BE PATIENT HOSTAGE Ken Bigley #39;s family met Jack Straw for the first time yesterday to be told:  quot;Be patient. quot;. His son Craig, 33, and brother Philip, 49, saw the Foreign Secretary as 62-year-old Ken


Doctors work to save Haiti storm survivors With no electricity or running water and short of basics like antibiotics, doctors in makeshift clinics are fighting to save survivors of Tropical Storm Jeanne -ven


Endangered species at risk from market forces The signatory states to the United Nations Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meet every two to three years to vote on new additions to the list of protected animals, flora and fauna.


Jarvis Says It Needs Fresh Financing to Keep Trading (Update4) Jarvis Plc, the UK engineering company whose debt is more than 15 times its market value, said it may be wound up in the New Year unless it secures new financing arrangements.


Doctors urge patients not to panic after recall of Vioxx TRENTON, NJ -- Merck  amp; Co. withdrew best-selling arthritis drug Vioxx on Thursday after a study showed the drug doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes.


Microsoft had agreed to sanctions, EU official says European regulators testified in Luxembourg yesterday that before settlement talks with Microsoft broke down last spring, the company had agreed to antitrust sanctions it now


Ronin says target statement due soon Takeover target Ronin Property Group said it would respond to an offer by Multiplex Group for all the securities in the company in about three weeks.


Raymond James sued by SEC Raymond James Financial Inc., a brokerage with 2,200 offices that #39;s based in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the company #39;s former president were sued by the Securities and Exchange


FRITO-LAY dumps jobs Downriver economic development officials geared up Thursday to deal with the latest blow to area manufacturing workers, the closing of the Frito-Lay plant in Allen Park with its loss of nearly 400 jobs.


Open Office XML May Satisfy ISO Microsoft #39;s (Quote, Chart) dominance on the desktop may turn out to be Sun Microsystems #39; (Quote, Chart) gain in the end. A letter to Sun Microsystems #39; COO Jonathan Schwartz by the European Commission (EC) this


BCCI likens cricket to beauty pageants NEW DELHI, SEPT 30: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday countered the Union governments argument in the Supreme Court that the cricket board represents the state.


What they #39;re saying about Ichiro No devalued currency here. No plastic parts. In a time when action is stopped every other night in every sport to celebrate another  quot;milestone quot; with the presentation of a new SUV and a lifetime pass to immortality, Ichiro #39;s work stands pretty much alone.


Notebook: Parcells has dodged his players #39; punches Bill Parcells #39; players have tried to hit him -nd that #39;s just fine with the two-time Super Bowl-champion coach.  quot;We #39;ve had a few quot; players take a swing at him, Parcells


Most Israelis Oppose Strike on Iran for Now -Poll Most Israelis want to await the outcome of international pressure on Iran over its nuclear program rather than consider a pre-emptive military strike on their arch-foe #39;s reactors, a poll published on Friday said.


Auto supplier Intermet files for bankruptcy aid Troy-based Intermet Corp., one of the country #39;s largest metal casters, with a history dating to 1846, filed for bankruptcy protection Thursday, citing rising steel costs, problems at some


The Decline and Fall of Canada? The New York Times has recently run a piece pondering the renowned nation of Canada, and whether it has fallen from its once lofty heights of international greatness.    "A country is not just a health system."  This is the sentiment of one of a few Canadian authors recently lamenting the decline of Canadian engagement around the world.  The question then becomes: what makes a nation great?  Why would Canadians resent the place of  their placid and peaceful country?  And, what does this say about the roles taken on by other influential nations around the world?


Hi-tech thieves target businesses Hi-tech criminals are stealing key business data and ransoming it back to the firms they stole it from, say police.


Microsoft defence enters day two Microsoft's legal fight against EU antitrust penalties enters its second day as focus turns to its media player.


Oil Above  #36;49 on Nigeria, G7 Worries (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices held steady above  #36;49 on\Friday as market unease persisted over supply security in


Asia Shares Higher on BOJ Survey; Gold Up (Reuters) Reuters - Asian stocks rose on Friday as an\upbeat Japanese corporate sentiment survey cheered investors,\while gold prices traded at a 5-1/2-month high on concerns that\high energy costs would lift inflation.


Oil prices rebound on OPEC, Nigeria jitters Analysts say OPEC could cut of oil production quota on Fridays meeting if US oil prices keep sliding. LONDON - Oil prices rebounded Monday after falling sharply last week on receding supply worries, buoyed


Oil Above \$49 on Nigeria, G7 Worries  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil prices held steady above \$49 on  Friday as market unease persisted over supply security in  Nigeria, despite peace talks, while the world's richest nations  suggested oil resources were scarcer than first thought.


The profits of patience  Stephen R. Karp is known for his shopping malls. And his patience. He waited all of August while Lennar Corp.'s deal to purchase Fan Pier on the South Boston Waterfront imploded, then plunked down a \$2.5 million deposit to secure what is considered one of the most promising development sites in the Northeast.


Study backs Hanscom, Natick site Hanscom Air Force Base and the Natick Soldier Systems Center pump more than \$3 billion into the Massachusetts economy, and their closure would damage the state's vital technology and research cluster, according to a study released yesterday.


Surging gas costs hamper spending  WASHINGTON -- Consumers were tightfisted amid soaring gasoline costs in August and hurricane-related disruptions last week sent applications for jobless benefits to their highest level in seven months.


Nigeria fears push up oil  NEW YORK -- Crude oil futures briefly climbed back over \$50 a barrel yesterday, with worries over the security of Nigerian supplies supporting prices despite a surprise increase in US crude inventories.


Raymond James sued by SEC  Raymond James Financial Inc. , a brokerage with 2,200 offices that's based in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the company's former president were sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to police a broker accused of stealing from investors.


Forstmann Little to buy sports, talent agency IMG CLEVELAND -- International Management Group, a sports and celebrity management and marketing firm that has represented Tiger Woods, Joe Montana, and Derek Jeter, is being sold to a New York buyout specialist firm in a cash deal valued at more than \$700 million.


General Mills to undergo a whole-grain makeover MINNEAPOLIS -- The Trix Rabbit and the Lucky Charms leprechaun are going on a whole-grain diet.


Microsoft seeks to suspend EU order  LUXEMBOURG -- Microsoft Corp. told a European Union court yesterday that it would suffer irreparable harm if forced to reveal more of its software code to rivals, while the EU said such information was crucial to keep competitors alive.


Rival stent tops Taxus in study NEW YORK -- Results of a Korean study released yesterday show Cordis Corp.'s Cypher drug-coated stent outperformed Boston Scientific Corp.'s Taxus Express2 stent in a multicenter study.


Westfield lands \$1.48b. knock out blow to Multiplex Westfield Group has upped the ante in its expansion plans into the United Kingdom retail market with a \$1.48 billion cash bid to buy out Duelguide plc, the company which owns retail property group Chelsfield plc.


FINANCIAL HEADLINES: Kmart considering Atlanta, reports say Add Atlanta to the list of potential sites for Kmart Holding Corp. #39;s new headquarters. The Troy-based company with about 2,000 corporate employees is looking for up to 300,000 square feet of office space, Atlanta media are reporting this week.


Nortel details its job cuts, including 1,400 in US TORONTO -- Nortel Networks yesterday gave details of a previously announced job cut program, saying it is cutting 1,400 positions in the United States by next June.


Airbus plans new jet to fend off Boeing Fanning an already hot business rivalry, Airbus is working on a new plane to compete with Boeing #39;s pending 7E7 widebody jet. Meanwhile, US and European Union trade negotiators


Red Hat acquires security software Red Hat said Thursday that it will pay \$20.5 million for Netscape security software that will expand the Raleigh company #39;s product offerings and boost revenue.


Mount Hood still rumbles at times Mount Hood, the sleeping volcano that rises just east of the city, last erupted just before Lewis and Clark arrived in the area in 1805.


Microsoft vows fight over FAT patent IN A preliminary ruling, the US government has rejected Microsoft #39;s 1996 patent on technology for saving files on computers using easy-to-remember names.


Porn pics further poisoned with virus USENET PROVIDER Easynews says that it has turned up postings of porn pictures that are laced with a program that exploits the Windows JPEG glitch.


Prasar Bharati claims its bid higher than Sony New Delhi, October 1: The issue of telecast rights for the upcoming India-Australia Test cricket series turned more complex on Friday with the Prasar Bharati saying it was an  quot;aggrieved party quot; as it was a higher bidder than Sony TV in the original tender


Colorado (3-0) At Missouri (2-1) GAME NOTES: Big 12 rivals clash in Columbia this weekend as Brad Smith and the Missouri Tigers play host to the surprisingly undefeated Buffaloes of Colorado.


Former Lebanese Cabinet minister wounded in Beirut car bombing BEIRUT, Lebanon: A car bomb exploded in Beirut early Friday, wounding former Lebanese Cabinet minister Marwan Hamadeh and killing his driver, security officials said.


Bomber  #39;Asked Wife #39;s Permission to Die A Martyr #39; Indonesian police have identified the suspected suicide bomber who attacked the Australian Embassy, and said the 30-year-old had written a letter to his wife asking permission to die a martyr.


Yanks clinch East on Bernies blast The Yankees had a chance to throw a party in their own home Thursday night, the kind where the champagne flows into everything but a glass.


Runner for the ages It is a tribute to his fighting spirit that Evening Attire, at the relatively advanced age of 6, is still a serious factor in a \$1 million race.


Samsung to expand in chips SEOUL Samsung Electronics announced on Monday that it would be investing 25 trillion won in new chip production lines in the next six years, a move that it expects will create 10,000 jobs.


Britain's Blair Faces Heart Op, Vows to Lead On  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair went  to hospital on Friday to correct recurrent heart palpitations,  but he vowed to serve a full third term in office if he wins an  election expected next year.


Liberia refugees return home Some 100,000 Liberians, who fled 14 years of war, are being sent home a year after the fighting ended.


More Australia child porn arrests Australian police make more arrests in a child pornography crackdown, as the first people charged appear in court.


Ex-minister hurt in Beirut blast A bomb has gone off in the Lebanese capital Beirut, injuring a former minister and killing his driver.


Afghan refugees register to vote Afghan refugees living in Pakistan are registering to take part in next week's landmark presidential elections.


Bombs kill 35 children in Iraq  BAGHDAD -- A string of car bombs killed 35 children and seven other Iraqis and wounded scores as US troops handed out candy yesterday at a government-sponsored celebration to inaugurate a sewage plant. It was the largest death toll of children in any insurgent attack since the start of the Iraq conflict.


Russian Cabinet OK's Kyoto pact  MOSCOW -- Russia's Cabinet approved the worldwide Kyoto Protocol on global warming yesterday, clearing the way for implementation of the long-delayed United Nations pact.


Lootings delay aid in Haiti GONAIVES, Haiti -- While desperately hungry flood victims wander the streets of Gonaives searching for help, tons of food aid is stacking up in a warehouse guarded by United Nations peacekeepers.


