ireland 17-12 south africa ronan o gara scored all ireland s points as the home side claimed only their second ever win over south africa on an emotional day at lansdowne road.  o gara s first-half try  poached after a quick tap-penalty  helped the irish to a 8-3 lead at half-time. three further o gara penalties extended ireland s lead to 17-6 as the game entered the final quarter. two percy montgomery penalties set up a frantic finish but ireland held out to claim a famous victory. ireland began strongly and were never led  but the match was tense and closely fought throughout. aware of the threat posed by the south africans  ireland pressed hard from the outset  and played some impressive rugby while searching for a breakthrough. early on  denis hickie thought he was in for a try after a delightful backline move but shane horgan s pass was adjudged to have gone forward by referee paul honiss.  ireland continued to press and they showed their intent by opting for a line-out in the 19th minute when three straight-forward points were on offer. another south african infringement a minute later led to ireland s first points - o gara took a quick tap-penalty and charged over the opposition line for an irish try. the springboks could feel hard done by as captain john smit had his back to the play when o gara pounced after referee honiss had told the skipper to warn his own players after consistent infringements. stung by the score  the south africans almost replied with a try of their own within 60 seconds with geordan murphy s ankle-tap tackle denying a certain try for percy montgomery. however  the springboks did win a penalty a minute later which montgomery easily slotted to cut ireland s lead to 5-3.  ireland got out of jail when the south africans had a three-to-one overlap near the irish line only to waste the chance. after the sustained springboks pressure  the irish produced an attack of their own in the 34th minute which culminated with o gara s clever drop-goal to restore his side s lead to five points which remained the margin at half-time. sustained irish pressure immediately after half-time was rewarded by another o gara penalty. however  montgomery responded quickly by slotting over a superb penalty from near the right touchline to cut ireland s lead to five points again. montgomery then burst through the irish defence in the 48th minute and it took a superb girvan dempsey tackle to prevent a try. the south africans suffered a double-blow in the 52nd minute when schalk burger was sin-binned for the second week in a row after killing the ball and o gara punished the transgression by notching another penalty.  in the 61st minute  hickie was left frustrated by a poor pass from girvan dempsey as a chance to seal the match was wasted. however  a late tackle on brian o driscoll enabled o gara to notch another penalty in the 63rd minute which extended ireland s lead to 17-6. however  two montgomery penalties had ireland s lead in peril again as the springboks closed to within five points with seven minutes remaining. south africa produced a huge effort in the closing minutes but ireland held on to claim a deserved victory.  g dempsey; g murphy  b o driscoll (capt)  s horgan  d hickie; r o gara  p stringer; r corrigan  s byrne  j hayes  m o kelly  p o connell  s easterby  j o connor  a foley.  f sheahan  m horan  d o callaghan  e miller  g easterby  d humphreys  k maggs.  : p montgomery; b paulse  m joubert  de wet barry  a willemse  j van der westhuyzen; f du preez; o du randt  j smit (captain)  e andrews  b botha  v matfield  s burger  aj venter  j van niekerk.  : h shimange  cj van der linde  g britz  d rossouw  m claassens  j de villiers  g du toit/j fourie.  paul honiss (new zealand)


loyalty cards idea for tv addicts viewers could soon be rewarded for watching tv as loyalty cards come to a screen near you.  any household hooked up to sky could soon be using smartcards in conjunction with their set-top boxes. broadcasters such as sky and itv could offer viewers loyalty points in return for watching a particular channel or programme. sky will activate a spare slot on set-top boxes in january  marketing magazine new media age reported.  sky set-top boxes have two slots. one is for the viewer s decryption card  while the other has been dormant until now.  loyalty cards have become a common addition to most wallets  as high street brands rush to keep customers with a series of incentives offered by store cards. now similar schemes look set to enter the highly competitive world of multi-channel tv. viewers who stay loyal to a particular tv channel could be rewarded by free tv content or freebies from retail partners. broadcasters aiming content at children could offer smartcards which gives membership to exclusive content and clubs.  parents could pre-pay for some content  as a kind of tv pocket money card   said nigel whalley  managing director of media consultancy decipher.  viewers could even be rewarded for watching ad breaks  with ideas such as ad bingo being touted by firms keen to make money out of the new market  said mr whalley. credit cards that have been chipped could be used in set-top boxes to pay for movies  gambling and gaming.  the idea of an intelligent card in boxes offers a lot of possibilities. it will be down to the ingenuity of the content players   said mr whalley. for the bbc  revenue-generating activity will be of little interest but the new development may prompt changes to freeview set-top boxes  said mr whalley. currently most freeview boxes do not have a slot which would allow viewers to use a smartcard. some 7.4 million households have sky boxes and sky is hoping to increase this to 10 million by 2010. loyalty cards could play a role in this  particularly in reducing the number of people who cancel their sky subscriptions  said ian fogg  an analyst with jupiter research.


collins named uk athletics chief uk athletics has ended its search for a new performance director by appointing psychologist dave collins.  collins  who worked with the british teams at the 2000 and 2004 olympics  takes over from max jones. six candidates were interviewed for the job  including denise lewis  coach charles van commenee and former british triple jumper keith connor.  we ve searched long and hard to ensure we have found the right person   said uka chief executive david moorcroft.  we have thoroughly tested the candidates. i believe david will make a great leader and i have great faith in what he will achieve.  collins said:  it s a great challenge. over the next few months i will spend time listening to those who already make a significant contribution to athletics and other elite sports in the uk.  collins  who has worked with javelin thrower steve backley in the past  started his career as a royal marine before becoming a pe teacher. he is currently professor of physical education and sport performance at edinburgh university  where he helps competitors across many sports  including rugby  athletics  judo and football.  he has specialised in helping competitors fulfil their potential through psychology and has worked with the great britain women s curling team  who won gold at the 2002 winter olympics. mark lewis-francis sought collins  advice in athens when he was looking for inspiration before he ran the final leg of britain s surprise triumph in the 4x100m relay. collins has played rugby at regional level  was captain of the great britain american football team  and competed at national level in judo and karate. he arrives with british athletics at a crossroads. despite kelly holmes  golden double and the success of the sprint relay squad  the gb team failed to live up to expectations in athens. many older competitors have retired or are coming to the end of their careers  and britain failed to win a single medal at the world junior championships in italy this year. collins will not have day-to-day coaching contact with the athletes  but will be expected to make changes to the system and coaching set-up in order to secure medals at the beijing olympics in 2008. the appointment of a new performance director was one of the main recommendations in sir andrew foster s review of the sport  which was published in may. it was commissioned by uk sport and sport england  which wanted uk athletics to justify funding of more than £40m from the government following the failure to hang on to the 2005 world championships  which are now being held in helsinki. van commenee dropped out of the selection process to take on the same role with the dutch olympic committee  while connor s application was rejected after an arduous interview process. foster  however  declared himself satisfied with how the appointment was made.  the appointment of david collins  with his strong mix of leadership skills and managerial experience  is testament to the professional and detailed recruitment process   he said.


india and russia in energy talks india and russia are to work together in a series of energy deals  part of a pact which could see india invest up to $20bn in oil and gas projects.  on the agenda are oil and gas extraction as well as transportation deals  to be led by russian energy giant gazprom and india s ongc. the indian firm is also expected to hold talks on tuesday about buying a stake in assets once owned by yukos. it is reported to be keen on buying a 15% stake in oil unit yuganskneftegas. the former yukos subsidiary was controversially sold off last year and eventually acquired by state-owned energy giant rosneft.  russian media reported that india and russia signed a memorandum of understanding on energy co-operation on tuesday during a meeting between oil and natural gas corporation chairman subir raha  gazprom chairman aleksey miller and india s petroleum minister mani shankar aiyar.  the agreement is likely to see the two companies develop refining facilities in russia  india and elsewhere and organise delivery of oil  gas and petrochemicals from russia to india and other countries across asia. ongc could invest in gas and oil fields in sakhalin  in the far east of russia  and may also take part in joint tender bids for projects in eastern siberia and the caspian sea.  india is urgently searching for fresh energy supplies - particularly liquefied natural gas - as domestic demand is growing at more than 5% a year.  ongc s mr raha said the two could work together on joint bids from next year.  at current oil and gas prices  our cash flow situation is good   he told reuters.  what we are saying is - gazprom has a huge amount of gas and we have the money.  the investment may go up to $20bn or more for a period of five years or so.   russian news agencies reported that india s petroleum minister mr aiyar and russian energy minister viktor khristenko would discuss the future of yugansk at a meeting on tuesday. ongc s mr raha declined to be drawn on his firm s reported interest in the company. however  he stressed that ongc was not interested in a  loan-for-oil deal  in connection to yugansk  similar to that concluded recently between rosneft and china s national petroleum corporation.  china s problem is it has immediate demand and they needed the oil for their coastal refineries. we do not. we would like long-term security through equity participation.  it is thought that any decision over yugansk will be delayed until a us court has decided whether to grant yukos bankruptcy protection. yukos is suing a host of companies involved in the sale of yugansk  auctioned off to pay a huge back-tax bill. it has also threatened legal action against any business which has future commercial dealings with its former subsidiary.


