn in december  taking the annual total up 35.4% to $593.4bn. with imports rising a similar amount  the deficit rose to $43.4bn. the increased tax take comes despite healthy tax rebates for many exporters totalling 420bn yuan in 2004  according to mr xie. china s exporting success has made the trade deficit of the united states soar even further and made trade with china a sensitive political issue in washington. the peg keeping the yuan around 8.30 to the dollar is often blamed by us lawmakers for job losses at home. a us report issued on tuesday on behalf of a congressionally-mandated panel said almost 1.5 million posts disappeared between 1989 and 2003. the pace accelerated in the final three years of the period  said the report for the us-china economic and security review commission  moving out of labour-intensive industries and into more hi-tech sectors. the us s overall trade deficit with china was $124bn in 2003  and is expected to rise to about $150bn for 2004.


industrial revival hope for japan japanese industry is growing faster than expected  boosting hopes that the country s retreat back into recession is over.  industrial output rose 2.1% - adjusted for the time of year - in january from a month earlier. at the same time  retail sales picked up faster than at any time since 1997. the news sent tokyo shares to an eight-month high  as investors hoped for a recovery from the three quarters of contraction seen from april 2004 on. the nikkei 225 index ended the day up 0.7% at 11 740.60 points  with the yen strengthening 0.7% against the dollar to 104.53 yen. weaker exports  normally the engine for japan s economy in the face of weak domestic demand  had helped trigger a 0.1% contraction in the final three months of last year after two previous quarters of shrinking gdp. only an exceptionally strong performance in the early months of 2004 kept the year as a whole from showing a decline. the output figures brought a cautiously optimistic response from economic officials.  overall i see a low risk of the economy falling into serious recession   said bank of japan chief toshihiko fukui  despite warning that other indicators - such as the growth numbers - had been worrying.  within the overall industrial output figure  there were signs of a pullback from the export slowdown. among the best-performing sectors were key overseas sales areas such as cars  chemicals and electronic goods. with us growth doing better than expected the picture for exports in early 2005 could also be one of sustained demand. electronics were also one of the keys to the improved domestic market  with products such as flat-screen tvs in high demand during january.


security warning over  fbi virus  the us federal bureau of investigation is warning that a computer virus is being spread via e-mails that purport to be from the fbi.  the e-mails show that they have come from an fbi.gov address and tell recipients that they have accessed illegal websites. the messages warn that their internet use has been monitored by the fbi s internet fraud complaint center. an attachment in the e-mail contains the virus  the fbi said. the message asks recipients to click on the attachment and answer some questions about their internet use. but rather than being a questionnaire  the attachment contains a virus that infects the recipient s computer  according to the agency. it is not clear what the virus does once it has infected a computer. users are warned never to open attachment from unsolicited e-mails or from people they do not know.   recipients of this or similar solicitations should know that the fbi does not engage in the practice of sending unsolicited e-mails to the public in this manner   the fbi said in a statement. the bureau is investigating the phoney e-mails. the agency earlier this month shut down fbi.gov accounts  used to communicate with the public  because of a security breach. a spokeswoman said the two incidents appear to be unrelated.


brainwave  cap controls computer a team of us researchers has shown that controlling devices with the brain is a step closer.  four people  two of them partly paralysed wheelchair users  successfully moved a computer cursor while wearing a cap with 64 electrodes. previous research has shown that monkeys can control a computer with electrodes implanted into their brain. the new york team reported their findings in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences.  the results show that people can learn to use scalp-recorded electroencephalogram rhythms to control rapid and accurate movement of a cursor in two directions   said jonathan wolpaw and dennis mcfarlane. the research team  from new york state department of health and state university of new york in albany  said the research was another step towards people controlling wheelchairs or other electronic devices by thought.  the four people faced a large video screen wearing a special cap which  meant no surgery or implantation was needed.  brain activity produces electrical signals that can be read by electrodes. complex algorithms then translate those signals into instructions to direct the computer. such brain activity does not require the use of any nerves of muscles  so people with stroke or spinal cord injuries could use the cap effectively.  the impressive non-invasive multidimensional control achieved in the present study suggests that a non-invasive brain control interface could support clinically useful operation of a robotic arm  a motorised wheelchair or a neuroprosthesis   said the researchers. the four volunteers also showed that they could get better at controlling the cursor the more times they tried. although the two partially-paralysed people performed better overall  the researchers said this could be because their brains were more used to adapting or that they were simply more motivated. it is not the first time researchers have had this sort of success in brain-control experiments. some teams have used eye motion and other recording techniques. earlier this year  a team at the mit media labs europe demonstrated a wireless cap which read brain waves to control a computer character.


mccall earns tannadice reprieve dundee united manager ian mccall has won a reprieve from the sack  with chairman eddie thompson calling for an end to speculation over his future.  it is understood that mccall would have been sacked if sheffield wednesday manager paul sturrock had been willing to return to tannadice. but sturrock has distanced himself from the position.  we re in a difficult situation. we must get out of it through the efforts of current personnel   said thompson.  ian mccall and i have had a long and detailed talk about a number of areas including the current league position and the manner of the exit from the league cup   he added.  however  the continuing speculation is doing no one any good  especially as we have several crucial games coming up.  the minds of the coaching staff and the players have to be on those games and those games only.  our season would of course improve considerably if in the next few weeks we achieved some improved league results and there is also the potential of another cup semi-final  subject to the draw.   all that matters at the present time - is us all having a total focus on the games ahead and a positive series of results being achieved.  dundee united players had expressed their solidarity with mccall after their side s 3-0 scottish cup win over queen of the south.  we want the boss to stay  we don t want someone else coming in   said jim mcintyre.  hopefully now he gets the chance to stay.  keeper tony bullock echoed mcintyre s sentiments.  i think all the boys are behind ian mccall   he added.  at the moment it is all speculation and we have got to rise above all that and do a job on the pitch.   on saturday  sturrock insisted that he had unfinished business with wednesday  who are fourth in league one.  i ve only been here five months and i don t expect to be leaving very  very soon   he said.  i can appreciate the rumours because i ve emphasised my thoughts and ambitions to go back to dundee united.  i can assure you the timescale is not the right one.  it (dundee united) is my team. i had five years there as a coach  six as a player  two years as a manager - once you ve done that kind of thing  it s the result you look for.  the important thing now is i ve come here to do a job and i m going to try to finish it.


newcastle line up babayaro newcastle manager graeme souness is closing in on signing chelsea defender celestine babayaro when the transfer window reopens.  souness is bidding to bolster his defence and  according to reports  contract negotiations are at an advanced stage with the player. babayaro has been in the premiership since 1997 when he moved to chelsea for £2.25m from anderlecht. but the 26-year-old has been surplus to requirements this season. souness would not be drawn on specifics over individual players.  but he said:  all i can tell you is that the chairman has worked really hard in the last couple of months to try to do deals.  we have said from day one we want to strengthen  and that is what we are hoping to do in the coming weeks.


merritt close to indoor 400m mark teenager lashawn merritt ran the third fastest indoor 400m of all time at the fayetteville invitational meeting.  the world junior champion clocked 44.93 seconds to finish well clear of fellow american bershawn jackson in arkansas. only michael johnson has gone quicker  setting the world record of 44.63secs in 1995 and running 44.66secs in 1996. kenyan bernard lagat missed out on the world record by 1.45secs as he ran the third quickest indoor mile ever to beat canada s nate brannen by almost 10secs. the olympic silver medallist s time of three minutes 49.89secs was inferior only to the 1997 world record of moroccan hicham el guerrouj and former world record holder eamonn coghlan of ireland s 3:49.78. lagat was on course to break el guerrouj s record through 1200m but could not maintain the pace over the final 400m. ireland s  continued his excellent form by winning a tight 3 000m in 7:40.53. cragg  who recently defeated olympic 10 000m champion kenenisa bekele in boston  held off bekele s ethiopian colleague markos geneti by only 0.19secs to secure his victory. mark carroll  who will join cragg in the european indoor championships next month  finished a solid third in 7:46.78. olympic 200m gold medallist  of jamaica ran the fastest women s 60m in the world this year as she equalled her personal best of 7.09secs. world indoor 60m hurdles champion  also won  improving his season-leading time to 7.51secs.