Sovereignty over waters returned to Iraq  UMM QASR, Iraq -- Iraq regained sovereignty over its territorial waters yesterday, with the US-led coalition handing over responsibility for safeguarding adjacent seas to the country's navy.


Pakistan arrests Libyan suspected of Qaeda ties PESHAWAR, Pakistan -- Pakistani intelligence agents arrested a Libyan on suspicion of having links to Al Qaeda after raiding a home on the outskirts of this northwestern city yesterday, security officials said.


Envoys say war crimes probable in Darfur UNITED NATIONS -- UN envoys told the Security Council yesterday that war crimes had probably taken place on  quot;a large and systematic scale quot; in Sudan's Darfur region and called for foreign police to help stop abuses.


Asian vultures need vet drug ban The veterinary drug blamed for killing South Asia's vultures should be banned now, conservationists say.


Blair to Undergo 'Routine' Heart Procedure LONDON - British Prime Minister was to undergo a "routine" medical procedure Friday to correct an irregular heartbeat, the second time in about a year doctors have tended to the condition.    Hoping to reassure the public, Blair also announced that he intends to serve a full third term if his party is re-elected in national elections expected next year...


House Defeats Gay Marriage Ban Amendment WASHINGTON - The House followed the Senate in decisively rejecting a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, ending for this year debate on what has become the dominant issue for the Republican Party's conservative base.    The 227-186 vote in the House Thursday was well short of the two-thirds majority needed to advance a constitutional amendment, but fulfilled a promise by backers to get lawmakers on the record on the highly sensitive issue in the run-up to Election Day...


U.S. and Iraqi Forces Attack Insurgents SAMARRA, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major assault Friday to regain control of the insurgent stronghold of Samarra, and hospital officials said at least 21 people were killed and 35 wounded...


Blair to Undergo 'Routine' Heart Procedure LONDON - British Prime Minister was to undergo a "routine" medical procedure Friday to correct an irregular heartbeat, the second time in about a year doctors have tended to the condition.    Hoping to reassure the public, Tony Blair also announced that he intends to serve a full third term if his party is re-elected in national elections expected next year...


From the Debate The following are excerpts from the first presidential debate between President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry:


IBM reaches pension accord IBM said Wednesday it had agreed to pay \$320 million to its employees to settle in part a class-action lawsuit over its pension plan in a case that will affect millions of workers at many companies and nonprofits.


LONDON MARKETS LONDON (CBS.MW) - London markets edged higher Friday as oil prices eased and Northern Rock confirmed it would meet analysts #39; full-year profit expectations.


Nortel Net #39;s job cuts include 1,400 in US TORONTO  Nortel Networks Corp. gave details of a previously announced job cut program Thursday, saying it is cutting 1,400 in the United States by next June.


Schools sue over special-ed funding Eleven school districts filed a lawsuit Thursday aimed at forcing the state to pay more for special education. The school districts, including Bethel and Federal Way, collectively represent more than 20,000 special-education students.


Red Hat buys technology from Netscape Seattle, October 1: Linux distributor Red Hat Inc said on Thursday that it had bought Netscape #39;s computer user identification and management technology from America Online Inc, a unit of Time Warner Inc.


Mount St. Helens a volcanic  #39;ring of fire #39; Three or four times every minute, Mount St. Helens shivers. Sometimes the majestic peak even shudders, the trembling beneath reaching a crescendo, a magnitude of 3.3.


Koalas to get contraceptives KOALA bears are to be implanted with contraceptives to keep their numbers down and stop them munching the landscape bare at an Australian national park.


WOODS #39; BRAVEST ROUND It was not the lowest round of his career and nor was it the best of the day. But the four-under-par 68 produced by a suffering Tiger Woods in the opening round of the American Express world championship at


Ten Sports and Sony to assist BCCI in live coverage : Sports India: Cricket  gt; Kolkata, Sep 30 : The ongoing battle for telecast rights took a new twist today with the Cricket Board announcing that it would arrange for live coverage of the upcoming tournaments with the help of Ten Sports and Sony


Sports Briefs column Bernie Williams sent a drive soaring to left-centre field, raised his right arm in triumph and circled the bases. Pretty soon, he was home -- and so were the New York Yankees.


Pound suggests Hamilton skirted justice WADA chief suggests cyclist got away with doping: Tyler Hamilton #39;s title from the Athens Games is  quot;no longer a gold medal in the eyes of the world quot; because of the cyclist #39;s failed drug test, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency said.


Rooneys Champions League hat-trick: reaction from Nistelrooy <b>...</b> Manchester, 1:30pm GMT - Wayne Rooney #39;s Man United debut in the 6-2 Champions League rout of Fenerbahce saw Sir Alex Ferguson and Ruud van Nistelrooy speculating on record breaking things to come from the England 18 year-old star.


Cricket racism probe drama The International Cricket Council #39;s racism inquiry in Harare ended in a shambles on Thursday with the two-man panel unable to crack the deadlock between the rebel white players and the Zimbabwe Cricket Board.


Peace Rules retired; Jockey Club Gold Cup field dwindles Peace Rules has been retired after a slight injury to the colt #39;s left front leg was discovered during training for Saturday #39;s \$1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.


Blair Enters Hospital for Heart, Seeks One More Term (Update1) UK Prime Minister Tony Blair was admitted to a London hospital today for an operation to correct a heart flutter. Announcing the treatment late yesterday, Blair committed to serving a


From Baghdad A Wall Street Journal Reporter #39;s E-Mail to Friends Being a foreign correspondent in Baghdad these days is like being under virtual house arrest. Forget about the reasons that lured me to this job: a chance to see the world, explore the exotic


Handing out A -- for advantage It's a no-brainer, a Red Sox pitcher suggested when he was asked which team he would rather face in the postseason.


Success breeds success In the final hour before each Acton-Boxboro High School football game, someone allows Eminem into the locker room. He speaks his high-pitched piece, and his pulsating beats make heads bob throughout the room. Then the CD player advances to the next track, and hip-hop makes way for a sing-along from AC/DC, followed by tunes from  quot;Rocky quot; soundtracks. Every ...


Giants win, tie Astros in wild race Jerome Williams pitched seven strong innings in his first start in two months and the San Francisco Giants jumped back into a tie for the wild-card lead by beating the Padres, 4-1, last night in San Diego.


NL notables The Cubs' Sammy Sosa , just 3 for 22 in his previous six games, hit his 34th homer in the sixth -- the 573d of his career, tying Harmon Killebrew for seventh place on the career list.


Down to the wire in West Ichiro Suzuki went home without the major league hits record, thanks to Oakland's determined pitching staff -- and a much bigger hit by shortstop Bobby Crosby.


Yankees' 100th clinches division Bernie Williams sent a drive soaring to left-center field, raised his right arm in triumph, and circled the bases.


AL notables Oakland won the season series against Seattle for the first time since 2000. Angels' Vladimir Guerrero matched a career high for hits with his fifth four-hit game this season and 15th in his career. It was the second two-homer game this week for Guerrero, who has 38 this year and is hitting .338 with a team-record 123 runs and 124 ...


But seriously folks Three weeks does not a season make, but it's enough of an indicator to form opinions strong enough to put into motion.


Former Steelers, Maine player Strzelczyk dies after highway chase, crash Justin Strzelczyk , a former player for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the University of Maine, died yesterday in a fiery head-on collision with a tanker truck in Herkimer, N.Y., after he led state troopers on a 40-mile highway chase during morning rush hour. Strzelczyk, 36, was an offensive lineman with the Steelers for nearly a decade until the team released ...


Patriots are leaders in high-tech field, too In August, 1.2 million users visited the Patriots' website, www.patriots.com. Chances are, those who returned to the team's Internet home this week noticed only minor cosmetic changes, not the complete overhaul that has been done behind the scenes over the past seven months.


NFL games on TV NY JETS (2-0) at MIAMI (0-3) When/where: Sunday, 4 p.m., at Miami. TV: Ch. 4. Last season: Miami won, 21-10 and 23-21. Comments: The Jets are coming off a bye week, while the Dolphins lost to the Steelers in a hurricane last weekend. Jay Fiedler reportedly will be back starting at quarterback for Miami, in place of an ineffective A.J. ...


Weaver suddenly in a tight spot Jed Weaver knows a little something about the Patriots from his years in Miami. He also attended the wedding of his friend, Patriots special team specialist Larry Izzo . Now all the newest addition to the New England roster has to do is learn the offense.


Revolution need final kick for playoff push Rusty Pierce symbolized the Revolution's break with the past when he joined the team in 2000. The Revolution had qualified for the MLS playoffs once in their first four seasons, then advanced to the playoffs in three of the next four.


Celtics tickets on sale Tickets for individual Celtics home games for the 2004-05 season will go on sale today at 11 a.m.


Injuries prevent Fox from continuing career Rick Fox made it official yesterday: He will not be coming through any door to have a second go-round with the Celtics. As shockers go, this one is slightly behind  quot;Dewey Defeats Truman. quot;


A little game between friends Before they were Eagles at Boston College, and before they were Hawks at Xaverian Brothers High, Peter Shean and Nathanael Hasselbeck were Vikings on the same Pop Warner football team. Through the years, Shean and Hasselbeck forged an inseparable bond.


Colorado back in game At the start of the season, they were in the also-ran bin. Not on anyone's radar screen nationally, or even in the Big 12, for that matter. But a month into the 2004 season, look at what the Colorado Buffaloes have done.


Key New England games NORTHEASTERN (2-1) vs. WILLIAM  amp; MARY (2-1) When/where: Tomorrow, 1 p.m., Williamsburg, Va. Radio: WJIB (740 AM). Last season: NU won, 48-14. Comments: The Huskies crushed Towson last Saturday, 27-3. Senior FS Gavin Potter was named Atlantic 10 defensive player of the week for his 10-tackle, 2-interception, 1-sack game. Junior TB Anthony Riley had 117 rushing yards. William  amp; Mary ...


Third Oxfam Formula 1 Auction offers 24 items of Renault F1 Team memorabilia For the third year in succession, the Renault F1 Team is joining forces with Oxfam, the international development charity, to raise money for its work around the world.


Northern Rock upbeat as loans surge Northern Rock #39;s full-year profit will at least meet analysts #39; expectations as the mortgage bank continues to pile on business despite the slowing housing market.


School districts sue state over special-ed funding OLYMPIA - A coalition of 11 school districts filed a lawsuit against the state yesterday, arguing the Legislature has not lived up to its constitutional obligation to fully fund special education.


Red Hat buys Netscape bits LINUX DISTRIBUTOR Red Hat has shelled out \$23 million to buy Netscape Communications #39; Security Solutions unit from AOL. The deal means that Red Hat will get the Netscape Directory Server and Netscape Certificate


Souness praises fab four Graeme Souness believes he has the best attack in the country after Alan Shearer and Patrick Kluivert dismantled Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin in Newcastle #39;s 5-1 UEFA Cup win in Tel Aviv.