no re-draft  for eu patent law a proposed european law on software patents will not be re-drafted by the european commission (ec) despite requests by meps.  the law is proving controversial and has been in limbo for a year. some major tech firms say it is needed to protect inventions  while others fear it will hurt smaller tech firms. the ec says the council of ministers will adopt a draft version that was agreed upon last may but said it would review  all aspects of the directive . the directive is intended to offer patent protection to inventions that use software to achieve their effect  in other words   computer implemented invention .  in a letter  ec president josé manuel barroso told the president of the european parliament  josep borrell  that the commission  did not intend to refer a new proposal to the parliament and the council (of ministers)  as it had supported the agreement reached by ministers in may 2004.  if the european council agrees on the draft directive it will then return for a second reading at the european parliament. but that will not guarantee that the directive will become law - instead it will probably mean further delays and controversy over the directive. most eu legislation now needs the approval of both parliament and the council of ministers before it becomes law. french green mep alain lipietz warned two weeks ago that if the commission ignored the parliament s request it would be an  insult  to the assembly. he said that the parliament would then reject the council s version of the legislation as part of the final or conciliation stage of the decision procedure. in the us  the patenting of computer programs and internet business methods is permitted.  this means that the us-based amazon.com holds a patent for its  one-click shopping  service  for example. critics are concerned that the directive could lead to a similar model happening in europe. this  they fear  could hurt small software developers because they do not have the legal and financial might of larger companies if they had to fight patent legal action in court. supporters say current laws are inefficient and it would serve to even up a playing field without bringing eu laws in line with the us.


new delay hits eu software laws a fresh delay has hit controversial new european union rules which govern computer-based inventions.  the draft law was not adopted by eu ministers as planned at a brussels meeting on monday during which it was supposed to have been discussed. the fresh delay came after polish officials had raised concerns about the law for the second time in two months. critics say the law would favour large companies over small ones and could impact open-source software innovation.  there was at one point the intention to put the item on today s agenda. but in the end we could not put it on   an eu spokesman told the reuters agency. he added that no date had been chosen for more discussion of the law.  in december  poland requested more time to consider the issue because it was concerned that the law could lead to the patenting of pure computer software. its ministers want to see the phrasing of the text of the directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions changed so that it excludes software patenting. poland is a large eu member  so its backing for the legislation is vital. the eu says the law would bring europe more in line with how such laws work in the us  but this has caused some angry debate amongst critics and supporters. in the us  the patenting of computer programs and internet business methods is permitted. this means that the us-based amazon.com holds a patent for its  one-click shopping  service. critics say a similar model in europe would hurt small software developers which do not have the legal and financial might of larger companies. but supporters say current law does not let big companies protect inventions which they have spent years developing.


south africa sweep top awards south africa s schalk burger was named player of the year as the tri-nations champions swept the top honours at the international rugby board s awards.  the flanker topped a list which included ireland star gordon d arcy and australian sensation matt giteau. jake white claimed the coaching award while his side held off grand slam winners france to take the team award. england player simon amor beat team-mate ben gollings and argentine lucio lopez fleming to win the sevens award. burger s award came just a week after he won the equivalent prize from his fellow international players and white  who also coached burger at under-21 level  paid tribute to him.  schalk s emergence as a major force has meant a lot to south african rugby  but has also influenced world rugby   said white.  he s become to south african rugby what jonty rhodes was to south african cricket. it s amazing what he has achieved in such a short time so far in his international career.  amor  who will captain england in this season s opening irb sevens tournament  the dubai sevens  which start on thursday  was delighted with his award.  there are so many great sevens players on the circuit at the moment that this is a genuine honour   said the gloucester fly-half.


podcasters  look to net money nasa is doing it  14-year-old boys in bedrooms are doing it  couples are doing it  gadget lovers - male and female - are definitely doing it.  it is podcasting - diy radio in the form of downloadable mp3 audio files. they can done by anyone who has a microphone  simple software  the net  and something to say. some liken them to talking  audioblogs  because many complement text-based weblogs - diary-like sites where people share their thoughts. they are essentially amateur radio shows on the net  on demand  and the  movement  is at very early stages.  it s about real people saying real things and communicating   says adam curry  former mtv vj and the pied piper of podcasting. he was one of a community of people who created ipodder  a small computer program  known as an  aggregator .  it collects and automatically sends mp3 files to any digital music-playing device that can play wmp formats. those with digital music players can select which podcasts they like  and subscribe - for free - to that show s  feed . when a new podcast is available  it is automatically sent to the device when connected to a computer.  it is totally going to kill the business model of radio   thinks curry.  i just did a tour of madison avenue where all the big brands and advertising agencies of the world are   he says.  and they are scared to death of the next generation - like my daughter who is 14 - who don t listen to radio.  they are on msn  they ve got their ipod  their mp3 player  they ve got their xbox - they are not listening to radio.  so how are they going to reach these audiences   it is the distribution that is changing and the barriers are being brought down so everyone can be part of it.   it is a fledgling movement  but it is gaining momentum now that people have started thinking about how to make a business from it. ian fogg  jupiter research analyst  thinks there could be potential for business  but it could take an interesting turn if big companies  like apple and microsoft  get involved.  it is a nascent area but quite exciting. it is yet another area that demonstrates the move to a digital lifestyle and digital home is not over   he says.   podcasting is one of those interesting areas that bridges what you do at home and what you do out and about - a classic hybrid. it is another aspect of the  time-shifting  of content - the latest industry buzzword for being able to listen to what you want  when  and wherever you want. audiences are in the 10s  100s  and 1 000s rather than millions. more than 4 300 podcasts are currently listed. curry s daily source code - which he committed to doing daily to inspire the community - has 10s of thousands of listeners.  but dave winer is doubtful. he designed the format called rss (really simple syndication)  which gives web users an easy way to keep updated automatically on sites they like. podcasts rely on his technology because it is the way they are distributed. he is also writer of the longest-running weblog on the net  scripting news. he thinks its power lies in its democratising potential  not in its  over-hyped  business promise.   we re the sources  the people doing stuff  and podcasting is a way to tell people who care what we re doing.  no matter how you look at it  commercialising this medium isn t going to make very much money   he says.  podcasting is going to be a medium of niches  with  audiences  measured in the single digits  like e-mail or blogs.  maybe in a few years  maybe six or seven digits. but it will have to sustain interest beyond the hype balloon.  curry and associate ron bloom s new venture  called podshow  is to help ordinary people produce  post  distribute and market their podcasts. because of the way podcasts work  based on rss  the latest podcasts which people can select mean that they are ready-made targets.  when you look at podcasting - wow this is a pretty interesting audience. the audience is pre-selected. they have decided to subscribe to your program   explains curry. advertising  in his eyes  can be tailored to podcasts  to make it more imaginative and unobtrusive.  how i believe this will work  is to create a network that  in aggregation  will have enough numbers to support a return on investment for the advertisers and for the podcasters.  i have 50  60  70 000 listeners. i could make a couple of bucks off that  but not much. if you are talking a million podcasters  and then you can kind of divide that amongst ourselves  then that is kind of interesting.  essentially  he says  if you are doing a bass fishing podcast  someone who is selling bait and tackle will probably want to advertise on your show. he is clear the ads will not be the traditional  in-your-face  type familiar to commercial radio now.  we are really going to see these microcosms and commerce will be all over the place.   it is happening already. coffee-loving curry has sold $4 000 worth of coffee machines through a referral link to amazon from his site.  others use in-show promotions  like the dawn and drew show. one  eric rice  has won sponsorship from warner bros. he can now legally play the music of a band warner bros wants to push. some commentators on the net say it has a similar feel to the dotcom days. others say it is just another element of setting media free from big companies and letting people be creative. one thing is for sure; they are not about to disappear in a hurry. the creative forces behind radio are elated  says curry. for now  he tunes out the negative comments within the podcasting community.  i should be knighted for this   he adds  with a wry chuckle   people are going to be so happy to sit at home  make their podcast  and make a little money.


