call for action on internet scam phone companies are not doing enough to warn customers about internet  rogue-dialling  scams  according to premium phone line regulator icstis.  it has received 45 000 complaints in recent months about dial-up internet connections diverting to premium rate numbers without users  knowledge. phone companies refuse to pay compensation because they say calls must be paid for. they must warn people earlier about possible fraud  icstis said.  people who use dial-up connections can be affected by the scams. without realising  a program can be downloaded which diverts internet calls via a premium phone line. victims often fail to notice until they receive an unusually high bill. icstis spokesman rob dwight said:  phone companies should get in touch with their customers sooner.  if my bill goes over the usual £50 a month i want to know about it straight away - i don t want to be told when it s hit £750.   phone companies had the systems in place to spot fraudulent activity and artificially-inflated traffic  he said.  we alert them to the numbers that we have under investigation and they should be looking out for these numbers   he added.  telecoms ombudsman elizabeth france said:  certainly i would not be surprised to find my credit card company phoning me if i do something out of the ordinary.  so i would expect phone companies to be looking to see if they can have a similar approach.  the biggest phone company bt says it is doing what it can to monitor fraud and warn people about rogue dialling. its advice to customers is to use call barring if they want to prevent calls to premium lines because  under the current system  once the call has been made there s little that can be done.  gavin patterson  group managing director for bt consumer  said  we do look at customer s calling patterns and we do make interventions when they are out of the ordinary.  we re looking at the moment at whether we can improve this.  but as bt handled 180 million calls a day monitoring was  quite a task in itself   he added. the government has ordered a review of premium line services and is likely to say icstis should have more power to deal with rogue diallers in future. at the moment  it cannot demand pay-outs on the behalf of customer - it can only close illegal services down.  i use free anti-virus software (avg) and free firewall protection (zonealarm). both of these tools have prevented unauthorised access and outgoing calls inadvertently and innocently caused by my daughter s love of music sites. how about isps informing all customers of such facilities  the responsibility clearly falls with the customer but many fall prey through simply not knowing how to avoid these issues.  ignorance is and always has been an expensive business.  does any one know what happens once this fraud has been committed and recognised  the phone companies pay the people who obtaining money fraudulently  so are these people followed up and prosecuted    these diallers are mainly downloaded from sites offering illegal mp3s  porn and pirated software. if people didn t visit such sites they d be considerably less at risk. whatever happened to personal responsibility  it seems everyone has to be a  victim  these days!  part of the blame has to rest with the manufacturers of home computer operating systems. a secure system should not allow a web page or email to download and install anything without the user s knowledge.  these scams are illegal and telephone companies should have nothing to do with them. they should refuse to pay money over to the perpetrators. or are they themselves receiving such good returns that it is in their interest to keep the scam going   why don t bt et al block all premium numbers by default and only turn it off at the customer s request  to anyone who falls foul of this scam - refuse to pay your telephone provider for these calls. after you notify your telephone provider of these fraudulent transactions  they cannot insist on you paying the bill. to do so would be to knowingly assist the fraudsters to commit the fraud. no customers have yet been taken to court for refusing to pay these bills.  disable or remove your modem and use broadband instead - then you have nothing to worry about. or buy some decent firewall software and anti-virus. you would not walk out in the freezing cold without a coat - you would not drive your car without any insurance - so why not protect your pc  stop blaming the phone companies - it s not their fault!  i was very impressed with our phone company recently. i had kept ringing a hotline number for kylie tickets and next day they rang back to ask if i was aware there were 40-odd calls to the same number. great service. and i got the tickets as well!  i have a colleague who has fallen victim to this kind of scam. he informed the phone company about it  they subsequently put a block on premium rate numbers. three months later another huge bill of over £1 000 came in - the block apparently didn t work and he still has to pay for it  even though a block was in place. phone companies are probably quite happy for their customers to be hit with a huge bill  otherwise they d be taking extra steps to prevent this kind of problem.  i have been scammed of £139. the operator will do nothing about this and  to add insult to injury  i was charged vat by the government.  premium rate numbers have been subject to various scams ever since they were invented. one example was where thieves would set up a premium rate number and then dial it day and night from phones whose quarterly bills were never paid. the telephone company was the victim here and you can bet that loophole was blocked very quickly.  i know people who have run up large bills  despite being it-literate. from talking to bt in belfast  i believe that they will shortly be giving out a free application that can stop you dialling expensive numbers without knowing. it s not the fault of phone companies  and at last they are doing something about it.  it s about time that the profiteering by the  legitimate  phone companies came to an end  mainly by doing away with dial-up altogether and bring broadband down to the same price as dial-up! not only will this ruin things for the dialler scammers but also allow people to update and upgrade their security more easily and quickly.  i haven t  fallen victim to a rogue-dialling scam  but i think you re seriously remiss in not pointing out that the vast majority of these scams arise from people trying to access services purporting to provide free pornography. in most cases the user is entirely at fault  which is probably why the telephone companies are rightly unwilling to refund them.  my telephone supplier did not inform me that my monthly bill had risen from its normal £3 to £5  to £320. this was because of the scam. they simply billed me. what particularly galls me  over and above having over £300 stolen  is that the supplier and the government (through vat) are profiting from this crime and will not reimburse me their portion of my losses.  how about an automatic monthly cap of say £20 on premium rate calls that you would have to contact your provider to have lifted  that way you could use legitimate premium rate numbers while limiting fraudulent usage. at least any disputed amount would be limited  far easier for a telecoms operator to write off £20 than it is £750.  a few years back i was also the target of such scams but thank god i have already upgraded to broadband and nothing was connected to my modem so all i heard was the sound of an attempted connection.  how about home users take some responsibility and ensure their anti-virus and firewall software is up to date  that should prevent the vast majority of these scams.


no seasonal lift for house market a swathe of figures have provided further evidence of a slowdown in the uk property market.  the council of mortgage lenders (cml)  british bankers association (bba) and building societies association (bsa) all said mortgage lending was slowing. cml figures showed gross lending fell by 4% in november as the number of people buying new homes fell. elsewhere  the bba added underlying mortgage lending rose by £4m in november  compared to october s £4.29m. the cml said that loans for new property purchases fell 25% year-on-year to 85 000 - the lowest total seen since february 2003.  data from the cml showed lending fell to just over £25bn in november  from £25.5bn a year earlier. separate figures from the building societies association showed the value of mortgage approvals -- loans agreed but not yet made -- stood 32% lower than at the same time last year  at a seasonally-adjusted £2.98bn. the figures come hot on the heels of new data from property website rightmove which suggested owners must indulge in a  winter sale  and slash prices by up to 8%. miles shipside  commercial director at rightmove  said sellers would have to be  more realistic with their asking prices  to tempt buyers. the average asking price of a home fell by more than £600 from £190 329 in november to £189 733 in december  while the length of time it takes to sell a home rose to 81 days from 53 in the summer.  rightmove said estate agents were set to enter 2005 with a third more properties on their books than a year ago.  even once the quieter holiday period is over  sellers will find themselves competing with a lot of other properties on the market. in any business  excess supply and low demand means one thing - cut prices   mr shipside said.   the proof is that some properties that have been appropriately discounted are selling  even in the current market.  overall  asking prices have fallen 3.3% from their july peaks as the equivalent of £6 500 has been cut from an average property. a host of mortgage lenders and economists have predicted that property prices will either fall or stagnate in 2005.  what is apparent is a picture of a slowing market  but one that should remain stable as we return to more normal volumes of lending over 2005 as a whole   cml director general michael coogan said.  it s a fairly consistent picture  showing that mortgage demand has fallen back again  which is consistent with a continuing correction in the housing market   investec economist philip shaw said.  however  the figures do suggest only a modest weakening  and we stand by our view that the property market will remain in the doldrums for some time  though a collapse is still unlikely.


leeds v saracens (fri) headingley  friday  25 february  2000 gmt  the tykes have brought in newcastle prop ed kalman and tom mcgee from the borders on loan while fly-half craig mcmullen has joined from narbonne. raphael ibanez is named at hooker for saracens in one of four changes. simon raiwalui and ben russell are also selected in the pack while kevin sorrell comes in at outside centre.  - friday s game at headingley got the go-ahead on friday after passing an early pitch inspection. leeds: balshaw; rees  christophers  bell  doherty; mcmullen  dickens; mcgee  rawlinson  gerber; murphy  palmer (capt)  morgan  parks  popham. replacements: kalman  regan  hyde  rigney  mcmillan  rock  vickerman. saracens: bartholomeusz; castaignede  sorrell  harris  vaikona; jackson  bracken; yates  ibanez  visagie; raiwalui  fullarton; randell  russell  vyvyan (capt). replacements: cairns  lloyd  broster  chesney  johnston  rauluni  little.


