Eli Lilly Launches Online Clinical Trial Registry Drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said it will make clinical trial information available online amid calls by lawmakers and physicians for more disclosure of negative trial results.


Pitcher Leiter Headed Back to South Florida  MIAMI (Sports Network) - The Florida Marlins have signed  pitcher Al Leiter to a one-year contract, one day after the New  York Mets decided not to offer the lefthander arbitration.


Biotech Crops Said on Rise Around World (AP) AP - Biotech crops are flourishing in the United States, but they're also taking root across the globe, accounting for about  #36;44 billion in crops in five leading countries, according to a report Wednesday by an industry group.


Mitchell Switches Loyalties to Oklahoma (AP) AP - If not for a technicality, Oklahoma linebacker Lance Mitchell might've been lining up against the Sooners in the Orange Bowl instead of for them.


US pledges \$20m to Palestinians The US pledges \$20m to help Palestinians out of a financial crisis - a rare direct payment from Washington.


Like Jordan and Ruth, Hamm Has a Home in Sports Lore Mia Hamm, who will retire on Wednesday, influenced millions of people and represented the possibilities available to women after the passage of Title IX.


Iraqi Officials Consider Extending Voting Period Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission said on Wednesday it may consider holding next month's elections over an extended period, as Prime Minister Iyad Allawi had suggested.


London Bridge Software fined for using unlicensed software Debt recovery software outfit pays out 39,500


Wippit to gain over 1m major-label tracks Gets content from last-two-to-licence 'big four' recording firms


PalmSource to build Palm OS on Linux Update Buys Chinese phone software firm to speed release


2004 Was Year of Netsky Worm, Web Firm Sophos Says  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Netsky-P, an email computer worm  allegedly written by a German teenager, was the hardest-hitting  virus of 2004, disrupting tens of thousands of businesses and  homes worldwide, Web security firm Sophos says.


Mosaid Says Court Denies Samsung Sanction Appeals  TORONTO (Reuters) - Mosaid Technologies Inc. MSD.TO said  on Wednesday that a judge has denied an appeal by Samsung  Electronics Co. 005930.KS of two remaining sanctions tied to  a patent infringement lawsuit.


IBM Gives Shanghai a Real Surprise It's like Big Blue realized everyone's secret dream: lose weight and make money at the same time. But its \$1.75 billion sale of its PC business to a Chinese company portends big changes for the international technology game board. -washingtonpost.com


French winemakers take to streets Winemakers worried by a slump in sales stage street protests calling on the French government for help.


Colgate to cut 4,400 jobs, close a third factories Colgate-Palmolive Co., the consumer products giant, will close a third of its factories and cut 4,400 jobs, or roughly 12 percent of its worldwide workforce, as part of a


Luxury carmakers rev up profits STUTTGART - Despite signs of a global economic slowdown, two of Germany #39;s leading luxury carmakers - Porsche AG and BMW AG - have said they are off to a strong start to their new business years.


Mozilla #39;s e-Mail Client Thunderbird 1.0 Launched The Mozilla Foundation released the final version of Thunderbird 1.0, the standalone open source e-mail client application, which is available for public download.


Bush urges baseball to  quot;address ... serious problem quot; of steroids WHITE HOUSE President Bush is joining the chorus of those who want Major League Baseball to crack down on steroid use. Press Secretary Scott McClellan says the president is calling on baseball players and owners to  quot;address this serious problem.


Lehmann admits surprise at Arsenal axe Jens Lehmann is surprised to be considered only second choice goalkeeper at Arsenal Football Club. The German has lost his place in the Gunners line-up to Spaniard Manuel Almunia, following a string of errors between the posts.


Champions League: Group G review - Valencia crash out with Inter <b>...</b> Spanish champions Valencia became the big casualties of Group G, as they crashed out of this year #39;s Champions League following their 2-0 defeat to Werder Bremen.


Malloy  #39;embarrassed #39; by move Notre Dame president Rev. Edward Malloy said on Wednesday that he was upset about how his university fired Irish football coach Tyrone Willingham last week.


Piturca back as Romania #39;s boss Bucharest, Romania (Sports Network) - Victor Piturca has been re-appointed as Romania #39;s national team coach. Piturca, 48, was fired four years ago after a dispute with Romania legend Gheorghe Hagi.


Bush Wants Baseball to Work Out Steroids Problem (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush wants Major League\Baseball management and players to come up with a tough\steroids testing program on their own and believes progress is\being made, his spokesman said on Wednesday.


EU signals movement on China arms ban THE HAGUE The European Union said Wednesday that it was not yet ready to lift its 15-year arms embargo on China amid concerns about human rights, but held out the prospect that the ban could be eased early next year.


Sharon offers calm in absence of Palestinian attacks Israeli PM says his country Israel will  #39;maintain calm #39; in absence of Palestinian militants attacks. JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel would  quot;maintain the calm quot; in the absence of attacks


Lenovo reveals IBM warranty costs rising steadily In detailing its agreement to acquire IBM's personal computing division, China's Lenovo Group revealed data about growing warranty costs for Big Blue's PC business, and in doing so raised questions about quality control issues.


New set of Linux security flaws unveiled A security researcher has uncovered yet another set of security flaws in an image component, which could put Linux users at risk of system compromise if they view a maliciously crafted image.


IBM Data Reveals Rising Warranty Costs Costs have increased steadily in recent years, causing some to wonder about quality.


Analysis: IBM Adjusts to Harsh PC Market IBM's deal with Lenovo may signal a round of industry consolidation, analysts say.


ETFs and Falling Fund Fees The pricing pressure from ETFs is good news for index investors. But don't forget the brokerage fees.


IBM Discloses Details Of PC Business Sale Lenovo will pay \$1.75 billion for IBM #39;s PC business unit but will continue to use the IBM brand for five years. By Paul McDougall, and Darrell Dunn.


Ontario Teachers #39; Pension Plan buying Alliance Laundry Holdings <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario Teachers #39; Pension Plan has signed an agreement to buy Alliance Laundry Holdings LLC, a US laundry equipment maker, in a deal worth \$450 million US.


Siebel Infuses SMBs with CRM Executives at Siebel Systems (Quote, Chart) said its competitors in the CRM (define) space aren #39;t doing enough to meet the needs of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMB).


Five Pacers Charged in Basketball Brawl (AP) AP - Five Indiana Pacers players were charged Wednesday for fighting with fans in the stands and on the court at the end of a game against the Detroit Pistons last month.


BEA #39;s Devil of an App Server Unwilling to sit back and let Oracle (Quote, Chart) grab all of the attention this week, BEA Systems (Quote, Chart) said a beta of its new application server, WebLogic Server 9.0, will be available for download next week.


Intel sheds light on 2005 desktop strategy DECEMBER 07, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Intel Corp. #39;s products for the digital home and digital office in 2005 will give consumers and IT managers more capabilities than just raw performance, and the company plans to highlight those products as it did with


IMLogic Leads Group into IM Malware Battle Most e-mail users are aware that opening an executable file (.exe) from an unknown source is a danger, but many don #39;t know what an IM threat looks like.


Bunning: We may need to tackle steroids US Sen. Jim Bunning said Tuesday night that he expects Congress to have to get involved to resolve Major League Baseball #39;s steroid crisis.


Flashes #39; fifth win in a row breaks Creighton #39;s streak Kent, OH (U-WIRE) -- Point guard DeAndre Haynes scored 13 points and added 11 assists as Kent State gave Creighton its first loss of the season, 67-58, in Omaha, Neb.


Car bomb blast hits US convoy in Samarra, four killed A car bomb exploded at a US convoy in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra, killing at least four Iraqis and wounding many others, police said on Wednesday.


Update 8: Oil Prices Rise on Heating Oil Concerns Crude oil futures prices rose Wednesday because of lingering concerns about heating oil supplies and fears that OPEC could rein in output when it meets later this week.


China oil chief arrested in trading scandal China Aviation Oil chief executive, Chen Jiu-lin, has been arrested in Singapore in connection with an alleged 550-million-US-dollar trading scandal, involving his company.


Eli Lilly Bares All Given recent furor regarding clinical trials of pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) has unveiled a Web site that will post clinical trial results, according to The Wall Street Journal.


This Genome Is Fowl Researchers have sequenced the genome of the red jungle fowl, an early version of what we know today as the chicken, giving scientists new insight to many human diseases and possibly avian flu.


Palm OS goes Linux Mobile device OS maker PalmSource sets out to acquire software house China MobileSoft, hinting of a Linux-based version of Palm OS being in the works.


AMD Joins Push for Cooler, More Efficient Server Room Advanced Micro Devices Inc. #39;s announcement that its new PowerNow technology will be available on its Opteron line of processors could mean a lot to some enterprise customers.


Redknapp Planning Portsmouth Raid Harry Redknapp maintained his conscience was clear today following his decision to join Southampton just two weeks after leaving south-coast rivals Portsmouth.


EU to Work toward Ending China Arms Ban At an EU-China Summit on Wednesday, the EU said now was not the time to lift its arms embargo on China. However, EU leaders held out the prospect of ending the ban perhaps next year, despite opposition from the US.


US, North Korean officials meet at UN US officials met twice last week with North Korean officials in New York to tell them the US was ready to resume nuclear negotiations and wanted to resolve the issue diplomatically, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.


UN Investigating Reports of Rwandan Violations in Congo The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is investigating reports that Rwandan soldiers were responsible for violations of human rights in the east of the country last month.


Ghana Waits for Official Results from Tuesday #39;s Election People in Ghana are closely following the vote counting after Tuesday #39;s election, with final results expected late Wednesday. After waiting patiently in line Tuesday to cast votes in their fourth consecutive


Cavs' Traylor Out With Broken Finger (AP) AP - Cavaliers forward Robert Traylor will miss three to four weeks after breaking his left pinkie against the New Jersey Nets.


Aligning Interests? Yeah, Right. Cisco's employees apparently can't sell their stock options fast enough. Suits the company just fine.


Circuit City's Sales Short-Circuit The company reports a decline in same-store sales for the third quarter.


Eli Lilly Bares All In the spirit of full disclosure, the Big Pharma company publishes clinical trial results online.


S. America creates single market Presidents and officials of 12 South American countries are meeting in Peru to create an economic and political community.


IBM to customers: Expect business as usual IBM may be selling its PC business, but it #39;s working hard to keep its PC customers. Still, competitors Dell, Hewlett-Packard and others are likely to come knocking in an attempt to pick off nervous customers


Kidde Opens Books to United Technologies Kidde PLC, a British fire and safety equipment maker, agreed Wednesday to open its books to United Technologies Corp. after receiving a new takeover offer from the US engineering giant.