Red Hat to acquire Netscape network security software Red Hat has announced plans to acquire network security software from Netscape #39;s Enterprise Suite, adding it to its Open Source Architecture, The company says they will distribute it as open-source software, according to statements from company executives


Sun Microsystems teams up on supercomputer Sun Microsystems and the University of Texas at Austin are set to flip the switch on a unique supercomputer that will vastly speed up massive data analysis and visualisation to tackle time-critical problems such as weather


Searching for Substance: Web Browser Olympic Scorecard Nigel McFarlane boils down all the competition between browsers into a single score for each browser. Take this article to your local second-hand browser dealer to test his honesty.


After the crash, luck for NASA As recovery teams examined the mangled NASA Genesis probe lodged in the floor of Utah #39;s west desert earlier this month, a crew member spotted a horseshoe in the sand.


Yankees back for more Bernie Williams looked out from the on-deck circle at the place he has called home longer than any other of the Yankees. It was the last of the ninth, tie score and the division


CHIEFS OUT TO AVOID 0-4 START Heading into Monday night #39;s game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to avoid going 0-4 for the first time since 1980.


Gus Dur asked to help free two Indonesian women kidnapped in Iraq JAKARTA (Antara): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked former president Abdurrahman  quot;Gus Dur quot; Wahid on Friday to help free Rosidah binti Anom and Rafikan binti Amin -- two Indonesian women who were kidnapped in Iraq.


More than 500 Australians in child porn inquiry More than 500 Australians could be involved in child pornography on the Internet, Australia #39;s top police officer says after nationwide raids saw more than 200 people charged with over 2,000 child pornography offences.


Nigerian Leader Scolds Delta Officials, Militants Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo castigated elected officials in the oil-producing Niger Delta on Friday for failing to care more for their impoverished people as talks


Microsoft Tells Judge of Harm in Changing Windows  LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp will suffer serious  harm if it is forced to provide a version of Windows without  Windows Media Player audio-visual software, its lawyer told a  European Union court on Friday.


SpaceShipOne goes for next flight SpaceShipOne, the rocket plane that blasted into space on Wednesday in the first of its \$10m Ansari X-Prize flights, will launch again on Monday.


Merck plummets as drug pulled Pharmaceutical titan Merck  amp; Co. Inc. yesterday pulled its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx off the market, citing safety concerns, thereby triggering a massive selloff in the company #39;s shares that wiped out nearly US\$27-billion of Merck #39;s market value.


Microsoft Tells Judge of Harm in Changing Windows Microsoft Corp will suffer serious harm if it is forced to provide a version of Windows without Windows Media Player audio-visual software, its lawyer told a European Union court on Friday.


IBM claim to own  #39;fastest supercomputer #39;  quot;The fact that non-US vendor like NEC had the fastest computer was seen as a big challenge for US computer industry, quot; said Horst Simon, director of the supercomputing centre at Lawrence Berkeley Labs in California.


Gartner Linux piracy claim is pants A CLAIM by IT experts the Gartner Group that Linux downloads are a cover for piracy has been dismissed by the Open Source Industry Association (OSIA).


University to set up archive of bust dot com company business <b>...</b> Budding entrepreneurs and historians of the future will be able to look back on the madness of the dot com boom. The University of Maryland has received government and private grants to archive the business


Asteroid Toutatis Cape Town - If the giant asteroid Toutatis, which closely missed earth on Wednesday, hit a place such as the Mother City, the entire city and all its suburbs would have disappeared in an instant.


Ecclestone rebuke as Silverstone dropped BERNIE ECCLESTONE has hit out at Silverstone #39;s owners, describing the track as  quot;embarrassing quot; just hours after axing it from the Formula One calendar.


Classy Kluivert Newcastle United romped into the group stages of the UEFA Cup with a 5-1 win away to Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin that completed a 7-1 aggregate victory in the first round.


Ailing Fox closes curtain on career When he was taken with the 24th pick on draft night in 1991, and introduced to a room of puzzled Boston media and season ticket-holders, an impatient Red Auerbach snapped back from the head


Nigerian Leader Scolds Delta Officials, Militants  ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo  castigated elected officials in the oil-producing Niger Delta  on Friday for failing to care more for their impoverished  people as talks with a rebel leader to avert an explosion of  violence there entered a third day.


US Sticks to Kyoto Rejection The United States has reiterated its rejection of the Kyoto Protocol on global warming despite renewed pressure to yield after Russia ended years of hesitation by moving to ratify the treaty.


Waziristan mine kills 3 children Three children have been killed by a landmine in Pakistan #39;s tribal region of South Waziristan, officials say. The children, including two brothers and aged between nine and 13, triggered the mine near the main town of Wana, they said.


Dozens Killed in U.S. Offensive in Iraq U.S. and Iraqi forces launched a major assault Friday to regain control of the insurgent stronghold of Samarra, and hospital officials said at least 80 people were killed.


Blast at Shiite Mosque in Pakistan Kills at Least 10 An explosion ripped through a Shiite Muslim mosque in Sialkot during Friday prayers, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens, police said.


Bombing in Lebanon Wounds Cabinet Minister BEIRUT, Lebanon - A car bomb exploded Friday in central Beirut, wounding a former Lebanese Cabinet minister and killing his driver, officials said.    Former Economy Minister Marwar Hamadeh reportedly suffered minor wounds and was in stable condition...


Navistar Up 2.7 Percent in Pre-Trade  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Navistar International Corp.  NAV.N rose 2.7 percent before the bell on Monday after the  commercial truck maker said it expects higher fourth-quarter  earnings and revenue.


Transactions BASEBALL Chicago (AL): Activated P Scott Schoeneweis from the 15-day DL. New York (NL): Named Omar Minaya general manager/executive vice president of baseball operations and signed him to five-year contract; named Jim Duquette senior vice president of baseball operations.


Runner for the ages It is a tribute to his fighting spirit that Evening Attire, at the relatively advanced age of 6, is still a serious factor in a \$1 million race. He is a force to be reckoned with in tomorrow's Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park, an event he won in 2002, and he is going to keep racing as long ...


All's Fair in Space War Should war move into space, the U.S. military has a plan. And not being an enemy doesn't necessarily mean your satellites and ground-control mechanisms aren't targets. By Noah Shachtman.


Solution for Slashdot Effect? Slashdot is so popular that traffic from its links can cripple small websites, sometimes for days. So a couple of fans have set up a site called Mirrordot to alleviate the problem by hosting copies of sites mentioned on Slashdot. By Daniel Terdiman.


Mobile-Phone Ban May Be Near End Tired of listening to travelers yakking on their cell phones in the airport lounge? You may have to put up it with in the cabin too, as regulators consider scrapping rules that ban use of most wireless devices in flight. By Joanna Glasner.


Getting Closer, Yet Farther Away What happens in the online world can be a freeing experience. Sometimes too freeing, so be careful out there. Commentary by Gina Lynn.


Diebold Loses Key Copyright Case A California judge says Diebold Election Systems broke the law when it threatened students for posting internal company memos on the web. Advocates say this is a precedent-setting victory for free speech on the web, and a warning to litigious companies. By Kim Zetter.


Secrets of the CO2 Eaters Unraveling the genetic map of diatoms -- microscopic sea creatures -- could pay big dividends in defending the world's ecological systems. By Kristen Philipkoski.


Point. Shoot. Kiss It Good-Bye Your hard drive is overflowing with gazillions of digital pics. DSC00234.jpg might as well be labeled don't_know_don't_care.jpg. Here is the quest to build the photo archive of the future. By David Weinberger from Wired magazine.


ID Rule Exists, But Can't Be Seen Justice Department lawyers say there is indeed a rule requiring passengers to show ID at the airport before boarding a plane, but they say the exact wording of the rule can't be read by the public and can't be challenged. By Ryan Singel.


Arnold Vetoes Privacy Bill California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the bill, which would have required businesses to tell employees that their e-mail and internet usage were being monitored, was overly broad. By Mark Sullivan.


RIAA Fires New Round of Volleys The music group says it's filed suits against 762 people it suspects of song swapping, including students from 26 different colleges and universities. The RIAA has now sued roughly 5,400 people over the past year.


Can't We All Just Get Along? Tim Berners-Lee, the man who invented the web, says the medium will never realize its potential unless everyone involved can agree on standards that let computers more easily communicate with each other.


Merck stock plummets on drug news The share price of US drugs giant Merck falls to an eight-year low after it announces that it has been forced to withdraw a key drug on side effect fears.


Bad start, injuries can #39;t stop Liberty #39;s drive The New York Liberty has overcome injuries to key players, a coaching change and a switch in home arenas to reach the Eastern Conference finals with only nine active players.


Evening Attire is wearing well While horses continue to fall off an extremely bumpy road to the Breeders #39; Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, Evening Attire keeps on trucking.


Blair faces surgery for heart flutter LONDONBritish Prime Minister Tony Blair undergoes a procedure to correct heart palpitations today - hours after dramatically announcing that he wants to serve no more than a third term in office.


Bird flu case played down BANGKOKThailand said yesterday it had found its first known probable case of a human being infecting another with bird flu, but insisted it was an isolated incident that posed little risk to the greater population.


Indonesian police announce identity of embassy attacker : Indonesian police announced Friday the identity of the suspected suicide bomber who attacked the Australian Embassy last month killing nine people, including himself.


Deaths in blast at Pakistan mosque ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- An explosion ripped through a Shiite Muslim mosque in the eastern Pakistani city of Sialkot during Friday prayers, killing several people and injuring dozens of others, wire reports say.


More than 900,000 volunteers begin war on bird flu in Thailand BANGKOK : Thailand launched its month-long war on bird flu with more than 900,000 volunteers carrying out house-to-house checks for signs of the disease, a senior health official said.


Improved power management planned for Opteron Computers built with Advanced Micro Devices' Opteron processor soon will be able to take advantage of the same power management technology the company has already built into its laptop and desktop microchips.


Toyota plans more Prius sales in US Toyota Motor Corp., the world #39;s largest seller of gasoline-electric automobiles, will double the number of Prius hybrid cars for sale in the United States next year to reduce the waiting period for customers.


A tiny critter #39;s day in the sun They produce as much organic carbon as all the rainforests on Earth, but they #39;re not plants. They live in hard shells and can survive for months in the dark, but they #39;re not animals.


Is Wayne Rooney #39;s ripped shirt cool or not? Footie wonderboy Wayne Rooney might have scored a hat-trick on his Manchester United debut, but it didn #39;t stop him getting a telling off afterwards.


Kevin, Jason on roster? Jason Giambi and Kevin Brown were linked earlier this season because they both contracted an intestinal parasite, and now they #39;re linked for a different reason.


Minaya: free to be real boss? The Mets #39; big message at Omar Minaya #39;s surprise coronation yesterday was that Minaya has  quot;full autonomy, quot; baseballese for the power to make any decisions related to baseball.