ukraine trims privatisation check ukraine is to review  dozens  of state asset sales as the country s new administration tackles corruption.  the figure announced by president viktor yushchenko is less than the 3 000 cases mentioned last week  but will cover many of the biggest deals. ukraine recently ousted long-serving leader leonid kuchma and has said it wants closer european union links. in a separate statement  the eu said that the us should back ukraine s entry into the world trade organisation. the comments came as viktor yushchenko prepared to head to brussels to meet with us president george w bush and other north atlantic treaty organisation (nato) leaders. he is the only non-nato member leader invited to attend the summit.  mr yushchenko recently defeated moscow-backed presidential candidate and prime minister viktor yanukovych at the polls  and has made no secret of his wish to fight corruption and make ukraine more transparent.  earlier this month  new prime minister yulia tymoshenko said as many as 3 000 firms may have their privatisations put under the spotlight. her comments raised concerns among a number of investors and mr yushchenko was seen on monday as trying to soothe their frayed nerves.  we acknowledge that business in ukraine is now shaped and 98% of privatisations were carried out according to the law   mr yushchenko said on monday.  we have trust in this business and want to defend it by law   he continued  adding that any review would focus on  dozens of companies  not hundreds or thousands . he cited last year s sale of ukrainian steel producer krivorizhstal as one that had raised concerns. it was sold in june 2004 to a consortium that included viktor pinchuk  son-in-law of former-president kuchma  and rinat akhmetov  the country s richest man  for $800m (£424m) - despite other higher offers.  vice-prime minister oleg rybachuk called on the eu to recognise the steps that ukraine was taking  fearing that should the country not be rewarded for its efforts there may be a backlash against closer relations with brussels. he said that while he understood that ukraine was not ready for eu membership  the country needed to see progress on topics such as trade and visa requirements.  we deserve an honest response   mr rybachuk told the associated press in an interview.  we understand the difficulties. we refuse to understand double standards.  ukraine may find it has a sympathetic ear in brussels  the eu has reiterated that we support (ukraine s) fast accession to the wto and if possible we would like that to happen some time during the year   said claude veron-reville  a spokesman for eu trade commissioner peter mandelson.  we have said as much to the americans. we feel that it is important for us all to pull together for ukraine to be allowed into the wto. mr yushchenko was careful not to turn his back on russia  which borders the country to the east  saying it was important to maintain  pragmatic  ties with moscow.  russia is ukraine s eternal strategic partner   mr yushchenko said.


serena ends sania mirza s dream sania mirza  the first indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam tennis event  has lost to women s favourite serena williams.  the 18-year-old mirza  who got a wild card entry into the australian open in melbourne  lost to williams 1-6 4-6 in the third round. williams took just 56 minutes to defeat mirza and sail into the fourth round. the only other indian woman to win a match at a grand slam is nirupama vaidyanathan. vaidyanathan made it to the second round of the australian open in 1998.  playing the biggest match of her life  mirza made little impact on williams in the early stages of the game. but the teenager showed more confidence in the second set and engaged the seventh-seeded williams in some well contested rallies. mirza  a junior wimbledon doubles title winner  became the first indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam tennis event when she beat hungarian petra mandula on wednesday.  i m really excited. i was confident but i didn t think it was going to be that easy   mirza said after her second round win.  my aim was to win a round here. when i did that i was so relieved  there was no pressure.  tennis is not a particularly popular sport in india  but a number of indians watched the live telecast of the match between mirza and williams. mirza  who lives in the southern indian city of hyderabad known for producing a host of top indian cricketers  turned professional two years ago. she says she was considered too small when she went for her first tennis classes as a six-year-old girl.  then finally [the coach] called my parents up and said  the way she hits the ball  i ve never seen a six-year-old hit a ball like that    mirza told the associated press.


manufacturing recovery  slowing  uk manufacturing grew at its slowest pace in one-and-a-half years in january  according to a survey.  the chartered institute of purchasing and supply (cips) said its purchasing manager index (pmi) fell to 51.8 from a revised 53.3 in december. but  despite missing forecasts of 53.7  the pmi number remained above 50 - indicating expansion in the sector. the cips said that the strong pound had dented exports while rising oil and metals prices had kept costs high.  the survey added that rising input prices and cooling demand had deterred factory managers from hiring new workers in an effort to cut costs. that triggered the second successive monthly fall in the cips employment index to 48.3 - its lowest level since june 2003. the survey is more upbeat than official figures - which suggest that manufacturing is in recession - but analysts said the survey did suggest that the manufacturing recovery was running out of steam.  it appears that the uk is in a two-tier economy again   said prebon yamane economist lena komileva.  you have weakness in manufacturing  which i think would concern policymakers at the bank of england.


parmalat boasts doubled profits parmalat  the italian food group at the centre of one of europe s most painful corporate scandals  has reported a doubling in profit.  its pre-tax earnings in the fourth quarter were 77m euros (£53m; $100m)  up from 38m in the same period of 2003. less welcome was the news that the firm had been fined 11m euros for having violated takeover rules five years ago. the firm sought bankruptcy protection in december 2003 after disclosing a 4bn-euro hole in its accounts. overall  the company s debt is close to 12bn euros  and is falling only slowly. its brands  well-known in italy and overseas  have continued to perform strongly  however  and have barely lost revenue since the scandal broke.  but a crucial factor for the company s future is the legal unwinding of its intensely complex financial position. on tuesday  the company s administrator  turnaround expert enrico bondi  sued morgan stanley  its former banker  to return 136m euros relating to a 2003 bond deal. that brought to 49 the number of banks that mr bondi has sued  a mass of legal action that could bring in as much as 3bn euros. the company has also sued former auditors and financial advisors for damages. and criminal cases against the company s former management are proceeding separately.


video phones act as dating tools technologies  from e-mail  to net chatrooms  instant messaging and mobiles  have proved to be a big pull with those looking for love.  the lure once was that you could hide behind the technology  but now video phones are in on the act to add vision. hundreds have submitted a mobile video profile to win a place at the world s first video mobile dating event. the top 100 meet their match on 30 november at london s institute of contemporary arts (ica). the event  organised by the 3g network  3  could catch on as the trend for unusual dating events  like speed dating  continues.  it s the beginning of the end of the blind date as we know it   said graeme oxby  3 s marketing director. the response has been so promising that 3 says it is planning to launch a proper commercial dating service soon. hundreds of hopefuls submitted their profiles  and special booths were set up in a major london department store for two weeks where expert tips were given on how to visually improve their chances. the 100 most popular contestants voted by the public will gather at the ica in separate rooms and  meet  by phone.  dating services and other more adult match-making services are proving to be a strong stream of revenue worth millions for mobile companies. whether it does actually provide an interesting match for video phone technologies remains to be seen. flic everett  journalist and dating expert for company magazine and the daily express  thinks technology has been liberating for some nervous soul-mate seekers. there are currently about 1.3 million video phones in use in the uk and three times more single people in britain than there were 30 years ago  with more people buying video mobiles  3g dating could be the basis for a successful and safe way to meet people.   one of the problems with video phones is people don t really know what to video. it is a weird technology. we have not quite worked out what it is for. this gives it a focus and a useful one   she told bbc news.  i would never have thought online dating would take off the way it did   she said.  lots of people find it easier to be honest writing e-mail or text than face-to-face. lots people are quite shy and they feel vulnerable.   when you are writing  it comes directly onto the page so they tend to be more honest.  but the barrier that comes with sms chat and online match-making is that the person behind the profile may not be who they really are. scare stories have put people off as a result  according to ms everett. many physical clues  body language  odd twitches  are obviously missing with sms and online dating services. still images do not necessarily provide all those necessary cues.  it could really take off because you do get the whole package. with a static e-mail picture  you don t know who the person is behind it is.  so checking out a potential date by video phone also gives singletons a different kind of barrier  an extra layer of protection; a case of wlts before wltm.  if you are trapped in real-life blind date context  you can t get away and you feel embarrassed.  with a video meeting  you really have the barrier of the phone so if you don t like them you don t have to suffer the embarrassment.   there is a more serious side to this new use of technology though. with money being made through more adult-themes content and services which let people meet and chat  the revenue streams for mobile carriers will grow with 3g  thinks paolo pescatore mobile industry specialist for analysts idc.  wireless is a medium that is being exploited with a number of features and services. one is chatting and the dating element is key there   he said.  the foundation has been set by sms and companies are using media like mms and video to grow the market further.  but carriers need to be wary and ensure that if they do launch such 3g dating services  they ensure mechanism are in place to monitor and be aware who is registers and accesses these services on regular basis  he cautioned. in july  vodafone introduced a content control system to protect children from such adult content. the move was as a result of a code of practice agreed by the uk s six largest mobile phone operators in january. the system means vodafone users need to prove they are over 18 before firewalls are lifted on explicit websites or chat rooms dealing with adult themes. the impetus was the growing number of people with handsets that could access the net  and the growth of 3g technologies.


india calls for fair trade rules india  which attends the g7 meeting of seven leading industrialised nations on friday  is unlikely to be cowed by its newcomer status.  in london on thursday ahead of the meeting  india s finance minister  lashed out at the restrictive trade policies of the g7 nations. he objected to subsidies on agriculture that make it hard for developing nations like india to compete. he also called for reform of the united nations  the world bank and the imf.  palaniappan chidambaram  india s finance minister  argued that these organisations need to take into account the changing world order  given india and china s integration into the global economy. he said the issue is not globalisation but  the terms of engagement in globalisation.  mr chidambaram is attending the g7 meeting as part of the g20 group of nations  which account for two thirds of the world s population. at a conference on developing enterprise hosted by uk finance minister gordon brown on friday  he said that he was in favour of floating exchange rates because they help countries cope with economic shocks.  a flexible exchange rate is one more channel for absorbing both positive and negative shocks   he told the conference. india  along with china  brazil  south africa and russia  has been invited to take part in the g7 meeting taking place in london on friday and saturday. china is expected to face renewed pressure to abandon its fixed exchange rate  which g7 nations  in particular the us  have blamed for a surge in cheap chinese exports.  some countries have tried to use fixed exchange rates. i do not wish to make any judgements   mr chidambaram said. separately  the imf warned on thursday that india s budget deficit was too large and would hamper the country s economic growth  which it forecast to be around 6.5% in the year to march 2005. in the year to march 2004  the indian economy grew by 8.5%.