s korean lender faces liquidation creditors of south korea s top credit card firm have said they will put the company into liquidation if its ex-parent firm fails to back a bail-out.  lg card s creditors have given lg group until wednesday to sign up to a $1.1bn rescue package. the firm avoided bankruptcy thanks to a $4.5bn bail-out in january 2004  which gave control to the creditors. lg group has said any package should reflect the firm s new ownership  and it will not accept an unfair burden. at least seven million people in south korea use lg card s plastic for purchases.  lg card s creditors have threatened parent group lg group with penalties if it fails to respond to their demands.   creditors would seek strong financial sanctions against lg group if lg card is liquidated   said yoo ji-chang  governor of korean development bank (kdb) - one of the card firm s major creditors. lg group has said providing further help to the credit card issuer could hurt its corporate credibility and could spark shareholder lawsuits. it says it wants  fair and reasonable guidelines  on splitting the financial burden with the creditors  who now own 99.3% of lg card. the creditors have asked the government to mediate to avoid any risk to the stability of financial markets  kdb said. analysts believe a compromise is likely.  lg group knows the impact on consumer demand and the national economy from a liquidation of lg card   said kim yungmin  an equity strategist at dongwon investment trust management.  lg card almost collapsed in 2003 due to an increase in overdue credit card bills after the bursting of a credit bubble. the firm returned to profit in september 2004  but now needs a capital injection to avoid being delisted from the korea stock exchange. the exchange can delist a company if its debt exceeds its assets for two years running. lg card s creditors fear that such a move would triggered massive debt redemption requests that could bankrupt the firm  which owes about $12.05bn.  eventually  lg group will have to participate  but they have been stalling to try to earn better concessions   said mr kim.


dawson wins england squad recall wasps scrum-half matt dawson has been recalled to england s training squad ahead of the rbs six nations and been reinstated in the elite player squad.  coach andy robinson dropped dawson for the autumn tests after he missed training to film  a question of sport.   i always said i would consider bringing matt back if i felt he was playing well   robinson said.  he merits his return on current form.  newcastle s 18-year-old centre mathew tait is also in the training squad.  it s obviously an honour to be asked to train with england   said tait  who has burst into contention recently.  i look forward to going down and doing the sessions  but the most important thing at the moment is sunday s game against newport  so i m not looking any further than that.  robinson has invited 42 players to attend a three-day session in leeds next week  in which his squad will train in part with the leeds rhinos rugby league squad.  with mike tindall ruled out of the opening two matches and will greenwood sidelined for the entire six nations  tait is one of six or seven contenders for the two centre berths. stuart abbott  jamie noon  ollie smith  olly barkley and henry paul - who retains his place despite his early substitution against australia - are also in the mix. ben cohen could also be considered after switching from the wing for his club northampton recently. prop phil vickery and lock simon shaw both return to the squad after missing the autumn tests through injury  while wasps wing tom voyce is recalled. the group also includes bath flanker andy beattie and leicester hooker george chuter.  beattie has matured greatly as a player these past two seasons   robinson said. jonny wilkinson  tindall and martin corry have all been included despite their unavailability for the opening two matches against wales and france.  the revised 56-man elite squad includes wasps hooker phil greening  who replaces the retired mark regan  and sale wing mark cueto. cueto was selected for the november internationals despite not being part of the group  but scored four tries in three england appearances. leicester scrum-half harry ellis has also been promoted from the senior national academy  and will contest the number nine jersey with dawson and gloucester s andy gomarsall. the players in robinson s elite squad can only play 32 matches for club and country. they can be called up for a total of 16 training days in addition to the recognised international weeks for each of the years leading up to the next world cup.  balshaw  cohen  cueto  lewsey  robinson  simpson-daniel  voyce  abbott  noon  paul  smith  tait  tindall  barkley  hodgson  king  wilkinson  dawson  ellis  gomarsall.  chuter  thompson  titterrell  rowntree  sheridan  stevens  vickery  white  borthwick  brown  l deacon  grewcock  kay  shaw  beattie  corry  forrester  hazell  jones  moody  vyvyan  j worsley.  abbott  balshaw  borthwick  a brown  chuter  cohen  corry  cueto  dawson  ellis  flatman  gomarsall  greening  greenwood  grewcock  hazell  hill  hodgson  kay  king  lewsey  moody  noon  paul  robinson  rowntree  shaw  simpson-daniel  thompson  tindall  titterrell  vickery  vyvyan  white  wilkinson  j worsley  m worsley.  barkley  beattie  christophers  l deacon  forrester  c jones  palmer  rees  sheridan  skinner  smith  stevens  tait  voyce.  dowson  haughton  monye  roques  p sanderson.


uk  risks breaking golden rule  the uk government will have to raise taxes or rein in spending if it wants to avoid breaking its  golden rule   a report suggests.  the rule states that the government can borrow cash only to invest  and not to finance its spending projects. the national institute of economic and social research (niesr) claims that taxes need to rise by about £10bn if state finances are to be put in order. the treasury said its plans were on track and funded until 2008. according to niesr  if the government s current economic cycle runs until march 2006 then it is  unlikely  the golden rule will be met. should the cycle end a year earlier  then the chances improve to  50/50 . either way  fiscal tightening is needed  niesr said.  the report is the latest to call into question the viability of government spending projections. earlier this month  accountancy firm ernst & young said that chancellor of the exchequer gordon brown s forecasts for tax revenues were too optimistic.  it claimed revenues were likely to be £6bn below estimates by the end of the tax year despite the economy growing in line with forecasts. a treasury spokesperson dismissed the latest claims  saying it was  on track to meeting spending rules and the golden rule in the current cycle and beyond .  spending plans have been set out until 2008 and they are fully affordable.  other than its warning on possible tax hikes  the niesr report was optimistic about the state of the uk and global economy.  it said the recent record-busting surge in oil prices would have a limited effect on worldwide expansion  saying that if anything the  world economy will continue to grow strongly . global gross domestic product (gdp) is tipped to be 4.1% this year  dipping to 4% in 2005  before picking up again to 4.2% in 2006. the us will continue to drive expansion until 2006  albeit at a slightly slower rate  as will be the case in japan. hinting at better times for uk exporters  niesr said the euro zone  is expected to pick up speed .  growth in britain also is set to accelerate  it forecast.  despite weak growth in the third quarter  the forces sustaining the upswing remain intact and the economy will expand robustly in 2005 and 2006   niesr said  adding that  the economy will become better balanced over the next two years as exports stage a recovery . gdp is expected at 3.2% in 2004  and 2.8% in both 2005 and 2006. the main cloud on the horizon  niesr said  was the uk s much analysed and fretted over property market.


california sets fines for spyware the makers of computer programs that secretly spy on what people do with their home pcs could face hefty fines in california.  from 1 january  a new law is being introduced to protect computer users from software known as spyware. the legislation  which was approved by governor arnold schwarzenegger  is designed to safeguard people from hackers and help protect their personal information. spyware is considered by computer experts to be one of the biggest nuisance and security threats facing pc users in the coming year. the software buries itself in computers and can collect a wide range of information. at its worst  it has the ability to hijack personal data  like passwords  login details and credit card numbers. the programs are so sophisticated they change frequently and become impossible to eradicate.  one form of spyware called adware has the ability to collect information on a computer user s web-surfing. it can result in people being bombarded with pop-up ads that are hard to close. in washington  congress has been debating four anti-spyware bills  but california is a step ahead. the state s consumer protection against spyware act bans the installation of software that takes control of another computer. it also requires companies and websites to disclose whether their systems will install spyware. consumers are able to seek up to $1 000 in damages if they think they have fallen victim to the intrusive software. the new law marks a continuing trend in california towards tougher privacy rights. a recent survey by earthlink and webroot found that 90% of pcs are infested with the surreptitious software and that  on average  each one is harbouring 28 separate spyware programs. currently users wanting protection from spyware have turned to free programs such as spybot and ad-aware.