Russia #39;s Kyoto Decision Resonates in Australia #39;s Election Campaign Russia #39;s announcement that it will ratify the Kyoto Protocol -- a decision crucial to the treaty coming into force -- has catapulted the issue onto


UK aims to be major space player Science minister Lord Sainsbury says the UK will remain key to the Aurora programme and will head back to Mars.


Studies confirm findings Clinic from 3 years ago Three years after cardiologists at the Cleveland Clinic warned of the dangers of the popular arthritis drug Vioxx, subsequent studies have found that the medication puts patients at greater risk of heart attacks and strokes.


UCB up after deal to sell unit to Cytec for \$1.86 bln LONDON (CBS.MW) -- Belgian pharmaceutical UCB rose 1.2 percent in mid-morning trade after the group agreed to sell its Surface Specialties business to Cytec Industries (CYT) for 1.5 billion euros (\$1.


SpaceShipOne goes for next flight Rocket plane SpaceShipOne is to attempt a second space flight on Monday in a bid to clinch the \$10m Ansari X-Prize. Judges officially confirmed that pilot Mike Melvill took the craft to 103km (64 miles) on Wednesday #39;s first flight.


Secrets of the CO 2 Eaters The genetic map of a type of teeny-weeny ocean algae could have a big impact on how scientists try to protect the Earth #39;s oceans from greenhouse gases.


He #39;s glad to stand, cheer for old  #39;SC Indians pitcher Kyle Denney will never complain about having to dress like a cheerleader again. The white go-go boots that went with the outfit might have prevented a bullet from seriously injuring his leg.


The valiant fight of the Bigley family This fact has never been better evidenced than by watching the astonishing way in which the family of Iraq hostage Ken Bigley have waged their own campaign for his release.


Blast kills at least 10 at Shiite mosque in eastern Pakistan ISLAMABAD, Pakistan At least ten people have been killed in an explosion that ripped through a Shiite Muslim mosque in an eastern Pakistani city during prayers today.


Mobiles get magnifier software Magnification software to help visually impaired people use mobiles has been developed by a Spanish firm.


Nigeria Army Says Routine Patrols Operate in Delta  ABUJA (Reuters) - The Nigerian army said on Friday routine  patrols were still operating in the Niger delta despite a truce  agreed between the government and rebel militia while talks  proceed in the capital Abuja.


Samsung to make \$24B chip investment by 2010 Samsung Electronics plans to invest 25 trillion won (\$24 billion) in building new semiconductor production lines by 2010, the company said Monday.


Blair Heart Op Sparks Succession Debate  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Tony Blair went into hospital  on Friday for heart treatment -- but first sought to quell  speculation over his future by pledging to serve a full third  term if re-elected.


Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 18 in Pakistani Mosque  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 18  people in a mosque packed with worshippers and wounded more  than 40 during Friday prayers in the eastern Pakistani city of  Sialkot, police said.


Israeli Shelling Kills 3 in Gaza Camp -Witnesses  GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli forces hunting Palestinian  militants shelled a Gaza Strip refugee camp on Friday, killing  at least three people and wounding several others, witnesses  and medical officials said.


Bush, Kerry Differ on Approach to North Korea  SEOUL (Reuters) - President Bush and his rival, Senator  John Kerry, may have clashed over how to stop North Korea's  nuclear plans but their policies are not as far apart as their  first debate suggested, analysts said on Friday.


Arthritis drug pulled by maker Before Eileen Burden began taking the popular arthritis drug Vioxx, her joints ached so much she could barely get dressed in the morning.


Cytec pays \$1.85bn for UCB unit Cytec Industries Inc. is buying the chemicals division of Belgian drugs company UCB in a 1.5 billion euro (\$1.85 billion) cash and stock deal, the US specialty chemical firm said on Friday.


Aon searching for new CEO, as Ryan steps down Patrick Ryan, a titan of the insurance industry and fixture of Chicago-area business and civic institutions, revealed plans to step down as chief executive of Aon Corp.


HMOs get an annual checkup California health maintenance organizations continue to show improvements in quality but fall short in areas such as vaccinating adults with flu shots and persuading smokers to kick their cigarette habit.


Fannie Mae Earnings at Issue Mortgage giant Fannie Mae, under investigation by regulators and ordered to revamp its accounting, may have to restate its past earnings, a federal agency said Thursday.


Red Hat buys Netscape Enterprise Suite technologies Under the terms of the agreement Red Hat will obtain products derived from the Netscape Enterprise Suite, including Netscape Directory Server and Netscape Certificate Management System.


USPTO trims FAT from Microsoft patents Plans by Microsoft Corp to charge royalties on a library of patents are looking uncertain after the US Patent and Trademark Office rejected a key software patent claimed by the company.


Java Mustang following Tiger Sun Microsystems Inc is courting community views for the next version of Java 2 Standard Edition, the foundation stone of Java scheduled for spring 2006.


Opposition delays anti iPod bill Lawmakers at the Senate have delayed a controversial bill that would make it easier to sue online file-trading networks because there is too much opposition to it.


Weep for the British Grand Prix The British Grand Prix debacle, which we forecast yesterday, was inevitable, given the parties involved in the negotiations. The race will no doubt return one day to the Formula 1 calendar but that is not


FOOTBALL: AL: IT #39;S TIME TOON WENT ALL THE WAY HAT-TRICK hero Alan Shearer is aiming to fire Newcastle all the way to the UEFA Cup Final this season. After his treble and a double from Patrick Kluivert polished off their Israeli opponents, Shearer said


Prasar Bharti to challenge BCCI decision in Supreme Court New Delhi, Oct. 1 (PTI): Stung by the BCCI decision to award telecast rights for the India-Australia Test series to Sony TV, Prasar Bharti today said it would challenge the decision in Supreme Court.


Russian move clears way to bring Kyoto into force The Russian government approved the Kyoto Protocol on Thursday, giving decisive support to the long-delayed climate change treaty that should allow it to come into force worldwide.


Bush, Kerry Differ on Approach to North Korea President Bush and his rival, Senator John Kerry, may have clashed over how to stop North Korea #39;s nuclear plans but their policies are not as far apart as their first debate suggested, analysts said on Friday.


Ex-Cabinet minister wounded, driver killed in Beirut car bombing BEIRUT, Lebanon A former Lebanese Cabinet minister has been wounded and his driver killed in an early morning car bombing in Beirut.


Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 18 in Pakistani Mosque A suicide bomber killed at least 18 people in a mosque packed with worshippers and wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers in the eastern Pakistani city of Sialkot, police said.


Dollar Vulnerable, Gold Lifted  LONDON (Reuters) - The euro hovered near two-month highs on  Friday as key U.S. data loomed and as traders awaited a Group  of Seven meeting of finance ministers, while oil-fired  inflation fears lifted gold close to a 5-1/2 month high.


Dollar Edges Off Lows Before G7  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar recovered from a two-month  low on the euro and a one-week low on the yen on Friday as the  market waited to see if a G7 meeting and key U.S. data could  break the U.S. currency out of a half-year range.


Manufacturing growth slows down The UK's manufacturing sector shows an unexpected slowdown in September, easing pressure on the Bank of England to raise interest rates again.


Merck pulls Vioxx Merck  amp; Co. Inc. stock plummeted Thursday with the firm #39;s announcement that it is withdrawing Vioxx - its arthritis and acute pain medication - from the international market, affecting about 2 million patients worldwide.


Oil near \$50 on Nigeria unease Oil prices held above \$49 on Friday as a rebel warlord threatening an offensive in Nigeria #39;s oil-producing delta region said the government had violated the terms of a two-day truce.


Cytec to Buy UCB Chemicals Business for EU1.5 Billion (Update2) Cytec Industries Inc., a US maker of materials for the aerospace and car industries, agreed to buy the chemicals operations of UCB SA, Belgium #39;s largest drugmaker, for 1.5 billion euros (\$1.


Citigroup CEO rules out takeovers  #39;We #39;re not a deal-focused company, #39; Prince tells newspaper; adds bank must focus on ethics. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The chief executive of Citigroup Inc.


Nortel to lay off 3,250 staff worldwide Nortel Networks will lay off about 1,400 employees in the US and about 950 in Canada, with those employees to be notified by the end of June 2005.


Qualcomm opens CDMA development centre in Hyderabad Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology major Qualcomm Inc on Friday announced the opening of a research and development (R amp;D) in Hyderabad, to support its chipset development activities.


Sun Micro, UT Austin, Team Up on Supercomputer Sun Microsystems Inc. SUNW.O and the University of Texas at Austin are set to flip the switch on Friday on a unique supercomputer that will vastly speed up massive data analysis and


Microsoft FAT Patent Claim  quot;Bogus quot; Microsoft #39;s patent on the File Allocation Table disk format has been rejected by the US Patent Office, on the grounds that it should never have been granted in the first place.


Space isn #39;t all astronauts With a little help from NASA, students from McNair High School - which is named for an astronaut -ight play a role in future space exploration.


Microsoft extends SQL Server intelligence Microsoft has extended the reach of its business data platform, demonstrating new business intelligence capabilities for SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005.


Shearer Eying Silverware Newcastle hat-trick hero Alan Shearer tonight stressed his determination to bring a trophy to St James Park. The former England striker netted three times in Newcastles 5-1 defeat of Bnei Sakhnin tonight, sealing a 7-1 aggregate success.


Real Madrid coach: We #39;re on right track Real Madrid coach Mariano Garcia Remon admitted he was nervous after AS Roma went 2-0 ahead on Tuesday night. But Garcia Remon remained calm and saw his Real charges triumph 4-2 in an exciting night at the Santiago Bernabeu.


Paphitis slams Ferencvaros Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis has hit out Ferencvaros and their fans after revealing he had to call for police help during Thursday #39;s Uefa Cup tie.


Round One: Bush, Kerry trade tough words on Iraq CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- John F. Kerry and President Bush clashed sharply over the war in Iraq last night during the first debate of the presidential campaign season, with the senator from Massachusetts accusing


Iraq Developments * A suicide bomber killed a US soldier and two Iraqis in the Abu Ghraib area outside of Baghdad early Thursday. The bomb targeted a compound that included the mayor #39;s office and a police station.


Sudan agrees to more peacekeepers Peacekeepers from the African Union will be increased to help protect civilians in the afflicted Sudanese region of Darfur, the country #39;s foreign minister said Thursday.


Iraqi PM Says Elections Still on Despite Violence Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said elections would go ahead as planned in January, despite continuing violence which Thursday killed 41 people including 34 children.


Hong Kong #39;s former Gurkhas angry over British nationality move Former Nepalese-born Gurkha soldiers who helped defend Hong Kong under British rule are fuming at London #39;s decision to exclude them from a new law giving the crack fighters British citizenship, a spokesman said Thursday.


