profits stall at china s lenovo profits at chinese computer firm lenovo have stood still amid slowing demand at home and stiffening competition.  the firm is in the international spotlight after last year signing a deal to buy the pc division of personal computer pioneer ibm. lenovo s profit for the three months to december was hk$327m (us$42m; £22m)  less than 1% up on the year before. chinese pc sales have risen by a fifth in each of the past two years  but are now growing more slowly. the company is still by far the biggest player in china  with more than a quarter of the market. but western firms such as dell and hewlett-packard are also mounting a more solid fight for market share in china  and lenovo s sales were down 3.7% by revenue to hk$6.31bn.  if the $1.75bn agreement lenovo signed with ibm on 8 december goes through  it will mark the end of an era. ibm pioneered the desktop pc market in the early 1980s  although strategic mis-steps helped lose it its early dominance. in any case  margins in pc market are now wafer thin  and profits have been hard to come by for most vendors except direct-sales giant dell. but investors have been less than impressed with lenovo s move  designed to take it out of china and further onto the world stage. its shares are down 20% since the announcement two months ago  largely because of the unprofitability of the unit it is buying. there have been rumours that the deal could be in trouble because us government agencies fear it could offer china opportunities for industrial espionage. the reports of the possibility of an investigation into the risk sent lenovo s shares up 6% in late january.


japan turns to beer alternatives japanese brewers are increasingly making money from beer-flavoured drinks rather than beer itself  beer and spirits are heavily taxed in japan  driving breweries to search for alternatives. japan s long economic downturn helped drive the trend  as drinkers looked for cheaper opportunities to drown their sorrows. now  according to asahi breweries  the market for so-called  beer-like  drinks is set to grow 84% this year.  asahi is predicting profits to rise 50% in 2005 as it launches a drink based on soybean peptides rather than malt. the chosen name   shinnama  or  new draft   disguises its non-beer nature. but despite a record profit in 2004 of 30.6bn yen ($291m; £154m)  up 31.8% on the previous year  asahi is coming late to the market. key rival sapporo is already well-established with the beer-flavoured  draft one . suntory  meanwhile  is doing well with  super blue   which combines happoshu - an existing low-cost beer alternative made with malt and seawater - and shochu  a distilled alcohol derived from sweet potatoes or barley. happoshu has been a mainstay of brewery profits for years  taking over from beer thanks to its low tax and therefore low cost. kirin  the fourth big name  is launching its own  third-type  drink in april.


mcilroy wins 800m indoor title james mcilroy motored to the aaa s indoor 800m title in sheffied on sunday in a time of one minute  47.97 seconds.  the larne athlete dominated the race from start to finish although he had to hold off a late challenge from welshman jimmy watkins in the final 100 metres.  i had to go out and go through all the gears before the europeans and i won t run again until then   said mcilroy.   i though if i got lucky i d get close to the british record but i blew up in the end.   mcilroy has been in superb form at the start of the season and will now start his build-up for the european indoors at madrid on 4-6 march. meanwhile  paul brizzel and anna boyle reached the semi-finals of the 60m hurdles with boyle setting a season s best of 7.48. in the women s 60m final  ailis mcsweeney broke michelle carroll s long-standing irish record by clocking 7.37 which left her in third place. david gillick showed that he is a genuine medal contender in the european indoor championships by claiming an impressive 400m victory. gillick was more than half-a-second clear when taking gold in 46.45 - .02 outside his personal best set in saturday s semi-finals.  the irishman is now the fastest european this season. derval o rourke broke her own irish 60m hurdles record by clocking 8.06 which left her third behind new british record holder sarah claxton (7.96). james nolan (3:46.04) took second in the men s 1500m behind neil speaight (3:45.86) but the offaly man was outside the european indoor standard. colin costello was seventh in the 1500m final in 3:48.82). deirdre ryan was second in the women s high jump with a clearance of 1.87m while aoife byrne took silver in the 800m in a personal best of 2:06.73. lisburn s kelly mcneice reid (4:31.34) was seventh in the women s 1500m while gary murray (8:11.22) was 11th in the men s 3000m. meanwhile  stephen cairns and jill shannon claimed the individual titles at saturday s northern ireland cross country championship in coleraine. cairns came in ahead of paul rowan and allan bogle in the men s race. willowfield claimed their first men s team title in 72 years while shannon helped lagan valley win the women s team honours.


dibaba breaks 5 000m world record ethiopia s tirunesh dibaba set a new world record in winning the women s 5 000m at the boston indoor games.  dibaba won in 14 minutes 32.93 seconds to erase the previous world indoor mark of 14:39.29 set by another ethiopian  berhane adera  in stuttgart last year. but compatriot kenenisa bekele s record hopes were dashed when he miscounted his laps in the men s 3 000m and staged his sprint finish a lap too soon. ireland s alistair cragg won in 7:39.89 as bekele battled to second in 7:41.42.  i didn t want to sit back and get out-kicked   said cragg.  so i kept on the pace. the plan was to go with 500m to go no matter what  but when bekele made the mistake that was it. the race was mine.  sweden s carolina kluft  the olympic heptathlon champion  and slovenia s jolanda ceplak had winning performances  too. kluft took the long jump at 6.63m  while ceplak easily won the women s 800m in 2:01.52.


us trade gap hits record in 2004 the gap between us exports and imports hit an all-time high of $671.7bn (£484bn) in 2004  latest figures show.  the commerce department said the trade deficit for all of last year was 24.4% above the previous record - 2003 s imbalance of $496.5bn. the deficit with china  up 30.5% at $162bn  was the largest ever recorded with a single country. however  on a monthly basis the us trade gap narrowed by 4.9% in december to £56.4bn. the us consumer s appetite for all things from oil to imported cars  and even wine and cheese  reached record levels last year and the figures are likely to spark fresh criticism of president bush s economic policies.  democrats claim the administration has not done enough to clamp down on unfair foreign trade practices. for example  they believe china s currency policy - which us manufacturers claim has undervalued the yuan by as much as 40% - has given china s rapidly expanding economy an unfair advantage against us competitors.  meanwhile  the bush administration argues that the us deficit reflects the fact the america is growing at faster rate than the rest of the world  spurring on more demand for imported goods. some economists say this may allow an upward revision of us economic growth in the fourth quarter. but others point out that the deficit has reached such astronomical proportions that foreigners many choose not to hold as many dollar-denominated assets  which may in turn harm growth. for all of 2004  us exports rose 12.3% to $1.15 trillion  but imports rose even faster by 16.3% to a new record of $1.76 trillion. foreign oil exports surged by 35.7% to a record $180.7bn  reflecting the rally in global oil prices and increasing domestic demand. imports were not affected by the dollar s weakness last year.  we expect the deficit to continue to widen in 2005 even if the dollar gets back to its downward trend   said economist marie-pierre ripert at ixis.


eu ministers to mull jet fuel tax european union finance ministers are meeting on thursday in brussels  where they are to discuss a controversial jet fuel tax.  a levy on jet fuel has been suggested as a way to raise funds to finance aid for the world s poorest nations. airlines and aviation bodies have reacted strongly against the plans  saying they would hurt companies at a time when earnings are under pressure. the eu said a tax would only be passed after full consultation with airlines. it was keen to point out earlier this week that any new tax on jet fuel should not hurt the  competitiveness of the airlines . ministers will also be discussing reforms to regulations governing european public spending.  global leaders have focused attention on poverty reduction and development at recent meetings of the g7 group and world economic forum. the world s richest countries have said they want to boost the amount of aid they give to 0.7% of their annual gross national income by 2015. many eu ministers are thought to support the plan to tax jet fuel - tabled by france and germany following the recent g7 meeting. at present  the fuel used by airlines enjoys either a very low tax rate or is untaxed in eu member states.


web radio takes spanish rap global spin the radio dial in the us and you are likely to find plenty of spanish-language music. but what you will not find is much spanish-language hip-hop.  hip-hop and rap are actually quite popular in the spanish-speaking world  but local artists are having trouble marketing their work abroad. but now  a us company is bringing rap and hip-hop en espanol to computer users everywhere. los caballeros de plan g are one of mexico s hottest hip-hop acts. they have a devoted fan base in their native monterrey. but most mexican hip-hop fans  not to mention fans in most of the spanish-speaking world  rarely get a chance to hear the group s tracks on the radio.   you can t really just go on the radio and listen to hip-hop in spanish... it s just not accessible   says manuel millan  a native of san diego  california.  it s really hard for the spanish hip-hop scene to get into mainstream radio. you usually have a very commercialised sound and the groups are not really known around the country or around the world.  millan and two friends set out to change that - they wanted to make groups like los caballeros de plan g accessible to fans globally.  mainstream radio stations were not going to play this kind of music  and starting their own broadcast station was economically impossible. so  millan and his friends launched a website called latinohiphopradio.com. the name says it all: it is web-based radio  devoted to the hottest spanish language rap and hip-hop tracks. the site  which is in both in english and spanish  is meant to be easy to navigate. all the user has to do is download a media player. there are no djs. it is just music streamed over the net for free. suddenly  with the help of the website  los caballeros de plan g are producing  export quality  rap.  the web might be just the right medium for spanish language hip-hop right now. the genre is in what millan calls its  infant stage . but the production values are improving  and artists such as argentina s mustafa yoda are pushing to make it better and better. mustafa yoda is currently one of the hottest tracks on latinohiphopradio.com.  he s considered the eminem of argentina  and the latin american hip-hop scene   millan says.  he really hasn t had that much exposure as far as anywhere in the world  but he s definitely the one to look out for as far as becoming the next big thing in the spanish-speaking world.  currently  the chilean group makisa is also in latinohiphopradio.com s top 10  as is cuban artist papo record.  every country s got it s own cultural differences and they try to put those into their own songs   millan says. latinohiphopradio.com has been up and running for a couple of months now. the site has listeners from across the spanish speaking world. right now  mexico leads the way  accounting for about 50% of listeners. but web surfers in spain are logging in as well - about 25% of the web station s traffic comes from there. that is not surprising as many consider spain to be the leader in spanish-language rap and hip-hop. millan says that spain is actually just behind the united states and france in terms of overall rap and hip-hop production. that might be changing  though  as more and more latin american artists are finding audiences.  but one spaniard is still firmly in latinohiphopradio.com s top 10. his name is tote king and manuel millan says that he is the hip-hop leader in spain. on his track uno contra veinte emcees  or one against 20 emcees  tote king shows he is well aware of that fact.  it s basically him bragging that he s one of the best emcees in spain right now   millan says.  and it s pretty much true. he has the tightest productions  and his rap flow is impeccable  it s amazing.  latinohiphopradio.com is hoping to expand in the coming year. millan says they want to include more music and more news from the world of spanish language hip-hop and rap.  clark boyd is technology correspondent for the world  a bbc world service and wgbh-boston co-production.