man city 0-2 man utd manchester united reduced chelsea s premiership lead to nine points after a scrappy victory over manchester city.  wayne rooney met gary neville s cross to the near post with a low shot  which went in via a deflection off richard dunne  to put united ahead. seven minutes later  the unfortunate dunne hooked a volley over david james  head and into his own net. steve mcmanaman wasted city s best chance when he shot wide from three yards in the first half. in the opening 45 minutes united had looked unlikely to earn the win they needed to maintain any chance of catching chelsea in the title race. their approach play was more laboured than patient and they managed to fashion just one chance - a paul scholes header over the bar. and city seemed to be content to sit back and try and hit their rivals on the break as the game settled into a tepid pattern. only shaun wright-phillips appeared capable of interrupting the monotony  looking lively down the right and causing gabriel heinze problems.  wes brown also found wright-phillips to be a difficult opponent when the tricky winger embarrassed him near the touchline. wright-phillips  sublime skill and pace took him past brown and he delivered a pin-point centre to the feet of mcmanaman. but the former liverpool player demonstrated why he has never scored against united by side-footing the easy chance wide. john o shea was forced off after an earlier clash with sylvain distin and cristiano ronaldo came on to replace him. he immediately caused ben thatcher some discomfort and looked set to inject some much-needed pace into the united attack. rooney was being well marshalled by dunne - but that was all about to change. after the break  united poured forward and there was a renewed urgency about their play. and when neville delivered a cross in a carbon copy of city s best first-half chance  rooney showed mcmanaman how to do it - even if he needed the help of dunne s leg. worse was to come for dunne  who had been having a fine match. on 75 minutes  he scored a horrible own goal when attempting to volley clear rooney s cross and united seemed home and dry. however  city did fight back and fowler missed another great chance from close range. and united keeper roy carroll saved well from kiki musampa. but united could have a had a third late on when substitute ryan giggs hit the post.  - manchester city boss kevin keegan:  we had a great chance to take the lead and the first goal was always going to be crucial.  we started off with a good tempo but then we allowed them to dictate the pace a bit too much.  but we still had four good chances  two after we d gone 2-0 down  the one mcmanaman missed was very similar to the one wayne rooney scored from.    - manchester united boss sir alex ferguson:  it wasn t our best performance of the last three months but i think we re deserved winners.  at times  especially in the first half  we didn t play with enough speed. but with (cristiano) ronaldo and (ryan) giggs on  the speed improved.  derby games can be like that  they can be scrappy  dull  horrible and it was maybe like that.  man city: james  mills (bradley wright-phillips 83)  dunne  distin  thatcher  shaun wright-phillips  barton (macken 68)  sibierski  mcmanaman  musampa  fowler. subs not used: weaver  onuoha  flood. booked: fowler  sibierski. man utd: carroll  gary neville  ferdinand  brown  heinze  o shea (ronaldo 33)  keane  fortune  fletcher (giggs 64)  rooney  scholes (phil neville 84). subs not used: howard  bellion. booked: rooney  scholes  keane. goals: rooney 68  dunne 75 og. att: 47 111 ref: s bennett (kent).


tevez - an argentine in brazil some 65 years ago bernardo gandulla left boca juniors in his native argentina and headed for brazil.  he arrived at the vasco da gama club with considerable prestige - which he failed to live up to. he left an impression  but not for reasons he would have wanted. the only thing of note he did was to throw the ball back when it went out of play. even today   gandula  is the term used in brazil for ballboy. brazilians delighted in the failure of gandulla then  and many will delight now if history is repeated. another boca juniors player is coming to brazil.  the new maradona  - carlos tevez - is joining corinthians for nearly $20m in a strong candidate for the strangest move of the year. corinthians - or the london-based company who have just entered into partnership with them - appear to have paid well above the odds for tevez. it is particularly strange as - until last week - tevez was not even an especially big name in brazil  where the argentine championship is not shown.  presumably there is some financial logic behind the move. what is harder to work out is why tevez should be interested in heading north  rather than across the atlantic. argentina s brightest new star hit top form in august as he spearheaded the charge towards the olympic gold medal. but the subsequent months have not been easy for tevez. boca re-signed martin palermo  forcing tevez to vacate his favoured centre forward role. and off the pitch he gave the press plenty to report - atletico madrid gave up on him after declaring his private life to be  disorganized.  hounded by the press  tevez grew tired of his life in buenos aires. so now he says that he is heading for corinthians in search of  tranquillity.  anyone acquainted with the city of são paulo will relish the nonsense of this declaration. brazil s biggest city is a sprawling  ugly  restless metropolis. once it shared with buenos aires the same melancholy air of a city of italian immigrants.  but that world now lies buried under skyscrapers. the most turbulent place in this frenetic city is sport club corinthians. it is the most passionately supported club in brazil. pelé scored reams of goals against them  reasoning that unless he did something special the corinthians fans were capable of winning the game on their own. that passion can also be turned against the team - especially nowadays  when the level of urban violence gives a hysterical edge to life in brazil s big cities. corinthians fans have invaded the dressing room or ambushed the team coach to attack the players. tevez  then  can kiss tranquillity goodbye. he can also say farewell to the copa libertadores  south america s champions league. corinthians have not qualified. indeed  he will have a long wait for a worthwhile match. next year s brazilian championship only gets underway at the end of april. until then he will have to make do with the foolish são paulo state championship  an appalling waste of his talent. there will be matches in small towns on poor pitches with plenty of defenders keen to kick him all the way back to argentina. like so many of the top south american players  tevez has the gift of being able to surprise - to feint right and go left  to pass when he was expected to dribble  to shoot and catch the goalkeeper unawares. but his choice of destination is the biggest surprise of all.


philippoussis doubt over open bid mark philippoussis is almost certain to miss the australian open after suffering a groin injury during the hopman cup loss to the netherlands.  the 28-year-old suffered two tears to the adductor muscle and was unable to play in the deciding mixed doubles. he is now unlikely to be fit in time for the australian open which begins on 17 january in melbourne.  he has to strengthen it enough to cope with repetitive days of tennis   said hopman cup doctor hamish osborne.  it would be very unlikely in my opinion for him to do a five-setter once  let alone two days in a row  inside two weeks.   the injury is more common in australian rules football  and a fit footballer would normally take three to four weeks to recover fully although mark s injury is slightly different.  the australian has suffered a host of injury problems throughout his career but is still holding out slim hope that he can make the event.  it s something i ll have to go by feel. i ll start treatment as soon as possible and try to strengthen it without tearing it any more   he said.  what doesn t kill you makes you stronger. i know i can come back from this and that s all that matters.  - former world number two tommy haas is also a doubt for the australian open after picking up a thigh injury playing for germany in the hopman cup. the 26-year-old had treatment on his left thigh while leading argentine guillermo coria 7-5 2-2. he played one more game  but his movement was hampered and he quit.


court mulls file-sharing future judges at the us supreme court have been hearing evidence for and against file-sharing networks.  the court will decide whether producers of file-sharing software can ultimately be held responsible for copyright infringement. they questioned if opening the way for the entertainment industry to sue file-sharers could deter innovation. they also said that file-trading firms had some responsibility for inducing people to piracy.  the lawsuit  brought by 28 of the world s largest entertainment firms  has raged for several years. legal experts agree that if the supreme court finds in favour of the music and movie industry they would be able to sue file-trading firms into bankruptcy. but if the judge rules that grokster and morpheus - the file-sharers at the centre of the case - are merely providers of technology that can have legitimate as well as illegitimate uses  then the music and movie industry would be forced to abandon its pursuit of file-sharing providers. instead  they would have to pursue individuals who use peer-to-peer networks to get their hands on free music and movies. the hi-tech and entertainment industries have been divided on the issue. intel filed a document with the supreme court earlier this month in defence of grokster and others  despite misgivings about some aspects of the file-sharing community. it summed up the attitude of many tech firms in its submission which states that its products  are essentially tools  that like any other tools  capable of being used by consumers and businesses for unlawful purposes .  asking firms to second-guess the uses that its technologies would be put to  and to build in ways of preventing illegitimate use  would stifle innovation  it said. the electronic frontier foundation  a civil rights watchdog  is also defending streamcast networks  the company behind the morpheus file-sharing software. the case raises a question of critical importance at the border between copyright and innovation  it said. it cites  as do many  the landmark ruling in 1984 which found that sony should not be held responsible for the fact that its betamax video recorder could be used for piracy. defenders remain optimistic that the judges will rule in favour of the peer-to-peer networks  upholding the precedent set by the sony betamax case. a small band of supporters were outside the court as the lawyers entered  wearing  save betamax  t-shirts.  the betamax principles stand as the magna carta for the technology industry and are responsible for the explosion in innovation that has occurred in the us over the past 20 years   said gary shapiro  chief executive of the consumer electronics association. supreme court justice stephen breyer said that inventions from printing to apple s ipod could be used to illegally duplicate copyrighted materials but had  on balance  been beneficial to society. he said that while file-trading software can be used to illegally trade movies and music  conceptually the technology had  some really excellent uses .  based on tuesday s hearing it seems unlikely that the betamax ruling will be overturned but file-sharing firms might still be held responsible for encouraging or inducing piracy. grokster s lawyer argued that the company should be judged by its current behaviour rather than what it did when it first set up. but this argument was dismissed as  ridiculous  by justice david souter. cea boss mr shapiro thinks the case is the most important that the supreme court will hear this year.  it s about preserving america s proud history of technological innovation and protecting the ability of consumers to access and utilise technology   he said. the case has already been heard by two lower courts and both found in favour of the peer-to-peer networks. they ruled that despite being used to distribute millions of illegal songs  file-sharing could also be used to cheaply distribute software  government documents and promotional copies of music.


alfa romeos  to get gm engines  fiat is to stop making six-cylinder petrol engines for its sporty alfa romeo subsidiary  unions at the italian carmaker have said.  the unions claim fiat is to close the fiat powertrain plant at arese near milan and instead source six-cylinder engines from general motors. fiat has yet to comment on the matter  but the unions say the new engines will be made by gm in australia. the news comes a week after gm pulled out of an agreement to buy fiat. gm had to pay former partner fiat 1.55bn euros ($2bn; £1.1bn) to get out of a deal which could have forced it to buy the italian carmaker outright. fiat and gm also ended their five-year alliance and two joint ventures in engines and purchasing  but did agree to continue buying each other s engines.   powertrain told us today that alfa romeo engines will no longer be made in arese   said union leader vincenzo lilliu  as reported by the reuters news agency.  the assembly line will be dismantled and the six-cylinder alfa romeo motor will be replaced with an engine gm produces in australia.  reuters also said that mr lilliu and other union bosses shouted insults at fiat chairman luca di montezemolo  following a meeting on tuesday regarding the future of the arese plant. the unions said the end of engine production at the facility would mean the loss of 800 jobs. all alfa romeo models can be bought with a six-cylinder engine - the 147  156  156 sportwagon  166  gtv  gt and spider.


