umaga ready for lions all blacks captain tama umaga has warned the british and irish lions will be his most fearsome opponents yet ahead of their summer tour.  but umaga  in england for saturday s irb rugby aid match  also backed new zealand to win the three-test series against the lions. he told bbc sport:  it s potentially the most fearsome line-up i ve ever come up against. they re awesome.  but i d back us all the way to beat them when they come over.  lions boss sir clive woodward is set to announce his squad for the june-july tour next month.  when woodward was appointed last year  it was widely believed he would rely heavily on his former england players. but umaga said:  he d be hard pushed to do that now considering the shape of the six nations.  don t get me wrong  england have got a lot of talented guys and i m sure there are some of them who ll make the lions test xv.  but you can t disguise wales and ireland in particular. some of the tries they ve scored have been great. i ll admit it ll be fairly awesome lining up against the likes of brian o driscoll.   umaga will meet o driscoll in saturday s rugby aid match at twickenham  with the irish captain leading the northern hemisphere side. o driscoll is among a host of players in the northern hemisphere squad  coached by woodward  that are tipped for lions call-ups.  it ll be good for us to get an early idea of some of these guys  although a lot can change between now and june   umaga said. the 31-year-old admitted interest in the lions tour was immense  calling it  the biggest thing to hit new zealand since lord of the rings . he added:  as players  it s enough for us to be driven by the rarity of playing the lions. in fact  it s not just us all blacks - it s the talk of the country.   umaga admitted the fear of injury weighed on his mind ahead of saturday s charity game  which features a host of big names including george gregan  andrew mehrtens and chris latham. but he admitted the value of the cause - proceeds of the match will go to aiding victims of the tsunami - easily won him over.  the second [southern hemisphere coach] rod macqueen made the approach  i didn t hesitate. it was great when new zealand rugby then gave me the all clear.  thankfully i didn t know anyone that was involved in the tragedy of the tsunami but you couldn t miss all the horrific reports on the news.  there are so many people that were affected  are still affected and will be affected for a long time. it s just good to know we can do something minor to help out.   - the match will be televised on bbc one at 1400 gmt on saturday.


kenyan school turns to handhelds at the mbita point primary school in western kenya students click away at a handheld computer with a stylus.  they are doing exercises in their school textbooks which have been digitised. it is a pilot project run by eduvision  which is looking at ways to use low cost computer systems to get up-to-date information to students who are currently stuck with ancient textbooks. matthew herren from eduvision told the bbc programme go digital how the non-governmental organisation uses a combination of satellite radio and handheld computers called e-slates.  the e-slates connect via a wireless connection to a base station in the school. this in turn is connected to a satellite radio receiver. the data is transmitted alongside audio signals.  the base station processes the information from the satellite transmission and turns it into a form that can be read by the handheld e-slates.  it downloads from the satellite and every day processes the stream  sorts through content for the material destined for the users connected to it. it also stores this on its hard disc.   the system is cheaper than installing and maintaining an internet connection and conventional computer network. but mr herren says there are both pros and cons to the project.  it s very simple to set up  just a satellite antenna on the roof of the school  but it s also a one-way connection  so getting feedback or specific requests from end users is difficult.   the project is still at the pilot stage and eduvision staff are on the ground to attend to teething problems with the linux-based system.  the content is divided into visual information  textual information and questions. users can scroll through these sections independently of each other.  eduvision is planning to include audio and video files as the system develops and add more content. mr herren says this would vastly increase the opportunities available to the students. he is currently in negotiations to take advantage of a project being organised by search site google to digitise some of the world s largest university libraries.  all books in the public domain  something like 15 million  could be put on the base stations as we manufacture them. then every rural school in africa would have access to the same libraries as the students in oxford and harvard  currently the project is operating in an area where there is mains electricity. but mr herren says eduvision already has plans to extend it to more remote regions.  we plan to put a solar panel at the school with the base station  have the e-slates charge during the day when the children are in school  then they can take them home at night and continue working.  maciej sundra  who designed the user interface for the e-slates  says the project s ultimate goal is levelling access to knowledge around the world.  why in this age when most people do most research using the internet are students still using textbooks  the fact that we are doing this in a rural developing country is very exciting - as they need it most.


hariri killing hits beirut shares shares in solidere  the lebanese company founded by assassinated former prime minister rafik hariri  fell 15% in renewed trading in beirut.  the real estate firm  which dominates lebanon s stock exchange  ended the day down at $8.08. traders said there was some panic selling during friday s session  the first since a three-day market closure to mourn the death of mr hariri. beirut s benchmark blom stock index closed down 7.9% at 642.80.  solidere  in which mr hariri was a major shareholder  was the major drag on the index. the company owns much of the property in central beirut  which it restored and redeveloped following the end of lebanon s bitter 15-year civil war.  solidere should be above $10 but because of this disaster it is falling   said one trader.  if solidere drops much lower i would consider it a buying opportunity. this is a very big company held by many lebanese.  critics had accused mr hariri of using lebanon s post-war reconstruction drive for his personal financial gain. but his assassination on monday sent shudders through lebanon s business community  which saw the billionaire tycoon as the country s best hope for economic revival. solidere posted profits of $12.5m in the first half of 2004  and its shares had been gaining in recent months.


chepkemei hit by big ban kenya s athletics body has suspended two-time london marathon runner-up susan chepkemei from all competition until the end of the year.  athletics kenya (ak) issued the ban after chepkemei failed to turn up for a cross country training camp in embu.  we have banned her from all local and international competitions   said ak chief isaiah kiplagat.  we shall communicate this decision to the iaaf and all meet directors all over the world.  the 29-year-old finished second to paula radcliffe in the 2002 and 2003 london races  and was also edged out in an epic new york marathon contest last year.  but the ban will prevent the two-time world half-marathon silver medallist from challenging radcliffe at this year s london event in april. global sports communications  chepkemei s management company  said she had wanted to run in the world cross country championships in march. but ak maintained it was making an example of chepkemei as a warning to other kenyan athletes.  we are taking this action in order to salvage our pride   said kiplagat.  we have been accused of having no teeth to bite with and that agents are ruling over us.  ka has also threatened three-time women s short-course champion edith masai with a similar ban if reports that she feigned injury to avoid running at the cross country world championships are true. masai missed the national trials in early february  but was included in the provisional team on the proviso that she ran in a regional competition. she failed to run in the event  citing a leg injury.


chepkemei joins edinburgh line-up susan chepkemei has decided she is fit enough to run in next month s great edinburgh international cross country.  the kenyan was initially unsure if she would have recovered from her gruelling tussle with paula radcliffe in the new york marathon in time to compete. but she has declared herself up to the task and joins a field headed by world cross country champion benita johnson. race director matthew turnbull said:  susan will add even more strength in depth to the world-class line up.  chepkemei  who won the six kilometre event three years ago when it was staged in newcastle  endured an epic battle with radcliffe in the big apple until the briton outsprinted her in the final 400m. tirunesh dibaba of ethiopia will defend the title she won last year in tyneside - before the race was moved north of the border. recently-crowned european cross country champion briton hayley yelling also competes in edinburgh on 15 january  as does in-form scot kathy butler.


player burn-out worries robinson england coach andy robinson says english rugby has to act now to prevent injury destroying players  careers.  he will be without a host of big names for the six nations as the intensity of professional rugby union hits players.  injuries are part of the sport but we have to have a look at the amount of injuries that occur in the english season   robinson told bbc sport.  i think players are probably going to have three or four years taken off their careers.  robinson will be missing an entire midfield for the six nations with the likes of jonny wilkinson  mike tindall and will greenwood injured.  rugby union has become far more physically demanding since the game went professional nearly 10 years ago. as a result three of the major stakeholders in english rugby have launched an  injury audit  to find out how players are coping. the audit is jointly funded by the professional rugby players  association  the rugby football union and premier rugby. as far as robinson is concerned its findings must not be ignored.  i think there s an injury audit coming out in march that s got some great information in there that i think everybody in the english game has got to look at   he said.  if we don t the situation is going to get worse and not better  so i think rugby as a whole has got to look at this.


mixed christmas for us retailers us retailers posted mixed results for december - with luxury retailers faring well while many others were forced to slash prices to lift sales.  upscale department store nordstrom said same store sales were 9.3% higher than during the same period last year. trendy youth labels also sold well  with sales jumping 28% at young women s clothing retailer bebe stores and 32.2% at american eagle outfitters. but wal-mart only saw its sales rise after it cut prices. the company saw a 3% rise in december sales  less than the 4.3% rise seen a year earlier.  customers at the world s biggest retailer are generally seen to be the most vulnerable to america s economic woes.  commentators claim many have cut back on spending amid uncertainty over job security  while low and middle-income americans have reined in spending in the face of higher gasoline prices. analysts said wal-mart faced a  stand-off  with shoppers  stepping up its discounts as the festive season wore on  as consumers waited longer to get the best bargains. however  experts added that if prices had not been cut across the sector  christmas sales - which account for nearly 23% of annual retail sales - would have been far worse.  so far  we are faring better than expected  but the results are still split   ken perkins  an analyst at research firm retailmetrics llc  told associated press.  stores that have been struggling over the last couple of months appear to be continuing that trend. and for stores that have been doing well over the last several months  december was a good month.  overall  december sales are forecast to rise by 4.5% to $220bn - less than the 5.1% increase seen a year earlier.  one discount retailer to fare well in december was costco wholesale  which continued a recent run of upbeat results with a better-than-expected 8% jump in same store sales. however  the losers were many and varied. home furnishings store pier 1 imports saw its same store sales sink by a larger-than-forecast 8.8% as it battled fierce competition. leading electronics chain best buy  meanwhile  missed its sales target of a 3-5% rise in sales  turning in a 2.5% increase over the christmas period. accessory vendor claire s stores also suffered as an expected last minute shopping rush never materialised  leaving its same store sales 5% higher  compared to a 6% rise last year. jeweller zale also felt little christmas cheer with december sales down 0.7% on the same month last year.  this was not a good period for retailers or shoppers. we saw a dearth of exciting  new items   kurt barnard  president of industry forecaster retail consulting group  said. however  one beneficiary of the desertion of the high street is expected to be online stores. according to a survey by goldman sachs & co  harris interactive and neilsen/net ratings sales surged 25% over the holiday season to $23.2bn.