dominici backs lacklustre france wing christophe dominici says france can claim another six nations grand slam despite two lacklustre wins so far against scotland and england.  the champions only just saw off the scots in paris  then needed england to self-destruct in last week s 18-17 win.  the english played better than us but lost  whereas we are still in the race for the grand slam   said dominici.  we know our display was not perfect  but we can still win the grand slam  along with ireland and wales.  france   ireland and wales all remain unbeaten after two rounds of this year s rbs six nations  with the two celtic nations playing by far the more impressive rugby.  france take on wales at the stade de france on 26 february and ireland in dublin on 12 march. but although france have yet to click  dominici says that they can still win the hard way as long as scrum-half dimitri yachvili continues in his goalkicking form.  if we have an efficient kicker on whom we can rely on  a solid defence and a team who play for their lives  we can achieve something   dominici added.  i said at the start of the competition that the winners would be clearer from the third matches  and that s exactly what is going to happen.  france coach bernard laporte will announce his starting line-up next tuesday for the match against wales.  wing jimmy marlu is definitely out with the knee injury sustained at twickenham  which is likely to sideline him for the rest of the tournament. inspirational flanker serge betsen is a doubt with a thigh injury  but number eight imanol harinordoquy has shaken off his shoulder injury. in the backs  centre yannick jauzion and winger aurelien rougerie are all back in contention after injury  while brive back julien laharrague has received his first call-up as a replacement for pepito elhorga.


vw considers opening indian plant volkswagen is considering building a car factory in india  but said it had yet to make a final decision.  the german giant said it was studying the possibility of opening an assembly plant in the country  but that it remained only a  potential  idea. its comments came after the industry minister of india s andhra pradesh state said a team of vw officials were due to visit to discuss the plans. b. satyanarayana said he expected vw to co-sign a memorandum of agreement. several foreign carmakers  including hyundai  toyota  suzuki and ford  already have indian production facilities to meet demand for automobiles in asia s fourth-largest economy. vw s proposed plant would be set up in the port city of visakhapatnam on india s eastern coast. an andhra pradesh official added that vw had already approved a factory site measuring 250 acres.


web logs aid disaster recovery some of the most vivid descriptions of the devastation in southern asia are on the internet - in the form of web logs or blogs.  bloggers have been offering snapshots of information from around the region and are also providing some useful information for those who want to help. indian writer rohit gupta edits a group blog called dogs without borders. when he created it  the site was supposed to be a forum to discuss relations between india and pakistan. but in the wake of sunday s tsunami  mr gupta and his fellow bloggers switched gears.  they wanted to blog the tsunami and its aftermath. one sri lankan blogger in the group goes by the online name morquendi. with internet service disrupted by the tsunami  morquendi started sending sms text messages via cell phone from the affected areas of sri lanka.  we started publishing these smses   says mr gupta.   morquendi was describing scenes like 1 600 bodies washed up on a shore  and people burying  and burying and burying them. people digging holes with their hands. and this was coming through an sms message.  we didn t have visual accounts on radio or on tv  or in the print media.  soon  thousands of web users around the world were logging on to read morquendi s first hand accounts. in one message  morquendi wrote about a sri lankan woman who was running home with a friend when the wave hit.  she was being swept away   morquendi s message read.  she grabbed a tree with one hand and her friend with the other. she says she watched the water pull her friend away.  mr gupta says the power of morquendi s text message blogs was palpable.  he was running around  looking for friends  burying bodies  carrying bodies   mr gupta says of morquendi.  i can t even begin to imagine the psychological state he was in when he was sending us reports  and doing the relief work at the same time.  he was caught between being a journalist and being a human being.   others blogs are helping to spread information about relief efforts. dina mehta is an indian blogger who s helping with the newly created south east asia earthquake and tsunami blog. she says the blog is not meant to be filled with first person accounts.  what we re doing is we re building a resource   she says.  anyone who says  ok  i want to come and do some work in india  volunteer in india  or in sri lanka or malaysia  this is the sort of one-stop-shop that they can come to for all sorts of resources - emergency help lines  relief agencies  aid agencies  contacts for them etc.   ms mehta also says she wishes that governments in the region would realise the power of blogs.  imagine if they had this resource available to them  if there was a disaster  how quickly you could funnel aid in  and get people to help   she says. bloggers in the united states are also getting involved. ramdhan yadav kotamaraja is originally from india  but now lives in dallas. mr kotamaraja wanted to help those affected by the tsunami by pooling money with concerned friends. so  he set up an online payment system on his website. then  says mr kotamaraja  the blogging world found out.  all my blogger friends started linking up my site  and i saw a lot of people other than my friends. i d say 70% of the donations came from people i don t know.  it s simply unbelievable to me  that people that i don t know will come and start donating.  news spreads quickly on weblogs  a phenomenon that helps bloggers expand their audience and scope. in sri lanka  blogger morquendi is recruiting others to help. one recruit calls himself heretic. in one of his latest posts  heretic asks:  have you ever seen fishing trawlers on the road  ever seen a bus inside a house   well   heretic writes   that was just the least affected areas - so you can just imagine - or can you   he concludes:  keep it blogged.   clark boyd is technology correspondent for the world  a bbc world service and wgbh-boston co-production.


portable playstation ready to go sony s playstation portable (psp) will go on sale in japan on 12 december.  the long-awaited handheld game playing gadget will cost about 19 800 yen (145 euros) when it hits the shelves. at launch 21 games will be available for the psp  including need for speed  ridge racer  metal gear acid and vampire chronicle. sony has not yet announced when the psp will be available in europe and the us  but analysts expect it to debut in those territories in early 2005.  fifa 2005 is back at the top of the uk games charts  a week after losing it to rival pro evolution soccer 4. konami s pro evo dropped only one place to two  while the only new entry in the top 10 was another football title  lma manager 2005  in at number seven. tony hawk s underground 2 held its own at three  while star wars battlefront inched up to four places to four. there was good news for disney  with the spin-off from the shark s tale film moving up the charts into number eight.  fans of the gran turismo series in europe are going to have to wait until next year for the latest version. sony has said that the pal version of gt4 will not be ready for christmas.  the product is localised into 13 different languages across the pal territories  therefore the process takes considerably longer than it does in japan   it said. gran turismo 4 for the playstation 2 is still expected to be released in japan and the usa this year.  halo 2 has broken video game records  with pre-orders of more than 1.5 million in the us alone. some 6 500 us stores plan to open just after midnight on tuesday 9 november for the game s release.  halo 2 is projected to bring in more revenue than any day one box office blockbuster movie in the united states   said xbox s peter moore.  we ve even heard rumours of fan anticipation of the  halo 2 flu  on 9 november.


french suitor holds lse meeting european stock market euronext has met with the london stock exchange (lse) amid speculation that it may be ready to launch a cash bid.  euronext chief jean-francois theodore held talks with lse boss clara furse the day after rival deutsche boerse put forward its own bid case. the german exchange said it had held  constructive  professional and friendly  talks with the lse. but euronext declined to comment after the talks ended on friday. speculation is mounting that the germans may raise their bid to £1.5bn. deutsche boerse previously offered £1.3bn  which was rejected by the lse  while euronext is rumoured to have facilities in place to fund a £1.4bn cash bid. so far  however  neither have tabled a formal bid. but a deal with either bidder would create the biggest stock market operator in europe and the second biggest in the world after the new york stock exchange.  there was speculation euronext would use friday s meeting as an opportunity to take advantage of growing disquiet over deutsche boerse s own plans for dominance over the london market. unions for deutsche boerse staff in frankfurt has reportedly expressed fears that up to 300 jobs would be moved to london if the takeover is successful.  the works council has expressed concerns that the equities and derivatives trade could be managed from london in the future   reuters news agency reports a union source as saying. german politicians are also said to be angry over the market operator s promise to move its headquarters to london if a bid were successful.  meanwhile  lse shareholders fear that deutsche boerse s control over its clearstream unit - the clearing house that processes securities transactions - would create a monopoly situation. this would weaken the position of shareholders when negotiating lower transaction fees for share dealings. lse and euronext do not have control over their clearing and settlement operations  a situation which critics say is more transparent and competitive. the german group s ownership of clearstream has been seen as the main stumbling block to a london-frankfurt merger. commentators believe deutsche boerse  which has now formally asked german authorities to approve its plan to buy the lse  may offer to sell clearstream to gain shareholder approval. euronext  so far  has given little away as to what sweeteners it will offer the lse - europe s biggest equity market - into a deal.