playstation 3 chip to be unveiled details of the chip designed to power sony s playstation 3 console will be released in san francisco on monday.  sony  ibm and toshiba  who have been working on the cell processor for three years  will unveil the chip at a technology conference. the chip is reported to be up to 10 times faster than current processors. it is being designed for use in graphics workstations  the new playstation console  and has been described as a supercomputer on a chip. sony has said the cell processor could be used to bridge the gap between movies and video games. special effects and graphics designed for films could be ported for use directly in a video game  sony told an audience at the e3 exhibition in los angeles last year.  cell could also be marketed as an ideal technology for televisions and supercomputers  and everything in between  said kevin krewell  the editor in chief of microprocessor report. the chip will be made of several different processing cores that work on tasks together. the playstation 3 is expected in 2006 but developers are expecting to get prototypes early next year to tune games that will appear on it at launch. details of the chip will be released at the international solid state circuits conference in san francisco. some details have already emerged  however. when put inside powerful computer servers  the cell consortium expects it to be capable of handling 16 trillion floating point operations  or calculations  every second.  the chip has also been refined to be able to handle the detailed graphics common in games and the data demands of films and broadband media. ibm said it would start producing the chip in early 2005 at manufacturing plants in the us. the first machines off the line using the cell processor will be computer workstations and servers. a working version of the ps3 is due to be shown off in may 2005 but a full launch of the next generation console is not expected to start until 2006.  in the future  all forms of digital content will be converged and fused onto the broadband network   said ken kutaragi  chief operating officer of sony  said last year.  current pc architecture is nearing its limits   he added.


house prices rebound says halifax uk house prices increased by 1.1% in december  the first monthly rise since september  the halifax has said.  the uk s biggest mortgage lender said prices rose 15.1% over the whole of 2004  but by only 2.8% in the second half of the year. the average price of a house in the uk now stands at £162 086  halifax said. the survey seems to fly in the face of recent evidence that the uk housing market has been slowing substantially in response to interest rate rises.  last week  the nationwide said that house prices fell 0.2% in december  with annual inflation running at a three year low.  on tuesday  figures from the bank of england showed that the number of mortgages approved in the uk has fallen to the lowest level for nearly a decade. new loans in november fell to 77 000  from 85 000 in october  the lowest rate since september 1995  the bank of england said. growth in unsecured lending  such as personal loans and credit cards  also slowed last month. capital economics  which has in the past predicted a sharp fall in uk house prices  branded halifax s findings a  temporary surprise   which would be reversed over the coming months.  the month by month volatility of the halifax house price data should not distract from the fact that there is a clear downward trend in house prices   a capital economics statement said.  experts believe five interest rate rises since november 2003 are cutting borrowers  appetite for debt.  despite recording a price rise in december  the halifax survey concluded that there was  continuing signs of a genuine slowdown in the housing market.  martin ellis  halifax chief economist  said that there was no need to revise the bank s prediction  made last month  that prices would fall by 2% in 2005.  sound housing market fundamentals will continue to underpin the market in 2005  ensuring that the market remains healthy and that house prices fall only slightly   mr ellis said. if the bank s prediction of a 2% price drop comes true  it will be the first annual fall in nine years.  the bank said that the recent pattern of house prices rising the fastest in the north of england continued in december. in the north west and yorkshire and the humber  halifax said prices rose by 3% and 1.2% in the two regions respectively during the month. at the other send of the scale  prices in the south east and london fell by 1.6% and 0.5% respectively. the biggest decline was seen in wales where prices fell by 6.2%  an area that had experienced strong house price growth during most of 2004. overall  halifax said prices in the final quarter of 2004 were 0.1% higher than in the previous quarter. this was the smallest quarterly rise since the second quarter of 2000  the bank said. as a result  annual house price inflation dipped below 20% during the final few months of 2004.


china s shanda buys stake in sina chinese online game operator shanda interactive entertainment has bought a 20% stake in sina  the country s biggest internet portal firm.  the move may be a precursor to a full takeover  with analysts saying that a better-known international firm may also now show an interest in sina. shanda said that it may boost its stake in sina  even buying it outright. a merger would create a firm that offers online role-playing games  news  entertainment and wireless messaging.  sina said that the purchase of a stake by shanda would have no impact on its business.  the board of directors said in a statement that it would  continue to act in the best interests of all the company stakeholders  including shareholders  employees and customers . both companies are listed on the new york stock exchange s (nyse) technology-dominated nasdaq index. in a filing with the us securities and exchange commission  sina said its shares were purchased between 12 january and 10 february for about $230m. rumours about a possible takeover boosted sina s shares by more than 10% on friday. they added an extra 6.4% to $27.24 in electronic trading after the trading session had finished. and there may be more gains amid bid speculation when trading resumes in new york on tuesday after monday s public holiday  analysts forecast.  there could still be some potential parties that could still counter bid   said wallace cheung  an analyst at dbs vickers.  even though shanda has 20% of sina  they still have quite a long way to take full control.  however  mr cheung noted that a foreign company trying to take control of a chinese internet portal firm  with its ability to filter and pass on news  may not be viewed very favourably by beijing.


google shares fall as staff sell shares in google have fallen 6.7% after employees and early investors in the web search took advantage of the first chance to sell their holdings.  restrictions were imposed ahead of its flotation in august  to prevent shares being dumped quickly onto the market. in one of the most closely-watched initial public offerings in stock market history  the us-based company sold 19.6 million shares at $85 each. google shares have risen since but fell $12.33 on tuesday to close at $172.55. the restriction - known as a lockup - is being eased piecemeal: in all  some 227 million additional shares will become free to trade by february 2005. selling the shares could turn many of google s workers into millionaires.  there were fears that the potential increase of shares in circulation from tuesday would ease demand for stock. however  analysts say they expected most shareholders would be holding back from selling all their shares immediately  as google s good performance and future growth potential means demand will hold.  in its first earnings report since floating on the stock market  google said it made a net profit of $52m in the three months ending 30 september. sales surged to $805.9m in the third quarter  up from $393.9m a year earlier. google s main service - its internet search - is free to users  so the firm makes much of its money from selling advertising space linked to the words for which its users search. it also sells the use of its technology to companies who need to make either their websites  or their internal information systems  searchable.


india-pakistan peace boosts trade calmer relations between india and pakistan are paying economic dividends  with new figures showing bilateral trade up threefold in the summer.  the value of trade in april-july rose to $186.3m (£97m) from $64.4m in the same period in 2003  the indian government said. nonethless  the figures represent less than 1% of india s overall exports. but business is expected to be boosted further from 2006 when the south asian free trade area agreement starts. both countries eased travel and other restrictions as part of the peace process aimed at ending nearly six decades of hostilities.  sugar  plastics  pharmaceutical products and tea are among the major exports from india to its neighbour  while firms in pakistani have been selling fabrics  fruit and spices.  if the positive trend continues  two-way trade could well cross half a billion dollars this fiscal year   india s federal commerce minister kamal nath said. according to official data  the value of india s overall exports in the current fiscal year is expected to reach more than $60bn  while in pakistan s case it is set to hit more than $12bn. meanwhile  the indian government said the prospects for the country s booming economy remained  very bright  despite a  temporary aberration  this year. its mid-year economic review forecasts growth of 6-6.5% in 2004  compared with 8.2% in 2003. higher oil prices  the level of tax collections  and an unfavourable monsoon season affecting the farm sector had hurt the economy in april-september  it said.


ask jeeves joins web log market ask jeeves has bought the bloglines website to improve the way it handles content from web journals or blogs.  the bloglines site has become hugely popular as it gives users one place in which to read  search and share all the blogs they are interested in. ask jeeves said it was not planning to change bloglines but would use the 300 million articles it has archived to round out its index of the web. how much ask jeeves paid for bloglines was not revealed.  bloglines has become popular because it lets users build a list of the blogs they want to follow without having to visit each journal site individually. to do this it makes use of a technology known as really simple syndication (rss) that many blogs have adopted to let other sites know when new entries are made on their journals. the acquisition follows similar moves by other search sites. google acquired pyra labs  makers of the blogger software  in 2003. in 2004 msn introduced its own blog system and yahoo has tweaked its technology to do a better job of handling blog entries. jim lanzone  vice president of search properties at ask jeeves in the us  said it did not acquire bloglines just to get a foothold in the blog publishing world. he said ask jeeves was much more interested in helping people find information they were looking for rather than helping them write it.   the universe of readers is vastly larger than the universe of writers   he said. mr lanzone said the acquisition would sit well with ask s my jeeves service which lets people customise their own web experience and build up a personal collection of useful links.  search engines are about discovering information for the first time and rss is the ideal way to keep track of and monitor those sites   he said. it would also help drive information and entries from blogs to the portals that ask jeeves operates. there would be no instant sweeping changes to bloglines  said mr lanzone.  our intent is to take our time to figure out the right business model not to try to monetise it right away   he said. though mr lanzone added that ask jeeves would be helping organise the database of 300m blog entries bloglines holds with its own net indexing technology.  being able to search the blogosphere as one corpus of information will be very useful in its own right   said mr lanzone. rumours about the acquisition were broken by the napsterization weblog which said it got the hint from ask jeeves insiders.