New DVD Format Being Marketed One layer of the new disk is in standard DVD format, while the other layer will be in the HD DVD format. Such a combination lets film studios put a movie in DVD format on one side and, on the other, in HD DVD format.


Apple having problems getting iTunes.co.uk It has been quiet sometime since we heard news related to domain name issues. Microsoft recently had some with a kid named Mike Rowe who opened up a site MikeRoweSoft.


Experts Urge People to Unplug Occasionally (AP) AP - Katie Achille grew up with the Internet. She was 9 when she first tapped into it  #151; and quickly became an avid e-mailer, Web surfer and sender of instant messages. But when recent computer troubles left her without regular Web access, something unexpected happened: To her surprise, she suddenly felt free.


Crossing the great divide Before Harry Redknapp had even been officially unveiled as the new Southampton manager, the first emotive pot shots that invariably accompany the bridging of entrenched football divides had been fired.


IBM Gives Shanghai a Real Surprise (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - IBM's decision to sell its personal computer business to China-based Lenovo gives the world's third-largest nation the distinction of housing what will soon be the world's third-largest PC maker. On a deeper level, the deal also marks a changing of the guard in the PC business and rearranges the game board for rivals Dell and Hewlett-Packard.


Malone vows not to return to NBA Lakers (AFP) AFP - Add Karl Malone to the list of talent leaving the Los Angeles Lakers because of Kobe Bryant.


Online Music Store Wippit Signs Universal, Warner (Reuters) Reuters - European digital music service Wippit\has signed a deal to license the catalogs of Universal Music\and Warner Music, enabling its customers to download songs from\all of the four major labels.


Best Buy Improves Its Supply Chain View (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Retailer Best Buy turns to i2's chain management/logistics software in the hopes of gaining more timely visibility into business operations on both the purchasing and logistics sides.


Pioneer IBM's exit from PC business seen as turning point (AFP) AFP - IBM's deal to sell its personal computer business to China's Lenovo, a move likely to reshape the industry, signals the PC has evolved into a mass consumer item with little profit, analysts say.


New GameSpy terms threaten Mac to PC online gaming (MacCentral) MacCentral - New software licensing fees dictated by GameSpy Industries Inc. may make it impossible for Mac game publishers to let their forthcoming games play against their PC counterparts. GameSpy's licensing fees have increased by a factor of five to ten in recent months, an amount that Mac game publishers say is unreasonable to expect them to pay.


Scientists Find Gene Clue in Hunt for AIDS Vaccine (Reuters) Reuters - Scientists said Wednesday they have\identified key genes involved in the body's response to HIV,\which causes AIDS -- a finding that could narrow the search for\an effective vaccine against the deadly illness.


Could Dry Quicksand Explain Desert Disappearances? (Reuters) Reuters - Could people and vehicles that have\mysteriously vanished in the desert have been swallowed up by\shifting sands?


Chicken Genome Should Boost DNA Research (AP) AP - Here's something to ponder when you bite into your next chicken wing: A new study says about 60 percent of the genes in the critter you're eating have close cousins in your own DNA.


Continental Refutes Report of Charges (AP) AP - Continental Airlines Inc. said Wednesday it was "outraged" at reports that French authorities want to prosecute the airline and several employees over the Concorde crash that killed 113 people in Paris four years ago.


Digital cameras aid Jessops sales Specialist retailer Jessops says the popularity of digital cameras has helped to boost its profits.


Jay-Z to Head Def Jam Recordings Label, Executives Say Rap star Jay-Z, who has little corporate experience, will become the chief executive for one of Universal's biggest divisions.


Indian minister says IT outsourcing raked in \$12.5 billion Indian officials today disclosed details on revenues from IT outsourcing for the last year.\


Battle over Website Address An internet entrepreneur today claimed he was fighting a David versus Goliath battle with computer giant Apple over the ownership of a website address.


NASA #39;s Longest-Serving Astronaut to Retire The longest serving astronaut in history, who flew twice to the moon and commanded the first space shuttle mission, has announced his retirement after 42 years at NASA.


Industry Group Urges Bush To Address Cybersecurity A group representing the cybersecurity industry has called for the White House to show  quot;greater leadership quot; in guarding the nation #39;s computer infrastructure from attacks by hackers and viruses


Cricket: Key unlocks Oppenheimer XI attack in England romp RANDJESFONTEIN, South Africa : Stand-in captain Marcus Trescothick and the hard-hitting Robert Key took England to a comfortable win in the opening match of their South African tour against a Nicky Oppenheimer XI at the NFO private ground north of


Petrino Named Coach of the Year; LeFors and Brohm Also Earn <b>...</b> Louisville, Ky. - Head coach Bobby Petrino, who has guided the University of Louisville to a No. 7 national ranking, has been tabbed as the Conference USA coach of the Year, while senior quarterback Stefan


Toro Earnings Rise; Dividend Doubled (Reuters) Reuters - Lawn-care equipment maker Toro Co. on\Wednesday reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings\and doubled its dividend, citing increased sales and cost\controls.


Treasuries Up, Indirect Bidders Buy Big (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury prices built on early\gains on Wednesday after an auction of five-year debt drew\surprisingly strong demand from indirect bidders, which include\foreign central banks.


GM: See Red, Save Green;  #36;7,500 Cash Back (Reuters) Reuters - General Motors Corp.  will offer\cash rebates as high as  #36;7,500 on some 2004 models in its new\"Red Tag" incentive program to be launched on Dec. 10 in an\effort to boost sales after two disappointing months, dealers\said on Wednesday.


U.S. Officials Raid Stores, Arrest 2 in Game Piracy  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Federal authorities raided three  Washington, D.C.-area video game stores and arrested two people  for modifying video game consoles to play pirated video games,  a video game industry group said on Wednesday.


Jerez Testing, Day 1, 08/12/04 A dry day in Jerez saw team drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Franck Montagny conducting tyre development for Michelin.


Liberty Hires Coyle The New York Liberty bring former interim coach Pat Coyle on as their head coach on Wednesday.


Lufthansa reaches wages agreement German airline Lufthansa reaches a deal with unions on pay and working hours for its ground staff.


Foodland says don #39;t sell Australasian grocer Foodland Associated which owns major chains in New Zealand says the hostile takeover bid by rival Metcash is complex and risky, and is urging shareholders not to act on the \$920 million bid.


Dealers: GM  #39;Red Tag #39; deals up to \$7,500 Dealers describe General Motors #39; new incentive program which puts no-haggle prices on special tags. DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp.


UPDATE 2-Dynegy cuts 2004 profit view, shares slide Electricity wholesaler Dynegy Inc. (DYN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday slashed its 2004 profit forecast and said it expects a loss next year due to costs


Ontario fund buying Alliance Laundry for \$450 mln Alliance Laundry Holdings, a commercial laundry equipment manufacturer, said its controlling shareholder Bain Capital agreed to sell the company to Teachers #39; Private Capital for about \$450 million.


Merck guides to lower-than-expected 2005 earnings NEW YORK, December 8 (newratings.com) - Merck  amp; Co (MRK.NYS) has guided to lower-than-expected 2005 earnings due to the withdrawal of its blockbuster arthritis drug, Vioxx, and increased generic competition for its cholesterol drug, Zocor.


Mars Was Wet, Studies Say, But Was It Inhabited? Scientists say there is no doubt that abundant water once soaked Mars. Now the big question is whether the red planet ever supported life. Some experts say the early signs are promising.


Pompeii Worms: Hottest Bodies on Earth? Perhaps the most heat-tolerant complex organism on Earth, Pompeii worms burrow into the sides of hydrothermal vents found deep in the Pacific Ocean. Scientists aim to learn how the worms survive their hellish home.


Mozilla Launches Thunderbird E-Mail Client A spokesperson for Mozilla said that Thunderbird is another milestone in cooperation between hundreds of open-source community volunteers.


PalmSource Embraces Linux Through China Buy NEW YORK - PalmSource #39;s planned acquisition of China MobileSoft signals its desire to expand its presence in Asian markets, as well as to produce a new, Linux-based version of its handheld operating system.


Panel: Astronauts Should Rescue Hubble This image taken by NASA #39;s Hubble Space telescope, and released Thursday Aug. 12, 2004, shows nebula N44F, which, at left, is being inflated by a stellar wind, creating an interstellar bubble.


Scientists Complete Chicken Genome There #39;s quite a bit of clucking going on at Michigan State University: they have just sequenced the genome of a chicken. That #39;s a first for birds and agricultural animals


Oldest Astronaut John Young Retiring While on the moon, John Young drove a motorized rover 16 miles and spent three nights on the lunar surface. He is the only person to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and shuttle programs and was


Cyber-Security Group Pushes 12-Point Plan On White House A policy and advocacy group called on the Bush administration Tuesday to put more muscle behind cyber-security, and urged the White House to act on a dozen proposals and recommendations to protect the country #39;s technology infrastructure.


Tech Leaders Converge To Form Project MegaGrid Project MegaGrid has a mega-goal, but analysts said it is also an achievable one. Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, said that whenever world-class players come together


Repair processes still up in air for May liftoff NASA managers said on Monday that neither money or time would ease the requirements to repair the space shuttle on-orbit for the first launch since the Columbia tragedy.


The Complete Guide to iPod photo Pictures If you #39;re reading this, you either have a brand new iPod photo or are thinking about getting one. In either case, you #39;re probably excited about carrying your entire digital photo


Cap Harnesses Human Thought to Move PC Cursor Scientists say they have developed a non-invasive, brain-computer interface that enables a person to move a cursor across a computer screen just by thinking about it.


Dollar Rallies Against Major Currencies  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rocketed higher on  Wednesday as investors took a break from worrying about the  U.S. current account deficit and focused on relative interest  rates, which increasingly were expected to favor the dollar.


Birding Column: Scrub Jays' Peanut Feeding Frenzy Birdman of Bel Air Michael Tekulsky shares stories about the feeding habits of scrub jays, birds that will voraciously dine on acorns, peanuts, bread, cheese #151;even tortilla chips.


Leiter returns to Marlins By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer. in New Jersey as a Mets fan. I #39;m taking away my experience as positive. #39; #39;. Burnett, plus left-hander Dontrelle Willis.


Cavs activate Scott Williams from injured list Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - The Cleveland Cavaliers activated forward/center Scott Williams from the injured list on Wednesday.


Closer, left fielder among most pressing needs Chicago Cubs general manager Jim Hendry got most of his holiday shopping done before the Winter Meetings this weekend in Anaheim. The Cubs signed Nomar Garciaparra and


Is Asian Bird Flu the Next Pandemic? Most health experts agree that Asian bird flu poses a grave danger and will likely spread unless urgent steps are taken. But some virologists caution that alarmist warnings could harm preparedness plans.