scotland v italy (sat) murrayfield  edinburgh  saturday  26 february  1400 gmt  bbc1  five live and this website  victory for the azzurri in rome last year saw scotland end their campaign without a victory. and the pressure is on scotland coach matt williams as he seeks a first six nations victory at the eighth attempt. italy have lost both their opening games at home to ireland and wales  but travel to edinburgh with high hopes.  their coach john kirwan has warned his side they must eradicate the errors that blighted their loss to wales however or risk suffering a third successive defeat.  if the defeat against wales has taught us anything  it s that at this level we can t make any mistakes   kirwan said.  in the six nations  every error you make will come at a high price.  we have to be aggressive for 80 minutes  keep calm in every situation and display great maturity on the pitch.   it will be fundamental to keep cool in the difficult moments - in the key situations of the game.  kirwan has recalled the experienced cristian stoica at centre and drafted in david dal maso at open-side after star flanker mauro bergamasco was ruled out for the rest of the tournament. scotland have also made two changes  simon webster replacing simon danielli on the wing and simon taylor returning for his first test in a year  for injured flanker jason white. taylor s recovery from a serious knee injury is a major boost to scottish hopes.  he is one of the world-class players in the tournament and you want them in your team   acknowledged williams.  despite a record of only two victories from 14 tests  williams insists he is revelling in the pressure.  i actually really enjoy seeing how you cope with such pressure as a coach   he said  optimistic despite opening defeats to france and ireland.  we were confident for those two first games and we are confident we can beat italy too   he added.  : c paterson; s webster  a craig  h southwell  s lamont; d parks  c cusiter; t smith  g bulloch (capt)  g kerr; s grimes  s murray; s taylor  j petrie  a hogg.  r russell  b douglas  n hines  j dunbar  m blair  g ross  b hinshelwood.  r de marigny; mirco bergamasco  c stoica  a masi  l nitoglia; l orquera  a troncon; a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni; s dellape  m bortolami (capt); a persico  d dal maso  s parisse.  g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  s orlando  p griffen  r pedrazzi  kp robertson.


lions blow to world cup stars british and irish lions coach clive woodward says he is unlikely to select any players not involved in next year s rbs six nations championship.  world cup winners lawrence dallaglio  neil back and martin johnson had all been thought to be in the frame for next summer s tour to new zealand.  i don t think you can ever say never   said woodward.  but i would have to have a compulsive reason to pick any player who is not available to international rugby.  dallaglio  back and johnson have all retired from international rugby over the last 12 months but continue to star for their club sides. but woodward added:  the key thing that i want to stress is that i intend to use the six nations and the players who are available to international rugby as the key benchmark.  my job  along with all the other senior representatives  is to make sure that we pick the strongest possible team.  if you are not playing international rugby then it s still a step up to test rugby. it s definitely a disadvantage.   i think it s absolutely critical and with the history of the lions we have got to take players playing for the four countries.  woodward also revealed that the race for the captaincy was still wide open.  it is an open book   he said.  there are some outstanding candidates from all four countries.  and following the all blacks  impressive displays in europe in recent weeks  including a 45-6 humiliation of france  woodward believes the three-test series in new zealand will provide the ultimate rugby challenge.  their performance in particular against france was simply awesome   said the lions coach.  certain things have been suggested about the potency of their front five  but they re a very powerful unit.  with his customary thoroughness  woodward revealed he had taken soundings from australia coach eddie jones and jake white of south africa following their tour matches in britain and ireland.  as a result  woodward stressed his lions group might not be dominated by players from england and ireland and held out hope for the struggling scots.  scotland s recent results have not been that impressive but there have been some excellent individual performances.  eddie in particular told me how tough they had made it for australia and i will take on board their opinions.  and scotland forward simon taylor looks certain to get the call  provided he recovers from knee and tendon problems.  i took lessons from 2001 in that they did make a mistake in taking lawrence dallaglio when he wasn t fit and went on the trip.  every player has to be looked at on their own merits and simon taylor is an outstanding player and i have no doubts that if he gets back to full fitness he will be on the trip.  i am told he should be back playing by march and he has plenty of time to prove his fitness for the lions - and there are other players like richard hill in the same boat.


giving financial gifts to children your child or grandchild may want the latest toy this christmas  but how about giving them a present that will help their financial future   gifts of the financial variety might have a longer lasting impact. it may encourage children to save or start a fund which could count towards university costs  for example.  the government is trying to encourage saving at an early age  through its new child trust fund. the first vouchers  worth £250 or £500 for low-income families  will be distributed from january. all children born after 1st september 2002 will be eligible. parents will need to decide which financial institution will manage this gift in time for the start of the scheme in april 2005.  parents and relatives will be able to top up the fund with up to £1 200 a year  which will grow free of income and capital gains tax. as the child trust fund will not be in force in time for christmas  relatives could invest their gifts in a higher rate children s deposit account  and use this as a feeder fund.  there are accounts designed to start children off in the savings habit and they often pay a higher rate of interest. some of the best instant-access accounts currently available include the ladybird account from the saffron walden building society  paying 5.35% for a minimum balance of £1 and the alliance & leicester firstsaver which pays 5.25%  also starting at £1.  interest earned by children is subject to income tax. however  children  like adults  have a personal income tax allowance (£4 745 for the current tax year).  if the account holds money gifted by friends and relatives - but not parents - any interest earned from the savings account may be set against the allowance. as long as the total amount of interest falls within the allowance  then no tax will be payable. when the account is opened a form  r85   available from the bank or building society  should be completed. this confirms that the account holder is a non-taxpayer and allows interest to be received without the deduction of income tax.  the tax rules are different for parents who save on behalf of a child. only £100 of interest (per parent) can be tax-free. where interest exceeds this level  the whole of the interest will be taxed on the parent. this is to prevent parents from holding their own cash savings in their children s names and taking advantage of the tax allowances. where both parents and other relatives are saving on behalf of a child  consideration should be given to opening separate accounts - one for parents  gifts and one for gifts from other relatives. therefore  it may be preferable for parents to contribute to the child trust fund which is tax free  with any gifts from relatives that take the total above the annual £1 200 limit being directed to a deposit account.  another favourite solution is premium bonds. with the promise of riches far greater than a mere deposit account  they make great presents. the parent or guardian will be responsible for the bonds and will receive notification of the purchase. any prizes will be sent to the parent or child s guardian. the minimum for each purchase is £100 and bonds are sold in multiples of £10.  there are gift opportunities beyond cash accounts and these should not be ignored.  over the longer term  stock market funds have outperformed other types of investment  although in the shorter term they can be volatile. one of the benefits of investing for children is that investment is generally for the longer term - more than ten years - which helps to reduce the risks associated with investing in shares. one way to spread the risk is to invest in the stock market through a unit or investment trust. these are pooled investment funds which give access to a wide range of shares. these funds may be actively managed  where a fund manager picks individual stocks based on a view of their future potential  or passive  where a manager invests in all the shares that comprise a stock market index  for example  the ftse 100. exchange traded funds offer an alternative way to track a stock market. these are single shares that give the return of an underlying index (so are really another form of tracker). the difference is that the charges are quite low. the only drawback with all financial gifts is that the children gain an absolute right to the money at age 18  and parents will have no control over how it is spent. for larger gifts it may be worthwhile taking professional advice on the establishment of a suitable trust that will allow ongoing control over the capital and income.


movie body targets children s pcs the body that represents the us movie industry has released its latest tool in its campaign to clamp down on movie file-sharing  aimed at parents.  the movie association for america s (mpaa) free parent file scan software lets parents check their children s computers for peer-to-peer programs. it will also list all movie and music files they have on their hard drive. parents then have the choice to remove programs and files. the mpaa said files found would not be passed on to it.  our ultimate goal is to help consumers locate the resources and information they need to make appropriate decisions about using and trading illegal files   said dan glickman  mpaa chief.  many parents are concerned about what their children have downloaded and where they ve downloaded it from.   but some computer users who had tested the latest software reported on some technology sites that the program had identified windows default wav files as copyrighted material and wanted to delete them. movie piracy cost the industry £3.7bn ($7bn) in 2003  according to analysts. the mpaa said in a statement that it would continue to provide easy access to similar tools in the coming months to combat  the deleterious effects of peer-to-peer software  including such common problems as viruses  trojan horses and identity theft .  mr glickman said that the film industry was embracing  digital age technologies   like movielink and cinemanow  which are legal movie sites.  but legal services such as these need a chance to grow and thrive without having to compete against illegitimate operations that depend on stolen property to survive   he added. the industry body also said it had launched a second round of legal action against online movie-swappers across the us  but did not say how many were being sued. its first set of lawsuits were filed in november 2004. it also started a campaign against operators of bittorrent  edonkey and directconnect peer-to-peer networks. the first convictions for peer-to-peer piracy were handed out in the us in january. william trowbridge and michael chicoine pleaded guilty to charges that they infringed copyright by illegally sharing music  movies and software.