broadband in the uk gathers pace one person in the uk is joining the internet s fast lane every 10 seconds  according to bt.  the telecoms giant said the number of people on broadband via the telephone line had now surpassed four million. including those connected via cable  almost six million people have a fast  always-on connection. the boom has been fuelled by fierce competition and falling prices  as well as the greater availability of broadband over the phone line.  the take-up rate for broadband is accelerating at a terrific pace   said ben verwaayen  bt s chief executive.  we will be in a very strong position to hit our five million target by summer 2006 much earlier than we had previously expected.   the last million connections were made over the past four months  with thousands of people being added to the total every day of the week.  those signing up to broadband include those that get their service direct from bt or via the many companies that re-sell bt lines under their own name. part of the surge in people signing up was due to bt stretching the reach of adsl - the uk s most widely used way of getting broadband - beyond six kilometres. asymmetric digital subscriber line technology lets ordinary copper phone lines support high data speeds. the standard speed is 512kbps  though faster connections are available. according to bt  more than 95% of uk homes and businesses can receive broadband over the phone line. it aims to extend this figure to 99.4% by next summer. there are also an estimated 1.7 million cable broadband customers in the uk.


more power to the people says hp the digital revolution is focused on letting people tell and share their own stories  according to carly fiorina  chief of technology giant hewlett packard.  the job of firms such as hp now  she said in a speech at the consumer electronics show (ces)  was to ensure digital and physical worlds fully converged. she said the goal for 2005 was to make people the centre of technology. ces showcases 50 000 new gadgets that will be hitting the shelves in 2005. the tech-fest  the largest of its kind in the world  runs from 6 to 9 january.  the digital revolution is about the democratisation of technology and the experiences it makes possible   she told delegates.  revolution has always been about giving power to the people.  she added:  the real story of the digital revolution is not just new products  but the millions of experiences made possible and stories that millions can tell.  part of giving people more control has been about the freeing up of content  such as images  video and music. crucial to this has been the effort to make devices that speak to each other better so that content can be more easily transferred from one device  such as a digital camera  to others  such as portable media players. a lot of work still needs to be done  however  to sort out compatibility issues and standards within the technology industry so that gadgets just work seamlessly  she said.  ms fiorina s talk also touted the way technology is being designed to focus on lifestyle  fashion and personalisation  something she sees as key to what people want.  special guest  singer gwen stefani  joined her on-stage to promote her own range of hp digital cameras which ms stefani has helped design and which are heavily influenced by japanese youth culture. the digital cameras  which are due to go on sale in the us by the summer  are based on the hp 607 model. the emphasis on personalisation and lifestyle is a big theme at this year s ces  with tiny  wearable mp3 players at every turn and rainbow hues giving colour to everything. ms fiorina also announced that hp was working with nokia to launch a visual radio service for mobiles  which would launch in europe early this year. the service will let people listen to radio on their mobiles and download relevant content  like a track s ringtone  simultaneously. the service is designed to make mobile radio more interactive.  among the other new products she showcased was the digital media hub  a big upgrade to hp s digital entertainment centre. coming out in the autumn in the us  the box is a networked  high-definition tv  cable set-top box  digital video recorder and dvd recorder. it has a removable hard drive cartridge  memory card slots  and light scribe labelling software which lets people design and print customised dvd labels and covers. it is designed to contain all a household s digital media  such as pre-recorded tv shows  pictures  videos and music so it can all be managed in one place. the hub reflects the increasing move to re-box the pc so that it can work as part of other key centres of entertainment. research suggests that about 258 million images are saved and shared every day  equating to 94 billion a year. eighty per cent of those remain on cameras. media hubs are designed to encourage people to organise them on one box. ms fiorina was one of several keynote speakers  who also included microsoft chief bill gates  to set out what major technology companies think people will be doing with technologies and gadgets in the next 12 months. in a separate announcement during the keynote speech  ms fiorina said that hp would be partnering mtv to replace this year s mtv asia music award. mtv s asia aid will be held in bangkok on 3 february  and is aimed at helping to raise money for the asian tsunami disaster.


nintendo handheld given euro date nintendo s new handheld console  the ds  will launch in europe on 11 march  the company has announced.  the portable games machine  which features touch-screen control  will retail for £99 in the uk (149 euros). nintendo said 15 games would be available in the uk at launch  with prices ranging from £19 to £29. more than 2.8 million ds consoles have been sold since it first appeared in the us and japan at the end of 2004. rival sony has said it will launch its first handheld console  the psp  in the us and europe before the end of march. the psp is expected to compete for a large part of the same handheld market  despite sony s assertion that the machines are aimed at different consumers.  the 15 games available on the european launch date will include nintendo s super mario 64 ds  as well as titles from third-party developers such as ubisoft s rayman ds.  more than 120 games are in development for the new console  nintendo has said. the ds is backwards compatible with the game boy advance  allowing the earlier machine s back catalogue of 700 games to be played. additionally  a short-range wireless link for multiplayer gaming is built in to the ds  with a  download play  option which allows a group to play against each other  even if just one person owns a copy. other features include a short-range messaging application called pictochat  and a built-in microphone which is used in sega s launch title project rub. nintendo has also announced a media adapter  which will allow the console to play music and video on the move.  the launch price of £99 (149 euros) compares favourably with the us price of $149  according to john houlihan  editor of the computerandvideogames.com magazine.  it s a very  very competitive price point. there are some innovative features  and nintendo has created quite a buzz   he says.  however  the line-up of games could have been stronger. everyone wanted to see the eight-player mario kart ds  for example.   mr houlihan believes that there is likely to be an audience for both the nintendo ds and sony s new psp  with the former aimed largely at a younger audience and the latter expected to be marketed as a multimedia device.  the psp is a sexy bit of kit  but sony s attitude to the psp has been very understated in europe  so far   mr houlihan said. the worldwide handheld software market had an estimated worth of $2.6bn at the end of 2004  according to industry analysts screen digest.  in the past  games consoles and handhelds have generally launched much later in europe than in other parts of the world. however nintendo president satoru iwata said the company was  pleased to have offered such a short period of time between the us and european launch .  europe is an extremely important market for nintendo   mr iwata added. nintendo raised its sales targets for the ds console last december after selling a million in the us and japan in just a few weeks.


wilkinson to miss ireland match england will have to take on ireland in the six nations without captain and goal-kicker jonny wilkinson  according to his newcastle boss rob andrew.  wilkinson - who had targeted the 27 february match for his international comeback - has been missed by england  not least for his goal-kicking.  jonny s not fit yet   falcons chief andrew told bbc radio five live.  he won t be fit for dublin  there s no doubt about that  but he might be fit for scotland and italy.  the 25-year-old has not played for england since the 2003 world cup final after a succession of injuries. england  who have lost three six nations games in a row  wasted a 17-6 half-time lead in their 18-17 defeat to france. goal-kickers charlie hodgson and olly barkley missed six penalty attempts and a drop-goal between them.  they ve probably got two of the best english kickers in the premiership in hodgson and barkley   added andrew  a former england fly-half and goal-kicker.   they re both pretty good kickers. charlie is a good kicker week-in  week-out.  but it s all about pressure and unfortunately england are just not handling the pressure at the moment.  andrew also blamed england s poor run of recent results on a lack of leadership in the side following several high-profile retirements and injuries.  they just didn t have that leadership that would have seen them through. martin johnson  lawrence dallaglio and jonny are obviously huge losses and leadership is so important in those situations   he said.  i think it is really difficult for jason robinson to lead the side effectively from full-back.  meanwhile  former england full-back dusty hare put england s mistakes down to a lack of mental toughness.   jonny wilkinson has proved himself a cool customer with around an 80% kicking success rate   hare told bbc radio five live.  but natural-born toughness comes into it as well as all the practice you do.  you have to be able to shut out all the outside elements and concentrate on putting the ball between the posts.  hodgson  who has an excellent kicking record with club side sale sharks  has introduced crowd noise into his practice routine of late.  the top golfers don t hit the fairway every time  and it is the same with goal-kicking   hare added.  you need that mental toughness as well to put the ball over  but great goal-kickers like jonny wilkinson come along very rarely.


low-cost airlines hit eurotunnel channel tunnel operator eurotunnel has seen sales fall in the face of the upsurge in european low-cost airlines.  the firm said sales were down 4% in 2004 to 789m euros ($1.03bn; £548m).  the impact of the development of no-frills airlines is being felt ever more strongly   said chief executive jean-louis raymond. income from its vehicle-carrying shuttle services fell 7%  although 15% more passengers meant a 2% rise in railway revenue.  the cross-channel truck market is improving  eurotunnel said  but warned that it was not benefiting since much of the traffic was in containers destined for ports. the passenger-only trains which use the tunnel are run by a separate company  eurostar.  eurotunnel is still struggling with debts of more than 6bn euros. the company is currently kept afloat by the 200-plus banks to whom it owes the money. a shareholder revolt threw out the old board in 2004. but the bbc s business editor  jeff randall  said the banks could yet step in and take over altogether.  at the moment it can t even service the interest on its debt   he said.  this is a company in the departure lounge of life.