mobile networks seek turbo boost third-generation mobile (3g) networks need to get faster if they are to deliver fast internet surfing on the move and exciting new services.  that was one of the messages from the mobile industry at the 3gsm world congress in cannes last week. fast 3g networks are here but the focus has shifted to their evolution into a higher bandwidth service  says the global mobile suppliers association. at 3gsm  siemens showed off a system that transmits faster mobile data. the german company said data could be transmitted at one gigabit a second - up to 20 times faster than current 3g networks. the system is not available commercially yet  but motorola  the us mobile handset and infrastructure maker  held a clinic for mobile operators on hsdpa (high speed downlink packet access)  a high-speed  high bandwidth technology available now. early hsdpa systems typically offer around two megabits per second (mbps) compared with less than 384 kilobits per second (kbps) on standard 3g networks.   high-speed downlink packet access (hsdpa) - sometimes called super 3g - will be vital for profitable services like mobile internet browsing and mobile video clips   according to a report published by uk-based research consultancy analysys. a number of companies are developing the technology. nokia and canada-based wireless communication products company sierra wireless recently agreed to work together on high speed downlink packet access. the two companies aim to jointly market the hsdpa solution to global network operator customers.   while hsdpa theoretically enables data rates up to a maximum of 14mbps  practical throughputs will be lower than this in wide-area networks   said dr alastair brydon  author of the analysys report: pushing beyond the limits of 3g with hsdpa and other enhancements.  the typical average user rate in a real implementation is likely to be in the region of one megabit per second which  even at this lower rate  will more than double the capacity... when compared to basic wcdma [3g]   he added. motorola has conducted five trials of its technology and says speeds of 2.9mbps have been recorded at the edge of an outdoor 3g cell using a single hsdpa device. but some mobile operators are opting for a technology called evolution  data optimised (ev-do).  us operator sprint ordered a broadband data upgrade to its 3g network at the end of last year. we are  expanding our network and deploying ev-do technology to meet customer demand for faster wireless speeds   said oliver valente  sprint s vice president for technology development  when the contract was announced. as part of $3bn in multi-year contracts announced late last year  sprint will spend around $1bn on ev-do technology from lucent technologies  nortel networks and motorola that provides average data speeds of 0.3-0.5 megabits a second  and peak download rates of 2.4mbps. mmo2  the uk-based operator with services in the uk  ireland and germany  has opted for technology based on hsdpa. using technology from lucent  it will offer data speeds of 3.6mbps from next summer on its isle of man 3g network  and will eventually support speeds of up to 14.4mbps. us operator cingular wireless is also adopting hsdpa  using technology from lucent alongside equipment from siemens and ericsson.  siemens  plans for a one gigabit network may be more than a user needs today  but christoph caselitz  president of the mobile networks division at the firm says that:  by the time the next generation of mobile communication debuts in 2015  the need for transmission capacities for voice  data  image and multimedia is conservatively anticipated to rise by a factor of 10.  siemens - in collaboration with the fraunhofer german-sino lab for mobile communications and the institute for applied radio system technology - has souped up mobile communications by using three transmitting and four receiving antennae  instead of the usual one. this enables a data transmission  such as sending a big file or video  to be broken up into different flows of data that can be sent simultaneously over one radio frequency band. the speeds offered by 3g mobile seemed fast at the time mobile operators were paying huge sums for 3g licences. but today  instead of connecting to the internet by slow  dial-up phone connection  many people are used to broadband networks that offer speeds of 0.5 megabits a second - much faster than 3g. this means users are likely to find 3g disappointing unless the networks are souped up. if they aren t  those lucrative  power users   such as computer geeks and busy business people will avoid them for all but the most urgent tasks  reducing the potential revenues available to mobile operators. but one gigabit a second systems will not be available immediately. siemens says that though the system works in the laboratory  it still has to assess the mobility of multiple-antennae devices and conduct field trials. a commercial system could be as far away as 2012  though siemens did not rule out an earlier date.


latin america sees strong growth latin america s economy grew by 5.5% in 2004  its best performance since 1980  while exports registered their best performance in two decades.  the united nations  economic commission for latin america and the caribbean said the region grew by 5.5% this year. the inter-american development bank (iadb) said regional exports reached $445.1bn (£227bn;331bn euros) in 2004. doubts about the strength of the us recovery and overheating of the chinese economy do however pose risks for 2005. both organisations also warned that high oil prices raise the risk of either inflation or recession.  nevertheless  the economic commission for latin america and the caribbean (eclac) still forecasts growth of 4% for 2005. strong recovery in some countries  such as venezuela and uruguay  boosted the overall performance of the region. eclac also said that the six largest latin american economies (argentina  brazil  chile  colombia  mexico and venezuela) grew by more than 3% for only the second time in 20 years. chinese and us economic strength helped boost exports  as did strong demand for agricultural and mining products. in fact  latin american exports to china grew 34%  to $14bn. higher oil prices also helped boost exports  as mexico and venezuela are important oil exporters. regional blocs as well as free trade agreements with the us contributed to the region s strong performance  the iadb said.


blinx sequel purrs nicely the original blinx was intended to convert many platform game lovers to microsoft s then new xbox console.  its sharp graphics and novel gameplay  with the main character able to pause  slow  rewind and fast-forward time  were meant to lure many fans to the new machine. but poor design meant the game became a very frustrating affair with players often stranded half-way through a level without the required tools to finish. thankfully  the sequel has fixed many of the original faults. this time around you do not play as blinx but instead you are given the chance to create two unique cat characters and two pig characters.  the character generator is very detailed and a few minutes of tweaking and adjusting will create a unique personality to unleash on the game.  as the game progresses you swap between the two rival factions  pig and feline  assuming the role of your created characters. the thrust of the game sees the two factions competing to recover pieces of a missing time crystal. as in the original  your feline persona can control time  but this time the pigs get to control space. there are a number of puzzles which require control over time to solve while the pigs can create things such as warps  space bubbles and void traps in order to progress. the control over space and time is achieved through a number of vcr-style icons and is quite intuitive.  annoyingly  the puzzles are a little too obviously flagged up and most gamers will find it more of a chore than a challenge to solve them. the game has also tried to emulate franchises such as jak and daxter and ratchet and clank on ps2 and so there are a number of combat elements. these are a little predictable and tend to drag the general polish of the game down to a more dulled affair. but the game s excellent graphics  easily the best-looking platform game around  sound and dollops of humour make it an attractive game for younger platform fans.  blinx 2 is out on xbox now.


virgin radio offers 3g broadcast uk broadcaster virgin radio says it will become the first station in the world to offer radio via 3g mobiles.  the radio station  in partnership with technology firm sydus  will broadcast on selected 2g and high-speed 3g networks. later this year listeners will be able to download software from the virgin website which enables the service. james cridland  head of new media at virgin radio  said:  it places radio at the heart of the 3g revolution.  virgin radio will be the first station made available followed by two digital stations  virgin radio classic rock and virgin radio groove.  mr cridland said:  this application will enable anyone  anywhere to listen to virgin radio simply with the phone in their pocket.  this allows us to tap into a huge new audience and keep radio relevant for a new generation of listeners.  saumil nanavati  president of sydus  said   this radio player is what the 3g network was built for  giving consumers high-quality and high-data products through a handset in their pocket.  virgin says an hour s listening to the station via mobile would involve about 7.2mb of data  which could prove expensive for people using pay as you download gprs or 3g services. some networks  such as orange  charge up to £1 for every one megabyte of data downloaded. virgin says radio via 2g or 3g mobiles is therefore going to appeal to people with unlimited download deals. there are 30 compatible handsets available from major manufacturers including nokia and samsung while virgin said more than 14.9 million consumers across the globe can use the service currently.


moya clinches cup for spain spain won the davis cup for the second time in their history when carlos moya beat the usa s andy roddick in the fourth rubber in seville.  moya won 6-2 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-5) to give the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead with only one singles rubber remaining. roddick battled hard and had chances in the second set  but moya s clay-court expertise proved the difference. mardy fish beat tommy robredo 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 in the final dead rubber to cut spain s winning margin to 3-2. spain s only other davis cup title came in 2000  when they beat australia in barcelona. this time they chose to play the final in seville and the city s olympic stadium was revamped to allow for a record crowd for a competitve tennis event of 27 000 spectators. and the home fans gave vociferous support to their players  with 18-year-old nadal and moya winning both friday s singles rubbers. american twins mike and bob bryan gave the visitors hope with victory over juan carlos ferrero and tommy robredo in saturday s doubles. but it remained an uphill task for a us team far happier on hard courts than clay  and 1998 french open champion moya had too much for world number two roddick.  this has been incredible - the moment i ve been waiting for for years   said moya  who missed out in 2000 through injury.  i ve prepared myself for this day. i knew that playing on clay i would have my chances to win.   the davis cup is my dream. i can t ask for more. there is nothing bigger than what i ve lived today.  moya stormed into a 4-0 lead on his way to taking the first set against roddick and recovered immediately from dropping serve in the second. the match came down to two tie-breaks and moya dominated both  clinching victory on his third match point. wild celebrations followed  with an emotional moya congratulated by his team-mates  including nadal  who at 18 years and 187 days becomes the youngest ever victor in davis cup history.  i think we put up a better fight here than in paris two years ago   said roddick  who was on the us team which lost to france in the 2002 semi-finals at roland garros.  they were just better than us this weekend. i have nothing to be ashamed of  i gave it my all.  i am not going to walk out of here with my head down  that s for sure.  there s no miracle answer. we have to improve.