wenger signs new deal arsenal manager arsene wenger has signed a new contract to stay at the club until may 2008.  wenger has ended speculation about his future by agreeing a long-term contract that takes him beyond the opening of arsenal s new stadium in two years. he said:  signing a new contract just rubber-stamps my desire to take this club forward and fulfil my ambitions.  i still have so much to achieve and my target is to drive this club on. these are exciting times for arsenal.   the 55-year-old frenchman told arsenal s website www.arsenal.com:  my intention has always been clear. i love this club and am very happy here.  wenger has won the title and the fa cup three times each during his reign. chairman peter hill-wood said:  we are absolutely delighted that arsene has signed an extension to his contract.  since his arrival in 1996  he has revolutionised the club both on and off the pitch.  as well as the six major honours he s won during his time here  arsene has been a leading influence behind all the major initiatives at the club including the construction of our new training centre and also our new stadium.   the club has continued to reap the benefits of arsene s natural eye for unearthing footballing talent.  we currently have a fantastic crop of young players coming through the ranks together with a number of world-class players who are playing a wonderful brand of football.  meanwhile  arsenal director danny fiszman is looking for wenger to stay beyond 2008.  when we come towards the end of his contract we will both review the situation. i m sure we will want him to stay on and i hope he will too   said fiszman.


deutsche attacks yukos case german investment bank deutsche bank has challenged the right of yukos to claim bankruptcy protection in the us.  in a court filing on tuesday  it said the russian oil giant has few texas ties beyond bank accounts and a texas-based finance chief. deutsche bank claimed yukos had artificially manufactured a legal case to stop the sale of its main asset. it had wanted to help fund gazprom s plans for a $10bn (£5.18bn) bid for yukos unit yuganskneftegas.  deutsche bank would have earned large fees from the deal  which could not be carried out because us chapter 11 bankruptcy rules made the kremlin s auction of yuganskneftegas on 19 december illegal under us law.  but the us bankruptcy court judge in texas granted yukos an injunction that barred gazprom and its lenders from taking part. yuganskneftegas will ultimately end up with gazprom. the winning bidder at the auction was a previously unknown firm  baikal finance group  which was snapped up days later by rosneft  a russian oil firm that is in the process of merging with gazprom. the effect of these transactions is to renationalise yuganskneftegas. deutsche bank contends yukos filed for bankruptcy earlier this month in texas in a desperate and unsuccessful bid to stave off the 19 december auction of its top unit by the russian government  which was in a tax dispute with yukos.   this blatant attempt to artificially manufacture a basis for jurisdiction constitutes cause to dismiss this case   deutsche bank said in its court filing. mike lake  a spokesman for yukos  lawyers  said on tuesday that the company stands by its legal action. yukos is confident of its right to us bankruptcy protection  and  we are prepared to be back in court defending that position again   he said. yukos has said it intends to seek $20bn in damages from the buyer of yuganskneftegas once the sale finally goes through. in its filing  deutsche bank said houston was  a jurisdiction in which yukos owns no real or personal property and conducts no business operations.   it also said the us bankruptcy court should not become involved in  a tax dispute between the federation and one of its corporate citizens . it suggested the european court or an international arbitration tribunal were more appropriate jurisdictions for the legal fight between russia and yukos. the next hearing in the bankruptcy is expected on 6 january. analysts believe the tax dispute between the russian government and yukos is partly driven by russian president vladimir putin s hostility hostility to the political ambitions of ex-yukos boss mikhail khordokovsky. mr khodorkovsky is in jail  and on trial for fraud and tax evasion.


collins to compete in birmingham world and commonwealth 100m champion kim collins will compete in the 60m at the norwich union grand prix in birmingham on 18 february.  the st kitts and nevis star joins british olympic relay gold medallists jason gardener and mark lewis-francis. sydney olympic 100m champion and world indoor record holder maurice greene and athens olympic 100m silver medallist francis obikwelu will also take part. collins ran in birmingham at the 2003 world indoor championships.  i m looking forward to competing against such a strong field   he said.  i got a great reception form the crowd at the nia when i won my 60m world indoor silver medal in 2003 and it will be really exciting to return to this venue.  the world champion says he s in good shape but he isn t underestimating the home competition.  jason gardener and mark lewis-francis are olympic gold medallists now and i m sure they ll be aiming to win in front of their home supporters.  i m looking forward to competing against britain s best sprinters and i m sure the 60 metres will be one of the most exciting races of the evening.  collins was sixth in the olympic final in athens but is hoping for a better result at the world championships in finland this summer.  this will be a big year for me and i plan to defend my 100m world title in helsinki in august. before then i want to perform well over 60m indoors and start my year in winning form.


mexicans tracking unhappy juninho mexican outfit red sharks veracruz hope to sign juninho if the brazilian decides to leave celtic frustrated at his lack of first-team action.  their president  gustavo parente sanchez  says juninho  does not wish to remain in scottish football anymore . agent brian hassell insists that the 31-year-old brazilian midfielder is determined to win back his place.  but  if the manager is not going to pick him  that s a different ball game   he told the sun.  that s something we d have to look at. juninho deserves respect. he is not a little kid.  hassell warns that juninho could reconsider his future at celtic unless he is given a run of games by the end of the january transfer window.  juninho was signed from middlesbrough during the summer  but he has failed to live up to high expectations and has lost his place to 18-year-old aiden mcgeady.  he has 50 caps for brazil and he s the best signing celtic ever made   insisted hassell.  he wants to play for martin o neill  but does martin o neill want to play him   juninho is not someone who has come through the celtic ranks. he deserves much more respect.  sanchez is bullish about his hopes of prising juninho from the scottish champions  although hassell believes mexico would not be his preferred destination.  we have already spoken with juninho and he said  if he has no firm offer from a club in spain  veracruz will be his destination   sanchez told his club s official website. celtic manager o neill is no respecter of reputations.  the onus is on juninho to force his way into the team   he said.  players get a game on merit. that s the way it has always been and that is certainly the case at celtic park.


kraft cuts snack ads for children kraft plans to cut back on advertising of products like oreo cookies and sugary kool-aid drinks as part of an effort to promote healthy eating.  the largest us food maker will also add a label to its more nutritional and low-fat brands to promote the benefits. kraft rival pepsico began a similar labelling initiative last year. the moves come as the firms face criticism from consumer groups concerned at rising levels of obesity in us children. major food manufacturers have recently been reformulating the content of some calorie-heavy products.  kraft s new advertising policy  which covers advertising on tv  radio and in print publications  is aimed at children between the ages of six and 11. it means commercials for some of its most famous snacks and cereals shown during early morning cartoon shows on tv will now be replaced by food and drink qualifying for kraft s new  sensible solution  label. but the firm said it would continue to advertise all its products in media seen by parents and  all family  audiences.  we re working on ways to encourage both adults and children to eat wisely by selecting more nutritionally balanced diets   said lance friedmann  kraft senior vice president.


old firm pair handed suspensions celtic s henri camara and nacho novo of rangers have both been suspended for offences missed by the referee in a recent old firm game.  both were given automatic one-match bans and 12 additional disciplinary points for their actions. that means novo will miss a further two games because of his prior record. camara will miss one additional game. novo was found guilty of stamping on celtic s stephen pearson. camara was punished for kicking gregory vignal.  i m extremely disappointed. i don t know if there s a lot to add to that   said rangers manager alex mcleish of novo s punishment.  but what i will say is that i m at a loss as to why that incident should be picked up and highlighted when there were so many other incidents during the game.  both players will miss this weekend s games when celtic host dundee united and rangers visit kilmarnock unless they decide to appeal.  the additional bans come into effect from 28 december meaning camara will also be unavailable for the home game against livingston while novo will miss the meetings with dundee united and dunfermline. an sfa spokesman said:  they have seven days to appeal but with matches coming along at the weekend they would need to do so before friday.  but if they do appeal it won t be heard before this weekend because it takes a bit of time to seat up an appeals tribunal.  meanwhile  bob malcolm and rangers have been informed by letter as to the outcome of the hearing regarding his reaction to rangers being awarded a penalty in the same game. malcolm  a substitute on the day  was taken from the rangers dug-out and spoken to by police about an alleged gesture he made. but the sfa would not detail what  if any  punishment malcolm would receive.  once rangers receive our letter we will be in a position to make a comment on the findings   added the spokesman.