halo 2 sells five million copies microsoft is celebrating bumper sales of its xbox sci-fi shooter  halo 2.  the game has sold more than five million copies worldwide since it went on sale in mid-november  the company said. halo 2 has proved popular online  with gamers notching up a record 28 million hours playing the game on xbox live. according to microsoft  nine out of 10 xbox live members have played the game for an average of 91 minutes per session.  the sequel to the best-selling need for speed: underground has inched ahead of the competition to take the top slot in the official uk games charts. the racing game moved up one spot to first place  nudging gta: san andreas down to second place. halo 2 dropped one place to five  while half-life 2 fell to number nine. last week s new releases  goldeneye: rogue agent and killzone  both failed to make it into the top 10  debuting at number 11 and 12 respectively.  record numbers of warcraft fans are settling in the games online world. on the opening day of the world of warcraft massive multi-player online game more than 200 000 players signed up to play. on the evening of the first day more than 100 000 players were in the world  forcing blizzard to add another 34 servers to cope with the influx. the online game turns the stand alone warcraft games into a persistent world that players can inhabit not just visit  europe s gamers could be waiting until january to hear when they can get their mitts on nintendo s handheld device  nintendo ds  says gamesindustry.biz. david yarnton  nintendo uk general manager  told a press conference to look out for details in the new year. its us launch was on sunday and it goes on sale in japan on 2 december. nintendo has a 95% share of the handheld gaming market and said it expected to sell around five million of the ds by march 2005.


the force is strong in battlefront the warm reception that has greeted star wars: battlefront is a reflection not of any ingenious innovation in its gameplay  but of its back-to-basics approach and immense nostalgia quotient.  geared towards online gamers  it is based around little more than a series of all-out gunfights  set in an array of locations all featured in  or hinted at during  the two blockbusting film trilogies. previous star wars titles like the acclaimed knights of the old republic and jedi knight have regularly impressed with their imaginative forays into the far corners of the franchise s extensive universe  and their use of weird and wonderful new characters. battlefront on the other hand wholeheartedly revisits the most recognisable elements of the hit movies themselves.  the sights  sounds and protagonists on show here will all be instantly familiar to fans  who may well feel that the opportunity to relive star wars  most memorable screen skirmishes makes this the game they have always waited for. the mayhem can be viewed from either a third or first-person perspective  and you can either fight for the forces of freedom or join darth vader on the dark side  depending on the episode and type of campaign as well as the player s personal propensity for good or evil.  there is ample chance to be a wookie  shoot ewoks and rush into battle alongside a fired-up luke skywalker. in each section  the task is simply to wipe out enemy troops  seize strategic waypoints and move on to the next planet. it really is no more complicated than that. locations include the frozen wastes of hoth  the ice planet from the empire strikes back  complete with massive mechanical at-ats on the march. there are also the dusty  sinister deserts of tatooine and geonosis  as well as the forest moon of endor  where return of the jedi s much-maligned ewoks lived. the feel of those places is well and truly captured  with both backdrops and characters looking good and very authentic. it is worth noting though that on the playstation 2  the game s graphics are a curiously long way behind those of the xbox version. the pivotal element behind battlefront s success is that it successfully gives you the feel of being of being plunged into the midst of large-scale war. the number of combatants  noise and abundance of laser fire see to that  and the sense of chaos really comes over.  speaking of noise  battlefront is a real testament to the strength of the star wars galaxy s audio motifs.  the multitude of distinctive weapon and vehicle noises are immensely familiar  as are the stirring john williams symphonies that never let up. there is also a particularly snazzy remix of one of his themes in the menu section. it has to be said if the game did not have the boon of being star wars  it would not stand up for long. the gameplay is reliable  bog-standard stuff  short on originality. there are also odd annoyances  like the game s insistence on re-spawning you miles away from the action  an irritating price to pay for not getting blown up the second you appear. and some of the weapons and vehicles are not as responsive and fluid to operate as they might be. that said  it is still great fun to pilot a scout walker or speeder bike  however non user-friendly they prove. whilst it is firmly designed with multiplayer action in mind  battlefront is actually perfectly good fun as an offline game. the above-average ai of the enemy sees to that  although given the frenetic environments they operate in  their strategic behaviour does not need to be all that sophisticated. battlefront s novelty value will doubtless wear off relatively fast  leaving behind a slightly empty one-trick-pony of a game. but for a while  it is an absolute blast  and one of the most immediately satisfying video game offerings yet from george lucas  stable.


johnson edges out rival sotherton jade johnson edged out rival kelly sotherton with her last effort to claim the aaas long jump title at the norwich union european indoor trials.  olympic heptathlon bronze medallist  sotherton  led the event with her first leap of 6.43m - a personal best. but johnson  who has not competed indoors for five years  leapt to a life-time best of 6.50m in her last jump  after four fouls. both johnson and sotherton passed the european championships qualifying mark. although sotherton s main aim in madrid next month will be the pentathlon where she will take on olympic heptathlon champion carolina kluft. ireland s  delivered a shock in the men s 200m as he stormed to his first major title in 21.01 seconds. british favourite chris lambert had to settle for second place while defending champion ireland s paul brizzel took third. there was some consolation for lambert as he set a personal best of 20.94 in the first round - good enough to qualify for europe.  two-time aaas champion allyn condon and ian mackie had no such luck as they were disqualified in the heats. there was plenty of hot action in the men s 60m hurdles where scotland s  was vying for top spot with olympian andy turner. scott  22  smashed his personal best on the way to the final  where he broke it again to win the aaas title in 7.58 seconds. turner finished second in 7.82 after previously setting a personal best on the 7.83 in the semi-finals  while damien greaves did not finish the final. the trio of athletes have reached the european qualifying mark this season though one of them is set to miss out on a call-up to the british squad.  comfortably defended her 3 000m title  clocking eight minutes  49.87 seconds to easily surpass the european qualifying mark. the european cross country bronze medallist is ranked number one in europe this season and will go to madrid with high hopes. helen clitheroe was agonisingly close to the 9:05.00 qualifying mark as she claimed the runners-up spot in a personal best of 9:05.73. in the men s 800m heats   qualified fastest in the 800m heats to lay down a challenge to in-form  . the welsh runner attacked the last 200m to come through ahead of james thie in one minute  49.87 seconds. mcilroy  who is third in the european rankings  eased across the finish in 1:50.87 to set up a showdown in sunday s final in sheffield. both watkins and mcilroy have already achieved the european qualifying mark. scotland s susan deacon stole   s thunder in the final of the women s 200m. fraser became the fastest british woman over the distance this season when she qualified for the final in 23.68 seconds - though that time is outside the european standard. but deacon claimed her first aaas title over the distance  edging fraser into second in 23.67. in the women s shot put veteran  claimed her fourth aaas title with a throw of 15.27m. but that mark was not good enough for the 39-year-old to book her place at next month s european indoor championships in madrid. sotherton finished fifth after producing two throws of 13.77m. in the absence of injured british number one carl myerscough   claimed the men s shot put title with a throw of 17.64m  which was below the qualifying mark.  sale s robert mitchell climbed to a season s best of 2.20m - just 3cm short of the european standard - to claim the british indoor high jump title.  could only clear 2.16m to finish in fourth but the 27-year-old s disappointment will be tempered as he had already achieved the qualifying mark at a meeting in slovenia on tuesday. there was bad luck for british number one  in the pole vault as he failed to clear the bar after deciding to come in at 5.45m. the aaas indoor title went instead to ashley swain  who climbed to a season s best of 5.25m and ireland s taniesha scanlon set a new national record of 13.28m in the women s triple jump.


yukos seeks court action on sale yukos will return to a us court on wednesday to seek sanctions against baikal finance group  the little-known firm which has bought its main asset.  yukos has said it will sue baikal and others involved in the sale of yuganskneftegas for $20bn in damages. yukos  us lawyers will attempt to have baikal assets frozen after the russian government ignored a us court order last week blocking the sale. baikal s background and its motives for buying the unit are still unclear.  russian newspapers have claimed that baikal - which bought the yuganskneftegas production unit for $9.4bn (261bn roubles  £4.8bn) on sunday at a state provoked auction - has strong links with surgutneftegas  russia s fourth-biggest oil producer. many observers believe that the unit  which produces 60% of yukos  oil output  could ultimately fall into the hands of surgutneftegas or even gazprom  the state gas firm which opted out of the auction.  the russian government forced the sale of yukos  most lucrative asset as part of its action to enforce a $27bn back tax bill it says the company owes. yukos  us lawyers claim the auction was illegal because the firm had filed for bankruptcy and therefore its assets were now under the protection of us bankruptcy law which has worldwide jurisdiction. on wednesday  yukos will also seek further legal remedies to prevent the break-up of the group.  we believe the auction was illegal and we intend to pursue all legal recourses available to us   yukos spokesman mike lake told agence france press.  if it exports that oil  it will be marketing a stolen product   he added. the future ownership of yuganksneftegas remains unclear amid widespread suggestions that baikal was established as a front for other interests.  speaking on tuesday  president putin said baikal was owned by individual investors who planned to build relationships with other russian energy firms interested in the development of yuganskneftegas. president putin also suggested that china s national petroleum corporation could play a role in the unit s future after signing a commercial agreement with gazprom to work on joint energy projects. yukos has claimed that the sale of its main asset will lead to the collapse of the company. commentators and yukos itself claim the firm is the target of a government campaign to destroy it because of the political ambitions of its founder  mikhail khodorkovsky.


butler strikes gold in spain britain s kathy butler continued her impressive year with victory in sunday s 25th cross internacional de venta de banos in spain.  the scot  who led gb to world cross country bronze earlier this year  moved away from the field with ines monteiro halfway into the 6.6km race. she then shrugged off her portuguese rival to win in 20 minutes 38 seconds. meanwhile  briton karl keska battled bravely to finish seventh in the men s 10.6km race in a time of 31:41. kenenisa bekele of ethiopia - the reigning world long and short course champion - was never troubled by any of the opposition  winning leisurely in 30.26. butler said of her success:  i felt great throughout the race and hope this is a good beginning for a marvellous 2005 season for me.  elsewhere  abebe dinkessa of ethiopia won the brussels iaaf cross-country race on sunday  completing the 10 500m course in 33.22. gelete burka then crowned a great day for ethiopia by claiming victory in the women s race.