Toro Earnings Rise; Dividend Doubled  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lawn-care equipment maker Toro Co. on  Wednesday reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings  and doubled its dividend, citing increased sales and cost  controls.


Hoon visits British troops in Iraq British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon visited his country #39;s troops in Iraq today and said he saw no reason to delay next month #39;s elections as preparations are on track.


Pakistan, India for early Kashmir bus service ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India on Wednesday reiterated their commitment towards an early establishment of the proposed Kashmir bus service, a joint statement said.


Action Update: Nov. 22 - Dec. 5, 2004 US Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Kabul on Nov. 22 and reiterated that the United States will continue to search for al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.


AutoZone Earnings Edge Higher  CHICAGO (Reuters) - AutoZone Inc. AZO.N, the largest U.S.  auto parts retailer, on Wednesday said quarterly earnings rose  less than 1 percent as high gas prices made customers choose  between paying for fuel or preventive maintenance.


GM: See Red, Save Green; \$7,500 Cash Back  DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. GM.N will offer  cash rebates as high as \$7,500 on some 2004 models in its new  "Red Tag" incentive program to be launched on Dec. 10 in an  effort to boost sales after two disappointing months, dealers  said on Wednesday.


NYSE Bans First Specialist in Probe  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Stock Exchange on  Wednesday said it permanently barred a former Van der Moolen  Specialists USA VDMN.AS trader, the first individual to be  punished as part of a broader probe by regulators into NYSE  floor-trading abuses.


U.S. Senator Says Dollar Slide Worrying  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top Democratic senator on  Wednesday said lawmakers were concerned about a slide in the  value of the dollar and urged the Bush administration to step  up pressure on China to move to a more flexible exchange rate.


Jawa in Jersey May the Force be with Mike Degirolamo when he goes up against the city council of Gloucester Township, N.J. Missing Links


Chinese Banks to Offer American Credit Cards Two major state-run Chinese banks on Wednesday announced plans to roll out American credit cards, including the country's first dual-currency American Express Card.


Jay-Z to Head Def Jam Recordings Label Rap star Jay-Z, who has little corporate experience, will become the chief executive for one of Universal's biggest divisions.


IBM's Win-Win in Exiting PCs IBM is exiting the PC business, but it -- along with some PC competitors -- should benefit.


Five Pacers charged in basketball brawl DETROIT - Five Indiana Pacers players were charged today with assault and battery in a brawl that broke out on the court last month and spilled into the stands at The Palace of Auburn Hills.


Sports briefs for December 8, 2004 It was the interviews made by Victor Conte, head of the BALCO lab in California, that led International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge to set up a disciplinary commission to investigate accusations Marion Jones used performance-enhancing drugs


Map of chicken DNA key to genetic comparisons LONDON - Scientists have identified the one billion letters of the DNA code in chickens, a step they say could help them better understand our own biology and lead to better breeds for farmers.


PalmSource to buy China MobileSoft PalmSource entered in an agreement with a major Chinese mobile phone software company China MobileSoft Limited (CMS) to acquire its operations.


Sony Taps nVidia for  #39;Cell #39; Console Graphics Dean McCarron of Mercury Research said console designers are focusing on multicore, multi-threading technology that can allow multiple programs to run efficiently at the same time.


Group Calls on Feds To Bolster Cyber Security The Cyber Security Alliance has outlined a 12-point plan for the US government to take a more proactive role in ensuring cyber security.


Harry Redknapp is new Saints boss The former Portsmouth boss has been signed up to the Saints for 18 months, replacing Steve Wigley, who has decided to leave the club.


Coulthard #39;s back in action Pedro de la Rosa may have destroyed the competition on the second day of testing at Jerez, but it was David Coulthard who captured the headlines making his Red Bull Racing debut.


UEFA to investigate behaviour at Valencia versus Werder NYON, Dec 8 (SW) - The European governing body UEFA will be investigating both Valencia CF and Werder Bremen, following the clash between these two teams at Mestalla stadium on Tuesday.


Colts bring in Gramatica as kickoff specialist Gramatica replaces Jason Baker, whose locker was empty Wednesday. The Colts have not yet officially announced how they made room on the roster for Gramatica.


Winter Meetings checklist The offseason didn #39;t just start, even if you #39;re beginning to detect the first signs of life from Toronto. The Blue Jays have been lying low until this point, waiting


British minister sees Iraq vote on schedule British Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon, who visited troops in Iraq today, said he saw no reason to delay next month #39;s election as preparations are on track.


UN Investigating Reports of Rwandan Rights Violations in Congo The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is investigating reports that Rwandan soldiers were responsible for violations of human rights in the east of the country last month.


Indonesia urges OPEC to raise benchmark price Indonesia is likely to ask the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) during its scheduled meeting later this week to revise upward its crude oil price band so


Justices wade into wine sales Doug LaVelle, owner of Elmira-based LaVelle Vineyards, says his winery and customers would benefit tremendously if he could ship wine directly to consumers in all 50 states.


Rangers sign C Alomar Six-time All-Star catcher Sandy Alomar Jr. signed a \$550,000 contract Wednesday with the Texas Rangers to be a part-time player next season.


Treasuries Up, Indirect Bidders Buy Big  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury prices built on early  gains on Wednesday after an auction of five-year debt drew  surprisingly strong demand from indirect bidders, which include  foreign central banks.


N. Ireland peace deal left undone, Blair and Ahern admit BELFAST : The British and Irish leaders conceded that their plan to restore power-sharing government to Northern Ireland was  #39;incomplete #39; but stressed that a definitive peace deal hinged on the sole dispute over how to carry out IRA disarmament.


Iraqis May Extend Election Amid Violence  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq may modify plans for its first  free election to give people more time to vote next month,  officials said Wednesday as suicide bombers and gunmen again  struck Sunni Muslim towns north and west of the capital.


Oil Firms After Touching Four-Month Low  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices firmed after touching a  four-month low on Wednesday, as a government report showing  that U.S. supplies of heating oil rose only slightly last week  kept dealers on edge ahead of Friday's OPEC meeting.


Stocks Rise as Merck Shares Help Lift Dow  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks traded higher on  Wednesday, with shares of drugmaker Merck   Co. MRK.N helping  to boost the Dow after its 2005 forecast offered relief to some  investors on Wall Street.


Sirius stock plunges on downgrades Shares of Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. tumbled after two analysts issued downgrades, calling the stock overvalued. Sirius #39;s stock had nearly tripled in value since October, boosted by the company #39;s inking a


Pfizer Reports Positive Trial Results Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday that a long-term study of its Norvasc blood pressure treatment in patients with other heart disease risks was stopped early because of the drug #39;s significant benefits.


Apple Tries to Take Out iTunes.co.uk Apple Computers is attempting to nab the domain www.itunes.co.uk from a British entrepreneur in a true David vs. Goliath battle. Benjamin Cohen registered his domain in 2000 for a music search engine called CyberBritain.


Five Pacers Hit with Criminal Charges for Brawl Five Indiana Pacers, including NBA All-Star Ron Artest, were charged with assault and battery on Wednesday for their role in what authorities described as one of the worst brawls in US sports history.


Gilly puts NZ to sword After Gilchrist was dismissed yesterday Australia continued to plough along at more than 6 runs an over, at least until the mini collapse halfway through the innings, anyway, but even until then the innings failed to sustain the don #39;t-stop-watching-in


White Sox sign Hermanson to two-year deal The Chicago White Sox have come to terms on a two-year, \$5.5 million contract with pitcher Dustin Hermanson. He will earn \$2 million in 2005 and \$3 million in 2006, with the club holding an option for 2007 at \$3.5 million.


Soccer player loses finger on fence A Portuguese soccer player lost a finger when he caught his wedding ring on a fence while celebrating a goal for his Swiss team. Paolo Diogo was injured after his late goal put Servette ahead 4-1 Sunday against Schaffhausen.


How did rape become a weapon of war? Women #39;s bodies have become part of the terrain of conflict, according to a new report by Amnesty International. Rape and sexual abuse are not just a by-product of war but are used as a deliberate military strategy, it says.


Russia #39;s Upper House Passes Bill Tightening Putin #39;s Grip on <b>...</b> Russia #39;s upper house of parliament has approved President Vladimir Putin #39;s controversial plan to end direct elections to choose regional governors, and allow the Kremlin to appoint them instead.


Snow to Stay at Treasury President Bush asked Treasury Secretary John Snow on Wednesday to stay in his administration, and Snow agreed, keeping a key member of Bush's economic team in place.


Pricey Gas Stalls AutoZone The retailer posts a flat first quarter, claiming high gas prices affect consumers' car budgets.


Pricey Gas Stalls AutoZone High gas prices are a tough obstacle for most businesses, and the auto parts retail business is no exception. AutoZone (NYSE: AZO), the largest of the auto parts retailers, said this morning


Online Research Worries Many Educators (AP) AP - Go to Google, search and scroll results, click and copy. When students do research online these days, many educators worry, those are often about the only steps they take. If they can avoid a trip to the library at all, many students gladly will.


Apple tangles with owner of itunes.co.uk UK-based Internet entrepreneur Benjamin Cohen says that he got an unexpected shock last month after he checked his voicemail and heard a lawyer representing Apple Computer Inc.


Marino Doesn't See Return to Dolphins Soon (AP) AP - Dan Marino misses being part of the Miami Dolphins, yet does not see a scenario where he'd soon consider returning to the team's front office.


Five players among 10 men facing assault charges in NBA brawl (AFP) AFP - Prosecutors issued assault and battery charges against five National Basketball Association players and five spectators who fought in a November 19 brawl.


Romania ends negotiations to join EU (AFP) AFP - Romanian Foreign Minister Mircea Geoana said his country had completed its negotiations to join the European Union in 2007.


Lieber Agrees to 3-Year Deal With Phillies (AP) AP - Right-hander Jon Lieber agreed to a  #36;21-million, three-year contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, rounding out a revamped starting rotation.


Samarra sees repeated attacks BAGHDAD, Dec. 8. - Insurgents launched a string of assaults around Samarra today, trading gunfire with US forces, attacking a convoy, and blowing up a police station after looting its armoury, officials said.


Law enforcement, top tech firms join to halt online "phishing" scams (AFP) AFP - A coalition of Internet and finance firms along with law enforcement agencies was launched in a bid to halt the growing number of online scams that lure consumers to fake websites to obtain personal and financial data.


Air India Board Approves Boeing Purchase (AP) AP - The board of Air India's charter airplane operation has approved a plan to acquire 18 Boeing airplanes in a deal that could be worth more than  #36;1 billion at list prices.


U.S. Officials Raid Stores, Arrest 2 in Game Piracy (Reuters) Reuters - Federal authorities raided three\Washington, D.C.-area video game stores and arrested two people\for modifying video game consoles to play pirated video games,\a video game industry group said on Wednesday.