dogged federer claims dubai crown world number one roger federer added the dubai championship trophy to his long list of successes - but not before he was given a test by ivan ljubicic.  top seed federer looked to be on course for a easy victory when he thumped the eighth seed 6-1 in the first set. but ljubicic  who beat tim henman in the last eight  dug deep to secure the second set after a tense tiebreak. swiss star federer was not about to lose his cool  though  turning on the style to win the deciding set 6-3. the match was a re-run of last week s final at the world indoor tournament in rotterdam  where federer triumphed  but not until ljubicic had stretched him all the way.  i really wanted to get off to a good start this time  and i did  and i could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm   federer said.   that took me all the way through to 6-1 3-1 0-30 on his serve and i almost ran away with it. but he came back  and that was a good effort on his side.  ljubicic was at a loss to explain his poor showing in the first set.  i didn t start badly  but then suddenly i felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying a little bit too much. and with roger  if you relax for a second it just goes very quick   he said.  after those first three games it was no match at all. i don t know  it was really weird. i was playing really well the whole year  and then suddenly i found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court.  but despite his defeat  the world number 14 was pleased with his overall performance.  i had a chance in the third  and for me it s really positive to twice in two weeks have a chance against roger to win the match.  it s an absolutely great boost to my confidence that i m up there and belong with top-class players.


taylor poised for scotland return simon taylor has been named in the scotland squad for saturday s six nations clash with italy.  the 25-year-old number eight made a scoring return for edinburgh at the weekend - his first game in a year for the capital side. taylor suffered knee ligament damage playing against ireland in dublin in the 2004 six nations championship.  simon is one of scotland s truly world class players so it is a huge bonus   said team-mate chris paterson.  he brings a whole new dimension to us  especially in defence and his ability to slow the opposition ball down could be key against italy if he is involved.  taylor has turned out for english side saracens in recent weeks during a short-term loan to improve his fitness.  edinburgh were not in action during the first two weeks of this season s six nations. so taylor played the last 20 minutes of saracens  win over northampton and then 40 minutes in a friendly against south african super 12 side the cats. scotland coach matt williams is due to name his match-day 22 on thursday. both scotland and italy have lost their opening two six nations games and  just like last season s encounter which italy won  this weekend s game could turn out to be a battle to avoid the wooden spoon.  - m blair (edinburgh)  a craig (glasgow)  c cusiter (borders)  s danielli (borders)  m di rollo (edinburgh)  a henderson (glasgow)  b hinshelwood (worcester)  r lamont (glasgow)  s lamont (glasgow)  d parks (glasgow)  c paterson (edinburgh)  g ross (leeds)  h southwell (edinburgh)  s webster (edinburgh)  - r beattie (northampton)  g bulloch (glasgow  capt)  b douglas (borders)  j dunbar (leeds)  i fullarton (saracens)  s grimes (newcastle)  n hines (edinburgh)  a hogg (edinburgh)  g kerr (leeds)  n lloyd (saracens)  s murray (edinburgh)  j petrie (glasgow)  r russell (london irish)  c smith (edinburgh)  t smith (northampton)  s taylor (edinburgh)  j white (sale).


us in eu tariff chaos trade row the us has asked the world trade organisation to investigate european union customs tariffs  which it says are inconsistent and hamper trade.  the eu s own institutions have noted the uneven way eu customs rules are applied but failed to act  the us trade representative s office said. small and mid-sized us firms were worst-hit  it added. the eu expanded from 15 to 25 member states in may. the us said it filed the complaint after talks failed to find a solution.  the move came in the same week that the us and eu stepped back from confrontation in a tense dispute over aircraft subsidies to european manufacturer airbus and us firm boeing. new eu trade commissioner peter mandelson said on tuesday that the two sides had agreed to reopen talks in the aircraft subsidies row  which led to tit-for-tat wto filings in last autumn.  explaining why it has asked the wto to set up a dispute settlement panel on customs barriers  the us trade representative s office said that it wants to tackle the issue  early in the eu s process of dealing with the problems of enlargement . ten countries  mostly in eastern europe  joined the eu in may. the us said its trade with the 25 eu member countries was worth $155.2bn (£82.8bn) in 2003.  although the eu is a customs union  there is no single eu customs administration   a statement issued on behalf of robert zoellick  us trade representative  said. lack of uniformity  coupled with lack of procedures for prompt eu-wide review can hinder us exports  especially for small to mid-sized businesses   an eu spokesman in washington dismissed the us complaint.  we think the us case is very weak. they haven t come up with any evidence that us companies are being harmed   said anthony gooch. it could take several months for the wto s dispute settlement panel to report its findings.


record fails to lift lacklustre meet yelena isinbayeva may have produced another world pole vault record  but her achievement could not hide the fact it was not the best meet we have ever seen in birmingham.  and hey  there are not many meets that go by without the russian breaking a world record.  apparently  isinbayeva has cleared five metres in training and i would just love her to put us out of our misery and have a go at it rather than extending the indoor record by one centimetre at a time. athletics to me is all about pushing the barriers and being the best you can  and i would like to see her have a go at 5m in competition. mind you  every time she breaks the record she gets $30 000 so she can afford to be deliberate about it. world records aside  i thought it was a very encouraging evening s work for kelly holmes. she looked good and was very positive. agnes samaria  who came second  is in very good shape and is in the world s top three 800m runners this season. yes  samaria let kelly get away  but there was no coming back over the last 200m as kelly dominated the race  so beating samaria is a bit of a benchmark for kelly. my gut feeling is that kelly would like to run in the european indoor championships  but she just hasn t convinced herself she is fit enough to do so. on the other hand  i think jason gardener is struggling to come near what is going to be required to win the men s 60m in madrid. he started well in the final but still could not stay with the front-runners. jason has a lot of experience indoors but for some reason he is struggling to maintain his pace through to the finish.  it would have been nice to see what mark lewis-francis could have done in the final  if only he hadn t got himself disqualified. he was blatantly playing the false-start game to his advantage  but it tripped him up and made him look a bit silly. my view is you re meant to go when the gun goes and not before. and if you try to unsettle your rivals by employing the false-start tactic you have to remember not to false start yourself again. having said that  mark is looking in much better shape. but i haven t seen anything from mark or jason yet which suggests france s ronald pognon - who has run 6.45 seconds - will be under threat at the europeans. from a british point of view  sarah claxton s victory in the 60m hurdles was the best thing to come out of the meet.  something else that probably went unnoticed was melanie purkiss winning the women s national 400m race in a new personal best of 52.98 seconds. aaas champion kim wall came second in another lifetime best so we have a very strong 4x400m squad going to the european championships. scotland s lee mcconnell is probably going to run too  so we have a real prospect of a medal. from an international perspective  i thought meseret defar was disappointing in the 3 000m  but i don t think the pace-making was great. canadian heather hennigar set a fast early pace but could not maintain it and if jo pavey had been in last year s shape she would have given defar a real run for her money. she had a go but just could not hang in there. we were also expecting a bit more from bernard lagat in the men s 1500m. but he has only just come over from the usa  so he may not be that sharp and i still think he is in great shape. as for kenenisa bekele  he was well beaten by markos geneti. but we only had half expectations for bekele as he has been struggling this season. it was very hot in the national indoor arena and i felt uncomfortable in the commentary box. i think those conditions affected the distance runners and in fact defar complained to her coach after the race that she could not get her breath properly.