swiss cement firm in buying spree swiss cement firm holcim has bid $800m (£429m) to buy two indian cement firms and a holding company in the country.  it plans to buy associated cement companies (acc)  ambuja cement eastern and the holding firm  ambuja cement india ltd  a holcim statement said. shares in acc fell 5.5% as investors  who thought the offer was underpriced  decided to sell. meanwhile  uk-based firm aggregate industries said it had agreed a £1.8bn takeover by holcim.  the deal with aggregates will give holcim  the world s second-biggest cement maker  an entry into the uk market and boost its presence in the us. peter tom  who will remain as aggregate chief executive  said the 138p a share offer provided  significant value  for shareholders. the markfield  leicestershire-based company runs 142 quarries in the uk and the us. it also has 164 ready-mixed concrete plants  90 asphalt plants and 32 pre-cast concrete factories.  if the indian deals go ahead  it will give holcim a major presence in the world s fastest-growing market behind china. acc is india s second-largest cement maker with an annual capacity of 18.2 million tonnes and a market share of 13%.  holcim is looking to buy it (acc) very cheap   said kk mittal  a fund manager with escorts mutual fund in new delhi.  the market is not impressed. if they want a substantial chunk  then they should be paying a premium over the market price.  shares in holcim rose by 2.3% on thursday following news of the takeover.


gritty return for prince of persia still basking in the relatively recent glory of last year s sands of time  the dashing prince of persia is back in warrior within  and in a more bellicose mood than last time.  this sequel gives the franchise a grim  gritty new look and ramps up the action and violence. as before  you control the super-athletic prince from a third-person perspective. the time-travelling plot hinges on the dahaka  an all-consuming monster pursuing our hero through the ages. the only way to dispel it is to turn back the clock again and kill the sultry empress of time before she ever creates the sands of time that caused the great beast s creation.  studiously structured though this back story is  everything boils down to old-fashioned fantasy gameplay which proves  on the whole  as dependable as it needs to be. ever since the series  then-groundbreaking beginnings on the commodore amiga  prince of persia has always been about meticulously-animated acrobatic moves  that provide an energetic blend of leaping preposterously between pieces of scenery and lopping off enemies  body parts.  those flashy moves are back in full evidence  and tremendous fun to perform and perfect. combining them at speed is the best fun  although getting a handle of doing so takes practice and plenty of skill. until you reach that point  it is a haphazard business. all too often  you will perform a stunning triple somersault  pirouette off a wall  knock out three enemies in one glorious swoop  before plummeting purposefully over a cliff to your doom. that in turn can mean getting set back an annoyingly long distance  for you can only save at the fountains dotted along the path. the expected fiendish puzzles are all present and correct  but combat is what is really been stepped up  and there is more of it than before. the game s developers have combined acrobatic flair with gruesome slaying techniques in some wonderfully imaginative ways. slicing foes down the middle is one particularly entertaining method of seeing them off.  warrior within is a very slick package; the game s intro movie is so phenomenally good that it actually does an ultimate disservice once the game itself commences.  it is on a par with the jaw-dropping opening sequence of onimusha 3 earlier this year  and when the game begins  it is something of an anti-climax. that said  the graphics are excellent  and indeed among the most striking and satisfying elements of the game. the music is probably the worst aspect - a merit-free heavy metal soundtrack that you will swiftly want to turn off. there is something strangely unsatisfying about the game. perhaps precisely because its graphics and mechanics are so good that the story and overall experience are not quite as engaging as they should be. somehow it adds up to less than the sum of its parts  and is more technically impressive than it is outright enjoyable. but that is not to say warrior within is anything other than a superb adventure that most will thoroughly enjoy. it just does not quite take the character to the new heights that might have been hoped for.


india widens access to telecoms india has raised the limit for foreign direct investment in telecoms companies from 49% to 74%.  communications minister dayanidhi maran said that there is a need to fund the fast-growing mobile market. the government hopes to increase the number of mobile users from 95 million to between 200 and 250 million by 2007.  we need at least $20bn (£10.6bn) in investment and part of this has to come as foreign direct investment   said mr maran. the decision to raise the limit for foreign investors faced considerable opposition from the communist parties  which give crucial support to the coalition headed by prime minister manmohan singh. potential foreign investors will however need government approval before they increase their stake beyond 49%  mr maran said. key positions  such as those of chief executive  chief technology officer and chief financial officer are to be held by indians  he added.  analysts and investors have welcomed the government decision.  it is a positive development for carriers and the investment community  looking to take a longer-term view of the huge growth in the indian telecoms market   said gartner s principal analyst kobita desai.  the fdi relaxation coupled with rapid local market growth could really ignite interest in the indian telecommunication industry   added ernst and young s sanjay mehta. investment bank morgan stanley has forecast that india s mobile market is likely to grow by about 40% a year until 2007. the indian mobile market is currently dominated by four companies  bharti televentures which has allied itself with singapore telecom  essar which is linked with hong kong-based hutchison whampoa  the sterling group and the tata group.


solutions to net security fears fake bank e-mails  or phishing  and stories about id theft are damaging the potential of using the net for online commerce  say e-business experts.  trust in online security is falling as a result. almost 70% of those asked in a poll said that net firms are not doing enough to protect people. the survey of more than 1 000 people reported that 43% were not willing to hand over personal information online. it is worrying for shopaholics and firms who want to exploit the net. more people are becoming aware of online security issues but they have little confidence that companies are doing enough to counter the threats  said security firm rsa  which carried out the poll. an estimated 12 million britons now use the net as a way of managing their financial affairs. security experts say that scare stories and the vulnerabilities dogging e-commerce and e-banking are being taken seriously - by banks in particular.   i don t think the threat is overplayed   barry beal  global security manager for capgemini  told the bbc news website. he added:  the challenge for banks is to provide the customer with something that improves security but balances that with usability.  ensuring extra security measures are in place protects them too  as well as the individual  and it is up to both parties to make sure they do what is necessary to prevent fraud  he said.  card issuers will keep us informed of types of attacks and what procedure to take to protect ourselves. if we do that  they will indemnify us   he said. many believe using login details like usernames and passwords are simply not good enough anymore though. one of the biggest challenges to improving security online is how to authenticate an individual s identity. several security companies have developed methods which complement or replace passwords  which are easily compromised and easy to forget. last year  a street survey found that more than 70% of people would reveal their password for a bar of chocolate.  on average  people have to remember four different passwords. some resort to using the same one for all their online accounts. those who use several passwords often write them down and hide them in a desk or in a document on their computer. in a separate survey by rsa  80% said they were fed up with passwords and would like a better way to login to work computer systems. for many  the ideal is a single online identity that can be validated once with a series of passwords and questions  or some biometric measurement like a fingerprint or iris scan with a token like a smartcard.  activcard is just one of the many companies  like rsa security  which has been trying to come up with just that. rsa has a deal with internet provider aol that lets people pay monthly for a one-time passcode generation service. users get a physical token which automatically generates a code which stays active for 60 seconds. many companies use a token-based method already for employees to access networks securely already. activcard s method is more complex. it is currently trailing its one-time passcode generation technology with uk banks. steve ash  from activcard  told the bbc news website there are two parts to the process of identification. the most difficult is to ascertain whether an individual is who they say they are when they are online.   the end solution is to provide a method where you combine something the user knows with something they have and present those both.  the method it has developed makes use of the chip embedded in bank cards and a special card reader which can generate unique codes that are active for a specified amount of time. this can be adjusted at any time and can be active for as little as 30 seconds before it changes. it combines that with usual usernames and passwords  as well as other security questions.  you take the card  put it in the reader  enter your pin number  and a code is given.  if you wanted then to transfer funds  for instance  you would have to have the code to authorise the transaction.  the clever bit happens back at the bank s secure servers. the code is validated by the bank s systems  matching the information they expect with the customer s unique key.  each individual gets a key which is unique to them. it is a 2048-bit long number that is virtually impossible to crack   said mr ash. it means that in a typical security attack  explains mr ash  even if password information is captured by a scammer using keystroke software or just through spoof websites  they need the passcode.  by the time they go back [to use the information]  the code has expired  so they can t prove who they are   according to mr ash. in the next few years  mr ash predicts that this kind of method will be commonplace before we see biometric authentication that is acceptable for widespread use.  pcs will have readers built into them  the cost of readers will be very cheap  and more people will have the cards.  the gadgets we carry around  like personal digital assistants (pdas) and mobiles  could also have integrated card reader technology in them.  the pda or phone method is a possible alternative as people are always carrying phones around   he said.