hotspot users gain free net calls people using wireless net hotspots will soon be able to make free phone calls as well as surf the net.  wireless provider broadreach and net telephony firm skype are rolling out a service at 350 hotspots around the uk this week. users will need a skype account - downloadable for free - and they will then be able to make net calls via wi-fi without paying for net access. skype allows people to make free pc-based calls to other skype users.  users of the system can also make calls to landlines and mobiles for a fee. the system is gaining in popularity and now has 28 million users around the world. its paid service - dubbed skype out - has so far attracted 940 000 users. it plans to add more paid services with forthcoming launches of video conferencing  voice mail and skype in  a service which would allow users to receive phone calls from landlines and mobiles. london-based software developer connectotel has unveiled software that will expand the sms functions of skype  allowing users to send text messages to mobile phones from the service. broadreach networks has around two million users and hotspots in places such as virgin megastores  the travelodge chain of hotels and all london s major rail terminals. the company is due to launch wi-fi on virgin trains later in the year.  skype s success at spreading the world about internet telephony is well-known and we are delighted to be offering free access to skype users in our hotspots   commented broadreach chief executive magnus mcewen-king.


global digital divide  narrowing  the  digital divide  between rich and poor nations is narrowing fast  according to a world bank report.  the world bank questioned a united nation s campaign to increase usage and access to technology in poorer nations.  people in the developing world are getting more access at an incredible rate - far faster than... in the past   said the report. but a spokesman for the un s world summit on the information society said the digital divide remained very real.  the digital divide is rapidly closing   the world bank report said.  half the world s population now has access to a fixed-line telephone  the report said  and 77% to a mobile network.  the report s figures surpass a wsis campaign goal that calls for 50% access to telephones by 2015. the un hopes that widening access to technology such as mobile phones and the net will help eradicate poverty.  developing countries are catching up with the rich world in terms of access [to mobile networks]   the report said.  africa is part of a worldwide trend of rapid rollout... this applies to countries rich and poor  reformed or not  african  asian  european and latin american.   a spokesman for the world summit for the information society (wsis)  which is meeting this week in geneva  told the bbc news website:  the digital divide is very much real and needs to be addressed.  some financing has to be found to help narrow the divide.  on tuesday  a meeting of the wsis in geneva agreed to the creation of a digital solitary fund.  the fund is voluntary and will help finance local community-based projects   said the wsis spokesman. under the proposals agreed  voluntary contribution of 1% on contracts obtained by private technology service providers could be made to the digital solidarity fund. the exact financing mechanism of the fund is to be ironed out in the coming days  said the wsis. sixty percent of resources collected by the fund will be made available for projects in least developed countries  30% for projects in developing countries  and 10% for projects in developed countries.


microsoft makes anti-piracy move microsoft says it is clamping down on people running pirated versions of its windows operating system by restricting their access to security features.  the windows genuine advantage scheme means people will have to prove their software is genuine from mid-2005. it will still allow those with unauthorised copies to get some crucial security fixes via automatic updates  but their options would be  limited . microsoft releases regular security updates to its software to protect pcs. either pcs detect updates automatically or users manually download fixes through microsoft s site. those running pirated windows programs would not have access to other downloads and  add-ons  that the software giant offers.  people who try to manually download security patches will have to let microsoft run an automated checking procedure on their computer or give an identification number.  microsoft s regular patches which it releases for newly-found security flaws are important because they stop worms  viruses and other threats penetrating pcs. some security experts are concerned that restricting access to such patches could mean a rise in such attacks and threats  with more pcs left unprotected. but graham cluley  senior consultant at security firm sophos  told the bbc news website that it was a positive decision.  it sounds like their decision to allow critical security patches to remain available to both legitimate and illegitimate users of windows is good news for everyone who uses the net   he said. windows genuine advantage was first introduced as a pilot scheme in september 2004 for english-language versions of windows.  microsoft s windows operating system is heavily exploited by virus writers because it is so widespread and they are constantly seeking out new security loopholes to take advantage of. the company is trying to tackle security threats whilst cracking down on pirated software at the same time. software piracy has cost the company billions  it says. the company announced earlier in january that it was releasing security tools to clean up pcs harbouring viruses and spyware  which 90% of pcs are infected with. the virus-fighting program  updated monthly  is a precursor to microsoft s dedicated anti-virus software. last year it introduced the windows xp counterfeit project  a uk-based pilot scheme  which ran from november to december. the scheme meant that anyone with pre-installed copies of the operating system in pcs bought before november could replace counterfeit versions of windows xp with legal ones for free. it is also increasing efforts to squash software piracy in china  norway and the czech republic  where pirated software is a huge problem  by offering discounts on legitimate software to users of pirated copies windows.  china in particular is a problem  with piracy estimated at 92%   said mr cluley.


dublin hi-tech labs to shut down dublin s hi-tech research laboratory  media labs europe  is to shut down.  the research centre  which was started by the irish government and the massachusetts institute of technology  was a hotbed for technology concepts. since its opening in 2000  the centre has developed ideas  such as implants for teeth  and also aimed to be a digital hub for start-ups in the area. the centre was supposed to be self-funded  but has failed to attract the private cash injection it needs. in a statement  media labs europe said the decision to close was taken because neither the irish government nor the prestigious us-based massachusetts institute of technology (mit) was willing to fund it. prime minister bertie ahern had wanted to the centre to become a big draw for smaller hi-tech companies  in an attempt to regenerate the area.  about three dozen small firms were attracted to the area  but it is thought the effects of the dot.com recession damaged the labs  long-term survival. the labs needed about 10 million euros (us$13 million) a year from corporate sponsors to survive.  in the end  it was too deep and too long a recession   said simon jones  the labs  managing director. ian pearson  bt s futurologist  told the bbc news website that the closure was a  real shame . bt was just one of the companies that had worked with the labs  looking at rfid tag developments and video conferencing.  there were a lot of very talented  creative people there and they came up with some great ideas that were helping to ensure greater benefits of technology for society.  i have no doubt that the individuals will be quickly snapped up by other research labs  but the synergies from them working as a team will be lost.   noel dempsey  the government s communications minister  said mr ahern had been  very committed  to the project.  he is  i know  very disappointed it has come to this. at the time it seemed to be the right thing to do   he said.  unfortunately the model is not a sustainable one in the current climate.   during its five years  innovative and some unusual ideas for technologies were developed. in recent months  14 patent applications had been filed by the labs. many concepts fed into science  engineering  and psychology as well as technology  but it is thought too few of the ideas were commercially viable in the near-term. several research teams explored how which humans could react with technologies in ways which were entirely different. the human connectedness group  for example  developed the iband  a bracelet which stored and exchanged information about you and your relationships. this information could be beamed to another wearer when two people shook hands. other projects looked at using other human senses  like touch  to interact with devoices which could be embedded in the environment  or on the body itself. one project examined how brainwaves could directly control a computer game. the labs  set up in an old guinness brewery  housed around 100 people  made up of staff  researchers  students  collaborators and part-time undergraduate students. it is thought more than 50 people will lose their jobs when the labs close on 1 february. according to its latest accounts  media lab europe said it spent 8.16 million euros (about us$10.6 million) in 2003 and raised just 2.56 million euros (us$3.3 million).


amex shares up on spin-off news shares in american express surged more than 8% on tuesday after it said it was to spin off its less profitable financial advisory subsidiary.  the us credit card to travel services giant said off-loading american express financial advisors (aefa) would boost its profitability. aefa has more than 12 000 advisers selling financial advice  funds and insurance to 2.5 million customers. over the years it has delivered poor profits and even some losses.   this is an excellent move by american express to focus on its core businesses  and sell off a laggard division  which has been a problem for quite some time   said marquis investment research analyst phil kain. analysts estimate that a stand-alone aefa could have a market value of $10bn (£5.3bn). the unit was acquired by american express 20 years ago as investors diversified service  of minneapolis  at a time when firms were amassing one-stop financial empires. however  the business of selling investments was never integrated with the rest of the group.