air passengers win new eu rights air passengers who are unable to board their flights because of overbooking  cancellations or flight delays can now demand greater compensation.  new eu rules set compensation at between 250 euros (£173) and 600 euros  depending on the length of the flight. the new rules will apply to all scheduled and charter flights  including budget airlines. airlines have attacked the legislation saying they could be forced to push prices higher to cover the extra cost. the european commission is facing two legal challenges - one from the european low-fare airlines association (elaa) and the other from the international air transport association (iata)  which has attacked the package as a  bad piece of legislation . previously  passengers could claim between 150 euros and 300 euros if they had been stopped from boarding.  however  only scheduled flight operators were obliged to offer compensation in cases of overbooking and they did not have to offer compensation for flight cancellations.  the eu decided to increase passenger compensation in a bid to deter airlines from deliberately overbooking flights. overbooking can often lead to  bumping  - when a passenger is moved to a later flight. when this happens against a passenger s will  airlines will now have to offer compensation. in addition  if a flight is cancelled or delayed for more than two hours through the fault of the airline  all passengers must be paid compensation.  however  airlines do not have to offer compensation if flights are cancelled or delayed due to  extraordinary circumstances . airlines fear that  extraordinary circumstances  may not include bad weather  security alerts or strikes - events which are outside of their control. all eu-based airlines and operators of flights which take off from the eu will have to adhere to the new compensation regime which came into force on thursday. low-cost airlines have criticised the new compensation levels  arguing that the pay-out could be worth more than the ticket.  it s a preposterous piece of legislation  we among all airlines are fighting this   ryanair deputy chief executive michael cawley told radio 4 s today programme.  the european regions airline association (eraa) claims that neither airlines nor consumers were consulted over the changes. andy clarke  eraa director of air transport  said that the ec advice misleads customers as it leads them to believe that airlines could be liable for payouts if flights are delayed because of bad weather.  ec spokeswoman marja quillinan-meiland conceded there were  grey areas  but said  these are not as big as the airlines are making out . in cases of dispute  national enforcement bodies would decide whether the passenger had a case  she said. new technology means it is easier for airlines to take off and land in bad weather  she added. the eraa s mr clarke also warned that while airlines would comply with the new rules  the extra costs would be passed onto passengers.  we reckon it s going to cost european air passengers - not the airlines  the airlines have no money  it has to be paid by passengers - 1.5bn euros  that s over £1bn a year loaded onto european passengers   mr clarke said.  that s basically a transfer of money from passengers whose journeys are not disrupted to passengers whose journeys are disrupted.   on wednesday  jacques barrot  vice president of the european commission and also commissioner for transport  said that the changes were necessary.  the boom in air travel needs to be accompanied by proper protection of passengers  right.   this is a concrete example of how the union benefits people s daily lives   he added. the ec has launched an information campaign in airports and travel agencies to inform airline passengers of their new rights.


digital uk driven by net and tv the uk s adoption of digital tv and broadband has helped make it the fourth most digitally-savvy nation in europe  according a report by jupiter research.  but the uk still lags in terms of broadband speeds compared to others. the most digitally sophisticated europeans  in terms of use of digital goods such as mobiles  tv  net and cameras  are the scandinavians. about 14 million households in the uk  60%  have digital tv  according to the communications regulator ofcom. the least digital of the european nations was greece  in 17th position  according to the digital life index.  scandinavian countries sweden  denmark and norway came out top in the report  but there were some differences in technology trends.  the european digital life index demonstrates that digital lifestyles are common today  but across europe there is no single digital lifestyle   said nate elliott  jupiter analyst.  consumers adopt different digital products and services in different countries.   although there are differences between different european nations  the gap between them is closing  the report concluded. the trend for gadgets and technologies  such as digital video recorders (dvr)  broadband  and video-on-demand will continue across europe  he added. more than six million uk households now have broadband net. by the middle of 2005  it is estimated that 50% of all uk net users will be on broadband. cable company ntl is trialling faster adsl (asymmetric digital subscriber line) broadband technology using adsl2+ which can give speeds of 18mbps compared to current speeds which are usually around 1mbps or 2mbps. bt is set to trial the technology later in the year. super-fast broadband will be necessary to the delivery of services such as high-definition tv (hdtv) and video-on-demand  already very popular in france and other european countries.  a separate survey by gmipoll last week found that  globally  people s appetite for technology and gadgets continues unabated. the poll of 20 000 people in 20 countries found that 59% wanted more technology.  the computer was the  must-have  gadget for most people (75%). the tv took second place (67%)  while the mobile was ranked in third position with 54%. digital cameras were the most popular choice of gadget for 2005  said the survey  with nearly 40% choosing this over wireless  home printing and dvr technologies. however  only 25% of britons said a digital camera would be their top gadget purchase of the year. almost a quarter  22%  said they would be buying some sort of wireless device. forty-four percent said they would be buying something  other . this might include digital music players  or gaming devices. the nintendo ds  sony s psp and gizmondo all hit the shops in 2005  and the first of the next generation of games consoles  xbox 2  is set to launch later this year. jupiter research s index is calculated using 40 different variables across net users  digital tv adoption  wireless and mobile  online activity  and digital devices.


murray returns to scotland fold euan murray has been named in the scotland training squad after an eight-week ban  ahead of saturday s six nations match with ireland.  the glasgow forward s ban for stamping ended on 2 february.  i m just happy to be back playing and be involved with the squad   said murray on monday.  hopefully i can get a couple of games under my belt and i might have a chance of playing later in the six nations. i m just glad to be part of it all.   backs: mike blair (edinburgh rugby)  andy craig (glasgow rugby)  chris cusiter (the borders)  simon danielli (the borders)  marcus di rollo (edinburgh rugby)  phil godman (edinburgh rugby)  calvin howarth (glasgow rugby)  ben hinshelwood (worcester warriors)  andrew henderson (glasgow rugby)  rory lamont (glasgow rugby)  sean lamont (glasgow rugby)  dan parks (glasgow rugby)  chris paterson (edinburgh rugby)  gordon ross (leeds tykes)  hugo southwell (edinburgh rugby)  simon webster (edinburgh rugby) forwards: ross beattie (northampton saints)  gordon bulloch (captain  glasgow rugby)  david callam (edinburgh rugby)  bruce douglas (the borders)  jon dunbar (leeds tykes)  iain fullarton (saracens)  stuart grimes (newcastle falcons)  nathan hines (edinburgh rugby)  allister hogg (edinburgh rugby)  gavin kerr (leeds tykes)  nick lloyd (saracens)  scott lawson (glasgow rugby)  euan murray (glasgow rugby)  scott murray (edinburgh rugby)  jon petrie (glasgow rugby)  robbie russell (london irish)  tom smith (northampton saints)  jason white (sale sharks).


robinson ready for difficult task england coach andy robinson faces the first major test of his tenure as he tries to get back to winning ways after the six nations defeat by wales.  robinson is likely to make changes in the back row and centre after the 11-9 loss as he contemplates sunday s set-to with france at twickenham. lewis moody and martin corry could both return after missing the game with hamstring and shoulder problems. and the midfield pairing of mathew tait and jamie noon is also under threat. olly barkley immediately allowed england to generate better field position with his kicking game after replacing debutant tait just before the hour. the bath fly-half-cum-centre is likely to start against france  with either tait or noon dropping out.  tait  given little opportunity to shine in attack  received praise from robinson afterwards  even if the coach admitted cardiff was an  unforgiving place  for the teenage prodigy. robinson now has a tricky decision over whether to withdraw from the firing line  after just one outing  a player he regards as central to england s future. tait himself  at least outwardly  appeared unaffected by the punishing treatment dished out to him by gavin henson in particular.  i want more of that definitely   he said.  hopefully i can train hard this week and get selected for next week but we ll have to look at the video and wait and see.  we were playing on our own 22 for a lot of the first half so it was quite difficult. i thought we defended reasonably well but we ve just got to pick it up for france.   his newcastle team-mate noon hardly covered himself in glory in his first major test. he missed a tackle on michael owen in the build-up to wales  try  conceded a penalty at the breakdown  was turned over in another tackle and fumbled gavin henson s cross-kick into touch  all inside the first quarter. his contribution improved in the second half  but england clearly need more of a playmaker in the inside centre role. up front  the line-out remains fallible  despite a superb performance from chris jones  whose athleticism came to the fore after stepping into the side for moody. it is more likely the leicester flanker will return on the open side for the more physical challenge posed by the french forwards  with andy hazell likely to make way. lock ben kay also justified his recall with an impressive all-round display on his return to the side  but elsewhere england positives were thin on the ground.