casual gaming to  take off  games aimed at  casual players  are set to be even bigger in 2005  according to industry experts.  easy-to-play titles that do not require too much time and that are playable online or downloadable to mobile devices will see real growth in the coming year. the trend shows that gaming is not just about big-hitting  games console titles  which appeal more to  hardcore  gamers  said a panel of experts. they were speaking before the annual consumer electronics show in las vegas which showcases the latest trends in gadgets and technologies for 2005. the panel also insisted that casual gamers were not just women  a common misconception which pervades current thinking about gamer demographics.  casual games like poker  pool  bridge  bingo and puzzle-based titles  which can be played online or downloaded onto mobile devices  were  gender neutral  and different genres attracted different players.  greg mills  program director at aol  said its figures suggested that sports-based games attracted 90% of 18 to 24-year-old males  while puzzle games were played by 80% of females. games like bridge tended to attract the over-50 demographic of gamers.  but hardcore gamers who are more attracted to blockbuster gamers which usually require hi-spec pcs  like half-life 2  or halo 2 on xbox  also liked to have a different type of gaming experience.  when hardcore gamers are not playing halo  they are playing poker and pool  based on our research   said geoff graber  director of yahoo games  which attracts about 12 million gamers a month.  with the growth of powerful pc technology and ownership  broadband take-up  portable players and mobile devices  as well as interactive tv  casual gaming is shaping up to be big business in 2005  according to the panel. the focus for the coming year should be about attracting third-party developers into the field to offer more innovative and multiplayer titles  they agreed.  we are at a time where we are on the verge of something much bigger   said mr graber.  casual games will get into their stride in 2005  will be really big in 2006 and will be about community.  with more people finding more to do with their gadgets and high-speed connections  casual games would start to open up the world of gaming as a form of mass-market entertainment to more people. key to these types of titles is the chance they give people who may not see themselves as gamers to dip in and out of games when they liked.  portal sites which offer casual games  like aol  yahoo  and realarcade  as well as other games-on-demand services  allow people to build up buddy lists so they can return and play against the same people. this aspect of  community  is crucial for gamers who just want to have quick access to free or cheap games without committing long periods of time immersed in £30 to £40 console or pc titles  said the panel. about 120 000 people are expected to attend the ces trade show which stretches over more than 1.5 million square feet and which officially runs from 6 to 9 january. the main theme is how new devices are getting better at talking to each other  allowing people to enjoy digital content  like audio  video and images  when they want  and where they want.


ebbers  aware  of worldcom fraud former worldcom boss bernie ebbers was directly involved in the $11bn financial fraud at the firm  his closest associate has told a us court.  giving evidence in the criminal trial of mr ebbers  ex-finance chief scott sullivan implicated his colleague in the accounting scandal at the firm. mr sullivan  worldcom s former number two  is the government s chief witness in its case against mr ebbers. mr ebbers has denied multiple charges of conspiracy and fraud.  senior worldcom executives are accused of orchestrating a huge fraud at the former telecoms company in which they exaggerated revenues and hid the cost of expenses. the firm was forced into bankruptcy  the largest in us history. mr sullivan  42  pleaded guilty to fraud last year and agreed to assist the government with its case against mr ebbers.  prosecutors have alleged that mr ebbers  63  directed mr sullivan to hide the true state of the company s finances by providing false information to the firm s accountants. mr ebbers has denied all the charges  saying he was unaware of the fraud. his lawyers claim that their client was unfamiliar with detailed accounting practices and left that side of the business to mr sullivan.  however  on monday mr sullivan named mr ebbers as one of five executives who participated in the accounting fraud.  he [ebbers] has got a hands-on grasp of financial information   mr sullivan told a new york court. on his first day of questioning  mr sullivan admitted to falsifying the company s financial statements.   we did not disclose these adjustments   he said.  we did not talk about these adjustments and the information was false.  mr sullivan said his former boss knew more about accounting matters than many chief financial officers and described him as  detail-oriented .  he portrayed mr ebbers  a charismatic businessman who built up worldcom from a small regional operator into one of america s largest telecoms firms  as obsessed with costs.  he would talk about that there were more coffee filters than coffee bags and that means employees are taking coffee home   he said.  we needed to cut expenses. we needed to cut a lot more than coffee expenses.  mr sullivan is at the centre of the government s case against mr ebbers. mr ebbers could face a sentence of 85 years if convicted of all the charges he is facing.


edu blasts arsenal arsenal s brazilian midfielder edu has hit out at the club for stalling over offering him a new contract.  edu s deal expires next summer and he has been linked with spanish trio real madrid  barcelona and valencia. he told bbc sport:  i m not sure if i want to stay or not because the club have let the situation go on this far.  if they had really wanted to sign they should have come up with an offer six months before indicating they wanted to sign me and that s made me think.  edu s brother and representative amadeo fensao has previously said that arsenal s current offer to the midfielder was well short of what he was seeking. and edu  26  added:  my brother is due to come to london on thursday.   there is a meeting planned for 6 or 7 january to sort it out with arsenal.  now i have a choice to stay or go. i want to sort it out as soon as possible  that s in the best interests of both the club and myself.  i m going to make my decision after the meeting later this week.  edu is now able to begin negotiations with other clubs because fifa regulations allow players to start talks six months before their contracts expire. the midfielder  who broke in to the brazilian national side in 2004  admitted he had been flattered to have been linked with the three spanish giants. edu said:  i ve just heard stories from the news that the madrid president florentino perez  the valencia people  as well as barcelona are interested.   that s nice  but i ve never talked to them  so i can t say they want me sign 100%.  last month wenger said he we was hopeful edu would sign a new deal and played down suggestions that the lure of a club like real madrid would be too strong for edu. edu added that he had been encouraged by wenger s support for him.  i still have a good relationship with arsene wenger - he s always said he wants me to sign.


johansson takes adelaide victory second seed joachim johansson won his second career title with a 7-5 6-3 win over taylor dent at the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide.  the swede was made to graft  american dent surviving three break points in the fifth game of the match. but johansson got the breakthrough with a sublime backhand return winner and won the second set with more ease. his first tournament win was at memphis in 2004  helping him leap from 113th in the world rankings to number 11. afterwards  dent said he rated us open semi-finalist johansson as a top contender at the australian open  which starts on 17 january.  i believe men s tennis is all about holding serve and if he s playing like that on his own serve i don t see how guys are going to break him   said dent. johansson was more restrained in his assessment:  i have to improve my serve if i m going to go all the way in melbourne.


newest eu members underpin growth the european union s newest members will bolster europe s economic growth in 2005  according to a new report.  the eight central european states which joined the eu last year will see 4.6% growth  the united nations economic commission for europe (unece) said. in contrast  the 12 euro zone countries will put in a  lacklustre  performance  generating growth of only 1.8%. the global economy will slow in 2005  the unece forecasts  due to widespread weakness in consumer demand.  it warned that growth could also be threatened by attempts to reduce the united states  huge current account deficit which  in turn  might lead to significant volatility in exchange rates.  unece is forecasting average economic growth of 2.2% across the european union in 2005. however  total output across the euro zone is forecast to fall in 2004 from 1.9% to 1.8%. this is due largely to the faltering german economy  which shrank 0.2% in the last quarter of 2004. on monday  germany s bdb private banks association said the german economy would struggle to meet its 1.4% growth target in 2005.  separately  the bundesbank warned that germany s efforts to reduce its budget deficit below 3% of gdp presented  huge risks  given that headline economic growth was set to fall below 1% this year. publishing its 2005 economic survey  the unece said central european countries such as the czech republic and slovenia would provide the backbone of the continent s growth. smaller nations such as cyprus  ireland and malta would also be among the continent s best performing economies this year  it said. the uk economy  on the other hand  is expected to slow in 2005  with growth falling from 3.2% last year to 2.5%.  consumer demand will remain fragile in many of europe s largest countries and economies will be mostly driven by growth in exports.  in view of the fragility of factors of domestic growth and the dampening effects of the stronger euro on domestic economic activity and inflation  monetary policy in the euro area is likely to continue to  wait and see   the organisation said in its report. global economic growth is expected to fall from 5% in 2004 to 4.25% despite the continued strength of the chinese and us economies. the unece warned that attempts to bring about a controlled reduction in the us current account deficit could cause difficulties.  the orderly reversal of the deficit is a major challenge for policy makers in both the united states and other economies   it noted.


o connor aims to grab opportunity johnny o connor is determined to make a big impression when he makes his rbs six nations debut for ireland against scotland on saturday.  the wasps flanker replaces denis leamy but o connor knows that the munster man will be pushing hard for a recall for the following game against england.  it s a  horses for courses  selection really   said o connor.  there s a lot of competition here and i can t just drag my heels around if i don t get picked.  it looks a definite head-to-head battle between himself and 23-year-old leamy - three stone heavier than o connor - for the number seven role against the world champions. nonetheless  all o connor is currently concerned about is making an impression while winning his third cap.   missing the italian game was disappointing certainly  but you can t dwell on these things - it s part and parcel of rugby.  denis has been playing really well and deserved his opportunity.  it s a good situation to be in if there are good players around you  pushing for a place in the side.  o connor  who celebrated his 25th birthday on wednesday  was touted by wasps director of rugby warren gatland as a possible 2005 lions test openside as far back as last september. and his reputation as a breakdown scavenger and heavy hitter has seen him come to the forefront of o sullivan s mind for the scottish tussle. o connor added:  it will be interesting to see how situations on the deck is reffed  with the new laws having come in.   obviously the breakdown a big part of what i do on the pitch so i m hoping to hold some influence there against what is a very solid scottish pack.  o connor will be winning his third cap after making his debut in the victory over south africa last november.