wi-fi web reaches farmers in peru a network of community computer centres  linked by wireless technology  is providing a helping hand for poor farmers in peru.  the pilot scheme in the huaral valley  80 kilometres north of the capital lima  aims to offer the 6 000-strong community up-to-date information on agricultural market prices and trends. the agricultural information project for farmers of the chancay-huaral valley also provides vital links between local organisations in charge of water irrigation  enabling them to coordinate their actions. more than 13 000 rural inhabitants  as well as 18 000 students in the region  will also benefit from the telecoms infrastructure.  the 14 telecentres uses only free open source software and affordable computer equipment. the network has been three years in the making and was officially inaugurated in september.  the non-government organisation  cepes (peruvian centre for social studies) led the $200 000 project  also backed by local institutions  the education and agriculture ministries  and european development organisations.  the plan includes training on computers and internet skills for both operators and users of the system   said carlos saldarriaga  technical coordinator at cepes. farmers are also taking extra lessons on how to apply the new information to make the most of their plots of land. the board of irrigation users which runs the computer centres  aims to make the network self-sustainable within three years  through the cash generated by using the telecentres as internet cafes.  one of the key elements of the project is the agricultural information system  with its flagship huaral.org website. there  farmers can find the prices for local produce  as well as information on topics ranging from plague prevention to the latest farming techniques. the system also helps the inhabitants of the chancay-huaral valley to organise their vital irrigation systems.  water is the main element that unites them all. it is a precious element in peru s coastal areas  because it is so scarce  and therefore it is necessary to have proper irrigation systems to make the most of it   mr saldarriaga told the bbc news website. the information network also allows farmers to look beyond their own region  and share experiences with other colleagues from the rest of peru and even around the world.  cepes says the involvement of the farmers has been key in the project s success.  throughout the last three years  the people have provided a vital thrust to the project; they feel it belongs to them   said mr saldarriaga. the community training sessions  attended by an equal number of men and women  have been the perfect showcase for their enthusiasm.  we have had an excellent response  mainly from young people. but we have also had a great feedback when we trained 40 or 50-year old women  who were seeing a computer for the first time in their lives.  so far  the huaral programme promoters say the experience has been very positive  and are already planning on spreading the model among other farmers  organisations in peru.  this is a pilot project  and we have been very keen on its cloning potential in other places   underlined mr saldarriaga.  the cepes researcher recalls what happened in cuyo  a 50-family community with no electricity  during the construction of the local telecentre site. there it was necessary to build a mini-hydraulic dam in order to generate 2kw worth of power for the computers  the communications equipment and the cabin lights.  it was already dark when the technicians realised they didn t have any light bulbs to test the generator  so they turned up to the local store to buy light bulbs   recalls carlos saldarriaga.  the logical answer was  we don t sell any   so they had to wait until the next morning to do the testing.  now  with the wireless network  cuyo as well as the other communities is no longer isolated.


slowdown hits us factory growth us industrial production increased for the 21st month in a row in february  but at a slower pace than in january  official figures show.  the institute for supply management (ism) index fell to 55.3 in february  from an adjusted 56.4 in january. although the index was lower than in january  the fact that it held above 50 shows continued growth in the sector.  february was another good month in the manufacturing sector   said ism survey chairman norbert ore.   while the overall rate of growth is slowing  the overall picture is improving as price increases and shortages are becoming less of a problem. exports and imports remain strong   he said. analysts had expected february s figure to be stronger than january s and come in at 57. of the 20 manufacturing sectors surveyed by ism  13 reported growth. they included the textiles  apparel  tobacco  chemicals and transportation sectors. the ism s index of national manufacturing activity is compiled from the responses of purchasing executives at more than 400 industrial companies.


greek sprinters suspended by iaaf greek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou have been suspended after failing to take drugs tests before the athens olympics.  athletics  ruling body the iaaf said explanations from the pair and their former coach as to why they missed the tests were  unacceptable . it added that kenteris and thanou had been  provisionally suspended pending the resolution of their cases . they face two-year bans if found guilty by the greek athletics federation. the suspension also covers the athletes  controversial coach  christos tzekos. kenteris  the 2000 olympic 200m champion  and thanou  the women s 100m silver medallist from the same games in sydney  also face a criminal hearing in greece over the missed tests. they failed to appear to give samples in chicago and tel aviv shortly before the athens games and again in athens on 12 august  the eve of the opening ceremony. greek prosecutors have also charged them with faking a midnight motorcycle crash which led to them spending four days in hospital. some medical staff have been charged with writing false medical reports. wednesday s statement said the greek federation (segas) would convene a disciplinary hearing for the trio to determine whether there had been doping violations.   there will be a final right of appeal from the decision of the greek federation to the court of arbitration for sport   the iaaf said. tzekos insisted he and the runners had nothing to hide.  the iaaf s decision means nothing   he said.  we ll be presenting all our arguments to segas - we re innocent.


beattie return calms attack fears everton striker james beattie has been declared fit for training on tuesday  despite suffering an alleged assault last saturday.  beattie  27  is not believed to be as seriously hurt as some reports have suggested after being  the victim of an unprovoked assault  in birmingham. he was on a night out with his girlfriend and two friends following everton s 3-1 win over aston villa.  he was shaken but not badly injured   said everton spokesman ian ross. he added:  he did speak to the police but will not be pressing charges.  he has spoken to manager david moyes about what happened.  beattie was suspended for the win at aston villa after his red card against chelsea and he will be available again for the merseyside derby at liverpool on 20 march.


green reports shun supply chain nearly 20% more uk top 250 firms produced non-financial reports on social and environment issues than last year.  but of the 145 companies reporting  76% didn t examine their supply chains  says the annual directions survey. green groups say putting pressure on supply chains is a major way companies can reduce their environmental impact. the survey is published by corporate social responsibility firm context and branding firm salterbaxter.  blake lee-harwood  campaigns director at greenpeace in the uk  said:  it s fairly meaningless to talk about your company s direction in terms of sustainability without having detailed knowledge of your supply chain.  it s also important to get some kind of independent assessment of your reporting.   less than a quarter of companies (24%) get their corporate social responsibility (csr) reports independently verified to provide assurances they are accurate and complete  says the survey. to date there are no set standards for non-financial reporting  although the global reporting initiative  an independent pro-sustainability institution  is planning to establish some. the reports surveyed by directions are published voluntarily. they are usually called corporate social responsibility (csr) reports  sustainability reports  or social and environmental reports.  peter knight  director of context  says 24 uk top 250 companies reported for the first time this year and  in general  the quality of reports has improved.  the corporate lexicon of homilies  generalities and soft assurances - fluff - is on its way out. there are less pictures of smiling children and butterflies.  the uk government will soon require all quoted companies to report their social and environmental risks in a chapter in their annual reports  called the operating and financial review. the regulation is not expected until 2005 and the first reports under this scheme will not be published before 2006. the us seems to lag europe in producing corporate social responsibility reports. the majority of european top 50 companies (44) publish them and only 27 of the us top 50.


games maker fights for survival one of britain s largest independent game makers  argonaut games  has been put up for sale.  the london-based company behind the harry potter games has sacked about 100 employees due to a severe cash crisis. the administrators told bbc news online that selling argonaut was the only way to save it as it had run out of cash. argonaut warned that it was low on cash 10 days ago when its shares were suspended from trading on the london stock exchange.  argonaut has been making games for some 18 years and is one the largest independent games developers in the uk.  along with its headquarters in north london  it operates studios in cambridge and sheffield. argonaut was behind the harry potter games which provided a healthy flow of cash into the company. but  like all software developers  argonaut needed a constant flow of deals with publishers. signs that it was in trouble emerged in august  when it warned it was heading for losses of £6m in the financial year due to delays in signing new contracts for games. those new deals were further delayed  leading argonaut to warn in mid-october that it was running out of cash and suspend trading of its shares on the london stock exchange. as part of cost-cutting measures  some 100 employees were fired.  when the news about the £6m loss came out  we knew there were going to be redundancies   said jason parkinson  one of the game developers sacked by argonaut.  a lot of people suspected that argonaut had been in trouble for some time   he told bbc news online. mr parkinson said staff were told the job losses were necessary to save argonaut from going under. at the start of the year  the company employed 268 people. after the latest round of cuts there are 80 staff at argonaut headquarters in edgware in north london  with 17 at its morpheme offices in kentish town  london  and 22 at the just add monsters base in cambridge.  argonaut called in administrators david rubin & partners on friday to find a way to rescue the company from collapse. it spent the weekend going over the company s finances and concluded that the only way to save the business was to put it up for sale. the administrator told bbc news online that the costs of restructuing would be too high  partly because of the overheads from the company s four premises across the uk. it said it was hopeful that it could save some 110 jobs by selling the business  saying it had had expressions of interest from several quarters and were looking for a quick sale. the administrator said it would ensure that staff made redundant would receive any wages  redundancy or holiday pay due to them  hopefully by christmas.


moya emotional at davis cup win carlos moya described spain s davis cup victory as the highlight of his career after he beat andy roddick to end the usa s challenge in seville.  moya made up for missing spain s 2000 victory through injury by beating roddick 6-2 7-6 (7-1) 7-6 (7-5) to give the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead.  i have woken up so many nights dreaming of this day   said moya.  all my energy has been focused on today.  what i have lived today i do not think i will live again.  spain s only other davis cup title came two years ago in valencia  when they beat australia. and moya  nicknamed charly  admitted:  the davis cup is my dream and i was a bit nervous at the outset.  some people have said that i am obsessed but i think that it is better this way. it helps me reach my goals if i am obsessed.  it s really incredible - to get the winning point is really something.  spanish captain jordi arrese said:  charly played a great game. it was his opportunity and he hasn t let us down.  he had lost three times to roddick  and this was his day to beat him.  he had been waiting years to be in this position.  spain s victory was also remarkable for the performance of rafael nadal  who beat roddick in the opening singles.  aged 18 years and 185 days  the mallorcan became the youngest player to win the davis cup.  what a great way to finish the year   said nadal afterwards. us coach patrick mcenroe wants roddick and the rest of his team to play more tennis on clay and hone their skills on the surface.  i think it will help these guys even on slow hard courts to learn how to mix things up a little bit and to play a little bit smarter and tactically better.   obviously it s unrealistic to say that we re going to just start playing constantly on clay  with the schedule.  but certainly i think we can put the work in at the appropriate time and play a couple more events and play against these guys who are the best on this stuff   said mcenroe. roddick was left frustrated after losing both his singles on the slow clay of seville s olympic stadium.  it s just tough because i felt like i was in it the whole time against one of the top three clay-courters in the world   said the american.  i had my chances and just didn t convert them. the bottom line is they were just better than us this weekend.  they came out  took care of business and they beat us. it s as simple as that.