Dawn of War proves addictive The latest title from the Warhammer 40,000 stable does its thing with considerable style.


Report: Blair Recovering Well After Heart Operation  LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair has  had a successful operation for recurrent heart palpitations and  is "doing well," Sky TV reported Friday.


Jakarta embassy bomber named Indonesian police name the man believed to have bombed Australia's embassy in Jakarta last month.


Calais blockade disrupts ferries Channel ferry services are hit by a blockade as French fishermen show their anger at fuel price rises.


New Menopause Hormone Therapy Guide Issued WASHINGTON - Despite its clear risks and bad press, hormone therapy remains the best treatment for some women suffering miserable menopause symptoms - and it is inappropriate for doctors to withhold, says a new guide to help doctors and patients with the difficult decision.    Women who do try estrogen should use the lowest possible dose for the shortest period of time, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stressed...


Stocks to Open Up As Oil Prices Pull Back NEW YORK - U.S. stocks are seen somewhat higher at the open Friday with a pullback in oil prices...


Blast at Pakistan Shiite Mosque Kills 14 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - An explosion ripped through a Shiite Muslim mosque in the eastern Pakistani city of Sialkot during Friday prayers, killing at least 14 people and wounding dozens, police said.    Witnesses reported that a man with a briefcase entered the mosque shortly before the blast and the briefcase had exploded, Sialkot police chief Nisar Ahmed said...


Few Factual Errors, but Truth at Times Got Stretched President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry made few major factual errors in their first debate, although on occasion they stretched the truth or left out inconvenient facts -- or may have confused viewers as they spoke in policy shorthand.


PepsiCo #39;s profits increase 35 percent PepsiCo Inc. #39;s net income increased 35 percent in the third quarter as the company benefited from higher international sales and a tax benefit, the Purchase-based beverage and snack food company reported yesterday.


Federer and Roddick Ease Into Thailand Semi-Finals  BANGKOK (Reuters) - Top seeds Roger Federer and Andy  Roddick reached the Thailand Open semi-finals with  straight-sets wins on Friday.


Stocks to Watch Friday  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks to watch on Friday: MICROSOFT  CORP. MSFT.O: The world's largest software maker will suffer  serious harm if it is forced to provide a version of Windows  without Windows Media Player audio-visual software, its lawyer  told a European Union court.


Stocks Seen Up; Oil Holds Below \$50  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks looked to open higher on Friday  with oil prices below \$50 a barrel, while technology shares try  to extend a three-day winning streak of ending positive as the  fourth quarter begins on Wall Street.


Microsoft Fears Changing Windows  LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp will suffer serious  harm if it is forced to provide a version of Windows without  Windows Media Player audio-visual software, its lawyer told a  European Union court on Friday.


China Pledges to Move Steadily on Forex  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinese officials reiterated their  country would move toward a flexible foreign exchange rate, but  offered no new specifics on the timing in a joint statement  issued on Friday after talks with high-level U.S. officials.


Pfizer can capitalize on drug withdrawal Pfizer Inc., the world #39;s biggest drugmaker, may benefit from Merck  amp; Co. #39;s withdrawal of Vioxx because Pfizer #39;s competing pain medicine Celebrex hasn #39;t been linked to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.


Kmart might move its headquarters Retailer Kmart Holdings Corp. is considering moving its headquarters from Michigan, the state #39;s economic development agency said.


New Security Vulnerability in Corrupt Online Images Within days of the release of the security bulletin, there was proof of concept code available on the web. As the exploit was analyzed by various security groups, it was found that it was similar


Bundesliga prepares for striker showdown HAMBURG - Champions Werder Bremen run into Bayern Munich for the Bundesliga #39;s top clash on Saturday highlighted by a showdown of in-form strikers Miroslav Klose and Roy Makaay.


Blast in Pak mosque kills 15 A blast in a Shiite Muslim mosque in eastern Pakistan on Friday killed at least 15 people and left dozens injured. The blast occurred when the Friday prayers were on at the Mistri Abdullah Imambargah mosque in Sialkot.


UN calls for sending international police to Darfur United Nations, Oct 1 (PTI) The United Nations has called for sending an international police force to stop abuses in Sudan #39;s trouble-torn region of Darfur where war crimes have probably occurred on large scale.


Update 1: IMF reflects on global economic growth In its global economy outlook the International Monetary Fund predicted worldwide output to lift 5 despite of worries about high oil prices.


UK manufacturing disappoints in Sept The purchasing manager index of activity in the UK manufacturing sector fell sharply to 52.2 in September from a downwardly revised 52.


Chip sales hit 10.1bn GLOBAL semiconductor sales rose to 10.1 billion in August from the previous month and it appears chip inventories are declining, industry trade group the Semiconductor Industry Association said.


ENGLAND RUGBY UNION COACH CLIVE WOODWARD LEAVES RFU HEADQUARTERS <b>...</b> South Africa, New Zealand and Japan have expressed interest in hosting the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the International Rugby Board said on Friday.


Gaza Strip: Six Palestinians killed as Israel continues major <b>...</b> At least six Palestinians were killed Friday during the continuing Israeli attack on nortern Gaza Strip as occupation troops took control of a nine-kilometer stretch in the area.


Ghost of US vs MS laments Redmond's 'special antitrust immunity' 'Freedom to destroy freedom and competition'


Barcelona clubbers get chipped Some clubbers in Barcelona have opted to have a microchip implanted which lets them pay for drinks.


Merck Rises 1.52 Percent Before Bell  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of drugmaker Merck   Co. Inc.  MRK.N traded 1.52 percent higher on volume of more than  61,000 shares in pre-market dealings on Friday, a day after the  stock plunged to an eight-year low after the company withdrew  its arthritis drug Vioxx.


Stocks Seen Higher; Oil Prices Slipping  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks looked to open higher on  Friday, as the fourth quarter begins on Wall Street with oil  prices holding below \$50 a barrel.


Dollar Vulnerable, Stocks Rise Overseas  LONDON (Reuters) - The euro was near two-month highs  against the dollar Friday as key U.S. data loomed and as  traders awaited a Group of Seven meeting of finance ministers,  while oil-fired inflation fears lifted gold close.


Cocoa delays hitting Ivory Coast A dispute over how much farmers must pay to industry trade bodies is disrupting the cocoa harvest  in Ivory Coast, the world's largest producer.


Before the Bell- Merck rises 1.52 pct, 61,000 shares traded Shares of drugmaker Merck  amp; Co. Inc. (MRK.N: Quote, Profile, Research) traded 1.52 percent higher on volume of more than 61,000 shares in pre-market dealings on Friday, a day after


Red Hat buys Netscape Enterprise Solutions from AOL Enterprise Linux specialist Red Hat has snapped up choice pieces of Netscape Enterprise solutions from AOL. These include the Netscape Enterprise Suite and include Netscape Directory Server and Netscape Certificate Management System.


Koala population becoming unbearable Sydney - Australia #39;s koalas, once a threatened species, are now growing so fast in some areas that wildlife authorities are putting them on the pill.


DVDRW Alliance increases rewrite speed to 8x The DVDRW Alliance has announced the release of final draft specifications for 8x rewriting on DVDRW media produced by Hewlett Packard, MKM, Philips, Ricoh, Sony and Yamaha.


Microsoft ups the ante for BI Microsoft Corp has issued further details of new reporting and business intelligence features that it plans to introduce into its present and future SQL Server relational database platform.


Silverstone cut from provisional 2005 F1 Grand Prix calendar For the first time ever, Silverstone is not on the provisional 2005 calendar, which must be ratified by the FIA world council on 13 October.


Tendulkar taking baby steps Tendulkar, who is in a race to try and make the first Test against Australia in Bangalore, told the Press Trust of India that team physiotherapist Andrew Leipus was limiting his time in the nets.


2011: It #39;s South Africa v New Zealand v Japan including South Africa - had submitted proposals to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup. South Africa, will face stiff opposition


UPDATE 1-Spain, US handed easy Davis Cup outings Davis Cup finalists and top seed Spain were handed a first-round outing in Slovakia for the 2005 competition when the draw was announced on Thursday.


Bundesliga matches, Oct 2-3 Bayern Munich return to domestic duties with a trip to Bundesliga champions Werder Bremen on Saturday (1330 GMT) appearing to have shaken off their sluggish start to the season.


UPDATE 1-Cricket-India call up Tendulkar for Australia tests  Cricket-Tendulkar gets go-ahead for Australia tests October 1, 2004 10:54:13 BANGALORE, India, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Sachin Tendulkar was named in India #39;s 14-player squad on Friday for the first two tests against Australia.


Citywide event attracts more than 1,000 entries The 2004 Memorial Bone  amp; Joint Fall Festival tennis tournament kicks off today at noon and runs through Sunday at courts around Houston.


Rosenborg hold Gunners in Norway Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Rosenborg in tonights Champions League Group E encounter in Norway. Freddie Ljungberg had given the visitors the lead in the sixth minute, but Roar Strand grabbed a deserved


Spain, US Top Davis Cup Seeds for 2005 The United States will host Croatia on March 4-6 in the first round of the 2005 Davis Cup. In Thursday #39;s draw, the Americans and Spanish -- this year #39;s finalists -- were


The club expects too much from the team: Ajax coach Koeman AMSTERDAM, Sep 30 (SW) - After the 4-0 defeat by Bayern Munich on Tuesday, Ajax coach Ronald Koeman feels it is time to decide on his future at the Dutch champions.


Siemens launches new unit to focus on end-to-end systems  Synergy was the word Siemens AG used several years ago when it talked about combining its carrier and enterprise network and mobile phone businesses under one roof. Then the company spun off these operations into separate divisions to be able to focus -- it said -- more closely on customers' individual needs. Now the manufacturer is pulling everything back together and the buzzwords are end-to-end systems and convergence.


Hitachi, NEC launch networking equipment joint venture Alaxala Networks Corp., the backbone-network router and switch joint venture announced by Hitachi Ltd. and NEC Corp. earlier this year, began operations on Friday, it said in a statement.


Intel plans faster bus for Pentium 4 Extreme Edition Intel Corp. is planning to introduce a faster front-side bus on an upcoming version of its Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor that will help the firm increase the performance of its chips by improving a crucial bottleneck in system performance.


Update: Microsoft asks EU court to suspend remedies LUXEMBOURG -- Microsoft Corp. asked a judge to suspend the European Commission's antitrust ruling against it on Thursday, arguing that secrets revealed now cannot be retracted.


Suicide bomber kills at least 18 in Pakistan wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers in the eastern Pakistani city of Sialkot, police say.  quot;It was a suicide attack, quot; Nisar Ahmed Saroya, district police officer for Sialkot, told Reuters.


Court ruling due in F1 dispute A judge is set to deliver a ruling in a boardroom row which could lead to Bernie Ecclestone losing control of Formula One racing.


Arthritis drug pulled for heart risk Shares of Merck and Co. plunged nearly 27 percent Thursday on news that the pharmaceutical giant was pulling the popular arthritis pain medication Vioxx off the market in the largest drug withdrawal in US history.