games win for blu-ray dvd format the next-generation dvd format blu-ray is winning more supporters than its rival  according to its backers.  blu-ray  backed by 100 firms including sony  is competing against toshiba and nec-backed hd-dvd to be the format of choice for future films and games. the blu-ray association said on thursday that games giants electronic arts and vivendi would both support its dvd format. the next generation of dvds will hold high-definition video and sound. this offers incredible 3d-like quality of pictures which major hollywood studios and games publishers are extremely keen to exploit in the coming year. in a separate press conference at the consumer electronics show in las vegas  toshiba announced that dvd players for its technology would be on the market by the end of 2005.   as we move from standard definition video images to high-definition images  we have a much greater need for storage   richard doherty  from panasonic s hollywood laboratories  one of the pioneers of blu-ray  told the bbc news website.  so by utilising blue laser-based technology we can make an optical laser disc that can hold six times as much as today s dvd.  a blu-ray disc will be able to store 50gb of high-quality data  while toshiba s hd-dvd will hold 30gb. mr doherty added that it was making sure the discs could satisfy all high-definition needs  including the ability to record onto the dvds and smaller discs to fit into camcorders. both toshiba and blu-ray are hopeful that the emerging dvd format war  akin to the betamax and vhs fight in the 1980s  can be resolved over the next year when next-generation dvd players start to come out. when players do come out  they will be able to play standard dvds too  which is good news for those who have huge libraries of current dvds.  but the support from vivendi and electronics arts is a big boost to blu-ray in the battle for supremacy.  gaming is a $20 billion industry worldwide  so is as crucial as the film industry in terms of money to be made.  the technical requirement for game development today demands more advanced optical-disc technologies   said michael heilmann  chief technology officer for vivendi universal.  blu-ray offers the capacity  performance and high-speed internet connectivity to take us into the future of gaming.  ea  a leading games developer and publisher  added that the delivery of high-definition games of the future was vital and blu-ray had the capacity  functionality and interactivity needed for the kinds of projects it was planning. sony recently announced it would be using the technology in its next generation of playstations. mr doherty said gamers were  ravenous  for high-quality graphics and technology for the next generation of titles.  gamers  especially those working on pcs  are always focused on more capacity to deliver textures  deeper levels  for delivering higher-resolution playback.   he added:  the focus for games moving forward on increased immersion.   gaming companies really like to focus on creating a world which involves creating complicated 3d models and textures and increasing the resolution  increasing the frame rate - all of these are part of getting a more immersive experience.  fitting these models on current dvd technologies means compressing the graphics so much that much of this quality is lost. as games move to more photo-real capability  the current technology is limiting.  they are thrilled at the advanced capacity to start to build these immersive environments   said mr doherty. currently  graphics-intensive pc games also require multiple discs for installation. high-definition dvds will cut down on that need. likewise  consoles rely on single discs  so dvds that can hold six times more data mean much better  high-resolution games. blu-ray has already won backing from major hollywood studios  such as mgm studios  disney  and buena vista  as well as top technology firms like dell  lg  samsung and phillips amongst others. while toshiba s hd-dvd technology has won backing from paramount  universal and warner bros.  the real world benefits (of hd-dvd) are apparent and obvious   said jim cardwell  president of warner home video. mr cardwell added that rapid time to market and dependability were significant factors in choosing to go with hd-dvd. both formats are courting microsoft to be the format of choice for the next generation xbox  but discussions are still on-going. next generation dvds will also be able to store images and other data. ces is the largest consumer electronics show in the world  and runs from 6 to 9 january.


sony psp tipped as a  must-have  sony s playstation portable is the top uk gadget for 2005  according to a round-up of ultimate gizmos compiled by stuff magazine.  it beats the ipod into second place in the top ten essentials list which predicts what gadget-lovers are likely to covet this year. owning all 10 gadgets will set the gadget lover back £7 455. that is £1 000 cheaper than last year s list due to falling manufacturing costs making gadgets more affordable.  portable gadgets dominate the list  including sharp s 902 3g mobile phone  the pentax optio sv digital camera and samsung s yepp yh-999 video jukebox.   what this year s essentials shows is that gadgets are now cheaper  sexier and more indispensable than ever. we ve got to the point where we can t live our lives without certain technology   said adam vaughan  editor of stuff essentials. the proliferation of gadgets in our homes is inexorably altering the role of the high street in our lives thinks mr vaughan.  take digital cameras  who would now pay to develop an entire film of photos  or legitimate downloads  who would travel miles to a record shop when they could download the song in minutes for 70p   he asks. next year will see a new set of technologies capturing the imaginations of gadget lovers  stuff predicts. the xbox 2  high-definition tv and mp3 mobiles will be among the list of must-haves that will dominate 2006  it says. the spring launch of the psp in the uk is eagerly awaited by gaming fans.


angry williams rejects criticism serena williams has angrily rejected claims that she and sister venus are a declining force in tennis.  the sisters ended last year without a grand slam title for the first time since 1998. but serena denied their challenge was fading  saying:  that s not fair - i m tired of not saying anything.  we ve been practising hard. we ve had serious injuries. i ve had surgery and after  i got to the wimbledon final. i don t know many who have done that.  while serena is through to the australian open semi-finals  venus went out in the fourth round  meaning she has not gone further than the last eight in her last five grand slam appearances. but serena added:  venus had a severe strain in her stomach. i actually had the same injury  but i didn t tear it the way she did.   if i would have torn it  i wouldn t have been here.  she played a player (alicia molik) that just played out of her mind and venus made some errors that she probably shouldn t have made.  serena also said people tended to forget the impact the 2003 murder of sister yetunde price had had on the family.  to top it off  we have a very  very  very  very  very close family  serena continued.  to be in some situation that we ve been placed in in the past little over a year  it s not easy to come out and just perform at your best when you realize there are so many things that are so important.  so  no  we re not declining. we re here. i don t have to win this tournament to prove anything. i know that i m out here and i know that i m one of the best players out here.


speech takes on search engines a scottish firm is looking to attract web surfers with a search engine that reads out results.  called speegle  it has the look and feel of a normal search engine  with the added feature of being able to read out the results. scottish speech technology firm cec systems launched the site in november. but experts have questioned whether talking search engines are of any real benefit to people with visual impairments.  the edinburgh-based firm cec has married speech technology with ever-popular internet search. the ability to search is becoming increasingly crucial to surfers baffled by the huge amount of information available on the web.  according to search engine ask jeeves  around 80% of surfers visit search engines as their first port of call on the net. people visiting speegle can select one of three voices to read the results of a query or summarise news stories from sources such as the bbc and reuters.  it is still a bit robotic and can make a few mistakes but we are never going to have completely natural sounding voices and it is not bad   said speegle founder gordon renton.  the system is ideal for people with blurred vision or for those that just want to search for something in the background while they do something else.  we are not saying that it will be suitable for totally blind people  although the royal national institute of the blind (rnib) is looking at the technology   he added. but julie howell  digital policy manager at the rnib  expressed doubts over whether speegle and similar sites added anything to blind people s experience of the web.  there are a whole lot of options like this springing up on the web and one has to think carefully about what the market is going to be   she said.  blind people have specialised screen readers available to them which will do the job these technologies do in a more sophisticated way   she added.  the site uses a technology dubbed panavox  which takes web text and converts it into synthesised speech. in the past speech technology has only been compatible with broadband because of the huge files it downloads but cec says its compression technology means it will also work on slower dial-up connections. visitors to speegle may notice that the look and feel of the site bears more than a passing resemblance to the better known  if silent  search engine google. google has no connection with speegle and the use of bright colours is simply to make the site more visible for those with visual impairments  said mr renton.  it is not a rip-off. we are doing something that google does not do and is not planning to do and there is truth in the saying that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery   he said. speegle is proving popular with those learning english in countries such as japan and china.  the site is bombarded by people just listening to the words. the repetition could be useful although they may all end up talking like robots   said mr renton.


cheaper chip for mobiles a mobile phone chip which combines a modem and a computer processor on one bit of silicon instead of two could make phones cheaper and more powerful.  the specially-designed chip  developed by texas instruments  could drive down the cost of making mobiles capable of 3d gaming and 30-frame-a-second video. currently  rich multimedia features tend to be on more expensive handsets. the technology  omap-vox  is being tested by firms in europe and asia and could appear by the end of the year. texas  which makes computer chips for more than half the world s mobile phones  said it was keen to make multimedia functions like video and gaming more affordable.  we re going to drive them down into meat-and-potatoes phones that have the largest market share   said doug rasor  a marketing vice president at texas. the chip also uses much less power than conventional chips  said texas  which means less strain on mobile battery life.  more than 50 million people own a mobile in the uk  but mobile operators are keen to encourage people to move onto more sophisticated handsets that can do more. texas is keen to cash in on the third generation (3g) of mobile technology  which offers high-speed networks for video streaming and other multimedia functions. but it faces stiff competition from the likes of intel which is also looking to provide better chips for high-end mobiles.  competition to get people using 3g mobiles will grow in the next year as almost all of the uk s operators have now launched third generation networks. a recent survey by sony ericsson predicted that the number of 3g handsets sold in 2005 would double from 2004 to account for 10% of all phones sold. many consumers are still to be convinced though. a further recent survey said that only 4% of mobile owners were thinking of upgrading to 3g phones. many said they were confused about the different ways to pay for phones and the vast array of features most have onboard.  but there will be continued demand for better chips as the industry continues to develop new standards and future networks. earlier in january  ntt docomo and vodafone joined forces to develop the next generation of high-speed networks  known as  super 3g   intended to be 10 times faster than 3g services. the first stage of development is to be completed by 2007  but no date has been set for a commercial launch the newly-designed omap-vox chip set was announced ahead of the start of a major mobile industry conference  3gsm  which takes place in cannes  france this week.