charvis set to lose fitness bid flanker colin charvis is unlikely to play any part in wales  final two games of the six nations.  charvis has missed all three of wales  victories with an ankle injury and his recovery has been slower than expected.  he will not figure in the scotland game and is now thought unlikely to be ready for the final game   said wales physio mark davies. sonny parker is continuing to struggle with a neck injury  but hal luscombe should be fit for the murrayfield trip. centre parker has only a  slim chance  of being involved against the scots on 13 march  so luscombe s return to fitness after missing the france match with hamstring trouble is a timely boost.  said wales assistant coach scott johnson:  we re positive about hal and hope he ll be raring to go.  he comes back into the mix again  adds to the depth and gives us other options.   replacement hooker robin mcbryde remains a doubt after picking up knee ligament damage in paris last saturday.  we re getting that reviewed and we should know more by the end of the week how robin s looking   added johnson.  we re hopeful but it s too early to say at this stage.  steve jones from the dragons is likely to be drafted in if mcbryde fails to recover.


us retail sales surge in december us retail sales ended the year on a high note with solid gains in december  boosted by strong car sales.  seasonally adjusted sales rose 1.2% in the month  compared to 0.1% a month earlier  boosted by a surge in shopping just before and after christmas. sales climbed 8% for the year  the best performance since an 8.5% rise in 1999  the commerce department added. the gains were led by a 4.3% jump in auto sales as dealers used enhanced offers to get cars out of showrooms. dealers were forced to cut prices in december to maintain sales growth in a tough quarter when the usual end-of-year holiday sales boom was slow to get started.  the increase in sales during december pushed total spending for the month to $349.4bn (£265.9bn). sales for the year also broke through the $4 trillion mark for the first time - with annual sales coming in at $4.06 trillion however  if automotives are excluded from december s data  retail sales rose just 0.3% on the month. home furnishings and furniture stores also performed well  rising 2.2%. but as well as hitting the shops  more us consumers were going online or using mail order for their purchases - with non-store retailers seeing sales rise by 1.9%. however  analysts said that the strong figures were unlikely to put the federal reserve bank off its current policy of measured interest rate rises.  consumers for now remain willing to spend freely  sustaining the us expansion. given that attitude  the fed remains likely to continue boosting the fed funds rate at upcoming meetings   ubs economist maury harris told reuters.  retail sales are seen as a major part of consumer spending - which in turn makes up two-thirds of economic output in the us. consumer spending has been picking up in recent years after slumping during 2001 and 2002 as the country battled to recover from its first recession of the decade and the world trade centre attacks. during that time  sales grew a lacklustre 2.9% in 2001 and 2.5% a year later. looking ahead  analysts now expect improvement in jobs growth to feed through to the high street with consumer spending remaining strong. the belief comes despite the latest labor department report showing a surprise rise in unemployment. the number of americans filing initial jobless claims jumped to 367 000  the highest rate since september. however  long-term claims slipped to their lowest level since 2001.


liberian economy starts to grow the liberian economy started to grow in 2004  but  sustained and deep reform efforts  are needed to ensure long term growth  the international monetary fund (imf) has said.  an imf mission made the comments in a report published following 10 days of talks with the transition government. the imf said that  according to data provided by the liberians  the country s gdp rose by 2% in 2004  after a 31% decline in 2003. liberia is recovering from a 14-year civil war that came to an end in 2003. the power-sharing national transition government of liberia will remain in place until elections on 11 october  the first presidential and parliamentary ballots since the conflict ended.  the imf said liberia s economy started to grow last year thanks to a  continued strong recovery in rubber production  domestic manufacturing and local services including post-conflict reconstruction . the imf however remains cautious about what it sees as a lack of transparency in government actions. in particular  it pointed to mystery surrounding the sale of iron ore stockpiles and the alleged disappearance of some import and export permits. these matters are now being investigated by the liberian authorities and the imf has called for their findings to be made public. the imf also said it was crucial that the central bank of liberia be strengthened  the national budget be effectively managed and a sound economic basis built to allow the country s large external debt to be addressed.  the imf team stands ready to assist the (liberian) authorities in strengthening the areas mentioned   said the report.  the team agreed with the (liberian) authorities that the period until elections and the inauguration of a new government will pose exceptional challenges to fiscal management  and expresses its willingness to provide...continued support.


ex-boeing director gets jail term an ex-chief financial officer at boeing has received a four-month jail sentence and a fine of $250 000 (£131 961) for illegally hiring a top air force aide.  michael sears admitted his guilt in breaking conflict of interest laws by recruiting darleen druyun while she still handled military contracts. ms druyun is currently serving a nine month sentence for favouring boeing when awarding lucrative contracts. boeing lost a $23bn government contract after a pentagon inquiry into the case. the contract  to provide refuelling tankers for the us air force  was cancelled last year.  the pentagon revealed earlier this week that it would examine eight other contracts worth $3bn which it believes may have been tainted by ms druyun s role in the procurement process. boeing sacked mr sears and ms druyun in november 2003 after allegations that they had violated company recruitment policy. ms druyun had talks with mr sears in october 2002 about working for boeing  while she was still a top procurement official within the pentagon. she subsequently joined the company in january 2003. ms druyun admitted that she had steered multi-billion dollar contracts to boeing and other favoured companies.  in documents filed in a virginia court ahead of mr sears  sentencing  prosecutors blamed boeing s senior management for failing to ask key questions about the  legal and ethical issues  surrounding ms druyun s appointment. mr sears told prosecutors that no other boeing officials were aware that ms druyun was still responsible for major procurement decisions at the time she was discussing a job with boeing. however  analysts believe boeing may yet face civil charges arising from the scandal. the pentagon has investigated 400 contracts  dating back to 1993  since the allegations against ms druyun came to light.  boeing s corporate ethics have come under scrutiny on several occasions in recent years. boeing was sued by lockheed martin after its rival accused it of industrial espionage during a 1998 contract competition. boeing apologised publicly for the affair - although it claimed it did not gain any unfair advantage - and pledged to improve its procedures. the pentagon subsequently revoked $1bn worth of contracts assigned to boeing and prohibited the seattle-based company from future rocket work.


ronaldo considering new contract manchester united winger cristiano ronaldo said he is close to agreeing to a new contract at old trafford.  the portugal star  who joined in august 2003 on a five-year-deal  is a regular in the united first-team.  the united board have already made an offer to renew the contract but i m trying not to think about it   he told the news of the world.  my agent has spoken with the club and it will be resolved soon. i think we ll reach a good agreement for both sides.  ronaldo refused to commit his long-term future to the club.   nobody knows what will come tomorrow. i like being here  but who knows   he added.  there aren t many bigger and better clubs than this one. it s my ambition to be at a big club. i m happy but nobody knows the future.


venezuela reviews foreign deals venezuela is to review all foreign investment in its mining industries in an effort to strengthen its indigenous industrial output.  president hugo chavez has ordered all existing contracts with foreign firms to be examined to see if they provide maximum benefits to the country. the review will cover production of gold  aluminium and iron ore although it excludes the country s oil sector. chavez has sought to extend the state s role in all sectors of the economy.  the left-wing president is conducting a controversial review of land ownership in the country while also seeking to create a state-run telecoms firm to compete with foreign-owned businesses.  he has argued that major economic reforms are vital to improve the lives of venezuela s poorest citizens. announcing the review of raw material production  minister victor alvarez said the government would seek to transfer technology  training capability and content from projects with foreign partners.  we are defending our national sovereignty over the use of our national resources which must serve the endogenous development of the nation   mr alvarez said.  for this reason we are reviewing all memorandums of understanding  all letters of intent  all agreements that have been signed  all contracts  to check which of these comply with these directives.  everything  absolutely everything  has to be reviewed.   venezuela has previously assured foreign companies with operations in the mineral rich country that it respects existing contracts. however  the government insisted that it needed to develop its own industrial infrastructure in order to create new jobs and lessen its reliance on foreign partners.  if we don t do this  we are just going to carry on being slaves  suppliers of raw materials  all our lives and we will never develop our own productive capacity   mr alvarez added. companies from the united states  canada  france and switzerland all have substantial investments in venezuela s mining sector.


pavey focuses on indoor success jo pavey will miss january s view from great edinburgh international cross country to focus on preparing for the european indoor championships in march.  the 31-year-old was third behind hayley yelling and justyna bak in last week s european cross country championships but she prefers to race on the track.  it was great winning bronze but i m wary of injuries and must concentrate on the indoor season   she said.  because of previous injuries i don t even run up hills in training.  pavey  who came fifth in the 5 000m at the athens olympics  helped the british cross country team win the team silver medal in heringsdorf last week. she is likely to start her 3 000m season with a race in either boston or stuttgart at the end of january.