sony psp handheld console hits us the latest handheld gaming gadget  sony s playstation portable  goes on sale in the us on thursday.  the entertainment device  which also stores images  music and video  is intended to compete with nintendo s ds  released earlier this month in the uk. gamers have been queuing outside shops across the us to get their hands on the gadget  which costs $250 (about £132). the first million sold will come with the spider-man 2 film on umd  sony s own disc format for the device. the psp can be linked up with others for multiplayer gaming  via a wireless connection. sony has touted the machine as the walkman of the 21st century and has sold more than 800 000 units in japan since its launch there last year.  but it faces stiff competition from the nintendo ds  which sold more than the gamecube in its first few days on release in europe. it too allows for multiplayer gaming over the air. nintendo dominates the handheld market  with more than a 90% share of the market in the us alone. the gizmondo combined media player  phone and gaming gadget also went on sale in the uk last week. it hopes to take a share of the handheld gaming market too.   the story of the psp is it s not a gaming device as much as it is a portable entertainment device   said michael pachter  analyst at wedbush morgan securities. he told the reuters news agency that he expected sony to sell about 10 million psps in enough time to rival apple s ipod. there is no date for the psp s release in europe yet. sony has promised to have a million units ready for its us launch  but there are fears demand may not be met. it also said it expected to ship three million psps worldwide by the end of its fiscal year ending 31 march.  the machine s european launch was put back  a few months  last week in order to make sure enough of the devices were ready for its us launch  as well as satisfying the japanese market. the psp has almost as much processing power in it as the playstation 2 console. hundreds of gamers gathered at us shops  some waiting for more than 36 hours  to be the first to get their hands on the gadget. a spokesman for one us shop said it expected the device to sell out on its first day. the 24 games for the mini console include ape academy  formula one  wipeout pure and fired up. movie studios  including lions gate entertainment and disney  have also announced forthcoming film titles that will be made available on the umd format.


henin-hardenne beaten on comeback justine henin-hardenne lost to elena dementieva in a comeback exhibition match in belgium on sunday for her second defeat in two days.  and the belgian  who has slipped to eight in the world after struggling with a virus  faces a tough australian open title defence next month.  i will be heading to australia with a lot of question marks over me  i know that   she said.  but i think there ll be less pressure than last time even if i am champion.  henin-hardenne was speaking after a 6-2 5-7 6-2 loss to world number six dementieva in charleroi  belgium  on sunday. the previous day  the olympic champion went down 6-2 7-5 to france s nathalie dechy.   i have to be positive  i still have a few weeks   she said.  my body has to get accustomed again to the stress  the rhythm.  henin-hardenne slid down the world rankings in the second half of 2004 after contracting the illness in april. after an initial lay-off  she was forced off the circuit for a second time after being knocked out of the french open in the second round. a comeback at the us open after a three-month absence ended when she crashed out at the fourth-round stage. but despite her problems  she still won five of the nine official tournaments she entered in 2004 and won olympic gold in athens  an achievement which saw her named belgian sportswoman of the year on friday.  physically  it s obvious that i hit rock bottom   said the 22-year-old  who will make her comeback in the sydney international from 10-16 january.  since april  with the exception of the olympics  i have not done much.  all the successes i had prior to that were mainly due to the work i put in on building up my fitness.  now it s time to get back to putting in 200% effort and i think i am capable of doing that.


rank  set to sell off film unit  leisure group rank could unveil plans to demerge its film services unit and sell its media business  reports claim.  rank  formerly famous for the carry on series  will expose the shake-up at the announcement of its results on friday  the sunday telegraph reported. advisors goldman sachs are understood to have valued its demerged deluxe film unit at £300m  the report added. speculation of a possible shake-up has mounted since rank announced a study into a possible demerger in september. since mike smith s appointment as chief executive in 1999  the group has focused on fewer businesses and embarked on a major cost-cutting programme which has seen it dispose of a number of businesses  including the odeon cinema chain and the pinewood studios. the move left the group with three core divisions: gaming  hard rock and deluxe films  which provides technical services to hollywood studios.  rank now aims to concentrate on its gaming  bars and hotels business  including extending its hard rock brand to its casinos - trials of which have been a success. it also owns deluxe media  which makes and distributes dvds and videos. however  that business is seen as less successful. last year it made profits of £21.5m on a turnover of £392.1m and experts suggest its success in moving to dvds from vhs video could make it an attractive target for a private equity buyer. a spokesman for the firm refused to comment on the reports  but said any results from the demerger study were likely to be set out when it unveiled its results on friday. analysts predict the firm is likely to report a slight drop in annual pre-tax profits to £170m from £194m last year. formed in the 1940s the firm was a leading uk film producer and cinema owner for many years. it has now diversified into a range of other leisure activities - mainly in the uk - including hotels  roadside service areas and holiday centres. it now owns 34 grosvenor casinos  the mecca bingo chain and more than 100 hard rock cafes in 38 countries.


johnson accuses british sprinters former olympic champion michael johnson has accused britain s top sprinters of lacking pride and ambition.   at the moment  the biggest factor on the mind of british sprinters is to be number one in britain   the world 200m and 400m record holder told five live.  athletics at the moment is all about international competitions and they need to show a little more pride.  however  linford christie countered:  it s easy to criticise when you haven t gone through the system here.  johnson was involved in a verbal spat with britain s darren campbell earlier this year. the american had cast doubt on campbell s claims he had torn a hamstring in the wake of his failure to reach the olympic 100m and 200m finals.  and the american remains highly critical of aspects of british sprinting.  the only time you see british sprinters getting upset or riled is when there is a debate as to which one is better than the other   he claimed.  athletes here have to compete more outside the uk. their focus has to be on being the best in the world and not just on being the top british sprinter.  speaking at an elite coaches  conference in birmingham  johnson also argued that although there has been more investment in the sport in britain  it had not necessarily reaped the rewards.  you can t fix everything with money   he admitted.  you contrast the situation here to that of some us athletes who have no funding.  those who aren t funded might be hungrier and more motivated because their road to success is a lot more difficult and challenging.  so when they get to the top they are more appreciative.


borders 19-20 ulster ulster clung on for a morale-boosting celtic league win over bottom club borders at netherdale on friday night.  a late try by borders substitute jonny weston had set up a dramatic finish  but the scottish side could not complete the fightback. ulster had led 20-6 with tries from paul steinmetz and bryn cunningham. but the irish province failed to add to the tally in the second half and ended up relieved to get the win to lift them to eighth place in the table. borders had edged ahead with a sixth-minute penalty by charlie hore - only to hand the visitors the initiative via a gift try. calum macrae surrendered possession before centre steinmetz sent a chip into the danger zone. substitute joe pattison - who had come on for the injured gareth morton - wrongly thought the ball was trickling out of play and eased up on the chase.  the speedy steinmetz had other ideas and he raced up to get the vital touch in the nick of time  giving adam larkin an easy conversion. ally warnock clawed back three points for borders  but they were soon hit by another double-blow. first  mark blair was yellow carded for killing the ball on the ground and then full-back cunningham bagged the second touchdown in the wake of fine work by skipper andy ward. larkin again added the extras. even worse was to come for borders when larkin kicked two more penalties just before the break  the second of which also led to kelly brown being sin-binned. the hosts gave themselves a glimmer of hope immediately after the restart  however  when warnock struck a penalty at the other end. and he repeated the feat to set up the tense finale. ulster coach mark mccall said he was delighted to get the victory.  borders are a tougher proposition this year in spite of the fact that they have not had a victory in some time   said mccall.  in the first 20 minutes we were edgy but in the second 20 minutes we played some of our best rugby this season and scored two good tries.   morton  moffat  macrae  hore  berthinussen  warnock  moore  thomson  ford  douglas  blair  stewart  gray  brown  mcentee.  kay  parr  mcgee  rennick  weston  millar  pattison.  cunningham  maxwell  bell  steinmetz  howe  larkin  campbell  s. best  shields  moore  frost  mccullough  ward  feather  n. best.  brady  mccormick  longwell  browne  doak  s. young  bowe.  phil fear (wru)


sluggish economy hits german jobs the number of people out of work in europe s largest economy has risen for the tenth straight month as growth remains stubbornly slow.  german unemployment rose 7 000 in november to 4.464 million people  or 10.8% of the workforce. the seasonally adjusted rise showed a smaller rise than expected  as government measures to encourage job creation began to take effect. but officials said stagnant growth was still stifling the job market.  there are clear signs of a revival in domestic demand   said frank-juergen weise  head of the federal labour agency  in a statement.  but growth of 0.1%... in the third quarter is still insufficient to deliver positive momentum to the labour market.  high oil prices and the soaring euro - which damages the competitiveness of exporters - were also having a negative effect  he said. the brunt of the unemployment is still being felt in the eastern part of germany  where the rate is 18.8%.  with unemployment stuck above 4 million for years  the government of chancellor gerhard schroeder has put job creation at the top of the agenda. a controversial package of measures to shake up incentives to get back to work  paid for by cutting some cherished benefits  has sparked anger among some german workers. strikes in a number of industries  notably among the country s iconic carmakers  have demonstrated the displeasure - as well as fears about further job losses as outsourcing takes hold. among the new initiatives are the so-called  one-euro jobs  which top up unemployment benefit. the scheme s formal launch is january  but hirings for these positions are already taking place and affecting the unemployment statistics  economists said.  the deterioration of the labour market does not come as a surprise   said isabelle kronawitter at hypovereinsbank.  job creation measures probably prevented a stronger increase in the seasonally adjusted numbers.


ukraine steel sell-off  illegal  the controversial sell-off of a ukrainian steel mill to a relative of the former president was illegal  a court has ruled.  the mill  krivorizhstal  was sold in june 2004 for $800m (£424m) - well below other offers. president viktor yushchenko  elected in december  is planning to revisit many of ukraine s recent privatisations. krivorizhstal is one of dozens of firms which he says were sold cheaply to friends of the previous administration.  on wednesday  prime minister yulia tymoshenko said as many as 3 000 firms could be included on the list of firms whose sale was being reviewed.  mr yushchenko had previously said the list would be limited to 30-40 enterprises. more than 90 000 businesses in all  from massive corporations to tiny shopfronts  have been sold off since 1992  as the command economy built up when ukraine was part of the soviet union was dismantled. analysts have suggested that the government needs to avoid the impression of an open-ended list  so as to preserve investor confidence.  thursday s ruling by a district court in perchesk overturned a previous decision in a lower court permitting the sale. the consortium which won the auction for the mill was created by viktor pinchuk  son-in-law of former-president leonid kuchma  and rinat akhmetov  the country s richest man. the next step is for the supreme court to annul the sale altogether  opening the way for krivorizhstal to be resold. mr yushchenko has suggested a fair valuation could be as much as $3bn. one of the foreign bidders who lost out  steel giant lnm  told bbc news that it would be interested in any renewed sale.