Russia's VimpelCom faces  #36;158m tax bill (FT.com) FT.com - Russian authorities on Wednesday claimed  #36;158m in back taxes from VimpelCom, the country's second-largest mobile phone company, raising fears of spreading political interference in private business.


Mozilla Releases Thunderbird 1.0 E-Mail Client (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - The open source Mozilla Foundation has released Thunderbird 1.0, an e-mail client, as a follow-up to last month's much-discussed debut of the group's Firefox 1.0 browser.


Tech Firms Partner on Instant Messaging Threat Center (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - IMlogic, a Waltham, Massachusetts-based firm, has partnered with McAfee, Sybari and AOL to establish an instant message and P2P threat center that will detect the spread of viruses, worms and other malware aimed at these online channels.


Apple tangles with owner of itunes.co.uk (MacCentral) MacCentral - U.K.-based Internet entrepreneur Benjamin Cohen says that he got an unexpected shock last month after he checked his voicemail and heard a lawyer representing Apple Computer Inc. telling him to hand over his Web site domain, itunes.co.uk. Apple alleges that Cohen's CyberBritain Holdings Ltd is a "cybersquatter" just sitting on the domain hoping for a big settlement; Cohen denies the allegation.


Scientists Crack Chicken's Genetic Code (Reuters) Reuters - Scientists have cracked the genetic code\of the chicken, showing it shares about 60 percent of its genes\with humans and has a common ancestor that lived about 310\million years ago.


Strange-Voiced Whale at Large in the Ocean -Study (Reuters) Reuters - A lone whale, with a voice unlike any\other, has been wandering the Pacific for the past 12 years,\American marine biologists said Wednesday.


U.S. Defers Energy Leasing Near Cliff Dwellings (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management's\Utah state office said on Wednesday it is deferring an auction\this week of oil and natural gas leases near the Hovenweep


Doctors Probe: Was Yushchenko Poisoned?  VIENNA (Reuters) - Poisoning remains one of the  possibilities behind Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor  Yushchenko's illness during election campaigning, Medical  experts investigating his ailments said on Wednesday.


Report: NASA Should Use Space Shuttle to Service Hubble (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A report from National Academy of \Sciences released today recommends that NASA scrap plans to service the Hubble \Space Telescope (HST) robotically and instead use a space shuttle to get the job \done as originally planned.


Volcanic Activity Possible on Object Beyond Neptune (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A large planet-like object out in the realm of Pluto shows signs of either a relatively recent collision or perhaps volcanic activity, astronomers said today.


Amazon Burning Makes Brazil a Leading Polluter  BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) - Burning of the Amazon and  other forests accounts for three quarters of Brazil's  greenhouse gas emissions and has made the country one of the  world's leading polluters, a long-delayed government report  showed on Wednesday.


Armstrong Ponders Tour Six-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong will decide in May whether he will return to defend his title in 2005.


Senate Expected to Approve Bill Overhauling Intelligence Today As debate in the G.O.P.-controlled Senate opened, the chamber's leaders predicted the bill would easily pass.


Dollar Gets a Reprieve From Its Steep Losses Traders expect the dollar's rebound to be short-lived because of persistent concerns about the United States' huge trade and budget deficits.


Nortel to Release Delayed Financial Results The telecommunications equipment maker, mired in accounting irregularities, has missed three self-imposed deadlines for correcting its financial reporting.


Study: Companies struggle to capture business processes When software projects go bad, the results can be disastrous. Every few months, a new horror story pops into the headlines -- like Hewlett-Packard Co.'s recent, flawed SAP deployment. The company had done dozens of smooth ERP (enterprise resource planning) migration projects, but when its latest ran into problems, the cascading disruptions contributed to HP missing its third-quarter financial projections.


Oracle working on database development tool SAN FRANCISCO -- Oracle is working on a tool to provide a complete life cycle for building, managing, and updating database applications, a company executive revealed at the Oracle OpenWorld conference here on Wednesday morning.


Siebel creates cheaper, SMB software version Siebel Systemshas quietly introduced a version of its CRM (customer relationship management) sales software tailored for midmarket companies.
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GM beefs up incentives after disappointing November sales General Motors Corp., coming off a disappointing November sales period and battling to regain US market share, will launch a new promotion Friday that includes cash bonuses on many new models in addition to incentives already available.


Snow to Stay as U.S. Treasury Secretary (Reuters) Reuters - President Bush on Wednesday asked\Treasury Secretary John Snow to stay in his job and Snow agreed\to do so, the White House said, ending weeks of speculation.


Hollywood allies sue DVD jukebox maker A Hollywood-backed technology group is suing a high-end home theater system company, contending that its home DVD jukebox technology is illegal.


Hermanson accepts White Sox deal CHICAGO The Chicago White Sox have worked out a two-year, five and a-half (m) million-dollar contract with pitcher Dustin Hermanson.


Phillies sign Lieber to three-year, \$21 million deal The Philadelphia Phillies made a move to bolster their starting rotation by signing free agent righthander Jon Lieber to a three-year, \$21 million contract on Wednesday.


Rahal to have 3 cars Rahal Letterman Racing will be a three-car team in the Indy Racing League #39;s 2005 season when team officials confirm Buddy Rice, Vitor Meira and newcomer Danica Patrick on Wednesday.


Dollar Rallies, Focus on Interest Rates  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rallied on Wednesday as  investors focused on relative interest rates, which  increasingly were expected to favor the dollar, and reversed  some bets against the currency.


Snow to Stay as U.S. Treasury Secretary  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Wednesday asked  Treasury Secretary John Snow to stay in his job and Snow agreed  to do so, the White House said, ending weeks of speculation.


Merck Sees Less Profit in '05, Shares Up  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Merck   Co. Inc., reeling from the  recent withdrawal of its Vioxx arthritis drug, on Wednesday  said 2005 earnings will decline to levels below Wall Street  expectations, the third straight year of lower results.


WestJet Estimates Cut on Load Factor Woes  MONTREAL (Reuters) - Analysts chopped their fourth-quarter  profit estimates for WestJet Airlines Ltd. WJA.TO on  Wednesday and warned of turbulence in its share price, mainly  because of computer woes that hurt its online bookings.


Sprint Sinks \$3 Billion into Wireless Network  quot;Mobile operators are rolling these things out because they have nothing better to do, quot; said Ken Dulaney, Gartner #39;s vice president of mobile computing.


Panel Urges Funds for Energy Security US energy policy over the long term will require new nuclear power plants, cleaner coal and cars that get more miles per gallon, experts said Wednesday.


UPDATE 1-Ontario fund buying Alliance Laundry for \$450 mln Alliance Laundry Holdings, a commercial laundry equipment manufacturer, on Wednesday said its private equity owners agreed to sell the company to Teachers #39; Private Capital for about \$450 million.


DVD technology faces legal test The DVD Copy Control Association, the group that owns the copy-protection technology contained on DVDs, said a company called Kaleidescape is offering products that illegally make copies of DVDs.


Charges filed in Pacer-Pistons brawl Ten people, five Pacers and five Pistons fans, have been charged with misdemeanor assault in the one of the worst brawls in US sports history.


New curling event in store for 2010 Olympics? CBC SPORTS ONLINE - There could be more curling medals handed out at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, if a World Curling Federation proposal is accepted.


Armstrong to decide in May on Tour de France Lance Armstrong will decide in May whether he will race in this summer #39;s Tour de France, which he has won the last six years. He said in Wednesday #39;s Austin American-Statesman he will ride for another two years


Russian Parliament OKs Election Bill (AP) AP - President Vladimir Putin's plan to end the election of governors by popular vote passed its final hurdle Wednesday, when the Russian parliament's upper chamber approved the bill.


UN Members Back Annan with Lengthy Standing Ovation UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan received an unusual standing ovation in the 191-nation General Assembly on Wednesday following calls for his resignation from conservative US lawmakers.


Prairie farmers reap poor quality grain after cold, wet harvest:StatsCan (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - CALGARY (CP) - Farmers reported record numbers for grain stocks across the Prairies this year, but a crippling August frost, followed by soggy harvest conditions, took their toll on quality.


White Sox Sign Hermanson to Two-Year Deal  CHICAGO (Sports Network) - The Chicago White Sox have come  to terms on a two-year, \$5.5 million contract with pitcher  Dustin Hermanson.


Ukraine's Opposition Sees Path to Victory  KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's opposition hopeful Viktor  Yushchenko said on Wednesday parliament's vote to root out  cheating in elections opened the way for him to win a re-run of  a rigged presidential poll.


Rights Group Chides Mexico's Congress on Torture  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Human Rights Watch urged Mexican  lawmakers on Wednesday to overhaul a justice system that breeds  torture and feeds notorious rights scandals like the murders of  hundreds of women near the U.S. border.


Tramford Intl Up; Sells Security Products To Lenovo Group NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Shares of Tramford International Ltd. (TRFDF) rose nearly 50 Wednesday, on news that a customer agreed to acquire the personal-computer business of International Business Machines Corp.


Disney and Pixar push back their last joint movie effort to 2006 LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Oscar-winning animated movie team Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios have delayed the release of their final joint venture  quot;Cars quot; until June 2006, they said.


UTC raises offer for UK #39;s Kidde Shares of UK #39;s Kidde were higher on speculation that a deal with United Technologies could be close. LONDON (Reuters) - Britain #39;s Kidde Plc Wednesday said it received a revised offer of \$2.69 billion from


DANGER AHEAD AFTER what seemed like the longest time, Arsenal have finally cleared the jam and got their cannons firing again. As the annals of Highbury history would record it, t #39;was the nightmare before


Can Williams Derail the Klitschko Express? 08.12.04 - By Paul Ruby - thepaulrubyhotmail.com -Although I do not agree with The Ring Magazines decision to anoint Vitali Klitschko as Heavyweight Champion of the World, I must admit I believe he is superior to every other heavyweight on the planet.


Kobe needs to step up, apologize to Malone Staples Center is a multi-purpose venue. It not only houses the Lakers and Clippers, but other events as well, including the circus.


New Orleans #39; Gleason no Saint; fined by NFL New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - New Orleans #39; Steve Gleason was fined \$5,000 by the NFL on Wednesday for punching the Panthers #39; Kemp Rasmussen during last Sunday #39;s 32-21 loss to Carolina.


Rahal Letterman Racing signs Meira HILLIARD, Ohio (Ticker) - Finishing eighth in the IndyRacing League points standings this past year was enough for Vitor Meira to receive a contract extension.