rusedski angry over supplements greg rusedski has criticised the governing body of men s tennis for not releasing contamination-free supplements in time for the new season.  rusedski said:  i tried to order some but didn t receive any and i haven t got any yet.  you would think they would have been available in december as it can take two months for the body to respond.  this event comes in the hottest period of the year  so you would hope the stuff would be available for it.  the british number two escaped a possible ban last year when he persuaded a tribunal that a positive doping test was the result of contaminated atp supplements. in response  the atp struck a deal with pharmaceutical company glaxosmithkline to provide contamination-free drinks and nutritional bars for the men s tour.  david higdon  vice president of the atp  admitted:  i agree with greg.  i would have loved to have had these things available as soon as possible but it s a lot of work to make sure they have gone through rigorous testing.  the reality is though that the first two weeks of the tour are spread far and wide and part of the distribution agreement we had with gsk has an education component.  we weren t going to just drop these products out there without having a talk with the players about understanding how to use them.   the first chance we will get to do that is at the players meeting on the saturday before the australian open.  and rusedski  who takes on roger federer at the qatar open later on wednesday  conceded that the imminent changes will be beneficial.  the good thing is that there is now a 100% guarantee  so hopefully all this will never happen again   said rusedski.  hopefully after the australian open we won t have to discuss this any more.


owen delighted with real display michael owen revelled in his return to the to the real madrid starting line-up and inspired a 3-1 win over real betis on wednesday by scoring the first goal.  he said:  i am happy i could play a game from the start again.  i felt good all though the game and it is obvious that i am happy to have scored another goal.  people have talked a lot about my performances and i think i have had some months that were not so good and others that were very good.  owen  starting his third successive la liga match  converted a low cross from santiago solari. robert carlos made it 2-0 at the break  smashing home an indirect free-kick. midfielder edu reduced the deficit after half-time but ivan helguera headed past keeper antonio doblas to seal victory for his team. victory took real to within six points of leaders barcelona and owen is confident real can close the gap. he added:  we had several chances against betis and i think we can get back in touch with barcelona.  it is only six points between barcelona and us and that is nothing. if we can beat them at the bernabeu (on 10 april)  then it will be just three.  owen has scored nine league goals  one behind real s top scorer ronaldo. real had lost their previous two league games.


ailing eurodisney vows turnaround eurodisney  the european home of mickey mouse and friends  has said it will sell 253m euros (£175m; $328m) of new shares as it looks to avoid insolvency.  the sale is the last part of a plan to restructure 2.4bn euros-worth of debts. despite struggling since it was opened in 1992  eurodisney has recently made progress in turning its business around and ticket sales have picked up. however  analysts still question whether it attracts enough visitors to stay open  even with the restructuring.  eurodisney remains europe s largest single tourist attraction  attracting some 12.4 million visitors annually. a new attraction - walt disney studios - has recently opened its site near paris. the company s currently traded stock tumbled in paris on the latest news  shedding 15% to 22 euro cents. eurodisney will sell the new shares priced at 9 euros cents each. the us disney corporation and saudi arabian prince al-walid bin talal  the firm s two main shareholders  will buy the new stock. the restructuring deal is the second in the firm s troubled financial history; its finances were first reorganised in 1994.


holmes secures comeback victory britain s kelly holmes marked her first appearance on home soil since winning double olympic gold with 1500m victory at the norwich union international.  holmes hit the front just before the bell in front of a sell-out crowd in glasgow and cruised to victory in a time of four minutes 14.74 seconds.  it was nice to get that out of the way. i was nervous about whether i would actually be able to get round.  i felt good. i just had to relax and use my racing knowledge   said holmes.  it was all about winning in front of my home crowd. the time is irrelevant.  i got round in one piece and didn t disgrace myself. now it s about going forward.  the reception i ve had since the olympics has been amazing and that s why i wanted to keep running this year  because i get a buzz from the crowd.  holmes ran a tactically perfect race to finish clear of france s hind dehiba and russia s svetlana cherkasova. the olympic 800m and 1500m champion s time was inside the qualifying mark for the european indoor championships in madrid in march. but the 34-year-old would not reveal whether she intended to run or not  having previously indicated she would leave a decision until after the birmingham grand prix on 18 february.


duff ruled out of barcelona clash chelsea s damien duff has been ruled out of wednesday s champions league clash with barcelona at the nou camp.  duff sustained a knee injury in the fa cup defeat at newcastle and manager jose mourinho said:  he cannot run. his injury is very painful  so he is out.  but mourinho has revealed defender willian gallas and striker didier drogba will be in the starting line-up. the blues boss took the unusual step of naming his side a day before the match  with jole cole named in midfield. mourinho said:  we have one more session but i think drogba will play  and gallas will play.  drogba trained on monday with no problems and will do the same on tuesday. gallas feels he can play and wants to play. we are protecting him still but he will be okay to play.  drogba  chelsea s £24m striker  has missed the last three weeks through injury.  cech  ferreira  carvalho  terry  gallas  tiago  makelele  lampard  cole  drogba  gudjohnsen.


remote control rifle range debuts soon you could go hunting via the net.  a texas company is considering letting web users use a remote-controlled rifle to shoot down deer  antelope and wild pigs. for a small fee users will take control of a camera and rifle that they can use to spot and shoot the game animals as they roam around a 133-hectare texas ranch. the live-shot website behind the scheme already lets people practise shooting at targets via the internet.  john underwood  the man behind the live-shot website  said the idea for the remote-control hunting came to him a year ago when he was watching deer via a webcam on another net site.  we were looking at a beautiful white-tail buck and my friend said  if you just had a gun for that . a little light bulb went off in my head   mr underwood told the reuters news agency. a year s work and $10 000 has resulted in a remote-controlled rig on which sits a camera and .22 calibre rifle. mr underwood is planning to put one of these rigs in a concealed location in a small reserve on his texas ranch and let people shoot at a variety of game animals. also needed is a fast net connection so remote hunters can quickly track and aim at passing game animals with the camera and rifle rig. each remote hunting session will cost $150 with additional fees for meat processing and taxidermy work. species that can be shot will include barbary  corsican and mouflon sheep  blackbuck antelope and wild pigs. already the live-shot site lets people shoot 10 rounds at paper and silhouette targets for $5.95 for each 20-minute shooting session. for further fees  users can get the target they shot and a dvd recording of their session. handlers oversee each shooting session and can stop the gun being fired if it is being aimed off-range or at something it should not be. mr underwood said that internet hunting could be popular with disabled hunters unable to get out in the woods or distant hunters who cannot afford a trip to texas. in a statement the rspca said it had  grave concerns  about people being allowed to go online and remotely control a rifle.  we assume it would be extremely difficult to accurately control a gun in this way and therefore it would be difficult to ensure a  clean kill   something the rspca accepts is the intention of those shooting for sport   it said.  animals hit but not killed would without doubt be caused to suffer unnecessarily   said the statement. mike berger  wildlife director of the texas parks and wildlife department  said current hunting statutes did not cover net or remote hunting. he said state laws on hunting only covered  regulated animals  such as native deer and bird species. as such there was nothing to stop mr underwood letting people hunt  unregulated  imported animals and wild pigs. mr underwood also lets people come in person to the ranch to hunt and shoot game animals.


coach ranieri sacked by valencia claudio ranieri has been sacked as valencia coach just eight months after taking charge at the primera liga club for the second time in his career.  the decision was taken at a board meeting following the side s surprise elimination from the uefa cup.  we understand  and he understands  that the results in the last few weeks have not been the most appropriate   said club president juan bautista. former assistant antonio lopez will take over as the new coach. italian ranieri took over the valencia job in june 2004 having been replaced at chelsea by jose mourinho.  things began well but the spanish champions extended their winless streak to six after losing to racing santander last weekend. that defeat was then followed by a uefa cup exit at the hands of steaua bucharest. ranieri first took charge of valencia in 1997  guiding them to the king s cup and helping them to qualify for the champions league. the 54-year-old then moved to atletico madrid in 1999  before joining chelsea the following year.


bortolami predicts dour contest italy skipper marco bortolami believes saturday s six nations contest against scotland will be a scrappy encounter.  with both sides looking for their first win of the championship  the third-round game at murrayfield has been billed as a wooden-spoon decider. and bortolami feels the edinburgh contest could end up being a bruising battle of the packs.  it will not be a pretty game because both teams are desperate to gain their first win   said the lock forward. italy have only recorded three wins since they joined the six nations in 2000  but two of those have come against scotland. this year  italy opened up with a stubborn display against ireland but ended up losing 28-17.  however  they were thoroughly outplayed by an impressive welsh side in rome last time out. now the italians travel to edinburgh hoping to claim their first away win in the six nations.  scotland played extremely well against france in paris but not so well when ireland came to edinburgh   said bortolami.  we are still very disappointed with our last game against wales in rome and we are thoroughly determined to right the wrongs.  as a nation  our quest is to be respected as a team worthy of a place in this tournament and we can only do this by winning games.