celts savour grand slam prospect the six nations has heralded a new order in northern hemisphere rugby this year and wales and ireland rather than traditional big guns france and england face a potential grand slam play-off in three weeks  time.  but before that game in cardiff  wales must get past scotland at murrayfield  while ireland face the not insignificant task of a home fixture with the mercurial french. no-one knows what mood france will be in at lansdowne road on 12 march - sublime  as in the first half against wales  or ridiculous  like in the same period against england at twickenham. but how the mighty have fallen. england sat on rugby s summit 15 months ago as world champions and 2003 grand slam winners. but they have lost nine of their 14 matches since that heady night in sydney. and they face the ignominy of what could amount to a wooden spoon play-off against italy in a fortnight.  england are enduring their worst run in the championship since captain richard hill was dumped in favour of mike harrison after three straight losses in 1987. coach andy robinson  who took over from the successful sir clive woodward in september  has lost a phalanx of world cup stars. and he is enduring the toughest of teething problems in bedding down his own style with a new team. the same year that england ruled the roost  a woeful wales lost all five matches in the six nations. and they won only two games  against scotland and italy  in 2004. wales  most recent championship title was in 1994  and their last grand slam success came in 1978 in the era of gareth edwards  phil bennett  jpr williams et al.  but welsh rugby fans remain on permanent tenterhooks for the blossoming of a new golden age. after several false dawns  coach mike ruddock may have come up with the team and philosophy to match expectations. the fresh verve is inspired by skipper gareth thomas  now out with a broken thumb  accurate kicking from either fly-half stephen jones or centre gavin henson  a rampant martyn williams leading the way up front  and exciting runners in the guise of henson and shane williams. ireland coach eddie o sullivan and captain brian o driscoll have got their side buzzing too  and they are close to shedding the  nearly-men  tag that has dogged them for the past few years. the men from the emerald isle have been six nations runners-up for the past two years  to france and england.  but they have not won the title since 1985 and last clinched a grand slam in 1948. as for scotland  they have struggled this decade and the 2004 wooden spoon  winners  have not been in the top two since they lifted the title in 1999. italy continue the elusive search for their first six nations away win  and can still only account for the scalps of scotland (twice) and wales since joining the elite in 2000. coach john kirwan is a passionate and dedicated believer in the azzurri  but is lacking in raw materials. and so to france. brilliant one minute  inept the next. but the reigning champions could quite easily turn on the style in dublin and end up winning the title through the back door. ireland  though  have won three times in their last five meetings. welsh romantics would probably prefer a glorious victory in the celtic showdown to crown their grand slam. but given that ireland have beaten wales in four of their last five meetings  the welsh legions are likely to be behind les bleus on 12 march.


apple mac mini gets warm welcome the mac mini has been welcomed by apple fans  industry experts and pc users.  the release of the tiny  low-cost machine is seen as a good move for apple which currently has a small share of the desktop computer market. mac watchers and some analysts say the mac mini will go a long way to help apple appeal to the mass of consumers. they speculate that the mac mini will be bought by ipod owners and those wanting an easy-to-use and administer second home computer.   it s the bravest move they have made yet   said jonny evans  news editor at macworld magazine. mr evans said the combination of low cost  small size and huge numbers of ipod users could make it a big success.  he thought that the machine would appeal to those that like apple technology but who before now have balked at paying high prices for its hardware.  it s deeply affordable   he said.  plus you know that you do not get viruses or all of the associated problems.  already  he said  pc owning friends had declared that they would be buying one. interest in the new products launched at macworld expo was so strong that websites for apple s store and the show struggled to cope with demand. according to response statistics gathered by netcraft many visiting the apple store in the wake of mr jobs  speech suffered lengthy response times. the macworld expo site was completely overwhelmed and went offline.   i think fundamentally it s a good idea because it s cheap even for a pc   said nick ross  deputy labs editor at pc pro. apple s work on making things easy to use would also help the mac mini win fans  he said.  i think people expect it just to work now and really it should   hesaid. the mac mini could find a role in homes that need a second computer that is easy to install and administer  he said.  for browsing the web  e-mail and all kinds of basic duties it s going to be absolutely adequate   said mr ross. ian fogg  broadband and personal technology analyst at jupiter research  agreed that the mac mini could be very popular.  apple has been hoping that sales of the ipod will have a halo effect on the sales of the mac   he said.  before now  he said  apple has been seen as a premium brand. but  he said  the mac mini changed that perception.  it s a particularly good price when you see that it s apple that is doing it   he said. apple expects the mac mini to sell for £339 in the uk and $499 in the us. adding extras such as a larger hard drive  more memory and networking options will increase the basic price. it will go on sale from 22 january.  for consumers interested in style  design and small size - which is what the majority of ipod customers are interested in - it s a natural next step   said mr fogg. apple has traditionally done well in the market that the mac mini is aimed at  said mr fogg  who also expected many pc makers to release copycat devices in reaction.  his only misgivings were over how easy other consumers  other than ipod owners  would find using the machine. he said anyone wanting to use the mac mini with the peripherals from an old computer may find it odd to have something so small and sleek next to a hulking monitor.  they d be much more likely to pair a mac mini with a lcd or flat panel monitor which increases the upgrade cost   he said. those with flat screens and lcd monitors are likely to have bought them recently and not be in the market for a new machine.  there are also questions over whether the mac mini will work with very old peripherals  such as display  keyboard and mouse. the mac mini also fell short of being a media server that can be a video recorder as well as a store for all the digital music  movies and images people accumulate  said mr fogg.  the mac mini is not quite ready for that yet   he said.  it does not have the right connectors that fit a tv screen or enough storage.  said mr fogg:  it s very much a computer.  one dissenting opinion came from brian gammage  vice-president of research at analysts gartner. he said:  i don t think it changes the world.  although the mac mini was very cheap for an apple computer  it was still expensive compared to many pcs. also  he said  it appealed in categories that few consumers care about when buying a home computer.  the pc world is a pile-em-high  sell-em-cheap market   he said   and all of them are pretty interchangeable.   since the days when apple ruled the personal computing world its market share has been on a long  slow decline   he said.  every few years it does something to give its market share a kick then it starts to go back down again   said mr gammage. the release of the mac mini fit perfectly with this trend  he said.


desailly backs blues revenge trip marcel desailly insists there is no chance of history repeating itself when chelsea take on barcelona on wednesday.  the french star was part of the chelsea side crushed 5-1 at the nou camp in the champions league quarter-final second leg in 2000.  things will be totally different this time   he told bbc sport.  now everyone knows about chelsea and is a little bit afraid of them. they are one of the major clubs in europe and the pressure will be on barcelona.  chelsea have not played barcelona since that quarter-final tie five years ago. the blues had looked destined to progress after winning the first leg at stamford bridge 3-1  courtesy of two goals from tore andre flo and one by gianfranco zola. but they collapsed in the second leg  going down to strikes from rivaldo (2)  luis figo  dani and patrick kluivert.  former chelsea captain desailly  who is now playing for al-gharafa in qatar  says there is no comparison between that side and the current blues team  who are top of the premiership.  mentally they are much stronger  even though a lot of their players are young   the 36-year-old said.  we made some mistakes at the nou camp in 2000 - a lot of them were individual mistakes.  it would not happen now. this team has a new motivation and a different mentality.  world cup winner desailly saw huge changes during his time at stamford bridge. he was signed for £4.6m from ac milan in 1998 by ruud gullit and went on to play under gianluca vialli and claudio ranieri. but the biggest change occurred when billionaire roman abramovich bought the club in 2003. desailly says the russian s arrival helped to instil a winning mentality at the club as well as a demand for success.  the whole of chelsea is different now - the chairman  the manager and all the players   he said.   everything is new and there is a huge determination to win.  since that game in 2000  chelsea have gained more experience in europe and were very close to reaching the champions league final last season.  desailly is one of the most decorated players in the history of football. he won the 1998 world cup and 2000 european championship with france  the champions league in 1993 with marseilles and 1994 with ac milan  two serie a titles and the fa cup in 2000 with chelsea. he is now winding down his career in qatar  alongside the likes of frank lebeouf  josep guardiola  titi camara  gabriel batistuta and christophe dugarry. so he is full of admiration for two of his colleagues from the great milan side of the mid-90s who are likely to line up against manchester united on wednesday - paolo maldini and alessandro costacurta.  i m happy that they have managed to play so long at a high level   he said.  i made a vow to costacurta that as long as he plays  i will continue to play.  and it s amazing that paolo has managed to play at such a high level for such a long time.