Mubarak pushes for peace in Middle East Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak engaged Persian Gulf leaders Wednesday in an effort to build momentum toward peace in the Middle East, calling for support of the new Palestinian


Sharpe Comments Cause Stir in Denver (AP) AP - Never one to hold back his feelings, former Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe criticized Mike Shanahan, saying the Denver coach's decision to make Jake Plummer his quarterback was a failed, ego-driven effort to turn a mediocre player into something better.


New Orleans' Gleason No Saint; Fined by NFL  NEW ORLEANS (Sports Network) - New Orleans' Steve Gleason  was fined \$5,000 by the NFL on Wednesday for punching the  Panthers' Kemp Rasmussen during last Sunday's 32-21 loss to  Carolina.


Montreal Might to Lose 2005 World Championships  TORONTO (Reuters) - Montreal could be forced to pull out of  hosting next year's world championships if help with funding is  not forthcoming, according to the chief executive of the  organizing committee.


Coming soon: Toy Story 3, Nemo 2? Disney president says studio is pushing forward with sequels to popular animated films, Pixar or no. New York (CNN/Money) - The Walt Disney Company is pushing forward with plans to capitalize on the blowout


Bush urged to accept fuel emissions limits The Bush administration and Congress should accept a mandatory programme of tradeable permits to limit greenhouse emissions and tighten fuel efficiency standards for vehicles


Nortel to File Restated Results Jan. 10 Nortel Networks Corp. (NT.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) put a specific date, Jan. 10, on when it will start filing its much-delayed restatement of financial results on


Dollar Starts 2005 with Slight Gains  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar rose slightly in the first  trading session of 2005 on Monday, gaining more than a cent  from recent record lows against the euro as investor selling  paused ahead of U.S. economic data this week. However, analysts  said persistent imbalances in the U.S. economy will likely  continue to weigh on the dollar in 2005 after pushing the euro  up about 8 percent to record highs last year.


Thunderbird 1.0 Takes Wing Yesterday, Mozilla launched version 1.0 of its Thunderbird e-mail client for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X in the hopes of winning over converts much like its browser cousin Firefox is doing in the browser space.


Panel Questions Hubble Mission A leading panel of experts handed NASA #39;s leadership a sharp reproof today, concluding that the space shuttle should be used to service the Hubble Space Telescope and can do the job without posing unacceptable risks to shuttle astronauts.


War Of The Worms: Windows Worms Dominate The 2004 Virus Charts Sophos, a world leader in protecting businesses against viruses and spam, has released a report revealing the hardest hitting viruses of 2004.


BEA Systems to Host Financial Analyst Conference on December 9 <b>...</b> SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- (http://bea.com/more_info.jsp?p8 amp;r=1.4.6 ) -- BEA Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAS), the world #39;s leading application infrastructure software company, today announced


Cisco Fights Aggressively In Telecom Space Cisco Systems, which has been under growing competitive pressure lately in the high-end router space, announced a series of initiatives this week designed to improve its market position, as well as bolster its relationship with telecom service providers.


EDS: IT upgrade caused software glitch at UK agency DECEMBER 08, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Some 40,000 computers in the UK #39;s Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) were unable to access their network last month when an IT technician erroneously installed a software upgrade.


Trojan Mimics Controversial Lycos Europe Screensaver According to antivirus company F-Secure, the file inside the e-mail attachment is not the Lycos  quot;Make Love Not Spam quot; screensaver.


Arsenal, Bremen make last 16 London: Holders Porto produced a thrilling fightback to beat Chelsea 2-1 and grab a Champions League lifeline as Arsenal and Werder Bremen booked their places in the next round on Tuesday.


#39;Hold 2nd Test in Dhaka as well #39; NEW DELHI: The Indian security team has ruled against Chittagong as the venue of the second Test match as well as the first of the three one-dayers with Bangladesh.


Gerrard stars in dramatic comeback LIVERPOOL, England -- Steven Gerrard crashed home a stunning half-volley as four-times European champions Liverpool came back to beat Olympiakos Piraeus 3-1 on Wednesday and reach the Champions League knockout stage.


Patrick adds allure to Rahal Letterman, IRL Danica Patrick #39;s dreams of competing in Formula 1 or Champ Cars have been put on hold as the 22-year-old was announced Wednesday as Rahal Letterman Racing #39;s third IRL IndyCar


Montreal Might to Lose 2005 World Championships Montreal could be forced to pull out of hosting next year #39;s world championships if help with funding is not forthcoming, according to the chief executive of the organizing committee.


British, Irish leaders unveil Northern Ireland peace package <b>...</b> The British and Irish prime ministers unveiled a sweeping new Northern Ireland peace plan Wednesday that offered solutions to issues -articularly Irish


EU Not Yet Ready to Lift China Arms Embargo The European Union says it is not yet ready to lift a 15-year-old ban on selling arms to China, but is working toward that goal. The arms embargo dominated a one-day EU-China summit in the


India, Pak to talk again NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 8: The first technical discussions on the proposed Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service concluded today without much progress.


Former Marine in Iraq: We fired on unarmed civilians, wounded <b>...</b> A former Marine on the front lines of Iraq, a witness for an American seeking to become the first US soldier granted asylum in Canada, said Wednesday several men in his unit were  quot;psychopaths


Virgin and BA battle on discordantly Holidaymakers descending on Australia could see fares fall by as much as 30, as Virgin Atlantic and British Airways (BA) prepare for a discordant battle regarding routes to Australia.


Phoenix Salvation Army sites accept donations with debit and <b>...</b> PHOENIX - Donors will be able to use credit and debit cards to donate to Salvation Army bell ringers for the first time on Wednesday.


5 NBA Players and 7 Fans Are Charged in Brawl The prosecutor in Oakland County, Mich., today filed criminal charges against five Indiana Pacers and five fans for their parts in a brawl last month in a game against the Detroit Pistons.


UEFA to investigate Mestalla incidents Nyon, Switzerland (Sports Network) - UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Valencia and Werder Bremen after a heated Champions League match Tuesday night between the two clubs.


Israeli ambassador calls peace conference idea  #39;counterproductive #39; A broad international peace conference that has reportedly been suggested by Egypt could be  quot;counterproductive quot; and shouldn #39;t be discussed until after the Palestinian election, Israel #39;s


Barghouti Sets Conditions for Withdrawing from the Election Race (IsraelNN.com) Imprisoned arch terrorist Marwan Barghouti has reportedly set conditions for complying with Fatah leadership demands that he withdraw from the PA leadership race.


Fishermen under Pressure as EU Proposes New Catch Bans The European Unions head office today proposed unprecedented bans on fishing in popular northern waters to safeguard threatened species such as the common cod, a traditional dinner favourite from Sweden to Portugal.


Apple In Battle For ITunes Address A 22 year-old from London, England has made life a little difficult for computer company Apple. In an effort to secure the rights to the .


National science academy panel urges NASA to launch astronauts to <b>...</b> NASA should use astronauts, not a robot, to carry out a crucial life-prolonging mission to the acclaimed Hubble Space Telescope one last time, a National Academy of Sciences panel concluded Wednesday.


Cyper Security Alliance Urges Federal Action Computer security experts have urged the White House to address threats to US IT systems. The group made 12 recommendations, including creating a backup communications network in case of a major Internet outage


Cisco decries  #39;Wild West #39; of IP networking Cisco Systems has announced an eight-slot single-shelf version of its CRS-1 Carrier Routing System, which is designed to let service providers offer services like edge, core and peering for


Apple web hole still open com. Apple Computer Inc. has still not properly fixed the HFS filesystem named fork vulnerability discovered last week, according to the company that first noticed it, NetSec Inc.


Sharon defends Israeli Army despite civilian deaths The Israeli military has acknowledged it has killed about 30 innocent Palestinians during operations in the West Bank this year. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has defended the Army, describing it as  quot;more moral than any other army I know quot;.


Snow to Remain as Treasury Secretary  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush asked Treasury  Secretary John Snow to stay in his job on Wednesday and Snow  agreed to do so, ending a frenzy of speculation that the  65-year former railroad executive was about to be replaced.


Stocks End Up; Merck Helps Dow; Dollar Up  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed higher on  Wednesday, as the dollar strengthened and shares of Merck   Co.  MRK.N helped lift the Dow after the drugmaker gave a forecast  that was not as weak as some on Wall Street had expected.


Dollar Rises in Corrective Bounce  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rebounded on Wednesday as  investors focused on relative interest rates, which  increasingly were expected to favor the dollar, and reversed  some bets against the currency.


Pentagon Seeks Check on RAND Air Tanker  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon, under fire for rushing  an outside report on ways to replace the U.S. Air Force's aging  KC-135 mid-air refueling tankers, is seeking a second opinion,  the top U.S. weapons buyer said Wednesday.


DreamWorks Animation Flips to Profit  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Animated film studio DreamWorks  Animation SKG Inc DWA.N on Wednesday reported a profit from a  year-earlier loss in its first earnings period since the  company went public in October.


Martha Stewart gets new TV series Jailed US lifestyle guru Martha Stewart signs a deal to present a new show for NBC from late next year.


Dollar makes gains against euro The dollar recovers from record lows against the euro, but analysts say underlying greenback weaknesses remain.


Snow stays as US Treasury chief US Treasury Secretary John Snow agrees to stay in his job for George W Bush's second presidential term.


Pixar's Waiting for Summer Plus, IBM's win-win, Eli Lilly bares all, and a ticking retirement time bomb.


Vimpel Is No VIP in Russia Russia is trying to collect back taxes from wireless telecommunications company Vimpel.


Saudi Arabia cool on OPEC output cuts Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi Wednesday questioned the need for OPEC oil producers to rein in oil supply, saying the cartel #39;s reference crude price was still above its official target despite steep recent falls.


China Aviation Oil chief arrested SINGAPORE - Singapore authorities on Wednesday arrested the chief of beleaguered China Aviation Oil (Singapore) Corp following his return from China, a police spokesman said.


Justices Hear Cases on Shipping Wine Lawyers for Michigan and New York argued yesterday that the direct shipping bans are not discriminatory because the Constitution #39;s 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition in 1933, also permits states to regulate the alcohol industry.


Report: NASA should send shuttle to fix Hubble, not robot NASA #39;s plan to service the Hubble Space Telescope with a robotic device is more risky than a manned shuttle mission and would leave the orbiting observatory inoperative for a longer period


PalmSource Agrees To Buy Linux Developer China MobileSoft PalmSource Inc., which has seen its share of the handheld computer market plummet, said on Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire China MobileSoft Ltd.


Bush Told to Get in Step with Cybersecurity The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) has recommended that the Bush administration get a handle on cybersecurity issues, and has issued a 12 point recommendation to the White House to aid in the education process.


Fannie Mae Agrees to forfeit \$7.5 Million to DOJ Fannie Mae has agreed to forfeit some \$7.5 million in an accord with the Justice Department, which had accused the mortgage giant of accepting money it knew had been lost by a federal agency in a fraud scheme.