Update 12: EU Accuses Microsoft of Paternal View Microsoft Corp. said Friday that small companies and their customers would suffer most if it is forced to remove its digital media software from Windows, while the European Union accused it of being  quot;paternalistic


Cytec buys Surface Specialities business from UCB New Jersey-based Cytec Industries is to buy UCB Groups Surface Specialties business for \$1.5bn (E1.2bn). Completion of the deal will turn Cytec into a \$2.


Qualcomm opens R amp;D centre in Hyderabad Qualcomm Incorporated, pioneer and world leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital wireless technology, on October 1 announced the opening of a research and development (R amp;D) center in Hyderabad, India.


BBC Tech staff become Siemens workers Some 1440 BBC Technology staff have been transferred to Siemens Business Services today following the completion of a major ten-year 2bn Technology Framework Contract (TFC).


Open source industry challenges Gartner on Linux report This week we have seen numerous reports (a href= quot;http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=352 quot; gt;see here) in the trade press referring to Gartner UK analyst Annette Jump claiming that pre-installing Linux on PCs encourages piracy of Windows.


Sun shines on standard Java 5.0 There #39;s a new version of Java and Sun describes it as the most significant update ever to the platform-neutral programming language.


CHECA TAKES TOP SPOT Carlos Checa upstaged team-mate Valentino Rossi to take pole position for the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix at Losail. The track, new to the MotoGP calendar, has sprung several surprises throughout practice and


Sharapova advances to Korea Open semifinals Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova surged into the Korea Open semifinals Friday with a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 win over Australian Samantha Stosur.


Tendulkar to play in first Test Bangalore, India - India #39;s cricket selectors on Friday picked star batsman Sachin Tendulkar in the squad for the opening match of the Test series against Australia, hoping he will recover from an elbow injury in the next four days.


Former NFL player killed in crash Travel is back to normal on the Thruway Friday morning after an accident that stopped or slowed traffic from Herkimer all the way to Schenectady.


US forces launch major offensive on Samarra Doctors at Samarra #39;s hospital said 47 bodies were brought in, including 11 women, five children and seven elderly men. They. said ambulances could not reach many wounded as fighting, which lasted throughout the night, was still going on.


U.S. Offers Internet Downloads of  #36;50 Bill (AP) AP - The U.S. government will offer over the Internet low-quality images of its new  #36;50 bill for artists, students and others who discover that their computers, scanners or printers won't allow them to view or copy pictures of the new currency.


From Spam To Lacrosse, A Day for The Books (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - New laws aimed at prosecuting big-time Internet spammers, helping small businesses and elevating lacrosse to the status of "state team sport" will become effective today in Maryland.


FCC nears Cingular, AT amp;T decision (TheDeal.com) TheDeal.com - A commissioner said the agency would rule on the wireless merger within weeks, allowing an October closing.


PeopleSoft Fires CEO Craig Conway (AP) AP - In a surprise move, business software maker PeopleSoft Inc. fired CEO Craig Conway Friday, saying it has has lost confidence in the feisty leader who engineered the company's dogged resistance to a  #36;7.7 billion takeover bid by rival Oracle Corp.


PeopleSoft Ousts CEO Amid Oracle Battle (Reuters) Reuters - PeopleSoft Inc. , which is\trying to fight off a hostile takeover by rival Oracle Corp.\, on Friday said its board had ousted President and\Chief Executive Craig Conway due to "a loss of confidence" in\his ability to lead the software company.


Launch of New Space Station Crew Set (AP) AP - The new crew of the international space station will head into space on Oct. 14, Russia said Friday, after two delays pushed back the launch.


Stocks Seen Weak at Open; Oil Higher  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks look to open flat on Monday,  with oil prices moving higher and the dollar holding near  record lows.


Stocks to Watch Friday (Reuters) Reuters - Stocks to watch on Friday: MICROSOFT\CORP. : The world's largest software maker will suffer\serious harm if it is forced to provide a version of Windows\without Windows Media Player audio-visual software, its lawyer\told a European Union court.


PeopleSoft Ousts CEO Amid Oracle Battle  NEW YORK (Reuters) - PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O, which is  trying to fight off a hostile takeover by rival Oracle Corp.  ORCL.O, on Friday said its board had ousted President and  Chief Executive Craig Conway due to "a loss of confidence" in  his ability to lead the software company.


Strike pair see Toon through Alan Shearer and Patrick Kluivert teamed up to fire Newcastle into the group stage of the UEFA Cup with a striking master-class against Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin in Tel Aviv.


Federer and Roddick through Top seed Roger Federer reached the Thailand Open semis with a 7-6 (7/3) 6-4 win over Robin Soderling of Sweden. Second seed Andy Roddick also stormed through, beating Thomas Johansson of Sweden 6-3 6-4 in just 43 minutes.


Sachin In Squad For First Two Tests Bangalore, Oct. 1 (NNN): Despite the ongoing concerns about an elbow injury, countrys master-blaster Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was included on Friday in the 15-member Indian squad for the first two cricket


Boeing Delivers 67 Planes in 3rd Quarter  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Boeing Co. BA.N said on Friday it  delivered 67 commercial airplanes in the third quarter, up two  from the same quarter a year ago.


DDR RAM Round-up Group Review Not yet ready for DDR 2? Then make the most of the original


Lycos puts spam site on hold Lycos has called a ceasefire in the battle against internet spammers by suspending its Make Love Not Spam portal, designed to put bulk mail senders out of business.


PeopleSoft Removes Craig Conway as CEO In a surprise move, the business software maker fired CEO Craig Conway Friday, saying it has has lost confidence in the feisty leader who engineered the company's dogged resistance to a takeover bid by rival Oracle Corp.


From Spam To Lacrosse, A Day for The Books  New laws aimed at prosecuting big-time Internet spammers, helping small businesses and elevating lacrosse to the status of "state team sport" will become effective today in Maryland.


Web Sites Spoof Bush, Kerry With Parodies If you're not ready to feverishly debate Iraq or the deficit in this bitterly divisive election year, you can always surf the Web, where politics is frequently nothing but a big joke.


U.S. Offers Internet Downloads of \$50 Bill The U.S. government will offer over the Internet low-quality images of its new \$50 bill for artists, students and others who discover that their computers, scanners or printers won't allow them to view or copy pictures of the new currency.


IBM to Expand Data Centers Across World

 By Duncan Martell

 SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - IBM is expanding and adding newtechnology to 11 of its data centers in North America, Europeand Asia to meet growing demand and rolled out new services tocustomers, the world's largest computer company said late onThursday.


Netflix, TiVo Make Deal Official Netflix Inc. and TiVo Inc. made official Thursday their deal to create a service that will use high-speed Internet connections to pipe DVD-quality movies into the homes of their mutual subscribers.


AT T, Vonage Cut Prices on Internet Calling

 By Justin Hyde

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - AT T Corp.  and Internet telephoneprovider Vonage said on Thursday they were cutting prices fortheir residential Internet calling services by \$5 per month,the strongest signs yet of a price war in the nascent market.


PeopleSoft Ousts CEO Amid Oracle Battle PeopleSoft Inc. (PSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , which is trying to fight off a hostile takeover by rival Oracle Corp. (ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) , on Friday said its board


Atlantic City Casino Hotel Workers Strike ATLANTIC CITY, NJ Oct. 1, 2004 - About 10,000 casino hotel workers from more than half the city #39;s 12 casinos went on strike Friday, even though negotiators had reached a tentative agreement with three of the casinos.


UCB Sells Surface Specialties to Cytec UCB SA announced Friday it made the final move in its transition to a pharmaceuticals-only business, unloading Surface Specialties to Cytec Industries Inc.


Siemens wins 2.7-bln-euro services contract from BBC German electronics giant Siemens said that its Siemens Business Services unit had signed a 2.7-billion-euro (3.3-billion-dollar) contract to supply technology services to the British Broadcasting Corporation.


SpaceShipOne halfway to X-Prize SpaceShipOne, the privately built manned rocket aiming to claim the 10 million USD X-Prize, has completed the first of two qualifying flights, and is scheduled to attempt the winning second flight on 4 October, despite some technical concerns.


Red Hat to get Enterprise p2pnet.net News:- Red Hat says it #39;s  quot;entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement quot; with AOL to buy parts of Netscape #39;s Enterprise Suite, adding it to its Open Source Architecture.


Microsoft loses FAT patent, wins Smart Tag case Microsoft is fighting a rejection by US patent authorities of a patent for its FAT filesystem, the company said on Thursday. Meanwhile, it #39;s celebrating a jury decision clearing it of patent infringement charges


Net giants adopt anti-spam system The fight against spam is getting more serious as the net #39;s big players impose conditions on bulk mail senders. From October, AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, Earthlink and Comcast want those that send lots of messages


ISS to get new crew Moscow - The Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft carrying a replacement crew to the International Space Station (ISS) will be put into space on October 14 after technical difficulties postponed the launch, Russia #39;s space agency said on Friday.


Checa on pole for inaugural Qatar GP Carlos Checa took pole position for Saturday #39;s inaugural Qatar Grand Prix with the quickest lap in the final qualifying session on Friday.


It #39;s on to LA for the Giants Bee Staff Writer. SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Padres returned the favor, and the playoff-chasing Giants gladly accepted it before a disappointed record crowd of 45,389 at Petco Park.


Israeli troops mass at Gaza border after cabinet approves military <b>...</b> Armoured vehicles massed on Gaza #39;s border Friday after Israel #39;s security cabinet approved a large-scale military operation - dubbed Days of Penitence - to stop Palestinian rocket fire.


Pakistani Shiite Mosque Bombing Kills 19, Injures 50 (Update1) At least 19 people were killed and about 50 were injured in the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Pakistan #39;s northeastern city of Sialkot, police said.


Children slaughtered Bombs killed 35 children and wounded scores of others as US troops handed out candy Thursday. It was the largest death toll of children in any insurgent attack since the start of the war.


PeopleSoft dismisses CEO Conway Board cites "lack of confidence" in Craig Conway as software maker battles a hostile takeover.


Microsoft Tests MSN Messenger 7.0 Updated chat client allows users to send more personalized messages.


PeopleSoft dumps CEO who led fight against Oracle takeover (AFP) AFP - Business software maker PeopleSoft said it was dumping president and chief executive Craig Conway, who has led the fight against a hostile takeover effort from rival Oracle.


Dog Extinctions Show Why Bigger Isn't Better (Reuters) Reuters - Fossils from extinct dogs show why\bigger is not better -- giant meat-eating animals died out\because they relied too heavily on hunting other big animals,\scientists reported on Thursday.


Zawahri Tape Urges Resistance to 'Crusaders' (Reuters) Reuters - An audio tape said to be from senior al\Qaeda official Ayman al-Zawahri called for organized resistance\against invading "crusaders" in the Muslim world and especially\attacks against Israel's ally the United States.