microsoft plans  safer id  system microsoft is planning to make windows and internet explorer more secure by including software to give people more control over personal information.   info cards  will help people manage personal details on their pcs to make online services safer  said microsoft. microsoft s two previous programs  passport and hailstorm  aimed to protect users but were criticised. id fraud is one of the uk s fastest-growing crimes  with criminals netting an estimated £1.3bn last year. a quarter of uk adults has either had their id stolen  via hi-tech or other means  or knows someone who has  a recent report by which  magazine found.  microsoft is developing a new version of internet explorer browser and its operating system  windows  which has been code-named longhorn. michael stephenson  director in microsoft s windows server division  would not confirm however whether the new info cards id system will be built into the current windows xp version or longhorn.   we re trying to make the end-user experience as simple as possible   mr stephenson said. the system would differ from its previous attempts to make online transactions more secure  said microsoft. while passport and hailstorm stored user information centrally on the net  the latest system will store data on a user s pc.  it s going to put control of digital ids into the hands of an end-user  the end-user will be in full control   said mr stephenson.  hailstorm was criticised by privacy campaigners for putting too much sensitive information into the hands of a single company. passport provides a single log-in for more than one website and stores basic personal information. but its popularity suffered after security scares. up to 200 million passport accounts were left vulnerable to online theft and malicious hackers after a flaw in the system was exploited in 2003. online auction site  ebay  stopped supporting it in january 2005. although the flaw was fixed  microsoft has come under regular criticism for the number of security loopholes in internet explorer. last year  it released a major security update for windows  service pack 2  to combat some of the security concerns. longhorn is due to be released commercially in late 2006  but an updated version of internet explorer is due for release later this year.


india unveils anti-poverty budget india is to boost spending on primary schools and health in a budget flagged as a boost for the ordinary citizen.  india s defence budget has also been raised 7.8% to 830bn rupees ($19bn). the priority for finance minister palaniappan chidambaram is to fight poverty and keep the government s communist allies onside. but his options are limited by a new law which makes him cut the budget deficit  which he said would be 4.5% of gdp in the year to march 2005. the country s overall deficit is thought to be more than 10%  if the spending of india s 35 states and territories is included. under the fiscal responsibility law  mr chidambaram has to trim the deficit by 0.3 percentage points each year  a target he says he has now met for the current year.  but the heavy spending on poverty reduction means the 2005-6 target for the deficit will be 4.3%  mr chidambaram said - falling short of the new law s requirement.  i was left with no option but to press the pause button vis a vis the act   he said. the following year  though  would have to be back on track  he warned.   i may add that we are perilously close to the limits of fiscal prudence and there is no more room for spending beyond our means   he said. the coming year s reduction has meant bringing more of the businesses in india s burgeoning services sector into the tax system and restructuring the personal tax system  although there are numerous corporate tax and duty reductions built into the budget.  presenting his budget in the lower house of parliament  mr chidambaram said the indian economy was performing strongly and that inflation has been reined in. he said india s economy grew 6.9% in 2004. in his budget mr chidambaram has:  - increased spending on primary education to 71.56bn rupees ($1.6bn)   - increased spending on health to 102.8bn rupees ($2.35bn)   - announced that 80bn rupees ($1.8bn) will be spent on building rural infrastructure   - pledged 102.16bn rupees ($2.3bn) for tsunami victims   - increased flow of funds to agriculture by 30%   - announced a package for the sugar industry  in addition  up to 100bn rupees ($2.3bn) to be spent on infrastructure will be sourced by borrowing against the country s foreign exchange reserves  keeping budgeted spending under control.  given the resilience of the indian economy... it is possible to launch a direct assault on poverty   mr chidambaram said.  the whole purpose of democratic government is to eliminate poverty.  the new indian government  led by the congress party  was voted into power last may after it pledged to introduce economic reforms with a  human face .  the finance minister says he is committed to continue reforming india s tax system while expanding the tax base. as part of his reforms he has announced:  - duty cuts on capital goods and raw materials   - expanded service tax net   - raised the income-tax threshold to 100 000 rupees ($2 300)   - reduced income tax for those earning less than 250 000 rupees ($5 700) to 20%   - reduced corporate tax rates to 30%  an annual economic survey released on friday said india needed to ease limit restriction on foreign investment  reform labour laws and cut duties apart from widening the tax base for long-term economic growth. but mr chidambaram is under pressure from the communist parties to focus on increasing social spending. the communists are also hostile to measures seeking to increase foreign investment and allow companies to hire and fire employees at will. in recent months  they have expressed their displeasure at the government s economic reform plans including increasing foreign direct investment in telecommunication and aviation. in his last budget  mr chidambaram had pledged billions of dollars for improving education and health services for the poor as well as special assistance for farmers.


holmes is hit by hamstring injury kelly holmes has been forced out of this weekend s european indoor athletics championships after picking up a hamstring injury during training.  the double olympic champion said:  i am very disappointed that i have been forced to withdraw.  i can hardly walk at the moment and i won t be able to do any running for two or three weeks although i ll be keeping fit as best i can.  holmes will have now have intensive treatment in south africa.  the 34-year-old made a cautious start to the season but looked back to her best when she stormed to the 1 000m title at the birmingham grand prix 10 days ago. after that race and more progress in training  holmes revealed she had decided to compete at the european indoors before her plans were wrecked last weekend.  on saturday night i pulled my hamstring running the last bend on my final 200m of the night   said holmes.  i was going really  really well when i felt a massive spasm in my left leg and my hamstring blew.  i saw the doctor here and he has said it is not serious but it s frustrating missing madrid when i knew i was in great shape.  holmes has now been advised by her coach margot jennings not to rush back into training and it is unlikely she will compete again until the summer. helen clitheroe now goes to madrid as the only british competitor in the women s 1500m while there will be no representative in the 800m.


cabs collect mountain of mobiles gadgets are cheaper  smaller and more common than ever. but that just means we are more likely to lose them.  in london alone over the past six months more than 63 000 mobile phones have been left in the back of black cabs  according to a survey. that works out at about three phones per cab. over the same period almost 5 000 laptops and 5 800 pdas such as palms and pocket pcs were left in licensed cabs. even the great and good are not immune to losing their beloved gadgets. jemima khan reportedly left her ipod  phone and purse in a cab and asked for them to be returned to her friend who turned out to be hugh grant. as the popularity of portable gadgets has grown  and we trust more of our lives to them  we seem to be forgetting them in ever larger numbers. the numbers of lost laptops has leapt by 71% in the last three years.  this has left londoners  or those travelling by cab in the capital  as the world s best at losing laptops  according to the research by the licensed taxi drivers association and pointsec  a mobile-data backup firm. more than twice as many laptops were left in the back of black cabs in london as in any of the nine other cities (helsinki  oslo  munich  paris  stockholm  copenhagen  chicago and sydney) where the research into lost and found gadgets was carried out. by contrast danes were most adept at losing mobile phones being seven times more likely to leave it behind in a cab than travellers in germans  norwegians and swedes. top of the range phones can carry enormous amounts of data - enough to hold hundreds of pictures or thousands of contact details. given that few people back up the data on their pc it is a fair bet that even fewer do so with the phone they carry around. you could be losing a fair chunk of your life in the back of that cab not least because many people collect numbers on their phone that they do not have anywhere else.  equally  phones let you navigate through contacts by name so many people have completely forgotten their friends  numbers and could not reconstruct them if they had to. this growing habit of losing gadgets explains the rise of firms such as retrofone which lets people buy a cheap old-fashioned phone to replace the tiny  shiny expensive one they have just lost. briton s growing love of phones has also led to the creation of the mobile equipment national database that lets you register the unique id number of your phone so it can be returned to you in the event of it being lost or stolen. according to statistics 50% of all muggings and snatch theft offences involve mobiles. millions of gadgets are now logged in the database and organisations such as transport for london regularly consult it when trying to re-unite folk with their phones and other gadgets. for the drivers  finding a mobile in the back of their cab is one of the more pleasant things many have found. the survey of what else has been left behind included a harp  a dog  a hamster and a baby.


healey targets england comeback leicester wing austin healey hopes to use sunday s return heineken cup clash with wasps as a further springboard to an england recall for the six nations.  healey  who won 51 caps prior to the 2003 world cup  has been in good form in the tigers  resurgence this season.  i definitely still have ambitions to play for england   healey told the bbc.  we will have to see what happens after the previous (autumn) tests but when i look at the current squad i definitely feel there is a place there for me.  healey  who has also played both half-back positions and full-back during his career  has reverted to the wing  where he won most of his england caps. after recovering from a trapped nerve in his back sustained at the end of september  the 31-year-old is relishing his role in the tigers revival.  i had six weeks out but fortunately i have resumed the sort of form i had before   he said.   i am basically playing where it best suits leicester. obviously i can play scrum-half  fly-half or full-back at a moment s notice.  but playing on the wing actually gives me a bigger free role to come in where i am not expected and influence things.  that has been apparent in parts one and two of the wasps-leicester trilogy in recent weeks. first  healey came off his flank with an angled run to score an injury-time try that earned the tigers a 17-17 draw in their premiership meeting on 21 november. then  in the first of their heineken cup double header last sunday  healey slotted in at stand-off and delivered a superb cross-kick for martin corry to score the tigers  third try.  i caught  cozza s  eye a couple of phases before that and was hoping to get it to him on the full  but fortunately even with the bounce he managed to score   healey recalled.  healey  twice a heineken cup winner  believes last sunday s match was  up there  with some of the biggest club contests he has played in.  it was a very intense occasion and a very destructive game   he recalled.  there was not a huge amount of rugby played but it was a great game to be involved in.  after about 15 minutes i thought we might stride away with it but wasps really came back into it and in the last couple of minutes it could have gone either way.   the same outcome this sunday would put leicester in pole position to top their heineken pool with a home game against biarritz and away trip to calvisano to come. but healey insists the tigers must summon the same desire if they are to deliver the knockout blow in what has been dubbed  rugby s version of rocky ii .  there was a lot of satisfaction in the dressing room aftewards but it is really only a case of a job half done   he added.  it was the first of a two-leg trip and if we lose at welford road it will negate all the positives we can take from result.  i think it came down to who wanted it more and in the end i think we did. we have got to show the same desire again this week.