can yahoo dominate next decade  yahoo has reached the grand old age of 10 and  in internet years  that is a long time.  for many  yahoo remains synonymous with the internet - a veteran that managed to ride the dot-com wave and the subsequent crash and maintain itself as one of the web s top brands. but for others there is another  newer net icon threatening to overshadow yahoo in the post dot-com world - google.  the veteran and the upstart have plenty in common - yahoo was the first internet firm to offer initial public shares and google was arguably the most watched ipo (initial public offering) of the post-dot-com era. both began life as search engines although in 2000  when yahoo chose google to power its search facility while it concentrated on its web portal business  it was very much yahoo that commanded press attention. in recent years  the column inches have stacked up in google s favour as the search engine also diversifies with the launch of services such as gmail  its shopping channel froogle and google news.  for jupiter analyst olivier beauvillain  yahoo s initial decision to put its investment on search on hold was an error.  yahoo was busy building a portal and while it was good to diversify they made a big mistake in outsourcing search to google   he said  they thought google would just be a technology provider but it has become a portal in its own right and a direct competitor   he added. he believes yahoo failed to see how crucial search would become to internet users  something it has rediscovered in recent years.  it is interesting that in these last few years  it has refocused on search following the success of google   he said. but for allen weiner  a research director at analyst firm gartner and someone who has followed yahoo s progress since the early years  the future of search is not going to be purely about the technology powering it.  search technology is valuable but the next generation of search is going to be about premium content and the interface that users have to that content   he said. he believes the rivalry between google and yahoo is overblown and instead thinks the real battle is going to be between yahoo and msn. it is a battle that yahoo is currently winning  he believes.  microsoft has amazing assets including software capability and a global name but it has yet to show me it can create a rival product to yahoo   he said.  he is convinced yahoo remains the single most important brand on the world wide web.   i believe yahoo is the seminal brand on the web. if you are looking for a text book definition of web portal then yahoo is it   he said. it has achieved this dominance  mr weiner believes  by a canny combination of acquisitions such as that of inktomi and overture  and by avoiding direct involvement in either content creation or internet access. that is not to say that yahoo hasn t had its dark days. when the dot-com bubble burst  it lost one-third of its revenue in a single year  bore a succession of losses and saw its market value fall from a peak of $120bn to $4.6bn at one point. crucial to its survival was the decision to replace chief executive tim koogle with terry semel in may 2001  thinks mr weiner. his business savvy  coupled with the technical genius of founder jerry yang has proved a winning combination  he says.  so as the internet giant emerges from its first decade as a survivor  how will it fare as it enters its teenage years   the game is theirs to lose and msn is the only one that stands in the way of yahoo s domination   predicted mr weiner. nick hazel  yahoo s head of consumer services in the uk  thinks the fact that yahoo has grown up with the first wave of the internet generation will stand it in good stead. search will be a key focus as will making yahoo messenger available on mobiles  forging new broadband partnerships such as that with bt in the uk and continuing to provide a range of services beyond the desktop  he says. mr weiner thinks yahoo s vision of becoming the ultimate gateway to the web will move increasing towards movies and television as more and more people get broadband access.  it will spread its portal wings to expand into rich media   he predicts.


mourinho plots impressive course chelsea s win at fulham - confirming their position at the premiership summit - proves that they now have everything in place to mount serious challenges on all fronts this season.  they have got strength in depth  great players  an outstanding manager in jose mourinho and finances no other club in the world can match. all they need to add now is the big prizes which  as we all know  is the most difficult part of all. one thing is certain - they have put themselves in a position to make that leap to success very impressively indeed. they beat a very tough everton at stamford bridge  won at newcastle in the carling cup  and then won 4-1 at fulham  which was a great result given that they had been showing good form. as i said  winning the major honours is the hardest task of all  but in mourinho they have a manager who will make it a whole lot easier to handle the anticipation and expectation that will come their way now. mourinho has won the biggest club prize of all  the champions league  and that track record and confidence transmits itself to top players. it is a priceless commodity. no-one can be anything other than highly-impressed by mourinho. he is regarded as a touch arrogant by some people  and maybe he can appear that way  but he has the silverware to back up the talk. mourinho doesn t simply talk a good game - he s won some very big games such as the champions league final with porto. some may criticise his talk  but the words are backed up with actions. i ve also found him to be very realistic whenever i ve heard him. he s spent a lot of money and it seems to be working  and we should remember lots of managers have spent money and it has not worked. the buys are now integrating  and in arjen robben he has the player who is giving them that extra dimension.  in the early games he was slaughtered for defensive tactics  and yet he was winning games. you cannot win titles early on in the season  but you can certainly lose them and those points on the board were vital. i also thought the criticism was very harsh  because even though they were not scoring goals they were creating chances by the hatful. now they are taking those chances  have the double threat of robben and damien duff  and things are looking good. i just wonder if they lack a predator  particularly with didier drogba injured. he was starting to look the part before he was sidelined  but you have to feel if chelsea had a ruud van nistelrooy they would be even more of a safe bet for the title. chelsea also have all the tools to go far in the champions league. i felt they would never have a better chance than last season  but they have swept all before them in europe so far this season. it will now be very interesting to see how mourinho prioritises things  but his life will be made easier by the size of chelsea s squad. i have said i believed chelsea would win the league this season  even when arsenal were flying at the start  and i have seen nothing to make me change me mind.  if anything  what i have seen has confirmed my early impressions. and chelsea would have taken encouragement from arsenal s rocky defensive display at spurs  even though they ran out 5-4 winners. mourinho had his say on that game  complaining:  five-four is a hockey score  not a football score.  in a three-against-three training match  if the score reaches 5-4 i send the players back to the dressing rooms as they are not defending properly.  so to get a result like that in a game of 11 against 11 is disgraceful.   on a more serious note  it was a game that merely confirmed the importance of sol campbell to arsenal. much criticism has been aimed at pascal cygan  but i believe the problem lies with the absence of campbell and its overall effect on arsenal s defence. confidence is a crucial factor in defending. when you start conceding goals  you suddenly get a chill in the bones every time the ball comes into the penalty area. you think  oh no  - then find your worst fears confirmed. arsenal need to reverse the process  with or without campbell  and get some clean sheets on the board. but the return of campbell is key. he solidifies the unit  has pace and is powerful in the air and on the deck. he is vastly experienced and has a calming influence on all around him. campbell pulls it all together at the back and gets the defence playing as a unit. chelsea have no such problems at present  which is why i would still place my money on them to edge out arsenal as champions this season.


jones files lawsuit against conte marion jones has filed a lawsuit for defamation against balco boss victor conte following his allegations that he gave her performance-enhancing drugs.  the sydney olympic gold medallist says conte damaged her reputation and she is seeking $25m (£13m) in the suit. conte  whose company is at the centre of a doping investigation  made the claims in a us television programme. he and three others were indicted in february by a federal grand jury for a variety of alleged offences. in an email to the associated press on wednesday  conte said:  i stand by everything i said . jones won three gold medals and two bronzes in sydney in 2000. her lawsuit  filed in the us district court in san francisco  said the sprinter had passed a lie detector test and that she  has never taken banned performance-enhancing drugs . conte s statements  the suit added  were  false and malicious . after the abc television program earlier this month  jones  lawyer richard nicholls said:  marion has steadfastly maintained her position throughout: she has never  ever used performance-enhancing drugs.  victor conte is a man facing a 42-count federal indictment  while marion jones is one of america s most decorated female athletes. mr conte s statements have been wildly contradictory.  mr conte chose to make unsubstantiated allegations on television  while marion jones demanded to take and then passed a lie detector examination.   mr conte is simply not credible. we challenge him to submit to the same lie detector procedure that marion jones passed.  the sport s ruling body  the iaaf  is taking a cautious approach to conte s allegations but contacted the us anti-doping agency. communications director nick davies said the iaaf would seek to contact conte  for further information . but davies stressed it would be up to the american authorities to decide whether they will take action against jones in light of conte s television interview and the world governing body would monitor the situation closely.  if it is felt there is case to answer  it would be for its national governing body (usa track and field) to take the appropriate disciplinary action   he added.  the us anti-doping agency has proved itself to be very diligent in its anti-doping war.  and i am sure  like ourselves  they will be watching the television programme with great interest.  jones  who is under investigation for steroid use by the us anti-doping agency  has continually denied ever taking illegal substances since being investigated in the balco scandal  although she praised a zinc supplement conte marketed. jones  who did not win any medals in athens in august  has never failed a drugs test. meanwhile  conte  who has been charged along with three other men of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering  is due to face trial in march.