British Guantanamo Detainee Alleges Abuse from Jail (Reuters) Reuters - A British detainee at Guantanamo Bay\said in a letter revealed Friday he was tortured and abused\during detention, in what is believed to be the first such\claim to come from inside the prison.


Wenger tells Rooney to live like a monk (AFP) AFP - Arsene Wenger has told Wayne Rooney he will have to live  quot;like a monk quot; if he is to make the most of his phenomenal talent.


Mexico Welcomes Dalai Lama (AP) AP - The Dalai Lama brought his message of peace to presidential offices across Central America this week, urging harmony in a world he says is in crisis because of war, fear and intolerance.


EADS Co-Chief Exec Hertrich to Step Down The co-chief executive of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., Rainer Hertrich, will leave his position in 2005 when his contract expires, a company spokesman said Sunday.


Candidates Omit Israel-Palestinian from Debate (Reuters) Reuters - Many important foreign policy topics\went unexplored during the first debate of the 2004 U.S.\presidential campaign but perhaps most unusual was the lack of\attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.


Ethics Panel Admonishes House Leader DeLay (Reuters) Reuters - An ethics panel admonished U.S.\House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay on Thursday,\saying he improperly offered to endorse a lawmaker's son in\return for a vote on a Medicare prescription drug bill.


U.S. Forces Storm Iraqi Town, Say 94 Rebels Killed  SAMARRA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces stormed Samarra  Friday and said nearly 100 guerrillas were killed in air  strikes and street-to-street combat during a major new American  offensive to wrest control of the Iraqi town.


Zawahri Tape Urges Resistance to 'Crusaders'  DUBAI (Reuters) - An audio tape said to be from senior al  Qaeda official Ayman al-Zawahri called for organized resistance  against invading "crusaders" in the Muslim world and especially  attacks against Israel's ally the United States.


Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 21 in Pakistani Mosque  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at  least 21 people in a mosque packed with worshippers and wounded  more than 40 during Friday prayers in the eastern Pakistani  city of Sialkot, police said.


'New al-Qaeda tape' is released An audio tape said to have been recorded by Osama Bin Laden's deputy is broadcast by Arabic TV channel al-Jazeera.


Jail order for Indian politician India's Supreme Court orders controversial politician Rajesh Ranjan, who is facing murder charges, back to jail.


Don't let baby die, pleads father A father of a seriously ill premature baby has pleaded with the High Court not to allow doctors to let her die.


New Windows Patch Proves Tricky The latest Microsoft Windows security flaw could result in more harm than usual because the company's system for fixing it could prove too vexing for some PC users to deal with, security experts warned. -washingtonpost.com


Dozens Believed Killed in U.S. Assault on Iraqi City More than 4,000 American and Iraqi soldiers mounted a military assault on the insurgent-held city of Samarra.


TCS in IT deal for Ferrari F1 car Mumbi: Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. has tied up with Formula One racing car champion Ferrari to provide information technology and engineering services for the development of the team #39;s racing car for the 2005 season.


Bin Laden Deputy Purportedly Seeks Strikes DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - An audio tape purportedly released by Osama bin Laden's deputy calls for attacks on U.S. and British interests everywhere, according to a broadcast Friday by Al-Jazeera television...


Bush, Kerry Clash Over Iraq in Debate CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Arguing over who can best lead the nation in war, Sen...


Blast at Pakistan Shiite Mosque Kills 16 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A suicide attacker detonated a huge bomb inside a crowded Shiite Muslim mosque in an eastern Pakistani city during Friday prayers, killing at least 16 people and wounding dozens, officials said.    Police said that hundreds of people were inside the Zainabia mosque in the city of Sialkot at the time of the blast, which severely damaged walls and left body parts scattered inside...


U.S., Iraqi Troops Storm Rebel Haven U.S. and Iraqi troops surged into the rebel-controlled city of Samarra Friday, killing more than 90 insurgents in house-to-house combat supported by airstrikes and armor.


Blast Kills 16 Pakistanis in Shiite Mosque A suicide attacker detonated a huge bomb inside a crowded Shiite Muslim mosque in an eastern Pakistani city during Friday prayers, killing at least 16 people and wounding dozens, officials said.


Drug #39;s withdrawal puts heat on FDA Agency too reliant on drug <b>...</b> Suspicions that the arthritis drug Vioxx could cause serious cardiovascular damage arose as early as 1999, the year Vioxx was approved by the Food and Drug Administration as a next-generation remedy that might be safer than older drugs like ibuprofen.


PeopleSoft fires CEO Conway update Craig Conway has been fired as president and chief executive officer of PeopleSoft and will be replaced by founder Dave Duffield, the company said Friday.


Siemens, BBC announce \$3.35 billion deal BERLIN -- Industrial group Siemens AG said Friday it has signed a \$3.35 billion contract to deliver technology services around the world to the British Broadcasting Corp.


Dodgers Take Three-Game Lead in NL West (AP) AP - Los Angeles put itself in prime position to make the playoffs heading into the final weekend of the regular season, while Chicago, Houston and San Francisco were fighting to reach the postseason and San Diego retained only a long-shot hope.


A's, Angels Set for Winner-Take-All Series (AP) AP - The biggest home run in rookie Bobby Crosby's career gave the Oakland Athletics a dramatic victory and set up a winner-take-all AL West showdown with the Anaheim Angels.


Microsoft Tests MSN Messenger 7.0 A select group of testers next week will get an early look at MSN Messenger 7.0, the next version of Microsoft #39;s popular instant messaging client.


Diebold Rejected in Copyright Takedown Attempt JimMarch(equalccw) writes  quot;Our favorite crooked voting company Diebold has lost a MAJOR copyright case (click for ruling here or description here).


Ace performance by Thailand #39;s Thongchai at Mount Juliet Thailand #39;s Thongchai Jaidee aced the 165-yard 11th hole in the WGC-American Express Championship second round on Friday. The 34-year-old former paratrooper used an eight


Tennis: Roddick joins Federer in Bangkok semi-finals BANGKOK : Andy Roddick laid on a 21-ace performance to crush Thomas Johansson 6-3, 6-4, moving past jet-lag and into the semi-finals of the 550,000-dollar Thailand Open.


Argos give U of T bad grade on sacking Like a quarterback seeking first-down yardage, the Argonauts are scrambling for an alternate site for their new home after they were sacked by the University of Toronto in a bid to build a new Varsity Stadium.


Seven straight crowns for Yanks Once the ball jumped off Bernie Williams #39; bat in the bottom of the ninth inning, everyone in Yankee Stadium knew where it was going.


Ailing Tiger Two Back at American Express (AP) AP - Tiger Woods hardly looked like himself until a painful first round at the American Express Championship was over and he signed for a 4-under 68, two shots out of the lead at a tournament he has won the last two years.


Winless Cardinals Winning Turnover Game (AP) AP - The Arizona Cardinals are winless in three games, but they are among the league leaders in one category  #151; taking the ball away from the opponent.


There #39;s A New Grid In Town SAN FRANCISCO - Now that computer systems are bigger and more complex than ever before, industry titan William Coleman figures, it is time they learned how to run themselves.


Korean nuclear talks likely stalled until  #39;05 There are three problems with the six-party talks on North Korea #39;s nuclear issue. First, they risk confusing form with substance: as if merely getting North Korea around a table is success


UN Rights Officials Tell Security Council International Police Are <b>...</b> An international police presence is needed in Sudan #39;s troubled Darfur region to accompany and monitor local police officers so that the vast population of internally displaced persons (IDPs) there are protected, two senior United Nations human rights


Sharapova Advances to Korea Open Semis (AP) AP - Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova reached the semifinals of the Korea Open on Friday with a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 win over Australian Samantha Stosur.


Watson Hopes Surgery Will Right Golf Game (AP) AP - Tom Watson has mapped out a comfortable future after he finally walks away from the game of golf.


PeopleSoft fires CEO Conway Board cites "lack of confidence" in Craig Conway as software maker battles a hostile takeover.


Linksys Launches Dual-Band Wi-Fi Gear New products include 802.11g/a cards for both notebooks and desktops.


Stocks Seen Up as Oil Dips; PeopleSoft Up  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stock futures rose steadily  throughout the morning, pointing to a higher market open on  Friday, as sliding oil prices were a welcome sign for investors  on the opening day of the fourth quarter.


Before-the-Bell: Redback Falls 24.5 Pct.  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Redback Networks Inc.  RBAK.O, which makes networking equipment, fell 24.5 percent  in pre-market trading on Friday after it forecast third-quarter  revenue far short of Wall Street's estimates.


Amid Battle With Oracle, PeopleSoft Fires Its Chief In a statement, PeopleSoft's board of directors cited "a loss of confidence in Mr. Conway's ability to continue to lead the Company."


Moreover and NewsGator Team for RSS Search Moreover and NewsGator Team for RSS Search\\Moreover Technologies, provider of aggregated online RSS and news feeds, today announced that NewsGator Technologies will integrate Moreover RSS (Rich Site Summary) news feeds and news search into its NewsGator Online Service platform.\


Feedsters RSS Feed Job Search Engine Feedster's RSS Feed Job Search Engine\\RSS is hot and RSS search engines continue to get hotter by taking advantage of all of the bandwidth draining RSS feeds that are literally running all over the web for all different types of content oriented sites. Recently RSS search engines have concentrated on ...


100 Killed In US Operation To Re-take Samarra Baghdad, Oct. 1 (NNN): At least 100 people, including 80 insurgents were killed and hundreds others injured as the US military launched a major offensive to re-take the northern Iraqi city of Samarra, about 100 kilometres north of the capital, Baghdad.


Sharapova overpowers Stosur Maria Sharapova reached the last four of the Korea Open after beating Australia #39;s Samantha Stosur 6-2 6-1. Taking centre court after a four-hour rain delay, Sharapova overwhelmed Stosur to set up a semi-final meeting with Anne Kremer of Luxembourg.


PeopleSoft Fires CEO Conway In the wake of a 15-month-long battle for its life, PeopleSoft Inc. #39;s board of directors fired CEO Craig Conway Friday morning.


China to Move Toward Flexible Currency WASHINGTON Oct. 1, 2004 - The Bush administration, struggling to show progress in attacking this country #39;s soaring trade deficits, won a commitment Friday from China that it would move  quot;firmly and steadily quot; to a flexible, market-based currency.


Early market signs mostly positive for start of fourth financial <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - North American stock markets appear poised for strong gains Friday in the fourth quarter #39;s first day of trading as investors recover from drug company Merck  amp; Co.


Qualcomm Sees Spike in its Future Qualcomm (Quote, Chart) is in talks to acquire a semiconductor design firm to help satisfy demand for its third-generation CDMA (define) wireless devices, the company said Thursday.