europe asks asia for euro help european leaders say asian states must let their currencies rise against the us dollar to ease pressure on the euro.  the european single currency has shot up to successive all-time highs against the dollar over the past few months. tacit approval from the white house for the weaker greenback  which could help counteract huge deficits  has helped trigger the move. but now europe says the euro has had enough  and asia must now share some of the burden.  china is seen as the main culprit  with exports soaring up 35% in 2004 partly on the back of a currency pegged to the dollar.  asia should engage in greater currency flexibility   said french finance minister herve gaymard  after a meeting with his german counterpart hans eichel. markets responded by pushing the euro lower  in the expectation that the rhetoric - and the pressure - is unlikely to ease ahead of a meeting of the g7 industrialised countries next week. early on tuesday morning  the dollar had edged higher to 1.3040 euros. the yen  meanwhile  had strengthened to 102.975 against the dollar by 0730 gmt.


nigeria to boost cocoa production the government of nigeria is hoping to triple cocoa production over the next three years with the launch of an ambitious development programme.  agriculture minister adamu bello said the scheme aimed to boost production from an expected 180 000 tonnes this year to 600 000 tonnes by 2008. the government will pump 154m naira ($1.1m; £591 000) into subsidies for farming chemicals and seedlings. nigeria is currently the world s fourth-largest cocoa producer.  cocoa was the main export product in nigeria during the 1960s. but with the coming of oil  the government began to pay less attention to the cocoa sector and production began to fall from a peak of about 400 000 tonnes a year in 1970. at the launch of the programme in the south-western city of ibadan  mr bello explained that an additional aim of the project is to encourage the processing of cocoa in the country and lift local consumption. he also announced that 91m naira of the funding available had been earmarked for establishing cocoa plant nurseries. the country could be looking to emulate rival ghana  which produced a bumper crop last year. however  some farmers are sceptical about the proposals.  people who are not farming will hijack the subsidy   said joshua osagie  a cocoa farmer from edo state told reuters.  the farmers in the village never see any assistance   he added.  at the same time as nigeria announced its new initiative  ghana - the world s second largest cocoa exporter - announced revenues from the industry had broken new records. the country saw more than $1.2bn-worth of the beans exported during 2003-04. analysts said high tech-production techniques and crop spraying introduced by the government led to the huge crop  pushing production closer to levels seen in the 1960s when the country was the world s leading cocoa grower.


microsoft launches its own search microsoft has unveiled the finished version of its home-grown search engine.  the now formally launched msn search site takes the training wheels off the test version unveiled in november 2003. the revamped engine indexes more pages than before  can give direct answers to factual questions  and features tools to help people create detailed queries. microsoft faces challenges establishing itself as a serious search site because of the intense competition for queries.  google still reigns supreme as the site people turn to most often when they go online to answer a query  keep up with news or search for images. but in the last year google has faced greater competition than ever for users as old rivals  such as yahoo and microsoft  and new entrants such as amazon and blinkx  try to grab some of the searching audience for themselves. this renewed interest has come about because of the realisation that many of the things people do online begin with a search for information - be it for a particular web page  recipe  book  gadget  news story  image or anything else. microsoft is keen to make its home-grown search engine a significant rival to google. to generate its corpus of data  microsoft has indexed 5 billion webpages and claims to update its document index every two days - more often than rivals. the microsoft search engine can also answer specific queries directly rather than send people to a page that might contain the answer.  for its direct answer feature  microsoft is calling on its encarta encyclopaedia to provide answers to questions about definitions  facts  calculations  conversions and solutions to equations. tony macklin  director of product at ask jeeves  pointed out that its search engine has been answering specific queries this way since april 2003.  the major search providers have moved beyond delivering only algorithmic search  so in many ways microsoft is following the market   he said. tools sitting alongside the msn search engine allow users to refine results to specific websites  countries  regions or languages. microsoft is also using so-called  graphic equalisers  that let people adjust the relevance of terms to get results that are more up-to-date or more popular. the company said that user feedback from earlier test versions had been used to refine the workings of the finished system. the test  or beta  version of the msn search engine unveiled in november had a few teething troubles. on its first day many new users keen to try it were greeted with a page that said the site had been overwhelmed.


real will finish abandoned match real madrid and real socieded will play the final six minutes of their match  which was abandoned on sunday because of a bomb scare.  the bernabeu was evacuated with the score at 1-1 and two minutes of normal time remaining in the game. the teams will now play the final two minutes  plus four minutes of injury time  on 5 january. brazilian ronaldo and england captain david beckham had to wait in the street in their kit after the abandonment. real sociedad president jose luis astiazaran said:  we thought the best thing was to play the time remaining.   hundreds of fans streamed across the pitch on their way to the exits after the game was called off. tourists and fans took advantage of the opportunity for a photograph between the famous stadium s goalposts. the two clubs met the spanish fa on monday and astiazaran added:  we thought about giving the game as concluded but after talking with the fa we decided there was no precedent for that and the best thing was to play the time that was remaining.  real madrid director of sport emilio butragueno praised the spectators inside the ground for their conduct.  i d like to highlight the behaviour of the fans  who showed great maturity and it was an example of good citizenship   he said. butragueno confirned  before confirming that tuesday s charity match - which has been billed as  ronaldo s friends against zidane s friends  - will go ahead as planned.  i d also like to take the chance to say that tomorrow s game will take place   butragueno declared of the  partido contra la pobreza  (game against poverty). he added:  football is important for society and we want to show that.  we also think that football should be a fiesta  we had programmed and people deserve to enjoy the game.


uk net users leading tv downloads british tv viewers lead the trend of illegally downloading us shows from the net  according to research.  new episodes of 24  desperate housewives and six feet under  appear on the web hours after they are shown in the us  said a report. web tracking company envisional said 18% of downloaders were from within the uk and that downloads of tv programmes had increased by 150% in the last year. about 70% were using file-sharing program bittorrent  the firm said.  it s now as easy to download a pirate tv show as it is to programme a vcr   said ben coppin from envisional. a typical episode of 24 was downloaded by about 100 000 people globally  said the report  and an estimated 20 000 of those were from within the uk.  fans of many popular us tv programmes  like 24  usually have to wait weeks or months until the latest series is shown in the uk. but in some cases  said the report  people were able to watch the new episodes in britain before us audiences on the west coast of the country.  missing a television show presents little problem to anyone with a basic knowledge of the internet   explained mr coppin.   two clicks and your favourite programme is downloading. in effect  the internet is now a global video recorder.  exact figures are difficult to pin down  but it is thought that about 80 000 to 100 000 people in the uk download tv programmes. some may just want the odd episode  others are downloading regularly. many broadcast analysts agree that the net is radically altering the way people get content  like tv programmes. this presents a challenge to broadcasters who are concerned that channel schedules may become less important to people. it is also of concern to them because advertisements are usually cut out of the downloaded programmes. the industry has coined the term  time-shifting  to describe this trend of being able to watch what you want  when you want. the increased popularity of personal digital video recorders  tivo-type boxes which automatically record programmes like sky+  have also contributed to the trend. there are also numerous programs available on the net which automatically search and store tv programmes for viewers  effectively creating a personal video recorder on a computer.  within half an hour  recorded episodes can be uploaded - or posted - onto file-sharing networks or other download sites. because they tend to be shorter then full-length films  they can be processed - digitised - quickly. more people with high-speed broadband connections in the uk also means that episodes can be downloaded quickly.  according to jupiter research 40% of homes with broadband say it helps them pick and choose the programmes they want to see or that friends have recommended. the envisional reports said that the tv industry should consider offering a legal way to download shows. the bbc ran a trial of what it calls the interactive media player (imp) last year  which was based on a peer-to-peer distribution model. it let people download programmes it held the rights to up to eight days after they had already aired. it is looking to do a more expansive trial later this year. the bbc already allows radio fans to hear programmes they missed online up to a week after broadcast. about six million people in the uk now have a fast  always-on net connection via cable or phone lines.


junk e-mails on relentless rise spam traffic is up by 40%  putting the total amount of e-mail that is junk up to an astonishing 90%.  the figures  from e-mail management firm email systems  will alarm firms attempting to cope with the amount of spam in their in-boxes. while virus traffic has slowed down  denial of service attacks are on the increase according to the firm. virus mail accounts for just over 15% of all e-mail traffic analysis by the firm has found.  it is no longer just multi-nationals that are in danger of so-called denial of service attacks  in which websites are bombarded by requests for information and rendered inaccessible. email systems refers to a small uk-based engineering firm  which received a staggering 12 million e-mails in january. the type of spam currently being sent has subtlety altered in the last few months  according to email systems analysis. half of spam received since christmas has been health-related with gambling and porn also on the increase. scam mails  offering ways to make a quick buck  have declined by 40%.  january is clearly a month when consumers are less motivated to purchase financial products or put money into dubious financial opportunities   said neil hammerton  managing director of email systems.  spammers seem to have adapted their output to reflect this  focussing instead on medically motivated and pornographic offers  presumably intentionally intended to coincide with what is traditionally considered to be the bleakest month in the calendar   he said.