White Sox agree to two-year deal with Hermanson Pitcher Dustin Hermanson and the Chicago White Sox agreed Wednesday on a two-year, \$5.5 million contract that contains a club option for 2007.


Sandy Alomar Jr The Rangers signed Sandy Alomar to a one-year contract. The AP reports that the team envisions Alomar backing up Rod Barajas this season, meaning Gerald Laird will begin the year in the minors.


Competition Heats Up as IBM Sells PC Unit to China #39;s Lenovo On 7 December 2004, IBM and China #39;s Lenovo announced that Lenovo will acquire IBM #39;s PC business for a total of \$1.75 billion in cash and shares.


Saudi Oil Minister Unmoved by Oil Prices Saudi Arabia Oil Minister Ali Naimi said today he #39;s not concerned about a sharp further fall in the price of oil, saying prices remain relatively high.


Buyers back on Wall Street after two-day selloff Investors resumed their December rally Wednesday, looking past higher oil prices and focusing instead on building up their portfolios before year #39;s end.


Players' Union Offer May Decide Season (AP) AP - Any hope of saving the NHL season hinges on whether the next proposal by the players' association stirs serious negotiating.


American Combat Deaths in Iraq Hit 1,001 Guerrillas carried out a series of raids in the city of Samarra on Wednesday, stealing weapons from a police station, blowing it up, and exchanging fire with police and US troops.


Stoudemire Scores 50 Points in Suns' Win (AP) AP - Amare Stoudemire scored 50 points to lead Phoenix to a 117-98 win over Portland on Sunday night.


World Bank Chief to Step Down in '05 The comment was the first public acknowledgement by James D. Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, 71, that he is unlikely to win the backing of the Bush administration for a third term.


Gas Pipeline Explodes in Southern Russia (AP) AP - A natural gas pipeline just outside the southern Russian city of Makhachkala exploded Wednesday, sending flames soaring into the air and lighting up the night sky.


Justin Trudeau says his wedding will be in Montreal this spring or summer (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - MONTREAL (CP) - Justin Trudeau, formerly a very eligible bachelor, says he's still working on his wedding plans but won't be married before next spring.


Dean Urges Dems to Stick to Convictions (AP) AP - Howard Dean, with an eye on leading the Democratic Party in the wake of widespread election losses, said Wednesday that Democrats must campaign on their convictions and not give into the temptation to behave like Republicans.


Bush Pushes MLB to Address Steroid Issue (AP) AP - President Bush called on Major League Baseball on Wednesday to take "strong steps" to confront the use of steroids and other illegal performance-enhancing substances by players.


Company Recalls 158,000 Light Bulbs (AP) AP - A company is recalling about 158,000 fluorescent light bulbs because they can overheat and spark, the government said Wednesday.


Former Nazi Guard Loses Canadian Court Ruling (Reuters) Reuters - Canadian immigration\officials won a victory on Tuesday in their bid to revoke the\citizenship of a former Nazi SS prison guard convicted of war\crimes in Italy.


Iraqis May Extend Election Amid Violence  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq may modify plans for its first  free election to give people more time to vote next month,  officials said on Wednesday as suicide bombers and gunmen again  struck Sunni Muslim towns north and west of the capital.


Israel's Sharon Lines Up Support for Likud Vote  JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon  marshalled support on Wednesday for a Likud party vote to bring  the Labour Party into government, a move that would avoid snap  elections and pave the way for a Gaza withdrawal next year.


'Unknowns' stirring Palestinian race Some say Mustafa Barghouthi's campaign may lead to the creation of a viable secular opposition in Palestinian politics.


A hotbed of energy waits to be tapped in Indonesia Geothermal sources remain untapped as leaders focus instead on the country's reserves of fossil fuels.


Ukraine's Yushchenko hails reform Ukraine's opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko hails "a great victory" after parliament passes wide-ranging reforms.


Defying Speculation, Snow Will Remain Treasury Secretary John W. Snow will stay on as treasury secretary, the White House said this afternoon, dashing speculation that he would soon be forced out of the Cabinet.


Police, Peddlers Clash in Venezuelan City Police and National Guard troops fired tear gas and plastic bullets at crowds of angry street vendors in Venezuela's capital Wednesday as officers tried to remove merchants from zones where they are barred from selling their wares.


Potential Guidant Merger Could Be Blow for City (Indianapolis-December 8, 2004) - As the City of Indianapolis tries to build an image as a center for the life sciences, one of its premiere biotechnology companies could be leaving.


US stocks: Merck helps lift US stocks higher, dollar up New York - US stocks closed higher on Wednesday, as the dollar strengthened and shares of Merck  amp; Co. helped lift the Dow after the drugmaker gave a forecast that was not as weak as some on Wall Street had expected.


Toshiba comes out with dual capability hybrid DVD Hardware manufacturers are in fix when it comes to settling down for a standard for DVDs. Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo are favoring a next-generation DVD standard called HD (high-definition) DVD while Sony and other


Gerrard rocket sends Liverpool through Steven Gerrard #39;s stunning late goal caps a remarkable Liverpool comeback as they beat Olympiakos Pireaus 3-1 to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.


Pacers image hurting after brawl, charges For the Indiana Pacers, its been a long three weeks since a brawl with Detroit fans scarred the image of what was once considered one of the NBAs model franchises.


Sox agree to terms with Hermanson com. He liked the  quot;juice of the ninth inning, quot; according to White Sox general manager Ken Williams.  quot;But the eighth innings can be just as important, quot; added Williams during a Wednesday


EU to consider lifting arms embargo on China THE HAGUE - The European Union and China on Wednesday pledged to boost bilateral ties at their annual summit here, with the European Union saying it would consider lifting its 15-year-old embargo on arms sales to China.


No deal on Kashmir bus NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan said on Wednesday they would need to hold more talks on starting the Kashmir bus service. Two days of discussions between the two countries on what is seen as a key symbolic step


Pakistan test fires Hatf-IV missile ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday successfully test fired a medium range nuclear-capable ballistic missile, capable of hitting targets deep inside India, the military said.


Colts Sign Gramatica for Kickoffs  INDIANAPOLIS (Sports Network) - The Indianapolis Colts have  signed kicker Martin Gramatica to handle kickoffs.


IBM brand loyalty holds key for Lenovo Lenovo #39;s purchase of IBM #39;s PC business is such an unprecedented coup for a Chinese technology company that even some local journalists joined the cheers when it was announced on Wednesday.


Stocks End Higher Helped by Merck, Dollar  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed higher on  Wednesday, as the dollar strengthened and shares of Merck   Co.  MRK.N helped lift the Dow after the drugmaker gave a forecast  that was not as bad as some expected.


In Japan, recovery is stalling TOKYO Japan #39;s once-robust recovery slowed to a near standstill in the third quarter as consumer spending weakened more than expected, according to revised growth figures released on Wednesday.


Some Salvation Army #39;s bell ringers taking donations via plastic PHOENIX Salvation Army bell ringers are accepting more than coins in the kettle this year. The charity is equipping some bell ringers to take donations on credit cards.


Ontario Teachers #39; Pension Plan buying Alliance Laundry Holdings <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario Teachers #39; Pension Plan has struck a \$450 million US deal to buy American laundry equipment maker Alliance Laundry Holdings - the Canadian fund #39;s first acquisition in the United States without a partner.


Mozilla Releases Thunderbird (Article Central) The Mozilla Foundation launched version 1.0 of its email management software Thunderbird in advance of the official release this Tuesday.


Nvidia will supply graphics chip for new PlayStation Nvidia will supply the graphics chip for the successor to the PlayStation 2 games console being developed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI), the companies announced on Tuesday.


Report urges shuttle mission to service Hubble WASHINGTON: An expert panel on Wednesday recommended sending a manned shuttle mission to repair the aging Hubble Space Telescope, instead of the robotic mission NASA had envisioned.


Dell #39;s CEO rejects the idea of buying IBM #39;s PC business. Michael Dell has seen the future and it #39;s a 128-node  quot;MegaGrid quot; running the Linux operating system on Dell servers at Oracle #39;s lab in Austin, Texas.


Mobile phones: An ear full of worms DECEMBER 08, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - DUSSELDORF, GERMANY - They #39;re coming to mobile phones -- those nasty viruses, worms and Trojan Horses that have, on more than one occasion, crippled PCs.


Group B: Real breeze through behind Bayer Real knew they had to win against the Italians to be assured of a place in the next round and went ahead in the ninth minute when after a lengthy passing move, Zinedine Zidane put in Ronaldo and the Brazilian lifted the ball past the advancing Roma keeper


Lampard confident Frank Lampard believes Chelsea can overcome the disappointment of losing to Porto in the Champions League to extend its lead over Arsenal in the English Premiership when the two clubs meet in a top-of-the-table clash at Highbury on Sunday.


Harrison Signs  #36;66M Deal With Colts (AP) AP - Marvin Harrison is remaining with the Indianapolis Colts as Peyton Manning's primary target.


Blair win would endorse war: PM THE re-election of British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be seen as an endorsement of the military action in Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard said today.


S Korean president visits troops in Iraq SEOUL - President Roh Moo Hyun made a surprise visit Wednesday to South Korean troops stationed in northern Iraq, the Blue House presidential office announced.


Japan's stressed crown princess pledges early return to official duties (AFP) AFP - Japan's Crown Princess Masako, the former career woman who has kept out of the public eye for a year due to stress, promised on her 41st birthday she would try to get back to her official duties soon.


Al-Qaida may be hiding messages in computer files, Mounties warn (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - The RCMP has warned its investigators to be on the lookout for cleverly disguised messages embedded by al-Qaida in digital files police seize from terror suspects.


Bill Would Nearly Double Border Patrol (AP) AP - Congress' intelligence overhaul provides the largest buildup in border guards in the nation's history, but many House Republicans won't be satisfied until states are forbidden from giving illegal immigrants driver's licenses that the lawmakers say enable terrorists to operate in the United States.


Annan Rejects Calls for His Resignation (AP) AP - Secretary-General Kofi Annan rejected calls for his resignation from several U.S. lawmakers, saying Tuesday he will "carry on" at the helm of the United Nations for the next two years.


Colts Extend Harrison The Indianapolis Colts keep Peyton Manning's favorite target for six more season as Marvin Harrison signs a six-year, \$66-million contract on Wednesday.


#39;Shrek 3 #39; delayed until 2007 Fans of the Shrek movies will now have to wait until 2007 for the third film in the franchise, DreamWorks announced today. Shrek 3 was previously scheduled to be released in November 2006, but has now been put back to May 2007 for financial reasons.