wada will appeal against ruling the world anti-doping agency (wada) will appeal against the acquittal of kostas kenteris and katerina thanou on doping charges  if the iaaf does not.  the pair were cleared of charges relating to missing dope tests by the greek athletics federation last week. wada chairman dick pound said:  i am convinced the iaaf will appeal against the decision  and we will support them.  but if they accept the federation s ruling we will go before the court of arbitration for sport   he added. kenteris s lawyer  gregory ioannidis  reacted angrily to pound s comments.  comments like these only help to embarrass the sporting governing bodies  create a hostage situation for the iaaf and strengthen our case further   he told bbc sport. kenteris  31  and thanou  30  had been charged with avoiding drugs tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens and failing to notify anti-doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics. they withdrew from the athens games after missing a drugs test at the olympic village on 12 august.  but an independent tribunal ruled that the duo had not been informed that they needed to attend a drugs test in athens.  however  their former coach christos tzekos was banned for four years by the tribunal. kenteris and thanou still have to face trial on charges brought separately by greek prosecutors of missing the drugs tests and faking a motorcycle accident to avoid testing at the athens games.


air jamaica back in state control the jamaican government is regaining control of air jamaica in an bid to help the ailing company out of its financial difficulties.  the firm has failed to make money since the state sold a majority stake to hotel tycoon gordon stewart in 1994. in common with many carriers  air jamaica  with debts of $560m (£291m)  has been hit by high fuel costs and the impact of the 11 september attacks. the company will be restructured with the aim of finding a new buyer.  the administration is committed to a viable national airline that will serve as a major catalyst for our economy   said finance minister omar davies. the 35-year-old airline transports about 55% of all passengers to the island and its pilots are reportedly among the best paid in the industry  with senior members of staff earning in excess of $234 000 a year.


japanese mogul arrested for fraud one of japan s best-known businessmen was arrested on thursday on charges of falsifying shareholder information and selling shares based on the false data.  yoshiaki tsutsumi was once ranked as the world s richest man and ran a business spanning hotels  railways  construction and a baseball team. his is the latest in a series of arrests of top executives in japan over business scandals. he was taken away in a van outside one of his prince hotels in tokyo.  there was a time when mr tsutsumi seemed untouchable. inheriting a large property business from his father in the 1960s  he became one of japan s most powerful industrialists  with close connections to many of the country s leading politicians. he used his wealth and influence to bring the winter olympic games to nagano in 1998. but last year  he was forced to resign from all the posts he held in his business empire  after being accused of falsifying the share-ownership structure of seibu railways  one of his companies. under japanese stock market rules  no listed company can be more than 80% owned by its 10 largest shareholders. now mr tsutsumi faces criminal charges and the possibility of a prison sentence because he made it look as if the 10 biggest shareholders owned less than this amount. seibu railways has been delisted from the stock exchange  its share value has plunged and it is the target of a takeover bid.  mr tsutsumi s fall from grace follows the arrests of several other top executives in japan as the authorities try to curb the murky business practices which were once widespread in japanese companies. his determination to stay at the top at all costs may have had its roots in his childhood. the illegitimate third son of a rich father  who made his money buying up property as japan rebuilt after world war ii  he has described the demands his father made.  i felt enormous pressure when i dined with him and it was nothing but pain   tsutsumi told a weekly magazine in 1987.  he scolded me for pouring too much soy sauce or told me fruit was not for children. he didn t let me use the silk futon  saying it s a luxury.  there have been corporate governance issues at some other japanese companies too. last year  twelve managers from mitsubishi motors were charged with covering up safety defects in their vehicles and three executives from japan s troubled ufj bank were charged with concealing the extent of the bank s bad loans.


video phone help for deaf people deaf people who prefer to communicate using british sign language (bsl) could soon be having their phone conversations relayed using webcams or videophones and an interpreter.  the video relay service is being piloted by the royal national institute for deaf people (rnid)  but the organisation says unless the service is provided at the same rate as voice calls it will be beyond most people s pockets. the rnid is urging telecoms regulator  ofcom  to reduce the cost of the service from the current £7.00 per minute and make it the same as ordinary phone calls. the service works by putting a deaf person in visual contact with a bsl interpreter via a webcam or video phone  and the interpreter then relays the deaf person s conversation using a telephone and translates the other person s response into sign language.  for many deaf people  especially those born deaf  bsl is a first and preferred means of communication.  until now  the only alternative has been to use textphones which means having to type a message and have it relayed via an operator.  in the past  i ve used textphones but they have problems   said robert currington who is taking part in the pilot.  i communicate in bsl; my written english is not very good and it takes me longer to think in english and type my message.   i sometimes find it difficult to understand the reply.  the rnid says the uk is lagging behind other countries which are already making relay services available at the cost of an ordinary phone call.  there are no technical or economic reasons for not providing equivalent access to services for deaf people   said rnid technology director  guido gybels.  in the us and australia  sign language relay services have already been made universally available at the same cost as a voice call.  by failing to provide and fund the video relay service for sign language users  the telecommunications sector is effectively discriminating against an already disenfranchised group.   ofcom says it has plans to review the services that telecoms companies are obliged to provide early next year. and new technology  including the video relay service  will be discussed with interested parties in the near future. but a spokesman said its powers were limited by legislation.  any proposals to extend existing arrangements to cover new services would be for government to consider   he said. mr currington  like many of the uk s 70 000 bsl users  will be hoping that a way can be found to make a cost-effective service available.  the relay service makes phone conversations a pleasure   he said.  i can show my emotions more easily in bsl in the same way hearing people express emotions through voice calls.


brewers  profits lose their fizz heineken and carlsberg  two of the world s largest brewers  have reported falling profits after beer sales in western europe fell flat.  dutch firm heineken saw its annual profits drop 33% and warned that earnings in 2005 may also slide. danish brewer carlsberg suffered a 3% fall in profits due to waning demand and increased marketing costs. both are looking to russia and china to provide future growth as western european markets are largely mature.  heineken s net income fell to 537m euros ($701m; £371m) during 2004  from 798m euro a year ago. it blamed weak demand in western europe and currency losses. it had warned in september that the weakening us dollar  which has cut the value of foreign sales  would knock 125m euros off its operating profits. despite the dip in profits  heineken s sales have been improving and total revenue for the year was 10bn euros  up 8.1% from 9.26bn euros in 2003. heineken said it now plans to invest 100m euros in  aggressive  and  high-impact  marketing in europe and the us in 2005. heineken  which also owns the amstel and murphy s stout brands  said it would also seek to cut costs. this may involve closing down breweries.  heineken increased its dividend payment by 25% to 40 euro cents  but warned that the continued impact of a weaker dollar and an increased marketing spend may lead to a drop in 2005 net profit.  carlsberg  the world s fifth-largest brewer  saw annual pre-tax profits fall to 3.4bn danish kroner (456m euros). its beer sales have been affected by the sluggish european economy and by the banning of smoking in pubs in several european countries. nevertheless  total sales increased 4% to 36bn kroner  thanks to strong sales of carlsberg lager in russia and poland. carlsberg is more optimistic than heineken about 2005  projecting a 15% rise in net profits for the year. however  it also plans to cut 200 jobs in sweden  where sales have been hit by demand for cheap  imported brands.  we remain cautious about the medium-to-long term outlook for revenue growth across western europe for a host of economic  social and structural reasons   investment bank merrill lynch said of carlsberg.


claxton hunting first major medal british hurdler sarah claxton is confident she can win her first major medal at next month s european indoor championships in madrid.  the 25-year-old has already smashed the british record over 60m hurdles twice this season  setting a new mark of 7.96 seconds to win the aaas title.  i am quite confident   said claxton.  but i take each race as it comes.  as long as i keep up my training but not do too much i think there is a chance of a medal.  claxton has won the national 60m hurdles title for the past three years but has struggled to translate her domestic success to the international stage. now  the scotland-born athlete owns the equal fifth-fastest time in the world this year. and at last week s birmingham grand prix  claxton left european medal favourite russian irina shevchenko trailing in sixth spot.  for the first time  claxton has only been preparing for a campaign over the hurdles - which could explain her leap in form. in previous seasons  the 25-year-old also contested the long jump but since moving from colchester to london she has re-focused her attentions. claxton will see if her new training regime pays dividends at the european indoors which take place on 5-6 march.


wenger rules out new keeper arsenal boss arsene wenger says he has no plans to sign a new goalkeeper during the january transfer window.  wenger has brought in manuel almunia for the last three games for the out-of-form jens lehmann - but the spaniard himself has been prone to mistakes. there have been suggestions that wenger will swoop for a high-quality shot-stopper in the new year. but he told the evening standard:  i don t feel it will be necessary to bring in a new goalkeeper in january.  the gunners manager refused to comment on the difficult start that 27-year-old almunia has made to his career at highbury. and he would not be drawn on whether lehmann would return for the top-of-the table clash with chelsea on sunday.  almunia was at fault for rosenborg s goal in arsenal s 5-1 champions league win on tuesday and had some hairy moments in last week s win over birmingham. but wenger said earlier this week that his indifferent form was down to pressure caused by being under scrutiny from the media.  the debate has gone on too long. everyone has an opinion and i do not have to add to it   wenger added. arsenal have been linked with middlesbrough keeper mark schwarzer  fulham s edwin van der sar and parma s sebastien frey. and wenger has no immediate plans to recall former england under-21 international stuart taylor from his loan spell at leicester.