electrolux to export europe jobs electrolux saw its shares rise 14% on tuesday after it said it would be shifting more of its manufacturing to low-cost countries.  the swedish firm  the world s largest maker of home appliances  said it is to relocate about 10 of its 27 plants in western europe and north america. it did not say which facilities would be affected  but intends moving them to asia  eastern europe and mexico. the company has two manufacturing sites in county durham. it makes lawn and garden products in newton aycliffe  and cookers and ovens in spennymoor. the newton aycliffe plant could also be affected by electrolux s separate announcement that it is to spin-off its outdoor products unit into a new separate company.  electrolux s subsidiary brands include aeg  zanussi and frigidaire. the company said it was speeding up its restructuring programme  which aims to save between £190m and £265m annually from 2009.  we see that about half the plants in high-cost countries - that is around 10 - are at risk   said electrolux chief executive hans straberg.  it looks pretty grim   said swedish trades union official ulf carlsson.  what are we going to end up producing in sweden


moya fights back for indian title carlos moya became the first man to successfully defend the chennai open title by beating four-times finalist paradorn srichaphan 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7/5).  the spaniard then donated his £28 000 prize money to relief efforts for the victims of the asian tsunami. the final was close throughout  with thai second seed srichaphan - the 2003 winner - closing out the first set. but moya took the second set  before bouncing back from 5-2 down in the decider to force and win a tie-break. moya confirmed afterwards:  i m donating my prize money from this tournament for the tsunami victims  hoping it makes some difference to their lives. his contribution follows pledges by four other players to donate their prize money from the tournament  which went ahead after the 26 december disaster which has so far claimed at least 150 000 lives. scrichapan said he would donate an unspecified amount for relief work in thailand  where more than 5 000 people were killed. the atp has announced that it would contribute the us$25 000 tournament fee to unicef s emergency relief fund in tamil nadu. the atp tour s sponsor  mercedes  said it would also contribute  increasing the atp donation to us$40 000.


britain boosted by holmes double athletics fans endured a year of mixed emotions in 2004 as stunning victories went hand-in-hand with disappointing defeats and more drugs scandals.  kelly holmes finally fulfilled her potential by storming to double gold on the track at the olympic games. holmes helped erase the gloom hanging over team gb after their biggest medal hope  paula radcliffe  dropped out of the marathon and then the 10 000m. britain s men s 4x100m relay team also did their bit by taking a shock gold. holmes had started the year in disappointing style  falling over in the final of 1500m at the world indoor championships where she was favourite. her olympic build-up was clouded by self doubt but that proved unfounded as she overhauled rival maria mutola to win the 800m - her first global title. just five days later  the 34-year-old made it double gold in the 1500m. it was the first time in 84 years a briton has achieved the olympic middle-distance double. while holmes left athens as the star of team gb  it was radcliffe who carried expectations before the august games.  the 30-year-old marathon world record holder went into the athens event as favourite but an exhausted radcliffe dropped out after 23 miles in tears. her decision to enter the 10 000m five days later also backfired as she again pulled out with eight laps remaining.  but radcliffe helped put her olympic trauma behind her with a thrilling win in november s new york marathon. the 4x100m team grabbed some last-gasp glory for the british men s olympic squad after a poor start to the games.  it seemed as though athens would be the first games where the men would fail to win a medal with michael east the only individual track finalist in the 1500m. but darren campell  jason gardener  marlon devonish and mark lewis-francis made amends in the sprint relay. the quartet held off favourites the usa to win britain s first relay medal since 1912 in 38.07 seconds. gardener added the olympic relay crown to his world indoor title over 60m and  just like holmes  finally lived up to his promise in 2004. kelly sotherton completed team gb s athletics medal haul in athens with a surprise bronze in the heptathlon. the 28-year-old won her first championship medal since becoming a full-time athlete in 2003.  but it was a different story for britain s defending champion denise lewis  who withdrew on day two of the competition after some poor results. lewis  who was troubled by injury  has ruled out retiring while sotherton is tipped to build on her success. the athens olympics proved to be a landmark occasion for steve backley  who retired from competition after finishing fourth in the javelin. the battling 35-year-old leaves the sport with a vast medal haul including two silvers and one olympic bronze.  and backley s departure was balanced by the return of injury-hit decathlete dean macey  who came fourth in athens.  the continued improvement of sprinter abi oyepitan and long jumper chris tomlinson also boosted team gb. sadly  the 2004 olympics did not escape the problems of drugs misuse. on the eve of the games  greek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou missed a drugs test and claimed to have been involved in a road crash.  kenteris  the 200m champion in 2000  and thanou have since been charged by the greek authorities and await trial. at the games  adrian annus (hammer)  robert fazelas (discus) and irina korzhanenko (shot) were all stripped of their titles because of doping issues. hungarian compatriots annus and fazelas both refused to give urine samples while russian korzhanenko tested positive for the steroid stanozolol.  the fallout from the thg scandal  which rocked the sport in 2003  continued to impact in olympic year. britain s 4x100m team took gold without the services of dwain chambers  who was handed a two-year ban in february after testing positive for steroid thg.  american kelli white was suspended and stripped of her world 100m and 200m titles after failing a drugs test. and world 400m champion jerome young landed a life ban from us chiefs after a second doping offence. russian pole vaulter yelena isinbayeva provided some light relief by smashing the world record seven times on her way to the world indoor and olympic titles. her rivalry with compatriot svetlana feofanova livened up the field events. morocco s hicham el guerrouj also delighted fans by racing to a historic olympic double in the 1500m and 5 000m.  and though there was no paula radcliffe in the london marathon  there was plenty of drama as kenyans evans rutto and margaret okayo took the titles. rutto held on to win despite slipping on some cobblestones and tumbling into a barrier. okayo also had to battle back after mistiming her tactics but clinched victory on her debut.


wenger keeping faith with almunia arsene wenger has pledged to keep faith with stand-in keeper manuel almunia for the crunch week which could define arsenal s season.  almunia will start tuesday s champions league group tie against rosenborg and is likely to face chelsea on sunday. wenger said:  you don t think i would take out one goalkeeper for just one game  do you  i don t do that.  i have to give him a run for a few games. it s just that i don t want to make this story bigger than it is.  wenger insists he has complete faith in the 27-year-old spaniard  who was signed last summer from celta vigo as back-up to jens lehmann.   if you look at my career  you will see that i have left many big players out for a long time. i ve done it with dennis bergkamp  kanu  everybody.  it s because it s a goalkeeper  that s all. it s a usual situation for me. you put your best team out  no matter who it is.  for me  it was not a big mistake at old trafford and i wasn t alarmed by what happened against birmingham either.  it s nothing against lehmann. i think he s a great keeper  as is almunia. you can only play one of them.  these people are not robots - they have good periods and less good periods. just because lehmann doesn t play for two or three weeks  or longer or shorter  it doesn t mean i ve lost faith in him.   but former arsenal keeper david seaman believes lehmann has been harshly treated. seaman told the daily mail:  jens is a fantastic keeper. he deserves another chance.  he has made a few mistakes but on form he deserves to be the first-team choice.  with arsenal hit by injuries and suspension  inexperienced midfield pair of mathieu flamini and cesc fabregas will line up against rosenborg but wenger is confident they will prove more than capable.  it puts a lot of pressure on them but it s a good learning process   said wenger.  i m not worried as they are both mentally strong and will put in the needed workrate.   the gunners go into the game boosted by the news that defender sol campbell is on the verge of signing a new deal with the club. and the 30-year-old  whose current contract runs out in the summer  has made it clear he is determined to achieve champions league success with arsenal. campbell said:  it means a lot to me to go through  it s everything. we want to carry on in this competition.  that s where the best teams in europe are. to be in there  playing against these guys and trying to win the trophy  is the first thing in my mind.   meanwhile  thierry henry believes he will be blamed if arsenal fail to qualify for the next stage of the champions league. henry will captain the side in place of the suspended patrick vieira as the gunners seek the required victory over rosenborg. and the striker said:  if we don t win and we go out of the competition  like it or not  it s going to be my fault. that s the way it is.  if the team don t win i know i will be criticised  no matter how i play.