Alamosa to Buy AirGate for \$392 Million Alamosa Holdings Inc. (APCS.O: Quote, Profile, Research) will acquire AirGate PCS Inc. (PCSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) for \$392 million in stock creating the largest Sprint Corp.


Astronauts, Not Robots Should Upgrade Hubble-Panel Shuttle astronauts would do a better job of upgrading NASA (news - web sites) #39;s aging Hubble Space Telescope (news - web sites) than space-faring robots -- with


Palmsource buys Linux mobile OS developer The news that PalmSource bought China MobileSoft for its knowledge of the exploding Chinese market for mobile devices makes a lot of sense.


New DVD Dual Layer HD-DVD/DVD Format This is fantastic news and could possibly make the HD-DVD format the winner over the competing Blu-Ray technology.... Two Japanese companies said Tuesday they have developed a DVD that can play on both existing


2004 Virus Activity Collaborative and More Clever, Says Security <b>...</b> The Netsky-P worm, which was first seen in March, accounted for almost a quarter of all virus incidents reported during 2004, says security firm Sophos, making it the hardest-hitting virus of the year.


#39;Human Error #39; Crashed Britain #39;s DWP A software upgrade was inadvertently given to PCs not intended to receive it, which made payment processing systems at Britain #39;s Department for Work and Pensions stop working, EDS #39; investigation revealed.


Gerrard stunner seals comeback STEVEN GERRARD scored one of the finest - and most dramatic -oals Anfield #39;s famous Kop has ever witnessed today. And it was enough to fire Liverpool into the knockout stages of the tournament with a gut-wrenching victory.


Champions League round-up Real Madrid got the win they needed against Roma to progress to Champions League knockout stages. An early goal from Ronaldo and a Luis Figo brace gave Real a 3-0 victory, in a match played behind closed doors at the Stadio Olimpico.


Harrison signs new \$66 million deal with Colts Harrison agreed to a six-year, \$66 million contract with the team on Wednesday that includes a \$22 million signing bonus, according to a league source who requested anonymity.


UN General Assembly gives Annan what its president calls vote of <b>...</b> 8 December 2004 - The United Nations General Assembly today gave Secretary-General Kofi Annan a standing ovation and a lengthy round of applause, in what its president called a  quot;rare and valuable homage quot; and a vote of confidence - a characterization


Outgoing Notre Dame President Hits Firing (AP) AP - Notre Dame's outgoing president criticized the decision to fire Tyrone Willingham after just three seasons, saying he was surprised the coach was not given more time to try to succeed.


Snow to Remain as U.S. Treasury Secretary  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush asked Treasury  Secretary John Snow to stay in his job on Wednesday and Snow  agreed to do so, ending a frenzy of speculation that the  65-year-old former railroad executive was about to be replaced.


Russian Cellphone Carrier Faces Tax Claim VimpelCom, the No. 2 cellphone company in Russia, received a first notice for \$157 million in back taxes on Wednesday, sending its stock plunging and prompting fears of another Yukos-style tax investigation.


Lilly Debuts Clinical Drug Trial Web Site INDIANAPOLIS - Eli Lilly  amp; Co. debuted a Web site Wednesday for clinical trial data on its prescription drugs, including Prozac and its new antidepressant, Cymbalta.


White Finalist for a Second Heisman Trophy (AP) AP - Jason White has a chance to join Archie Griffin as a two-time Heisman Trophy winner.


Security Bytes: Injection flaw in popular browsers com staff. Danish security firm Secunia has reported a  quot;moderately critical quot; window injection vulnerability in Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Netscape, Safari and Konqueror.


Toshiba Develops Hybrid DVD Toshiba Ltd. and Memory-Tech said this week that they plan to bring to market a hybrid DVD disc that can be used both for standard-definition and HD content.


Telenor Boosts Hungarian Wireless Position Telenor will remain a key player in the Hungarian wireless market after it announced its Hungarian mobile arm, Pannon GSM, acquired a UMTS license in Hungary.


A Time Line Of The IBM PC Business Dec. 8, 2004 From the introduction of its first PC in 1981 to this week #39;s sale of its PC business to Lenovo of China for about \$1.75 billion in cash, IBM has had a quite a few milestones in the PC industry.


#39;Human Error #39; Crashed Britain #39;s DWP The computer crash that shut down systems at Britain #39;s Department for Work and Pensions only caused delays in dealing with new and amended claims, according to the agency.


IT Heavyweights Form Grid Computing Alliance Dell, EMC, Intel and Oracle have sealed an alliance to develop grid computing technology. The move is an effort to develop a standard approach to building and deploying enterprise grid computing infrastructures.


Tom Brady Keeps Winning for Patriots (AP) AP - Tom Brady hasn't completed more than 20 passes in five games. He's thrown for fewer than 175 yards each of the past two weeks and for three touchdowns just once this season  #151; on opening day.


Roundup: 5 Pacers charged for fighting fans Five Indiana Pacers players were charged in Detroit on Wednesday for fighting with fans in the stands and on the court during the brawl that broke out at a Pistons #39; game last month.


Harrison signs \$66M deal with Colts Harrison agreed to a six-year, \$66 million contract with the team on Wednesday that includes a \$22 million signing bonus, according to a league source who requested anonymity.


Redskins Daily 12/8 LaVar Arrington practiced for the first time since undergoing knee surgery. Now the Redskins have to wait and see if he #39;ll be able to play.


Oklahoma's White Could Win Second Heisman (AP) AP - Growing up in a small Oklahoma town, Jason White would try to throw a football through a tire. Usually, he'd miss. But there was this consolation: He sure could run.


NATO, Belgium Sign Deal to Build New HQ (AP) AP - NATO and the Belgian government signed an agreement Wednesday to build new alliance headquarters adjacent to the current site, confirming Brussels as the home of the military bloc and underscoring improved relations between the host and the United States.


More U.S. Soldiers Survive War Wounds (AP) AP - For every American soldier killed in Iraq, nine others have been wounded and survived  #151; the highest rate of any war in U.S. history. It isn't that their injuries were less serious, a new report says. In fact, some young soldiers and Marines have had faces, arms and legs blown off and are now returning home badly maimed.


Rwanda Tells U.N. It Put Troops on Congo Border  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Rwanda, appearing before the  U.N. Security Council, denied again on Wednesday that it had  sent soldiers into neighboring Congo in pursuit of Hutu rebels  but acknowledged it had massed troops along the border.


US punishes troops over stun guns Four members of a US special operations unit in Iraq are disciplined for using electric stun guns on prisoners.


La Scala Is the Star at Its Own Reopening The choice of Antonio Salieri's long-forgotten opera "Europa Riconosciuta" seemed just right when La Scala reopened on Tuesday night after nearly three years of renovation.


Appeals Panel Hears Arguments in Leak Inquiry A three-judge panel heard arguments on whether two journalists should be jailed for refusing to name their confidential sources to a grand jury, and it seemed to reject their main argument, based on the First Amendment.


Minnesota gives new license technology a test drive Minnesota next week will begin issuing a first-of-its-kind driver #39;s license designed to thwart counterfeiters -n issue that has taken on greater urgency since the Sept.


Thunderbird is go Finally, and with less fanfare than the release of its sibling application, Firefox 1.0, a few weeks ago, the email client called Thunderbird has reached its coming of age.


High price for high-speed mobile licenses in Hungary The T-Mobile unit of Deutsche Telekom and the Pannon GSM unit of Telenor said Wednesday that they had won licenses to provide high-speed mobile phone service in Hungary, but analysts said they might have paid too much in their effort to stay ahead in the


Four Teams Advance at Champions League Real Madrid #39;s Luis Figo of Portugal, right, and Roma #39;s Traianos Dellas of Greece, top left, and Philippe Mexes of France reach for the ballr during their Champion #39;s League Group B soccer match between Roma and Real Madrid, in Rome #39;s Olympic stadium


UEFA to probe Valencia-Werder Bremen incidents UEFA will be launching disciplinary proceedings against Valencia and Werder Bremen following the incidents that marred their Champions League match at the Mestalla on Tuesday.


Bettis endorses former Steelers assistant Clements as Notre Dame <b>...</b> PITTSBURGH - Steelers running back Jerome Bettis remains upset that Notre Dame fired football coach Tyrone Willingham but supports former Steelers assistant coach Tom Clements as his successor.


Bryant surprised by Malone #39;s reaction Kobe Bryant would love to have Karl Malone back with the Los Angeles Lakers, and believes comments he made in a recent radio interview were misunderstood.


Snow to Remain as U.S. Treasury Secretary  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Wednesday asked  Treasury Secretary John Snow to stay in his job and Snow  agreed, ending a frenzy of speculation that the former railroad  executive and loyal Bush foot soldier was about to be replaced.


UTC raises its offer for Kidde and gets closer to 1.4bn deal Kidde moved a step closer yesterday to being bought by America #39;s United Technologies, which increased its offer for the UK fire extinguisher maker to 1.39bn.


Supreme Court hears initial arguments regarding state bans on <b>...</b> The Supreme Court heard initial arguments Tuesday regarding state laws in Michigan and New York that ban interstate sales of wines through the Internet.


5 Pacers, 7 Fans Charged in Detroit Brawl (AP) AP - Five Indiana Pacers and seven fans were charged Wednesday in the melee that broke out at the end of a nationally televised game against the Detroit Pistons last month, one of the worst brawls in U.S. sports history.


Use humans to fix Hubble, panel tells NASA WASHINGTON - NASA should turn to astronauts, not robots, to repair the aging Hubble Space Telescope, an expert panel recommended on Wednesday.


BEA Continues Service Oriented Architecture Push BEA Systems is set to release Diablo, an SOA-based application server that is the cornerstone of the upcoming WebLogic Platform 9.0.


Gaza Settlers Seek to Keep Communities (AP) AP - Residents of some Jewish settlements in the northern Gaza Strip have proposed that their entire communities be moved to locations inside Israel under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw from Gaza next year, a lawmaker said Wednesday.


Silence is golden for relieved Real The Sword of Damocles no longer hangs over Real Madrid. Trailing Barcelona by nine points in the Spanish league, defeat here last night would have put them out of the competition they consider their own.


Alex Smith is a Heisman Finalist He was chosen today as one of five finalists for college football #39;s most prestigious individual title. Joining Smith for Saturday #39;s award ceremony in New York will be Oklahoma teammates Jason White and Adrian


Liverpool keep dream alive Running on pure adrenalin, attacking in relentless red waves towards a beseeching Kop, Liverpool fought back magnificently against the dying of their Champions League light last


UEFA not informed of racist chanting UEFA have received no reports of racist chanting by Porto fans during the Champions League game against Chelsea in Portugal on Tuesday night.