NWA #39;s Anderson moves to UnitedHealth Northwest Airlines Corp. CEO Richard Anderson has resigned to take an executive job at UnitedHealth Group Inc. Anderson, 49, who took over the top job at the Eagan-based airline in 2001, will become an executive vice president at UnitedHealth.


Verizon, SBC nix access line sales Lack of bidders forces largest US local telephone companies to terminate efforts in small markets. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc.


UK Sept. Manufacturing Index Falls, Costs Increase (Update2) UK manufacturing growth unexpectedly weakened to the slowest pace in 14 months in September as surging oil prices boosted costs, a survey of purchasing managers showed.


Lazard cutbacks may precede IPO Report says investment bank plans job, pay cuts prior to a public offering valuing firm at \$3B. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bruce Wasserstein, head of investment bank Lazard, is planning a new round of job cuts and


Insurers cutting profit estimates The string of hurricanes that struck Florida and other states has begun to wash away profit projections made by some Cincinnati-based insurance companies.


SpaceShipOne on course for X Prize A Californian-based team is halfway to claiming a \$10 million prize by putting a privately financed manned craft into sub-orbital space.


Big Blue Reveals Fastest Supercomputer Alive In a historic development in the computing world, IBM has succeeded in re-writing the rulebook for ultra-powerful computing by developing the worlds most powerful supercomputer- Blue Gene/L supercomputer, surpassing NECs Earth Simulator in Japan.


Patent Office rejects Microsoft FAT patent The US Patent Office has made a preliminary ruling that a patent held by Microsoft for the FAT file system is invalid, after lobby group the Public Patent Foundation put forward evidence showing that the technology already existed in the public domain.


New Windows Patch Proves Tricky The emergence of a new Internet virus targeting a Microsoft Windows security flaw could cause more damage than usual because the company #39;s system for fixing the problem is so complex that many


Security Flaws Found in RealPlayer EEye Digital Security has uncovered new security holes affecting a wide range of RealNetworks #39; media players, the latest desktop-based bugs set to worry IT managers.


Wenger plays down players #39; bus fight Arsene Wenger has described a fracas on the Arsenal team bus between Patrick Vieira and Cameroon international Lauren as  quot;a minor disagreement quot;.


Olympics: Pound critical of Hamilton gold TORONTO, Canada : World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Dick Pound believes that US cyclist Tyler Hamilton does not deserve to keep his Olympic time-trial gold medal after testing positive for doping in Athens.


Government Mum On World Cup Bid The Government was dragging its heels yesterday when the Ministry of Sport failed to come out with a clear message of support for South Africa #39;s bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup.


Racing: Italian Trulli to race for Toyota in Japan and Brazil PARIS : Italian driver Jarno Trulli, who has signed to drive for Toyota next season, will now be driving for the Japanese constructor in the final two races of this season, Toyota revealed.


Kluivert insists the best is yet to come Patrick Kluivert has sent out a chill warning to both the Barclays Premiership and Europe after launching his Newcastle career in style.


Carpenter to miss Division Series St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Chris Carpenter is expected to miss the first round of the playoffs next week with an injury to his right arm.


Lazio, Newcastle, Stuttgart among UEFA Cup top seeds Italian club Lazio, England #39;s Newcastle United and Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart are among the top group of seeds for Tuesday #39;s UEFA Cup group draw.


Blair Undergoes Treatment for Irregular Heartbeat, Sets Off <b>...</b> British Prime Minister Tony Blair entered a hospital Friday for a procedure to remedy an irregular heartbeat. He says the treatment is routine and expects to return to work on Monday.


Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 21 in Pakistani Mosque A suicide bomber killed at least 21 people in a mosque packed with worshippers and wounded more than 40 during Friday prayers in the eastern Pakistani city of Sialkot, police said.


Next President Could Get to Reshape High Court (Reuters) Reuters - The winner of the presidential\election could reshape the Supreme Court and could have a\long-lasting impact on important issues such as abortion, gay\marriages and church-state separation.


Zawahri Urges Muslims to Hit U.S., Allies' Interests  DUBAI (Reuters) - Senior al Qaeda official Ayman  al-Zawahri, in a purported audio tape aired Friday, urged  Muslims to set up an organized resistance to hit the interests  of "crusader America" and its allies throughout the world.


Japan marks bullet train's 40th Ceremonies are held in Japan to mark the 40th anniversary of the start of the world's first high-speed railway service.


Frank's Lawn, Garden Retailer Closing (AP) AP - Frank's Nursery  amp; Crafts Inc., having filed for bankruptcy twice in three years and failing to lure enough customers back from bigger retailers like Wal-Mart and Home Depot, is going out of business.


What Are You Worried About? (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Oil was getting so hard to find that, soon enough, looking for it would be a losing game, at least in the U.S. So said the experts, years ago.


PeopleSoft Fires CEO Who Battled Oracle  NEW YORK (Reuters) - PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O on Friday  said its board had ousted President and Chief Executive Craig  Conway, who has been the chief opponent of Oracle Corp.'s  ORCL.O \$7.7 billion hostile bid to take over the software  company.


Stocks Open Higher as Oil Prices Ease  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened higher on Friday,  as oil prices retreated and tech stocks showed strength on the  opening day of the fourth quarter.


US Airways and Pilots Union Reach Tentative Deal The deal is said to include annual pay cuts of about 19.5 percent and reductions in contributions to retirement benefits.


Stocks Move Higher As Oil Prices Dip NEW YORK - Stocks moved higher Friday as oil prices dipped and a pair of upgrades in the semiconductor sector boosted technology shares.    Investors are closely watching oil prices, which topped \$50 per barrel this week, hoping that consumer spending and sentiment, along with third-quarter earnings, would not be adversely affected by rising energy costs...


Egg in talks on French unit sale Internet bank Egg says it is in talks to sell the majority of its failed French venture to another firm.


Banks sound alarm on online fraud The banking industry warns customers with online accounts to guard against a new wave of sophisticated cyber-fraud.


Construction Spending Hits Surged in August Construction spending in August hit the highest level on record, fresh evidence that the housing market is helping move the economy ahead.


PeopleSoft Fires Craig Conway; Dave Duffield to Regain Top Spot In a surprise move, PeopleSoft issued a press release this morning at 8:15 ET announcing that it had fired Craig Conway as president and CEO.


Consumer sentiment weakens in September NEW YORK - US consumer sentiment took a surprise spill in September, according to a survey released Friday, suggesting Americans continue to be uncertain about the economic outlook and the job market.


Northwest Says Anderson Resigns to Join UnitedHealth (Update1) Northwest Airlines Corp. Chief Executive Richard H. Anderson is resigning and will be replaced by President Douglas M. Steenland at a time when the company is seeking employee concessions to stem losses.


Cytec pays \$1.87b for UCB unit Cytec Industries said Friday it will pay \$1.87 billion to Belgian chemical company UCB for its Surface Specialties unit, the Wall Street Journal reported.


When Models Explode Behind every good business plan, there's a dynamite shack waiting for a box of matches.


Window Dressing for Nudists Cosmetically altered mutual funds don't make sense -- and they're ugly, too.


Saving by Spending: Do UPromise? It's strange but true -- the more you spend, the more you'll save for school.


Northwest Airlines #39; CEO Resigns MINNEAPOLIS -- Northwest Airlines Chief Executive Richard Anderson is stepping aside and will take a top job at health care insurer UnitedHealth Group.


Battle of the Apples takes long road The Beatles, trading as Apple Corp, won #39;t let it be when it comes to Apple Computer #39;s forays into the music business. Photo: Getty Images.


Kerry #39;s Policies and Views on North Korea Questioned It was all very well for Senator John F. Kerry to say he would open bilateral talks with North Korea should he win November #39;s election, but the Democratic


Microsoft loses FAT patent, wins Smart Tag case Microsoft Corp. is fighting a rejection by US patent authorities of a patent for its FAT (file allocation table) file system, the company said Thursday.


Aussie election could impact US coalition However this election won #39;t occur in November and it won #39;t involve an electoral college. I #39;m talking about next week #39;s national elections in Australia.


Indonesia police identify suicide bomber Indonesian police have identified a suicide car bomber from last month #39;s Australian embassy blast, but said it was unclear if he drove the vehicle, raising the possibility a second suicide attacker was involved.


Owen admits to Real doubts Michael Owen has admitted he could be forced to reconsider his future at Real Madrid at the end of the season. Owen has started only one game since his 8m summer move from Liverpool and faces competition from Ronaldo, Raul and Fernando Morientes.


Sun stands between Liberty and finals NEW YORK - The New York Liberty needed a last-second shot in the decisive game of their first-round series against Detroit to earn a trip to the Eastern Conference final, and will try to advance to the WNBA Finals for an unprecedented fifth time.


Couples Makes Early Move, Fast Start for Els  THOMASTOWN, Ireland (Reuters) - Former U.S. Masters  champion Fred Couples made the first significant move in the  WGC-American Express Championship second round Friday, surging  up the leaderboard with a five-under-par 67.


Carpenter to Miss Division Series  ST. LOUIS (Sports Network) - St. Louis Cardinals starting  pitcher Chris Carpenter is expected to miss the first round of  the playoffs next week with an injury to his right arm.


Microsoft appeals against EU order to strip down Windows US software giant Microsoft insisted Friday that nobody would want to buy its Windows operating system without Media Player, in an appeal against an EU ruling that it had abused its market dominance.


Manufacturing Activity Up in September Manufacturing activity rose in September for the 16th consecutive month, but at a more gradual pace than in August, an industry research group reported Friday.


Nortel details plans to lay off 3,250 employees Nortel Networks Corp. will lay off approximately 1,400 employees in the US and about 950 in Canada, with those employees to be notified by the end of June 2005, the network equipment vendor said in a regulatory


Banks sound alarm on online fraud The banking industry warns online customers to guard against a new wave of sophisticated cyber-fraud.


US music targets more 'pirates' Students at 27 US colleges are being sued by the American record industry for alleged illegal downloading.


SILVERSTONE BIG LOSS TO BRITISH DRIVERS - HERBERT Johnny Herbert feels the next generation of British Formula One stars will miss out after their home grand prix was axed from the calendar.


UEFA Charge Ferencvaros after Ugly Scenes European footballs governing body today brought disciplinary charges against Hungarian champions Ferencvaros after crowd trouble and racist abuse during their UEFA Cup tie against Millwall.


Federer on a roll in Bangkok Bangkok - Roger Federer edged closer to a dream tenth title of the season as he applied the pressure at just the right moments, defeating Robin Soderling 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 for a spot in the semi-finals of the \$550 000 Thailand Open on Friday.


Owen wants more action Madrid - Michael Owen said on Friday he might be forced to reconsider his future with Real Madrid if his situation at the club doesn #39;t improve by the end of the year.


Racism inquiry opens in Zimbabwe with little progress An investigation into allegations of racism in Zimbabwe cricket that broke up the country #39;s test team opened in the capital yesterday amid a hostile atmosphere and, by the end of the day, little progress had been made.