henman decides to quit davis cup tim henman has retired from great britain s davis cup team.  the 30-year-old  who made his davis cup debut in 1994  is now set to fully focus on the atp tour and on winning his first grand slam event.  i ve made no secret of the fact that representing great britain has always been a top priority for me throughout my career   henman told his website. captain jeremy bates has touted alex bogdanovic and andrew murray as possible replacements for the veteran. henman added that he was available to help britain in its bid for davis cup success  with the next tie against israel in march .  although i won t be playing  i would still like to make myself available to both jeremy and the lta in the future so that i can draw upon my experience in the hope of trying to help the british players develop their full potential   he added.  i ve really enjoyed playing in front of the thousands of british fans both home and abroad and would like to thank every one of them for their unwavering support over the years.  henman leaves davis cup tennis with an impressive record  having won 36 of his 50 matches. great britain captain jeremy bates paid tribute to henman s efforts over the years.   tim has quite simply had a phenomenal davis cup career and it has been an absolute privilege to have captained the team with him in it   said bates.  tim s magnificent record speaks for itself. while it s a great loss i completely understand and respect his decision to retire from davis cup and focus on the grand slams and tour.    looking to the future this decision obviously marks a watershed in british davis cup tennis but it is also a huge opportunity for the next generation to make their mark.  we have a host of talented players coming through and despite losing someone of tim s calibre  i remain very optimistic about the future.  henman made his davis cup debut in 1994 against romania in manchester. he and partner bates won their doubles rubber on the middle saturday of the tie. britain eventually lost the contest 3-2. henman and britain had little luck in davis cup matches until 1999 when they qualified for the world group. britain drew the usa and lost the tie when greg rusedski fell to jim courier in the deciding rubber. they made the final stages again  in 2002  but this time lost out to the might of sweden.


kerr frustrated at victory margin republic of ireland manager brian kerr admitted he was frustrated his side did not score more than one goal in their friendly win over croatia.  robbie keane took his republic record to 24 with a first-half goal which proved enough for victory.  we had more good chances. it is just a shame we did not take them against such a technically gifted team   said kerr.  but  given the conditions and the standard of the croatian team  we should be very happy with the win.  the republic side kept a clean sheet for the eighth time in 11 matches and are unbeaten in 14 home games since kerr succeeded mick mccarthy. kerr applauded the decisive move which earned the victory.  it was a brilliant goal  fantastic skill by damien duff. robbie might have scuffed it a little but it was a good goal.  matchwinner keane was another full of praise for duff s role in the goal.  it was great play from damien   said the tottenham striker.   i always try to be sniffing around because you know nine times out of 10 duffer is going to get it in the box.  playing three up was something different. brian kerr wanted to try it out and it was good to see young stephen elliott getting a run-out.  the conditions were difficult but he did well and is definitely one for the future. it is nice to see young players coming through.  man-of-the-match duff explained what went wrong when he fluffed a chance to make it 2-0 midway through the second half. he opted to bring steve finnan s cross down and shoot against the bar when a close-range header looked the best option.  i would have headed that every time but i completely lost it in the lights   said the chelsea star.  i was desperate to get on the scoresheet myself but the result is the important thing.  we have had a good year and are going nicely in the qualifiers. hopefully that can continue in 2005.


qantas considers offshore option australian airline qantas could transfer as many as 7 000 jobs out of its home country as it seeks to save costs  according to newspaper reports.  chief executive geoff dixon was quoted by the australian newspaper as saying the carrier could no longer afford to remain  all-australian . unions criticised the possible move - which may affect cabin and maintenance staff - saying qantas was profitable. more than 90% of the airline s staff are based in australia.  qantas confirmed it was looking at whether it might recruit and source products overseas - potentially through joint ventures - but said it would continue to create jobs in australia.  despite making a record australian dollars 648m ($492m) profit last year  qantas has argued that it needs to make considerable savings if it is to remain competitive.  we re going to have to get the lowest cost structure we can and that willmean sourcing things more and more from overseas   the newspaper quoted qantas chief executive geoff dixon as saying. early this year  qantas increased the number of flight attendants based in london from 370 to 870. if qantas were to follow the lead of other airlines moving staff  offshore  7 000 jobs could shift overseas  the newspaper reported. in a statement  qantas said it was looking to build its operations overseas. however  it stressed this would not result in large scale redundancies in its home market  where most of its 35 000 staff are employed.  we are totally committed to continuing to grow jobs in australia   mr dixon said.  we are  however  operating in a global market and there is no room for complacency simply because we are currently profitable and successful.   unions reacted angrily to the reported disclosure  arguing that qantas was profitable and did not need to take such action.  we could understand if qantas was a struggling airline about to go under   michael mijatov  international division secretary of the flight attendants association  told agence france presse.  qantas announced a record profit last year and is on course this year for an even greater profit so it is totally unnecessary.  in an effort to meet the challenge posed by low cost carriers  qantas sought a tie-up with air new zealand last year however  the deal was thrown out by the new zealand high court on competition grounds.


ukraine strikes turkmen gas deal ukraine has agreed to pay 30% more for natural gas supplied by turkmenistan.  the deal was sealed three days after turkmenistan cut off gas supplies in a price dispute that threatened the ukrainian economy. supplies from turkmenistan account for 45% of all natural gas imported by ukraine  which has large coal deposits but no gas fields. turkmenistan is also trying to strike a similar deal with russia  which is not so dependent on its gas. turkmen president saparmurat niyazov  who signed the contract  said the turkmen side agreed to lower the price demanded by $2 per 1 000 cubic metres  bringing it down to $58. but the new price is still $14 higher than the price fixed in the contract for 2004. the head of the ukrainian state-owned naftohaz company  yury boyko  said he was  fully happy  with the deal. on friday  turkmenistan acted on a threat and shut off gas supplies to ukraine in attempt to bring the price dispute to a head. mr niyazov said that his government would insist on the same price for supplies to russia. analysts say thay may not happen as russia  the world s leading gas producer  needs the cheap turkmen gas only to relieve is state-owned gazprom from costly investment in the exploration of oil fields in siberia. turkmenistan is the second-largest gas producer in the world.


o connell rejects lions rumours ireland and munster lock paul o connell has dismissed media reports linking him to the captaincy of the lions tour to new zealand this summer.  o connell is rumoured to be among the front-runners for the job  but says he is totally focused on sunday s six nations crunch clash with england.  i honestly don t think about these reports   he told bbc sport.  the lions thing is all speculation and newspaper talk  nothing more. i just ignore it and get on with my job.  he added:  the only thing that annoys me after reading some reports is what the opposition locks think.  i can just imagine them saying  i m going to show this guy what s what about second row play . that s the one thing that makes me cringe.  o connell  who made a try-scoring international debut against wales two years ago  is enjoying his meteoric rise into rugby s shop window - but refuses to be drawn on the lions.   i have spoken to sir clive woodward a few times  but not for very long  certainly nothing about summer holidays   he joked. he also said he remains wary of wounded england s abilities coming into sunday s game after two straight defeats  dismissing predictions of a certain irish victory.  it s very dangerous to think that. this england team has so much experience and skill. you do not become a bad team overnight.  they have two world class game-breakers in josh lewsey and jason robinson  while charlie hodgson is just ready to click into place.  he insisted ireland will not make the mistake of being over-confident.  that s not going to happen in our squad. no ireland team lining up to play england will ever fall into that trap   he said.  every time we play england we know what a big task it is. look at what they did to us two years ago. i remember that game all too well  and it was not a good feeling.  i came on as a replacement and we were losing 13-6  and ended up getting hammered 42-6  so i know what can happen when england come to dublin.  they could so easily have been coming to dublin with two wins and staring a grand slam in the face as well.


thomas out of six nations wales captain gareth thomas has been ruled out of the rest of the six nations with a broken thumb.  the full-back will have surgery on monday after fracturing his thumb in the 24-18 win over france on saturday. but welsh legend phil bennett insisted wales can cope without thomas as they chase a first grand slam in 27 years. bennett told bbc sport:  such is the spirit in the camp  they ll put kevin morgan at 15  rhys williams at wing and just carry on.  thomas will miss the match against scotland on 13 march  and what promises to be a huge encounter against the irish six days later. bennett added:  it s a setback. he s a great captain  he leads from the front and the boys love him.  thomas was replaced at half-time by williams as his side turned around a 15-6 deficit in paris.   with gareth missing i would think michael owen will be our captain   said wales coach mike ruddock.  he did a great job in the second half in france. he has been vice-captain all along throughout the championship.  wales travel to edinburgh to take on scotland in a fortnight and then host ireland in cardiff in the final round of matches in what could be the grand slam and championship decider. bennett  an inspirational fly-half for llanelli and wales in the 1970s  insisted the national team were entering a new golden period.  it was a great game and a magnificent result for wales   bennett told bbc radio five live s sportsweek programme.   the way this young team are blending  the glory days are on their way back.  we couldn t get possession early on and france dominated and scored two tries.  had they been ruthless  wales could have gone into the interval 30 points down. but they didn t take their chances.  wales defended fairly well but you cannot give that sort of quality ball to good sides.  the all blacks would have been ruthless and buried us in the first half. but the character we showed in the second half was quite outstanding.


vickery upbeat about arm injury england prop phil vickery is staying positive despite a broken arm ruling him out of the rbs six nations.  the 28-year-old fractured the radius in his right forearm during gloucester s 17-16 win over bath on saturday. he will undergo an operation on monday and is expected to be out for at least six weeks. he said:  this isn t an injury that will stop me from working hard on the fitness elements and being around the lads.  he added:  i ve got the operation this afternoon and i could be back doing fitness work after a week.   as frustrating as it is  i ve got to be positive.   after the game  vickery spoke with bath prop david barnes  who also broke his arm recently.  i had a chat with david barnes and it looks like a similar injury to him   he said.  he said he had the operation and he was back running after a week.  there s no doubt that i m going to get involved and be around this place as soon as i can after the operation.  gloucester director of rugby nigel melville said:  phil has broken his radius  which is the large bone in his forearm.  i don t really know how it happened  but phil will definitely be out of action for at least six weeks.  i feel very sorry for him  as he has been in great shape. he really needed 80 minutes of rugby this weekend  and then this happened. mentally  it must be very hard for him.