india s deccan seals $1.8bn deal air deccan has ordered 30 airbus a320 planes in a $1.8bn (£931m) deal as india s first low-cost airline expands in the fast-growing domestic market.  air deccan was set up last year and wants to lure travellers away from the railway network and pricier rivals. the potential of the indian market has attracted attention at home and abroad. beer magnate vijay mallya recently set up kingfisher airlines  while uk entrepreneur richard branson has said he is keen to start a local operation.  the country has a population of more than a billion people and many observers feel that it is underserved by airlines. recently however  the booming economy has boosted personal spending power and helped swell the middle classes and the corporate sector. india s government has given its backing to cheaper and more accessible air travel.  the days of flying being a symbol of only maharajas or the rich are over   the minister for civil aviation praful patel said earlier. infrastructure is being built to handle the expected increase in demand and on tuesday  agence france presse reported that a group led by germany s siemens won the contract to build a private airport near bangalore. india s airports authority and the state government will own 13% each of the finished transport hub. for its part  air deccan  set up by army officer and silk farmer gorur gopinath  plans to increase its fleet to 60 aircraft within five years. to help finance the expansion the company may sell a 25% stake to an investor for about $50m. when it was set up the firm offered tickets that were 50% cheaper than other indian airlines. it said it was basing its business model on european firms such as ireland s ryanair.


souped-up wi-fi is on the horizon super high-speed wireless data networks could soon be in use in the uk.  the government s wireless watchdog is seeking help on the best way to regulate the technology behind such networks called ultra wideband (uwb). ofcom wants to ensure that the arrival of uwb-using devices does not cause problems for those that already use the same part of the radio spectrum. uwb makes it possible to stream huge amounts of data through the air over short distances. one of the more likely uses of uwb is to make it possible to send dvd quality video images wirelessly to tv screens or to let people beam music to media players around their home. the technology has the potential to transmit hundreds of megabits of data per second. uwb could also be used to create so-called personal area networks that let a person s gadgets quickly and easily swap data amongst themselves. the technology works over a range up to 10 metres and uses billions of short radio pulses every second to carry data. at the recent consumer electronics show in las vegas products with uwb chips built-in got their first public airing.  currently  use of uwb is only allowed in the uk under a strict licencing scheme.  we re seeking opinion from industry to find out whether or not we should allow uwb on a licence-exempt basis   said a spokesman for ofcom.  companies have until 24 march to respond. in april the ec is due to start its own consultation on europe-wide adoption of uwb. the cross-europe body for radio regulators  known as the european conference of postal and telecommunications administrations (cept)  is carrying out research for this harmonisation programme. early sight of the cept work has caused controversy as some think it over-emphasises uwb s potential to interfere with existing users. by contrast a preliminary ofcom report found that it would be quite straight-forward to deploy uwb without causing problems for those that already use it. the ofcom spokesman said it was considering imposing a  mask  or set of technical restrictions on uwb-using devices.  we would want these devices to have very strict controls on power levels so they can not transmit a long way or over a wide area   he said. despite the current restrictions the technology is already being used. cambridge-based ubisense has about 40 customers around the world using the short-range radio technology  said david theriault  standards and regulatory liaison for ubisense. he said that uwb was driving novel ways to interact with computers.  it s like having a 3d mouse all the time   he said. he said that european decisions on what to do with uwb allied with ieee decisions on the exact specifications for it would help drive adoption. prior to its adoption as a way for gadgets and computers to communicate  uwb was used as a sensing technology. it is used to spot such things as cracks under the surface of runways or to help firemen detect people through walls.


injury doubts beset wales squad wales have a clutch of injury worries before wednesday s international friendly against hungary in cardiff.  west ham s gavin williams (ankle) looks certain to be out  so uncapped wrexham defender stephen roberts is drafted in. defenders danny gabbidon and gareth roberts  plus ryan giggs have hamstring concerns  while there are also doubts over robbie savage (groin). however  manchester united winger giggs is expected to recover in time to earn his 50th cap at the millennium stadium. there were also doubts over gabbidon s fellow cardiff defender rhys weston  but the full-back appears to have shrugged off the knock he picked up in the bluebirds  1-0 loss to west ham on sunday. the news leaves wales boss john toshack short in defence for his first game in charge  with aston villa s mark delaney injured and james collins with the under-21s. that could clear the way for new faces danny collins and dave partridge to make their wales debuts.  coyne (burnley)  jones (wolves)  roberts (wrexham)  collins (sunderland)  edwards (wolves)  gabbidon (cardiff)  page (cardiff)  partridge (motherwell)  ricketts (swansea)  roberts (tranmere)  weston (cardiff)  davies (tottenham)  fletcher (west ham)  giggs (man utd)  koumas (west brom)  robinson (sunderland)  savage (blackburn)  williams (west ham)  bellamy (newcastle)  earnshaw (west brom)  hartson (celtic).


world tour for top video gamers two uk gamers are about to embark on a world tour as part of the most lucrative-ever global games tournament.  aaron foster and david treacy have won the right to take part in a tournament offering $1m in total prize money. the cash will be handed out over 10 separate competitions in a continent-hopping contest organised by the cyberathlete professional league. as part of their prize the pair will have their travel costs paid to ensure they can get to the different bouts.  the cpl world tour kicks off in mid-february and the first leg will be in istanbul. all ten bouts of the tournament will be played throughout 2005  each one in a different country. at each stop $50 000 in prize money will be up for grabs. the tournament champion for each leg of the cpl world tour will walk away with a $15 000 prize. the winner of the grand final will get a prize purse of $150 000 from a total pot of $500 000.  winners of each stage of the tour automatically get a place at the next stop. the world tour stops are open to any keen gamer that registers. online registration for the first stop opens this weekend. some pro-players are winning a spot at the tour destinations through qualifying events organised by cpl partners. winners at these qualifiers get seeded higher in the elimination parts of each tournament. mr foster and mr treacy get the chance to attend the world tour as members of the uk s four-kings gaming clan. towards the end of 2004 four-kings staged a series of online painkiller competitions to reveal the uk s top players of the pc game. the best eight players met face-to-face in a special elimination event in late december where mr foster and mr tracey proved their prowess at painkiller. as part of their prize the pair also get a contract with four-kings intel which is one of the uk s few pro-gaming teams.  there are a lot of people who take gaming very seriously and support their local or national team with the same passion as any other sport   said simon bysshe who filmed the event for four-kings and intel. more than 80 000 people have downloaded the movie of the tournament highlights.  professional gaming is here to stay and will only grow in popularity   he said.


go-ahead for balkan oil pipeline albania  bulgaria and macedonia has given the go ahead for the construction of a $1.2bn oil pipeline that will pass through the balkan peninsula.  the project aims to allow alternative ports for the shipping of russian and caspian oil  that normally goes through turkish ports. it aims to transport 750 000 daily barrels of oil. the pipeline will be built by the us-registered albanian macedonian bulgarian oil corporation (ambo). the 912km pipeline will run from the bulgarian port of burgas  over the black sea to the albanian city of vlore on the adriatic coast  crossing macedonia.  the project was conceived in 1994 but it was delayed because of the lack of political support. by signing the agreement on tuesday  the prime ministers of bulgaria  albania and macedonia have overcome the problem.  this is one of the most important infrastructure projects for regional  eu  and euro-atlantic integration for the western balkans   said albanian prime minister fatos nano. according to pat ferguson  president of ambo  work on the pipeline will begin in 2005 and it is expected to be ready in three or four years. he added that the company had already raised about $900m from the overseas private investment corporation (opic) - a us development agency - the eximbank and credit suisse first boston  among others. the project has also the support of the european union. analysts have said that oil companies like chevrontexaco  exxon mobil and british petroleum would be happy to find alternative routes to the bosphorus and dardanelles straits.


radcliffe enjoys winning comeback paula radcliffe made a triumphant return to competitive running with victory in the new york marathon.  the briton  running for the first time since dropping out of the olympic marathon and 10 000m  held off kenyan susan chepkemei in a thrilling finish. the pair were locked together for the last few miles before radcliffe finally sprinted clear to win in two hours  23 minutes and 10 seconds.  it s a good way to end the year   she said.  i m ready for a good rest now.  radcliffe decided only recently to run in the race and many had doubted whether she had sufficiently recovered from her olympic ordeal just 11 weeks ago. but the world record-holder was prominent at the head of the field for the whole race as her rivals slowly dropped off the pace. just chepkemei and radcliffe were left in contention as the race came into the final few miles. the kenyan put in several bursts of speed to throw off radcliffe but the briton managed to hang in. both runners looked to be suffering as they reached the final mile in central park. but it was radcliffe who managed to dredge up a final sprint to see off chepkemei in the closest finish in the race s history and in the process make a huge step in erasing the disappointment she suffered in athens.