g7 backs africa debt relief plan g7 finance ministers have backed plans to write off up to 100% of the debts of some of the world s poorest countries.  uk chancellor gordon brown said the london meeting of the world s seven richest nations would be remembered as  the 100% debt relief summit . some 37 countries could benefit after a case-by-case review by bodies including the world bank and the imf  he said. but the us says it cannot support mr brown s international finance facility to boost aid to developing countries. bbc correspondents said the meeting had produced some movement towards the uk s ambitions  but much work was needed. mr brown said it was a major breakthrough for the international organisations to offer up to 100% multilateral debt relief -  the vast bulk  of money owed by the poorest countries.   we could be at the beginning of the final stage of the process where the debts that were owed by the poorest countries  built up over 20 or 30 years  debts that are simply unpayable in the real world  are finally taken care of   he said. he added:  it is the richest countries hearing the voices of the poor.  but he said they would insist on government reforms and the need for transparency  tackling corruption and openness from both the poorest and richest nations. bbc correspondent patrick bartlett said while it was an agreement in principle  the organisations involved now have to look at how it would work in practice. oxfam senior policy adviser max lawson welcomed the statement and said g7 ministers had  passed the first hurdle of 2005 .  but he added:  they need to move quickly to turn their proposals into real change for the world s poorest.  two million children will die needlessly between now and the next meeting in april. if rich countries are going to keep their promises to tackle obscene poverty they need deliver - and deliver quickly.  talks are continuing on how to finance increased overseas development assistance. the international monetary fund (imf) is to look at a proposal to use its gold supplies to help the debt relief effort when it meets in april. mr brown said g7 ministers had agreed to defer debt interest payments and repayments for some countries affected by the tsunami until the end of 2005. but uk plans for an international finance facility (iff) to help deal with debt in the developing world have not been agreed. mr brown wanted to provide $10bn (£5.38bn) a year over a decade  using g7 backing so the money could be borrowed up front on financial markets.  it is a key element of his proposals for a modern version of the marshall plan  which brought us aid to rebuild europe after world war ii  for the developing world. mr brown said it was  winning support every day  and said a programme had been agreed to draw up more details in time for the g8 summit in july. but us treasury under-secretary john taylor said the us could not support the iff because of its  legislative process .  the us is completely committed to poverty reduction and providing financing to do that   he said.  but this particular mechanism does not work for the united states. it works for other countries  and that is fine.  earlier  he told bbc radio 4 s today programme the us had increased support for africa in the past four years from $1.1bn per year to $4.6bn per year. but south africa finance minister trevor manuel told the bbc s talking point programme what was needed was one approach  with all wealthy nations on board. he said much of the money pledged by the us had not yet been dispensed.  the uk has made poverty in the poorest nations a key theme for its 2005 presidency of the group of eight (g8)  which comprises the g7 and russia. the g8 countries will meet at gleneagles in scotland. at a dinner on friday night  former south african president nelson mandela backed mr brown s plan when he urged the finance chiefs to write-off african debt and provide an extra $50bn (£26.69bn) a year in aid for the next decade. talks also centred on the impact of the rising economies of china and india  the us budget and trade deficits  how the us  europe and japan can act to boost global economic growth  and hiv/aids. g7 ministers called for more flexibility in international exchange rates and said  excess volatility  would impede economic growth. representatives from china  india  russia  south africa and brazil were invited to attend some of the sessions. a g8 summit is set to take place in july.


robertson out to retain euro lure hearts manager john robertson hopes a place in the knock-out stages of the uefa cup could help keep some of his out-of-contract players at the club.   it could help. if we get through and have another european tie it may encourage players to stay at least until the end of the season   he said.  if we manage to get through it shows how well the club s progressing.  they have to think whether they are going to get other clubs like that should they decide to move on.  a win for robertson s side against ferencvaros would put them through to the last 32 if basle fail to beat feyenoord.  it s very much the player s prerogative but the fact that we ve been playing european football for the last three or four years is obviously an incentive   added robertson.  but we want players who want to play for the football club  who are committed and a run in europe always helps a little bit.  with the game being played at murrayfield instead of tynecastle because of uefa regulations  robertson sees both positive and negative aspects to the change of venue.   the pitch is not in the greatest condition. the heineken cup game was there at the weekend and the pitch is a bit threadbare   he said.  it s not ideal but it s the same for both teams so we just have to go out and there and perform. that s the most important thing.  but he added:  if tynecastle could have hosted 30 000 it would have been fantastic but that s one of the benefits of murrayfield - it allows us to bring even more of our supporters into it.  there will be a good atmosphere and the hearts fans have an important role to play.  we need their encouragement  we need them to get right behind the side and make it as good an atmosphere as possible.  hopefully the players will respond to that and i know they will because it s a fantastic european night for the club.


preview: ireland v england (sun) lansdowne road  dublin  sunday  27 february  1500 gmt  bbc1  radio 4 lw and this website  ireland are going for their first grand slam since 1948 after two opening wins  and england represent their sternest test of the championship so far. england were sloppy and leaderless in the defeats against wales and france and another loss would be unthinkable. the pressure is on coach andy robinson and his side have to deliver.  despite england s dramatic dip in form since the world cup final - they have lost eight of their last 13 matches - ireland coach eddie o sullivan says his side should not underestimate the visitors.  had they kicked their points they would have beaten france and that would have created a different landscape for sunday   he said.  this is england we are talking about. they have a depth of talent and a very good record against ireland.  they will target a victory in dublin as the turning point in their six nations.  the differences between the sides is also highlighted in the team selections for the dublin encounter.  ireland  despite having gordon d arcy still out injured  have been boosted by the return of star skipper brian o driscoll who missed the scotland game with a hamstring injury.  the knowledge that the england game was coming up really helped during rehabilitation   he said.  the will to play in this game was enormous. it doesn t get much bigger than england at home.  as well as entering the tournament without players like jonny wilkinson  mike tindall and richard hill  england have now lost two tighthead props in julian white and phil vickery while blind-side flanker lewis moody is a major concern. robinson  who received a lot of flak for the inclusion and then dropping of centre mathew tait  has kept faith with kicking fly-half charlie hodgson despite his horror show at twickenham. if england slump in dublin  it will be their worst run of results in the championship since 1987.  but robinson was bullish during the week about the game  saying that his side  are going there to get in their faces   and has identified the line-out and tackle area as the key to england s chances. and despite the recent results  skipper jason robinson believes there is nothing wrong with the mood in the camp.  there is no lack of confidence in the team   said the sale full-back.  we have had a good week s training and we are all looking forward to the challenge.  i still believe in this team. i know if we get our game right we will win the games.   g murphy; g dempsey  b o driscoll  s horgan  d hickie; r o gara  p stringer; r corrigan  s byrne  j hayes; m o kelly  p o connell; s easterby  j o connor  a foley.  f sheahan  m horan  d o callaghan  e miller  g easterby  d humphreys  k maggs.  j robinson (capt); m cueto  j noon  o barkley  j lewsey; c hodgson  h ellis; g rowntree  s thompson  m stevens; d grewcock  b kay; j worsley  l moody  m corry.  a titterrell  d bell  s borthwick  a hazell  m dawson  a goode  o smith.


pension hitch for long-living men male life expectancy is much higher than originally estimated  leading pension researchers have said.  the pensions policy institute (ppi) said life expectancy for unskilled and professional men has been understated. life expectancy at birth is 71 years for a manual worker and 79 years for a professional - a gap of eight years. but if measured at age 65 instead  the ppi said  a manual worker will live to 81 years and a professional worker to 86 years - a gap of just five years. the ppi s estimate is higher because it excludes people who have died before they reach 65 years of age and also takes into account ongoing improvements in life expectancy.  the government has ruled out raising the state pension age  because it says it would penalise lower-skilled workers who generally have lower life expectancies. chris curry  ppi research director  said its calculations suggested there could be more pressure on state pension spending than originally envisaged.  even people in social class v [unskilled manual workers] who are widely likely to have the lowest life expectancy can still expect to live 16 years after state pension age   he said. researchers have not updated life expectancy projections for women  who on average live longer than men.


russia gets investment blessing soaring oil sales and a budget surplus mean russian debt is no longer a risky investment  one of the world s leading credit rating agencies says.  standard & poor s has classed russian bonds as  investment grade   up from their former  speculative  rating. russia s reputation among investors has been hurt in recent months by the heavy tax bills and asset seizures imposed on companies such as oil giant yukos. s&p said the solidity of government finances outweighed the risk. russia is now a net creditor rather than a debtor. gold and foreign currency reserves of $119bn beat its foreign public debt of some $113bn.  the other two major ratings agencies - fitch and moody s have long since upped their rating of russia s sovereign debt. s&p had held back through fear that the government was dragging its feet on economic and legal reforms. now  though  it has finally followed suit. but the agency made it clear that the improved rating did not mean that the risks were a thing of the past. instead  with russian government coffers brimming with tax revenues from energy sales  s&p said the government s own debt is looking a good bet.  these improvements are so significant that they now outweight the serious and growing political risk that continues to be a key ratings constraint on russia   wrote s&p credit analyst helena hessel.  the yukos saga is the most high-profile of the political risks to which ms hessel alludes. the company s founder and ex-chief executive  mikhail khodorkovsky  is in jail on trial for tax evasion and fraud. many believe the real motive for his prosecution is that he threatened to use his wealth to set up a political alternative to president vladimir putin. his company  meanwhile  is widely believed to have fallen victim to the kremlin s wish to get russian energy resources as far as possible back under state control.