Time for Celtic #39;s money men to fund O #39;Neill #39;s ambition ITS TIME to take stock. Those were Martin ONeills words late on Tuesday night as he tried to quantify the effect upon Celtic of watching their European season plunge into darkness.


Almunia feels he can hold on to his place Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia insisted that he was ready to face Chelsea in Sunday #39;s table-topping London derby despite a nervous performance on his Champions League debut, in Tuesday #39;s 5-1 win over Rosenborg.


Coulthard fits the bill at Red Bull David Coulthard #39;s season-long search for a Formula One drive next year is almost over. Negotiations between Red Bull Racing and Coulthard, who tested for the Austrian team for the first time


US soldiers would kill civilians, says Marine A former US Marine has claimed that he saw American troops in Iraq routinely kill unarmed civilians, including women and children.


EU wants fishing ban in fifth of North Sea Around a fifth of the North Sea would be closed to fishing next year under European Commission plans for an unprecedented ban to help rescue cod stocks from collapse.


Papal Solidarity Offered for Iraqi Catholics After New Attacks VATICAN CITY, DEC. 8, 2004 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II expressed his closeness to Iraqi Catholics shaken by two new terrorist attacks which destroyed an Armenian-Catholic church and the Chaldean bishop #39;s palace in Mosul.


Panel Pushes for Energy Security Funding (AP) AP - A bipartisan panel of energy experts said Wednesday that regulation of climate changing pollution and improved automobile fuel efficiency must be an essential elements of the nation's energy agenda  #151; a view that clashes with the White House and many members of Congress.


Details of \$36 Billion Bipartisan US Energy Plan WASHINGTON - The bipartisan National Commission on Energy Policy on Wednesday urged the US Congress to end a two-year stalemate and adopt a broad package of proposals addressing climate change, oil security, natural gas supplies and fuel efficiency in


Sony, Nvidia Codeveloping Graphics Processor for New Game Console Tokyo, Dec. 7 (Jiji Press)--Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said Tuesday it is developing a graphics processor with Nvidia Corp. of the United States for its planned new video game console.


Apple pitches music industry on U2-style promos U2 has been a familiar sight to iTunes Music Store visitors in recent weeks, with the online music store featuring everything from a U2-themed iPod to a digital boxed set of the Irish rock band #39;s recordings.


It #39;s time for some fans to pay a high price On the day the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit clowns were charged with various crimes against civility, Indiana guard Anthony Johnson put the whole sad, absurd thing into perspective.


White among Heisman candidates again New York, NY (Sports Network) - Oklahoma quarterback and last year #39;s Heisman Trophy winner Jason White was once again named as a candidate for college football #39;s most prestigious individual honor.


Chelsea lose and CSKA Moscow drop out despite victory PARIS: Captain Sergei Semak grabbed a hat-trick as CSKA Moscow won 3-1 at Paris St Germain on Tuesday but a late goal in Porto denied the Russian team a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League, handing Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich a


Ranieri apologises for outburst over referee PERHAPS we should call him the Temperman from now on. Linguistic problems were an entertaining hallmark of Claudio Ranieris stint as Chelsea head coach, but on Tuesday night a misguided verbal


Wengers big problem now is in deciding which keeper to field LONDON: Arsenal recovered their poise to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 5-1 thrashing of Rosenborg Trondheim and now face a crucial decision before Sunday #39;s league match with leaders Chelsea.


Colts ink Harrison to extension: source CBC SPORTS ONLINE - It appears Marvin Harrison will be the recipient of Peyton Manning #39;s passes for years to come. An anonymous NFL source revealed Wednesday that Harrison has agreed to a six-year, \$66-million


Dead reckoning The phrase  quot;body count quot; is grim reminder of how the US army boasted of the toll of enemy dead during the Vietnam war - a classic example of the dehumanisation of language in wartime.


Poachers leave bonobo at risk Humankind's closest relative is facing extinction in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.


IBM buying Apple? No dice As soon as rumors began to fly about the IBM-Lenovo deal, bloggers and others began to buzz about the possibility that IBM would use the opportunity to buy Apple. The contract posted by Lenovo, however, says no. Missing Links


Japan recovery running out of steam The Japanese economy is close to stagnation, according to revisions to official figures yesterday that cut the estimate of GDP growth to just 0.1 per cent.


Infineon to invest in Asian plant Infineon Technologies, the second-largest chip maker in Europe, said Wednesday that it planned to invest about \$1 billion in a new factory in Malaysia to expand its automotive chip business and be closer to customers in the region.


Cavs' Traylor Out With Broken Finger (AP) AP - Cavaliers forward Robert Traylor will miss three to four weeks after breaking his left pinkie during a game against the New Jersey Nets.


Panel: Robot Won #39;t Save Hubble NASA #39;s plan to send a robot into space to repair the ailing Hubble Space Telescope is unlikely to succeed, according to a new report from the National Academy of Sciences.


Chicken gives up genetic secrets Scientists have published a detailed analysis of the chicken genome, the biochemical  quot;code quot; in the bird #39;s cells that makes the animal what it is.


China, Linux Could Put PalmSource in the Catbird Seat Opinion: While the Palm Inc. spinoff has had a tough infancy, its acquisition of China MobileSoft promises to position it as a formidable contender in the emerging mobile market.


To obscurity and beyond for the quiet space hero ONE of Americas greatest unsung heroes, an astronaut who touched the stars yet barely scraped the surface of public recognition, is to retire.


Brazil Rain Forest Burning A Major Greenhouse Gas Cause The burning and deforestation of Brazils vast Amazon rain forest causes nearly 3 of the worlds greenhouse gas emissions, according to a government report released yesterday.


Sony gaming supply shortage extends Sony Corp, which on Tuesday confirmed a shipping halt on the Suez Canal disrupted delivery of its newest PlayStation 2 to Europe, said supply shortages of the game console extend to the United States.


Giants Plan to Honor Bonds' Milestones (AP) AP - The San Francisco Giants will honor Barry Bonds' home run milestones and other achievements as they always have  #151; with great fanfare.


Real Madrid advances in Champions League It was an important win for Real Madrid in Rome as they progressed to the knockout stages of the Champions League. They were in third position with just eight points when the match started leveled with Bayer Leverkusen.


Liverpool 3 Olympiakos 1 Chelsea were poised with a renewed 30million bid for the midfield genius had Liverpool gone out of the Champions League. But Gerrard drilled his beloved Reds into the last 16 with a blistering


Gators hoops assistant arrested on drug charges GAINESVILLE, Fla. Florida assistant basketball coach Major Parker has been suspended indefinitely following his arrest on drug charges.


Florida Assistant Arrested on Drug Charges (AP) AP - Florida assistant basketball coach Major Parker has been arrested on charges of selling half a kilogram of cocaine to an undercover officer, a U.S. attorney said Wednesday.


Australian Open Exec Says Clijsters Out (AP) AP - Kim Clijsters' left wrist injury will keep her out of the Australian Open, tournament chief executive Paul McNamee said Thursday.


South Korean president makes surprise visit to troops in Iraq SEOUL : South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun made a surprise visit to his troops in northern Iraq on his way home from a European tour, a top presidential aide said.


Congress Passes Historic Spy Agencies Bill (AP) AP - Congress on Wednesday ordered the biggest overhaul of U.S. intelligence in a half-century, replacing a network geared to the Cold War fight against communism with a post-Sept. 11 structure requiring military and civilian spy agencies to work together against terrorists intent on holy war.


EPA Nears New Storm Sewage Guidlines (AP) AP - The Environmental Protection Agency is leaning toward allowing sewage plants to skip some stages of treatment during heavy rains or melting slow as long as the treated water meets all permits and other safeguards are provided, agency sources said Wednesday.


Nortel, Symantec partner on network security Nortel Networks yesterday announced several products as well as a partnership with Symantec in moves designed to expand the company's offerings in the network security space.


EDS: IT upgrade caused software glitch at U.K. agency Some 40,000 computers in the U.K. Department for Work and Pensions were cut off from their network last month when an IT technician erroneously installed a software upgrade, according to EDS.


AT T to build \$1B communications network for Treasury Dept. The U.S. Treasury Department has signed a deal worth up to \$1 billion with AT T Government Solutions and its partners for a new secure high-speed network that will connect more than 1,000 Treasury Department locations around the U.S.


Sophos: 2004 was the year of Netsky worm Netsky-P, an e-mail computer worm that disrupted tens of thousands of businesses and homes worldwide, was the hardest-hitting virus of 2004, according to Web security firm Sophos.


Oracle vows 'oversupport' for PeopleSoft customers Oracle is concerned PeopleSoft customers might abandon maintenance contracts that could help it spend more on new software products to compete with SAP AG, the world's biggest business software maker.


Users say IBM PC division sale a reflection of the times IBM's decision to sell its PC division to a China-based company prompted a range of reactions today from technology users, from disappointment to a belief that the move reflects the times and the impact of globalization.


Analysis: IBM adjusts to harsh PC market IBM's decision to sell its PC business to China's Lenovo Group Ltd. underscores the challenges manufacturers face in the modern PC business, even for a company synonymous with the product.


China's Lenovo to buy IBM's PC business China's Lenovo Group Ltd. has agreed to acquire IBM's personal computing division for \$1.25 billion in cash and equity, a move expected to transform it into the world's No. 3 PC maker.


McNealy: Sun still strong on Oracle SAN FRANCISCO -- Despite Oracles strategic push for Linux- and Intel-based deployments, Sun Microsystems retains its position as the leading platform for Oracle, Sun Chairman and CEO Scott McNealy said Wednesday at the Oracle OpenWorld conference here.


PalmSource to add Linux OS to offerings PalmSource surprised the mobile vendor community today with the announcement that it will acquire China MobileSoft (CMS), ostensibly to leverage that company's expertise in building a mobile version of the Linux operating system.


MCI adds managed services MCI announced on Wednesday a line of managed LAN services available at three different service levels.


Part of the ECT News Network Stocks rallied today, with all averages finishing up as the US dollar performed better against overseas currencies for the first time in weeks.


Siemens records 1 Gbit/s over mobile transmission For the first time, data were transferred in real time via mobile communication at a speed of one gigabit per second (Gbit/s), or 1,000 megabits per second (Mbit/s).


Crash in Benefits System Caused by Human Error Human error caused the crash that left 80 percent of staff without access to benefits payment processing systems at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last month, supplier EDS has acknowledged.


Dell bashes  #39;big iron #39; com December 7, 2004, 4:22 PM PT. SAN FRANCISCO--Top Dell executives disparaged the  quot;big iron quot; approach of building large, powerful servers on Tuesday--a dig at rivals IBM, Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard.


CL Preview: Liverpool-Olympiakos On Wednesday night Olympiakos travel to take on Liverpool knowing that any positive result will pave the way for their passage into the qualifying stages of the Champions League.