when invention turns to innovation it is unlikely that future technological inventions are going to have the same kind of transformative impact that they did in the past.  when history takes a look back at great inventions like the car and transistor  they were defining technologies which ultimately changed people s lives substantially. but  says nick donofrio  senior vice-president of technology and manufacturing at ibm  it was not  the thing  itself that actually improved people s lives. it was all the social and cultural changes that the discovery or invention brought with it. the car brought about a crucial change to how people lived in cities  giving them the ability to move out into the suburbs  whilst having mobility and access.  when we talk about innovation and creating real value in the 21st century  we have to think more like this  but faster   mr donofrio told the bbc news website  after giving the royal academy of engineering 2004 hinton lecture.  the invention  discovery is likely not to have the same value as the transistor had or the automobile had.  the equivalent of those things will be invented or discovered  but by themselves  they are just not going to able to generate real business value or wealth as these things did.  these are not altogether new ideas  and academics have been exploring how technologies impact wider society for years. but what it means for technology companies is that a new idea  method  or device  will have to have a different kind thinking behind it so that people see the value that innovative technology has for them.  we are in a different phase now when it comes to technology  argues mr donofrio  industry week s 2003 technology leader of the year. the hype and over-promise is over and now technology leaders have to demonstrate that things work  make sense  make a difference and life gets better as a result.   in the dotcom era  there was something that was jumping up in your face every five minutes.  somebody had a new thing that would awe you. you weren t quite sure that it did anything  you weren t quite sure if you needed it  you weren t quite sure if it had value for it  but it was cool.  but change and innovation in technology that people will see affecting their daily lives  he says  will come about slowly  subtlety  and in ways that will no longer be  in your face . it will creep in pervasively. nanotechnologies will play a key part in this kind of pervasive environment in all sorts of ways  through new superconducting materials  to coatings  power  and memory storage.  i am a very big believer in the evolution of this industry into a pervasive environment  in an incredible network infrastructure   says mr donofrio. pervasive computing is where wireless computing rules  and where jewellery  clothes  and everyday objects become the interfaces instead of bulky wires  screens and keyboards. the net becomes a true network that is taken for granted and just there  like air.  people will not have to do anything to stay connected. people will know their lives are just better   says mr donofrio.  trillions of devices will be connected to the net in ways people will not know.  natural interfaces will develop  devices will shape your persona  and our technologically underused voices could be telling our jewellery to sort out the finances.  ultimately  there will be  says mr donofrio  no value in being  computer illiterate . to some  it sounds like a technological world gone mad. to mr donofrio  it is a vision innovation that will happen. behind this vision should be a rich robust network capability and  deep computing   says mr donofrio. deep computing is the ability to perform lots of complex calculations on massive amounts of data  and integral to this concept is supercomputing. it has value  according to ibm  because it helps humans work out extremely complex problems to come up with valuable solutions  like how to refine millions of net search results  finding cures for diseases  or understanding of exactly how a gene or protein operates.  but pervasive computing presumably means having technologies that are aware of diversity of contexts  commands  and requirements of a diverse world. as computing and technologies become part of the environment  part of furniture  walls  and clothing  physical space becomes a more important consideration.  this is going to need a much broader range of skills and experience.  i am confident that the set [science  engineering and technology] industry is going to be short on skills   he says.  if i am right about what innovation is  you need to be multidisciplinary and collaborative.  women tend to have those traits a lot better than men.  eventually  women could win out in both life and physical sciences  he says. in the uk  a dti-funded resource centre for women has set a target to have 40% representation on set industry boards. ibm  according to mr donofrio  has 30%.  our goal is for our research team to become the preferred organisation for women in science and technology to begin their career.  the whole issue of global diversity is as much a business matter as it is a moral and social concern to mr donofrio.  we believe in the whole issue of global diversity   he says.  our customers are diverse  our clients are diverse. they expect us to look like them.  as more and more women or underrepresented minorities succeed into leadership positions  it becomes and imperative for us to constantly look like them.


game firm holds  cast  auditions video game firm bioware is to hold open auditions for people to become cast members for future games.  the company  which makes role playing games such as knights of the old republic and neverwinter nights  is seeking people aged 18 to 99. the canada-based company says it was looking for  a wide variety of people to use as face models for characters . everyone chosen to appear in a video game will receive a performer s fee for the use of their image. the company is inviting people to come along to a shopping mall in west edmonton  alberta  on friday and saturday  bringing along a piece of photo identification.   there are hundreds and hundreds of characters in a typical bioware game   said shauna perry  bioware s audio and external resources producer.  those people live in any city and village and so we need ordinary people  people with interesting faces.  she added:  not everyone is a model in the world so we don t want just models in our games.  people chosen to appear in a game will have their head scanned in three dimensions. hundreds of photos of the person s head are taken so that a model of the head can be generated in 3d.  the 3d model will look exactly like the person - it s really quite incredible how detailed they are   said ms perry. she said chosen participants will have no control over how the image is used in a computer game.  we cannot give people any control over how the images are used.  but their face could be used in multiple games - so they could be the hero in one  the villain in another and just a merchant in a third.


rover deal  may cost 2 000 jobs  some 2 000 jobs at mg rover s midlands plant may be cut if investment in the firm by a chinese car maker goes ahead  the financial times has reported.  shanghai automotive industry corp plans to shift production of the rover 25 to china and export it to the uk  sources close to the negotiations tell the ft. but rover told bbc news that reports of job cuts were  speculation . a tie-up  seen as rover s last chance to save its longbridge plant  has been pushed by uk chancellor gordon brown. rover confirmed the tie-up would take place  not very far away from this time .  rover bosses have said they are  confident  the £1bn ($1.9bn) investment deal would be signed in march or early april.  transport & general worker s union general secretary tony woodley repeated his view on friday that all mergers led to some job cuts. he said investment in new models was needed to ensure the future of the birmingham plant.  this is a very crucial and delicate time and our efforts are targeted to securing new models for the company which will mean jobs for our people   he said. saic says none of its money will be paid to the four owners of rover  who have been accused by unions of awarding themselves exorbitant salaries  the ft reports.  saic is extremely concerned to ensure that its money is used to invest in the business rather than be distributed to the shareholders   the newspaper quotes a source close to the chinese firm. meanwhile  according to chinese state press reports  small state-owned carmaker nanjing auto is in negotiations with rover and saic to take a 20% stake in the joint venture. saic was unavailable for comment on the job cuts when contacted by bbc news. rover and saic signed a technology-sharing agreement in august.


bmw reveals new models pipeline bmw is preparing to enter the market for car-style people carriers  the firm s chief has told bbc news.  speaking at a bmw event ahead of the geneva motor show  helmut panke predicted demand for such crossover vehicles would soar in europe. in contrast  he said  the popularity of van-style seven-seat vehicles and traditional saloon cars would fade.  customers are moving out of the mini-van (and) traditional concepts are not as attractive anymore   he said.  we have decided that bmw will enter the [crossover] segment   he said in the clearest indication yet about the car maker s intentions.  mr panke praised the honda accura as the  best execution  yet of a crossover vehicle.  we have decided that the bmw brand will enter the segment   he said.  a decision on just how bmw will manage its entry into the new market is due in the first half of 2005. typically it takes about three years from when a decision is taken before a new model hits the streets  mr panke said  implying that a bmw crossover could be on the market by 2008. the coming switch is driven in part by the need for successful carmakers to stay aware of trans-atlantic differences in the car market  mr panke insisted. while in the us drivers tend to prefer sports utility vehicles (suvs)  such as the bmw x5 and its sibling x3  in europe demand for crossover vehicles is likely to be considerable  mr panke said.  there s a growing market here   he said.  we are going to go that way.


teenager tait picked for england newcastle s teenage centre mathew tait has been named as a centre in england s team to face wales in the six nations opener in cardiff on saturday.  the 18-year-old will play alongside falcons  team-mate jamie noon in england s midfield. scrum-half matt dawson is also recalled  despite been left out of the initial squad after a row over clashing tv and training commitments. bath lock danny grewcock will also start  pending a possible citing. england coach andy robinson has also awarded gloucester flanker andy hazell his first six nations start. in another change to the side that lost to australia in november  leicester lock ben kay replaces bath second row steve borthwick. robinson was already without jonny wilkinson  mike tindall  stuart abbott  richard hill and will greenwood  while mike catt had been left out of england s squad.  j robinson (sale sharks  capt); m cueto (sale sharks)  m tait (newcastle)  j noon (newcastle)  j lewsey (wasps); c hodgson (sale sharks)  m dawson (wasps); g rowntree (leicester)  s thompson (northampton)  j white (leicester)  d grewcock (bath)  b kay (leicester)  l moody (leicester)  a hazell (gloucester)  j worsley (wasps). replacements: a titterrell (sale sharks)  p vickery (gloucester)  s borthwick (bath)  j forrester (gloucester)  h ellis (leicester)  o barkley (bath)  b cohen (northampton).