india s reliance family feud heats up the ongoing public spat between the two heirs of india s biggest conglomerate  reliance group  has spilled over to the board meeting of a leading company within the group.  anil ambani  vice-chairman of india petrochemicals limited (ipcl)  stayed away from a gathering of senior managers on thursday. the move follows a decision earlier this month by anil - the younger brother of reliance group president mukesh ambani - to resign from his post. his resignation was not accepted by his brother  who is also the boss of ipcl. the ipcl board met in mumbai to discuss the company s results for the october-to-december quarter.  it is understood that the board also considered anil s resignation and asked him to reconsider his decision. however  anil s demand that anand jain - another ipcl board member accused by anil of creating a rift in the ambani family - be thrown out  was not met. anil has accused anand jain  a confidant of his brother mukesh  of playing a negative role in the ambani family  and being responsible for the trouble between the brothers. on wednesday  the board of reliance energy  another reliance group company  reaffirmed its faith in anil  who is the company s chief. reliance group acquired the government s 26% stake in ipcl - india s second-largest petrochemicals company - in 2002  as part of the privatisation drive. meanwhile  the group s flagship company  reliance industries  has its board meeting on friday to consider its financial results. mukesh is the company s chairman and anil its deputy  and it is expected that both brothers will come face to face in the meeting. the ambani family controls 48% of the group  which is worth $17bn (£9.1bn; 745bn indian rupees). it was founded by their father  dhiru bhai ambani  who died two years ago.


khodorkovsky ally denies charges a close associate of former yukos boss mikhail khodorkovsky has told a court that fraud charges levelled against him are  false .  platon lebedev has been on trial alongside mr khodorkovsky since june in a case centring around the privatisation of a fertiliser firm. the pair claim they are being punished by the authorities for the political ambitions of mr khodorkovsky. mr lebedev said there were  absurd contradictions  in the case. opening his defence  he said he could not see the legal basis of the charges he faced  which also include allegations of tax evasion.  to my embarrassment  i could not understand the file of complaints against me   he told a moscow court. mr lebedev headed the menatep group  the parent company of yukos.  mr lebedev and mr khodorkovsky  who each face a possible 10 year jail sentence if convicted  will be questioned by a judge over the next few days. mr khodorkovsky began his testimony last week  telling the court that he objected to the way that the  running of a normal business has been presented as a work of criminal fiction . the charges are seen by supporters as politically motivated and part of a drive by russian president vladimir putin to rein in the country s super-rich business leaders  the so-called oligarchs. yukos has been presented with a $27.5bn (£13bn) tax demand by the russian authorities and its key yugansk division was auctioned off to part settle the bill. the company s effort to gain bankruptcy protection in the us - in a bid to win damages for the sale - were dismissed by a court in texas.


china continues rapid growth china s economy has expanded by a breakneck 9.5% during 2004  faster than predicted and well above 2003 s 9.1%.  the news may mean more limits on investment and lending as beijing tries to take the economy off the boil. china has sucked in raw materials and energy to feed its expansion  which could have knock-on effects on the rest of the world if it overheats. but officials pointed out that industrial growth had slowed  with services providing much of the impetus. growth in industrial output - the main target of government efforts to impose curbs on credit and investments - was 11.5% in 2004  down from 17% the previous year.  still  consumer prices - at 2.4% - rose faster than in 2004  adding to concern that a sharp rise in producer prices of 7.1% could stoke inflation. and overall investment in fixed assets was still high  up 21.3% from the previous year - although some way off the peak of 43% seen in the first quarter of 2004. the result could be higher interest rates. china raised rates by 0.27 percentage points to 5.8% - its first hike in nine years - in october 2004.  despite the apparent rebalancing of the economy the overall growth picture remains strong  economists said.  there is no sign of a slowdown in 2005   said tim congdon  economist at ing barings.  china s economy is not only gathering speed thanks to domestic demand  but also from soaring sales overseas. figures released earlier this year showed exports at a six-year high in 2004  up 35%. part of the impetus comes from the relative cheapness of the yuan  china s currency. the government keeps it pegged close to a rate of 8.28 to the us dollar  - much to the chagrin of many us lawmakers who blame china for lost jobs and competitiveness. despite urging to ease the peg  officials insist they are a long way from ready to make a shift to a more market-set rate.  we need a good and feasible plan and formulating such a plan also needs time   national bureau of statistics chief li deshui told reuters.  those who hope to make a fortune by speculating on a renminbi revaluation will not succeed in making a profit.


have hackers recruited your pc  more than one million computers on the net have been hijacked to attack websites and pump out spam and viruses.  the huge number was revealed by security researchers who have spent months tracking more than 100 networks of remotely-controlled machines. the largest network of so-called zombie networks spied on by the team was made up of 50 000 hijacked home computers. data was gathered using machines that looked innocent but which logged everything hackers did to them.  the detailed look at zombie or  bot nets of hijacked computers was done by the honeynet project - a group of security researchers that gather information using networks of computers that act as  honey pots  to attract hackers and gather information about how they work. while  bot nets have been known about for some time  estimates of how widespread they are from security firms have varied widely.  to gather its information the german arm of the honeynet project created software tools to log what happened to the machines they put on the web. getting the machines hijacked was worryingly easy. the longest time a honeynet machine survived without being found by an automatic attack tool was only a few minutes. the shortest compromise time was only a few seconds. the research found that  once compromised machines tend to report in to chat channels on irc servers and wait instructions from the malicious hacker behind the tools used to recruit the machine. many well-known vulnerabilities in the windows operating system were exploited by  bot net controllers to find and take over target machines. especially coveted were home pcs sitting on broadband connections that are never turned off.  the months of surveillance revealed that the different  bot nets - which involve a few hundred to tens of thousands of machines - are used for a variety of purposes. many are used as relays for spam  to route unwanted adverts to pc users or as launch platforms for viruses. but the research team found that many are put to very different uses. during the monitoring period  the team saw  bot nets used to launch 226 distributed denial-of-service attacks on 99 separate targets. these attacks bombard websites with data in an attempt to overwhelm the target. using a  bot net of machines spread around different networks and nations makes such attacks hard to defend against. one ddos attack was used by one firm to knock its competitors offline. other  bot nets were used to abuse the google adsense program that rewards websites for displaying adverts from the search engine. some networks were used to abuse or manipulate online polls and games. criminals also seem to be starting to use  bot nets for mass identity theft  to host websites that look like those of banks so confidential information can be gathered and to peep into online traffic to steal sensitive data.  leveraging the power of several thousand bots  it is viable to take down almost any website or network instantly   said the researchers.  even in unskilled hands  it should be obvious that  bot nets are a loaded and powerful weapon.


tigers wary of farrell  gamble  leicester say they will not be rushed into making a bid for andy farrell should the great britain rugby league captain decide to switch codes.   we and anybody else involved in the process are still some way away from going to the next stage   tigers boss john wells told bbc radio leicester.  at the moment  there are still a lot of unknowns about andy farrell  not least his medical situation.  whoever does take him on is going to take a big  big gamble.  farrell  who has had persistent knee problems  had an operation on his knee five weeks ago and is expected to be out for another three months. leicester and saracens are believed to head the list of rugby union clubs interested in signing farrell if he decides to move to the 15-man game.  if he does move across to union  wells believes he would better off playing in the backs  at least initially.  i m sure he could make the step between league and union by being involved in the centre   said wells.  i think england would prefer him to progress to a position in the back row where they can make use of some of his rugby league skills within the forwards.  the jury is out on whether he can cross that divide.  at this club  the balance will have to be struck between the cost of that gamble and the option of bringing in a ready-made replacement.


security scares spark browser fix microsoft is working on a new version of its internet explorer web browser.  the revamp has been prompted by microsoft s growing concern with security as well as increased competition from rival browsers. microsoft said the new version will be far less vulnerable to the bugs that make its current browser a favourite of tech-savvy criminals. test versions of the new program  called ie 7  are due to be released by the summer.  the announcement about internet explorer was made by bill gates  microsoft chairman and chief software architect  during a keynote speech at the rsa security conference currently being held in san francisco. although details were scant  mr gates  said ie7 would include new protections against viruses  spyware and phishing scams. this last category of threats involves criminals setting up spoof websites that look identical to those of banks and try to trick people into handing over login and account information.  in a bid to shore up the poor security in ie 6  microsoft has regularly issued updates to patch loopholes exploited by criminals and the makers of nuisance programs such as spyware. earlier this month it released a security bulletin that patched eight critical security holes - some of which were found in the ie browser. microsoft has also made a series of acquisitions of small firms that specialise in computer security. one of the first fruits of these acquisitions appeared last month with the release of a microsoft anti-spyware program. an own-brand anti-virus program is due to follow by the end of 2005. the decision to make internet explorer 7 is widely seen as a u-turn because  before now  microsoft said it had no need to update the browser. typically new versions of its browser appear with successive versions of the windows operating system. a new version of ie was widely expected to debut with the next version of windows  codenamed longhorn  which is due to appear in 2006. the current version of internet explorer is four years old  and is widely seen as falling behind rivals such as firefox and opera. there are also persistent rumours that search engine google is poised to produce its own brand browser based on firefox. in particular the firefox browser has been winning fans and users since its first full version was released in november 2004. estimates of how many users firefox has won over vary widely. according to market statistics gathered by websidestory  firefox s market share is now about 5% of all users. however  other browser stat gatherers say the figure is closer to 15%. some technical websites report that a majority of their visitors use the firefox browser. internet explorer still dominates with a share of about 90% but this is down from a peak of almost 96% in mid-2004.