fast moving phone bugs appear security firms are warning about several mobile phone viruses that can spread much faster than similar bugs.  the new strains of the cabir mobile phone virus use short-range radio technology to leap to any vulnerable phone as soon as it is in range. the cabir virus only affects high-end handsets running the symbian series 60 phone operating system. despite the warnings  there are so far no reports of any phones being infected by the new variants of cabir.  the original cabir worm came to light in mid-june 2004 when it was sent to anti-virus firms as a proof-of-concept program. a mistake in the way the original cabir was written meant that even if it escaped from the laboratory  the bug would only have been able to infect one phone at a time.  however  the new cabir strains have this mistake corrected and will spread via short range bluetooth technology to any vulnerable phone in range. bluetooth has an effective range of a few tens of metres. the risk of being infected by cabir is low because users must give the malicious program permission to download on to their handset and then must manually install it. users can protect themselves by altering a setting on symbian phones that conceals the handset from other bluetooth using devices. finnish security firm f-secure issued a warning about the new strains of cabir but said that the viruses do not do any damage to a phone. all they do is block normal bluetooth activity and drain the phone s battery. anti-virus firm sophos said the source code for cabir had been posted on the net by a brazilian programmer which might lead to even more variants of the program being created. so far seven versions of cabir are know to exist  one of which was inside the malicious skulls program that was found in late november. symbian s series 60 software is licenced by nokia  lg electronics  lenovo  panasonic  samsung  sendo and siemens.


us seeks new $280bn smoker ruling the us justice department is to try to overturn a court ruling that threw out its claim for $280bn (£149bn) in damages from tobacco firms.  earlier this month  a three-judge appeal court panel rejected the claim - filed in 1999 by the administration of bill clinton - in a 2-1 decision. government lawyers said they would ask the full us court of appeals for the district of columbia to hear the case. the court room battle is seen as key in government attempts to fight smoking.  it s pretty clear that they ve suffered a severe setback   said anthony sebok  a professor at brooklyn law school  adding that the appeal was what the government  would be expected to ask for .  prosecutors had argued that tobacco firms lied about the dangers of smoking  ignored research that highlighted problems  looked to increase addiction by manipulating nicotine levels and targeted the young with their adverts. among the firms accused were altria group  rj reynolds tobacco  lorillard tobacco  liggett group and brown and williamson. prosecutors went after the companies using legislation put in place to fight organised crime  and accused the firms of conspiring and running  racketeer influenced and corrupt organisations . the tobacco companies denied the charges  saying that they never illegally conspired to promote smoking and fool the public. they also said that they have met many of the government s demands laid out in a landmark $206bn settlement hammered out in 1998 with 46 states. a three-judge panel agreed with the companies  finding that the case could not be brought under federal anti-racketeering laws.  central to the government s case was a meeting in the plaza hotel  new york  on 15 december  1953. prosecutors contend that executives from the major tobacco firms met and agreed to present a unified strategy denying the harmful effects of smoking. despite denying for decades that smoking could be linked to illness  the companies have modified their stances in recent years. altria s philip morris now accepts that nicotine is harmful  and the company s main lawyer william ohlemeyer told the bbc last year that earlier statements may have been wrong but they were not dishonest. government lawyers have until 21 march to file their appeal.


greek pair attend drugs hearing greek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou have appeared before an independent tribunal which will decide if their bans should stand.  they were given provisional suspensions by athletics  ruling body the iaaf in december for failing to take drugs tests before the athens olympics. the pair arrived with former coach christos tzekos to give evidence at the hellenic olympic committee s offices. a decision is expected to be announced before the end of february. whatever the ruling  all parties will have the right to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport. yiannis papadoyiannakis  who was head of the greek olympic team at the athens games last year  also testified at the tribunal  along with other greek sports officials and athletes.  i believe the tribunal will reach a decision that will uphold the standing of the institution   said papadoyiannakis.  whatever the athletes have done  we must not forget that they have offered us great moments.  kenteris won 200m gold at the 2000 sydney olympics  while thanou won silver in the 100m.  they withdrew from the athens games last august after missing drugs tests on the eve of the opening ceremony. the pair spent four days in a hospital  claiming they had been injured in a motorcycle crash. the five-member tribunal  assembled by the hellenic association of amateur athletics  is also examining allegations that kenteris and thanou avoided tests in tel aviv and chicago before the games. tzekos was also banned for two years by the iaaf. he faces charges of assisting in the use of prohibited substances and tampering with the doping inspection process. all three  who have repeatedly denied the allegations  have also been charged by a greek prosecutor and face trial for doping-related charges. a trial date has not been set. in imposing two-year suspensions on the duo on 22 december  the iaaf described their explanations for missing the tests as  unacceptable . but kenteris  lawyer gregory ioannidis told bbc sport earlier this week he was confident the sprinters would be cleared of the charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to testing.  we refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical   he said.  there have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials  and these procedural breaches have also violated my client s rights.  there is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted.


unclear future for striker baros liverpool forward milan baros is uncertain whether he remains part of boss rafa benitez s plans after being dropped for the carling cup final.  baros  who is liverpool s leading scorer this season  denied reports of a row with benitez but claims he is mystified at being left on the bench. he told czech newspaper daily sport:  i don t know why i didn t play on sunday. i didn t argue with anybody.  i was disappointed but i am not thinking of leaving right now.  the czech international came on as a substitute after 74 minutes but could not prevent his side losing 3-2 to chelsea after extra-time.  baros denied suggestions he wanted to leave the millennium stadium before the match upon learning of his omission from the starting line-up. but his admission that he  guessed something like this was going to happen on saturday   will do little to quell claims of a falling-out with benitez. and although baros insisted thoughts of quitting anfield are  not in my mind right now   he admitted  everything is possible .


laporte tinkers with team france coach bernard laporte has made four changes to the starting line-up that beat england for saturday s six nations clash with wales.  he opted for yannick nyanga in the back row instead of grand slam winner imanol harinordoquy  who is back in the squad. other changes see julien laharrague win his first cap at full-back  aurelien rougerie return after injury on the wing and yannick jauzion in at centre. but laporte has resisted fan pressure to start frederic michalak at fly-half. the dependable yann delaigue keeps the number 10 jersey  despite clamours for the flair of michalak. the 26-year-old laharrague gets his chance despite playing on the wing for his club brive.   we are launching him into the great international level   said team manager jo maso.  he is young and this is a great opportunity for us and above all for him.  there are 25 matches left before the world cup so we must see as many players as possible. the competition is very high and open.  jauzion  france s player of the year in 2004  would probably have played in the first two matches instead of the south african-born liebeneberg had he been fit. the stade toulousain star wins his 23rd cap and is reunited with damien traille  with whom he forged an effective midfield in 2004.  the return of jauzion is going to be a plus for us   said laporte.  we are going to test him at an international level.   julien laharrague (brive)  aurelien rougerie (clermont)  yannick jauzion (stade toulousain)  damien traille (biarritz)  christophe dominici (stade francais)  yann delaigue (castres)  dimitri yachvili (biarritz)  julien bonnaire (bourgoin)  yannick nyanga (beziers)  serge betsen (biarritz)  jerome thion (biarritz)  fabien pelous (stade toulousain  capt)  nicolas mas (perpignan)  sebastien bruno (sale)  sylvain marconnet (stade francais)  replacements: william servat (stade toulousain)  olivier milloud (bourgoin)  gregory lamboley (stade toulousain)  imanol harinordoquy (biarritz)  pierre mignoni (clermont)  frederic michalak (stade toulousain)  jean-philippe grandclaude (perpignan)