france starts digital terrestrial france has become the last big european country to launch a digital terrestrial tv (dtt) service.  initially  more than a third of the population will be able to receive 14 free-to-air channels. despite the long wait for a french dtt roll-out  the new platform s backers hope to emulate the success of its uk free-to-air counterpart  freeview. recent figures from the uk s regulator ofcom showed freeview was more popular than the sky digital satellite service. in the three months to september 2004  almost five times as many people signed up to the uk s free-to-air dtt service compared with sky. almost 60% of uk households have gone digital on at least one television set through cable  satellite or freeview.  the french dtt platform is known as tnt  which stands for tv numerique terrestre or digital terrestrial television. but it is being branded as television numerique pour tous  or  digital television for all . tnt is a joint venture between public broadcaster france televisions and a handful of cable and satellite operators. digital terrestrial tv will launch as a free-to-air platform to start with  adding pay-tv channels later. thirty-five contenders have bid for an additional eight frequencies on top of the 14 already allocated.  a couple of years ago  dtt had a bad image   said olivier gerolami  chief operating officer of tnt.   but everyone s impressed with dtt in the uk  italy and germany  and they realise it is a very good idea.  france is the poorest market in europe in terms of free-to-air national channels  so it has the potential to be one of the biggest dtt markets   mr gerolami added in remarks quoted by the us entertainment industry paper variety. tnt aims to reach 35% of france s population at launch  from 17 transmission sites. the transmission area will initially include paris  lille  lyon and toulouse. eventually there will be 115 sites reaching over 80% of homes. digital terrestrial set-top boxes are available from as little as 70 euros (£50). a recent survey by mediametrie found that 70% of people interviewed were aware of dtt  and 25% were planning to buy a digital receiver. consumer electronics companies such as nokia  sagem  sony and thomson are gearing up for production. the conseil superieur de l audiovisuel (csa)  the french broadcasting regulator  said:  following the recent success of freeview in the uk  some manufacturers are optimistic about sales prospects . media analysts believe that initially the majority of viewers will buy inexpensive set-top boxes that are unable to support interactive services. the csa said the current aim of reaching 85% of the population by 2007 was achievable  but the future of the remaining tv viewers required action by the public sector. for the most part  they are people living in mountainous or border areas  which will remain beyond the reach of digital terrestrial tv for years.  up to 15 pay-tv channels will launch on dtt between september 2005 and march 2006. leading pay-tv operators canal plus and tps have submitted bids to market bouquets of channels. free-to-air services will be broadcast in mpeg-2 format. but pay-tv operators will be allowed to broadcast in mpeg-4 - a much better compression technology - which will potentially allow for high-definition (hd) subscription services in the future. tnt expects between 700 000 and one million dtt set-top boxes to be sold in 2005.  it is difficult to tell how quickly it will take off   said mr gerolami   but we re optimistic that it will revolutionise television in france.  other analysts were less optimistic  predicting consumers would now be less likely to sign up for pay-tv subscriptions.  we think free dtt could put brakes on the underlying growth of pay-tv in france   said henri de bodinat  vice-president of the arthur d. little consultancy.


buyers snap up jet airways  shares investors have snapped up shares in jet airways  india s biggest airline  following the launch of its much anticipated initial public offer (ipo).  the ipo for 17.3 million shares was fully sold within 10 minutes of opening  on friday. analysts expect jet to raise at least 16.4bn rupees ($375m; £198m) from the offering. interest in jet s ipo has been fuelled by hopes for robust growth in india s air travel market.  the share offer  representing about 20% of jet s equity  was oversubscribed  news agency reuters reported. jet  which was founded by london-based travel agent naresh goyal  plans to use the cash to buy new planes and cut its debt. the company has grown rapidly since it launched operations in 1993  overtaking state-owned flag carrier indian airlines. however  it faces stiff competition from rivals and low-cost carriers. jet s ipo is the first in a series of expected share offers from indian companies this year  as they move to raise funds to help them do business in a rapidly-growing economy.


safin slumps to shock dubai loss marat safin suffered a shock loss to unseeded nicolas kiefer in round one of the dubai tennis championships.  playing his first match since winning the australian open  safin showed some good touches but was beaten 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 by the in-form kiefer. the german got on top in the first-set tie-break  striking a sweet forehand to win the first point against serve. and he maintained the momentum early in the second set  breaking the russian with the help of an inspired volley. spain s feliciano lopez lined up a second round clash with andre agassi by beating thailand s paradorn srichaphan. lopez  who lost in three sets to roger federer in last year s final  won 6-2 3-6 6-3. former champion fabrice santoro of france was beaten 6-3 6-0 by sixth seeded russian nikolay davydenko. there were also wins for two other russians  igor andreev and seventh seed mikhail youzhny.


lewsey puzzle over disallowed try england s josh lewsey has claimed he was denied a late try in his side s six nations loss to ireland.  the wasps wing insisted he grounded the ball when he was bundled over the line and said referee jonathan kaplan had made a wrong decision.  i m positive i touched the ball down over the line   lewsey told bbc sport.  it certainly wasn t a turnover.  i was driven over and i put the ball on the ground. the whistle went and i let go of the ball.  lewsey added:  one of the irish players scooped it back after the whistle and to our surprise the referee then gave a turnover.  as far as i m concerned  that incident and mark cueto s effort from charlie hodgson s cross-field kick that led to what looked like a good try were the two key elements in the game.   cueto was also puzzled as to why his try had been disallowed by kaplan.  i don t think i could have been offside for  without a doubt  i was behind the ball   said the sale player.  the move was a planned technique  it was not off the cuff. we rehearse it time and time again.  i wouldn t say we were robbed  some decisions go with you and some go against you. today they went against us and that s tough at international level.


why cell will get the hard sell the world is casting its gaze on the cell processor for the first time  but what is so important about it  and why is it so different   the backers of the processor are big names in the computer industry. ibm is one of the largest and most respected chip-makers in the world  providing cutting edge technology to large businesses. sony will be using the chip inside its playstation 3 console  and its dominance of the games market means that it now has a lot of power to dictate the future of computer and gaming platforms. the technology inside the cell is being heralded as revolutionary  from a technical standpoint. traditional computers - whether they are household pcs or playstation 2s - use a single processor to carry out the calculations that run the computer. the cell technology  on the other hand  uses multiple cell processors linked together to run lots of calculations simultaneously.  this gives it processing power an order of magnitude above its competitors. whilst its rivals are working on similar technology  it is sony s which is the most advanced. the speed of computer memory has been slowly increasing over the last few years  but the memory technology that accompanies the cell is a huge leap in performance.  using a technology called xdr  created by american firm rambus  memory can run up to eight times faster than the current standard being promoted by intel. perhaps more important than any of the technology is the cell s role in the imminent  war on living rooms . the big trend predicted for this year is the convergence of computers with home entertainment devices such as dvd players and hi-fis. companies like microsoft and sony believe that there is a lot of money to be made by putting a computer underneath the tv of every household and then offering services such as music and video downloads  as well as giving an individual access to all the media they already own in one place.  microsoft has already made its first tactical move into this area with its windows media center software  which has been adopted by many pc makers. sony had a stab at something similar with the psx - a variation on the playstation - last year in japan  although this attempt was generally seen as a failure. both companies believe that increasing the capabilities of games consoles  to make them as powerful as pcs  will make the technology accessible enough to persuade buyers to give them pride of place on the video rack.  sony and ibm want to make sure that the dominance of the pc market enjoyed by microsoft and intel is not allowed to extend to this market. by creating a radically new architecture  and using that architecture in a games console that is sure to be a huge seller  they hope that the cell processor can become the dominant technology in the living room  shutting out their rivals. once they have established themselves under the tv  there is no doubt that they hope to use this as a base camp to extend their might into our traditional pcs and instigate a regime change on the desktop. cell is  in fact  specifically designed to be deployed throughout the house. the links between the multiple processors can also be extended to reach cell processors in entirely different systems.  sony hopes to put cells in televisions  kitchen appliances and anywhere that could use any sort of computer chip. each cell will be linked to the others  creating a vast home network of computing power. resources of the cells across the house can be pooled to provide more power  and the links can also be used to enable devices to talk to each other  so that you can programme your microwave from your tv  for example. this digital home of the future depends on the widespread adoption of the cell processor and there are  as with all things  a number of reasons it could fail. because the processor is so different  it requires programmers to learn a different way of writing software  and it may be that the changeover is simply too difficult for them to master. you can also guarantee that microsoft and intel are not going to sit around and let cell take over home computing without a fight. microsoft is going to be pushing its xbox 2 as hard as possible to make sure that its technology  not sony s  will be under your tree next christmas. intel will be furiously working on new designs that address the problems of its current chips to create a rival technology to cell  so that it doesn t lose its desktop pc dominance. if cell succeeds in becoming the living room technology of choice  however  it could provide the jump-start to the fully digital home of the future. the revolution might not be televised  but it could well be played with a videogame controller.


japanese growth grinds to a halt growth in japan evaporated in the three months to september  sparking renewed concern about an economy not long out of a decade-long trough.  output in the period grew just 0.1%  an annual rate of 0.3%. exports - the usual engine of recovery - faltered  while domestic demand stayed subdued and corporate investment also fell short. the growth falls well short of expectations  but does mark a sixth straight quarter of expansion.  the economy had stagnated throughout the 1990s  experiencing only brief spurts of expansion amid long periods in the doldrums. one result was deflation - prices falling rather than rising - which made japanese shoppers cautious and kept them from spending.  the effect was to leave the economy more dependent than ever on exports for its recent recovery. but high oil prices have knocked 0.2% off the growth rate  while the falling dollar means products shipped to the us are becoming relatively more expensive.  the performance for the third quarter marks a sharp downturn from earlier in the year. the first quarter showed annual growth of 6.3%  with the second showing 1.1%  and economists had been predicting as much as 2% this time around.  exports slowed while capital spending became weaker   said hiromichi shirakawa  chief economist at ubs securities in tokyo.  personal consumption looks good  but it was mainly due to temporary factors such as the olympics.  the amber light is flashing.  the government may now find it more difficult to raise taxes  a policy it will have to implement when the economy picks up to help deal with japan s massive public debt.