more movies head to sony s psp movies open water and saw are among those to be made available for sony s psp games console.  film studio lions gate entertainment has announced an initial list of 12 movies that will be on the umd format used by the handheld.  the typical buyer of the machine [is] the core demographic to whom our films generally appeal   said steve beeks  president of lions gate. already available in japan  the psp is released in the us on 24 march. spider-man 2 on umd will be given to the first million customers in the us.  the punisher and house of the dead along with older titles such as total recall and rambo: first blood  will be in the umd format  with disks costing between $20 (£10.40) to $30 (£15.60) for new titles and $10 (£5.20) to $20 for older films.   when we first saw the machine and started talking to sony  we immediately decided it was going to be a winner  both from the gaming perspective and from the perspective of people watching movies on the go   mr beeks said. the disks  which are smaller than dvds  only work in sony s psp and can hold up to 1.8gb of data.  we actually believe people who buy the umd would not have bought it on dvd   he said.  there are people who will want umd because of the portability. maybe they re already taking the games with them out of the house  and they re bigger gamers than they are movie watchers.  four movies have already been announced for psp. they are: xxx  hellboy  resident evil: apocalypse and once upon a time in mexico.


rich grab half colombia poor fund half of the money put aside by the colombian government to help the country s poor is benefiting people who do not need it  a study has found.  a total of 24.2 trillion pesos ($10.2bn; £5.5bn) is earmarked for subsidies for the poor  the government department for planning said. but it also found 12.1 trillion pesos was going to the richest part of the population  rather than to those in need. sound distribution of the cash could cut poverty levels to 36% from 53%  the government believes.  resources are more than enough to reduce poverty and there is no need for more tax reforms but a better distribution   deputy planning director jose leibovich said.  colombia has a population of about 44 million and half lives below poverty line. however  some large properties are paying less in tax as they are situated inside poor areas  which benefit from cheaper utilities such as electricity and water  government research found. government expenditure in areas such as pensions  public services  education  property and health should be revised  mr leibovich said. he added that the government is now examining the report  but warned there would be no easy solution to the problem. with a good distribution of such subsidies and economic growth of just 2%  by 2019 poverty could fall as low as 15.3%  he said.


disaster claims  less than $10bn  insurers have sought to calm fears that they face huge losses after an earthquake and giant waves killed at least 38 000 people in southern asia.  munich re and swiss re  the world s two biggest reinsurers  have said exposure will be less than for other disasters. rebuilding costs are likely to be cheaper than in developed countries  and many of those affected will not have insurance  analysts said. swiss re has said total claims are likely to be less than $10bn (£5.17bn). swiss re believes that the cost would be substantial but that it is unlikely to be in double-digit billions  the financial times reported. munich re  the world s largest reinsurance company  said that its exposure is less than 100m euros (£70m; $136m).  at least 10 countries have been affected  with sri lanka  indonesia  india and thailand among the worst hit. the region s resorts and western tourists are expected to be among the main claimants.  lloyds of london told the financial times it expected its exposure to be limited to  holiday resorts  personal accident  travel insurance and marine risks . a spokeswoman for hanover re  europe s fifth-largest reinsurance firm  estimated tsunami-related damage claims would be in the low double-digit millions of euros. the company has paid out about 300 million euros (£281m; $400m) to cover damage caused recently by four major hurricanes in the us.  but insurers have not had long to assess the economic impact of the damage and reports of more casualties and destruction are still coming through.   so many things are unclear  it is just too early to tell   said serge troeber  deputy head of swiss re s natural disasters department.  you need very complicated processes to estimate damages. unlike the hurricanes  you can t just run a model.  he anticipated that his own company s total claims would be less then those from the hurricanes  which the company put at $640m. allianz  a leading german insurer  said it did not know yet what its exposure would be. however  it said the tidal waves were unlikely to have a  significant  impact on its business. zurich financial said they could not yet assess the cost of the disaster.  the impact on us insurance companies is not expected to be heavy  analysts said.  most us insurers have relatively little exposure to asia and those that do  pass on a lot of the risk to reinsurance companies or special catastrophe funds. insured damage could be a fraction of the  billions of dollars worth of destruction in sri lanka  india  thailand  indonesia  the maldive islands and malaysia   said prudential equity group insurance analyst jay gelb.  us insurers are likely to have only minimal to no exposure. it s more likely the bermuda-based reinsurance [companies] might have some exposure   said paul newsome  an insurance analyst at ag edwards & co.  many of the affected countries  such as indonesia  sri lanka or the maldives  do not usually buy insurance for these kinds of disasters  said a us-based insurance expert. early estimates from the world bank put the amount of aid needed for the worst affected countries including sri lanka  india  indonesia and thailand  at about $5bn (£2.6bn)  similar to the cash offered to central america after hurricane mitch.  mitch killed about 10 000 people and caused damage of about $10bn in 1998. but the cost of the tsunamis on the individuals involved is incalculable.  we cannot fathom the cost of these poor societies and the nameless fishermen and fishing villages ... that have just been wiped out. hundreds of thousands of livelihoods have gone   said jan egeland  head of the un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs. tourists cutting short their holidays in affected areas may suffer a financial impact too. the association of british insurers warned that travel insurance does not normally cover cutting short a holiday. it said loss of possessions will usually be covered  but the association stressed the importance of checking the wording of travel policies.


kenya lift chepkemei s suspension kenya s athletics body has reversed a ban on marathon runner susan chepkemei after she made an official apology.  athletics kenya (ak) had suspended the two-time london marathon runner-up for failing to turn up to a cross-country team training camp in embu.  we have withdrawn the ban. chepkemei has given a reason for her absence   said ak chief isaiah kiplagat.  she explained she had a contract with the organisers of the race in puerto rice and we have accepted her apology.   the kenyan coaching team will now decide whether chepkemei can be included in the team for this month s world cross country championships. the 29-year-old would be a strong contender at the event in france and is hopeful she will be granted a place in the 32-strong squad.  i am satisfied that the whole saga has been brought to an end   chepkemei said.  i am ready and prepared to represent my country.  i will be disappointed if i am not given a chance to compete at the world cross country championships.  ak had insisted it was making an example of chepkemei by banning her from competition until the end of 2005. but the organisation came under intense international and domestic pressure to reverse its decision. the 29-year-old took part in the 2002 and 2003 london marathons and was edged out by radcliffe in an epic new york marathon contest last year.  the two-time world half-marathon silver medallist will be back to challenge radcliffe at this year s london event in april. ak also dropped its harsh stance on three-time world cross country 4km champion edith masai. masai missed kenya s world cross country trials because of an ankle problem but ak insisted it would take disciplinary action unless she could prove she was really injured.  subject to our doctor s confirmation  we have decided to clear masai   added kiplagat.


o driscoll saves irish blushes two moments of magic from brian o driscoll guided ireland to a workmanlike victory against italy.  a pair of classic outside breaks from the ireland captain set up tries for geordan murphy and peter stringer. italy led 9-8 early in the second half but stringer s try gave ireland a lead they never lost. the hosts cut the gap to 18-12 with 10 minutes left and nearly scored through ludovico nitoglia  but denis hickie s try ensured an irish victory. italy came flying out of the blocks and took the lead through a luciano orquera penalty after seven minutes.  it could have been better for the hosts but the fly-half missed two kickable penalties and ireland drew level with a ronan o gara penalty midway through the first half. the italians were driving at the heart of the irish defence and  for the first quarter  the irish pack struggled to secure any ball for their talented backs.  when they finally did  just before the half-hour mark  o driscoll promptly created a sparkling try for murphy. the ireland captain ran a dummy scissors and made a magical outside break before drawing the full-back and putting the diving murphy in at the corner. o gara missed the twice-taken conversion and the visitors found themselves trailing once again. roland de marigny took over the kicking duties for italy from the hapless orquera  and he landed a penalty either side of the break to edge italy into a 9-8 lead.  the only ireland player offering a real threat was o driscoll  and it was his break that set up the second try for the visitors. shane horgan threw an overhead pass as he was about to be forced into touch and stringer scooted over  with o gara landing the tricky conversion. a penalty apiece saw ireland leading 18-12 as the game entered the final quarter  but they were lucky to survive when italy launched a series of attacks. winger nitoglia dropped the ball as he reached for the line and italy nearly rumbled over from a driving maul.  an o gara penalty put ireland more than a converted try ahead and they made the game safe when hickie latched onto an inside pass from murphy and crossed for a converted try. o driscoll limped off late on  joining centre partner gordon d arcy on the sidelines  and the final word went to italy. prop martin castrogiovanni powered over for a try which was fitting reward for an italian pack which had kept the irish under pressure throughout.  de marigny; mi bergamasco  canale  masi  nitoglia; orquera  troncon; lo cicero  ongaro  castrogiovanni; dellape  bortolami; persico  ma bergamasco  parisse.  perugini  intoppa  del fava  dal maso  griffen  pozzebon  robertson.  murphy  horgan  o driscoll  d arcy  hickie  o gara  stringer  corrigan  byrne  hayes  o kelly  o connell  s easterby  leamy  foley.  sheahan  horan  o callaghan  miller  g easterby  humphreys  dempsey.  p o brien (new zealand)