First Look: Rio #39;s Hot New Carbon MP3 Player Rio #39;s new 5GB Carbon is the sleekest MP3 player I #39;ve laid eyes on. Happily, the device, which hits stores this week, isn #39;t just about looks: A simple interface and amazing battery life make it the new mini to beat.


Fallon among 16 arrested in British race-fixing probe Champion jockey Kieren Fallon was among 16 people arrested Wednesday in an investigation into corruption within horse racing, Britain #39;s domestic Press Association news agency reported.


Henman back on track and flushed with success US OPEN fifth seed Tim Henman hopes to put a back problem behind him as he looks to progress in the final grand slam event of the year, the US Open at Flushing Meadow in New York.


Seven Foreign Truckers Freed in Iraq; France Anxious (Reuters) Reuters - Islamic militants freed seven truck\drivers from India, Kenya and Egypt held hostage in Iraq for\six weeks, offering a ray of hope Wednesday to a dozen other\foreign nationals still in captivity.


Before-the-Bell: SuperGen Shares Soar (Reuters) Reuters - Shares of SuperGen Inc. \jumped more than 24 percent in trading before the market opened\on Wednesday after MGI Pharma Inc.  said it would take\a  #36;40 million stake in the company as part of a cancer drug\license deal.


Stocks to Watch Wednesday (Reuters) Reuters - Stocks to watch on Wednesday: FOREST\LABORATORIES INC.


Pakistan Says 'Important' Al Qaeda Men Arrested (Reuters) Reuters - Pakistani security forces have\arrested two "important" al Qaeda operatives, including an\Egyptian, a senior official said on Wednesday.


Oil Rebounds After 8-Day Slide on Blaze (Reuters) Reuters - Oil prices rose on Wednesday, stemming\an eight-session slide that has dragged prices down 14 percent\from record highs as news emerged of a fresh pipeline fire in\Iraq.


Yankees' AL East Lead Drops to 3 1/2 Games (AP) AP - The Boston Red Sox looked at the out-of-town scoreboard and could hardly believe what they saw. The New York Yankees were trailing big at home against the Cleveland Indians in what would be the worst loss in the 101-year history of the storied franchise.


Russia Sends Troops to Guard Nuclear Sites (Reuters) Reuters - Russia deployed extra troops to guard\dozens of nuclear facilities across the country on Wednesday\after militants seized a school in the south and a suicide bomb\attack in Moscow, the nuclear authority said.


Jury Selection Continues in Bryant Case (AP) AP - About three-quarters of potential jurors in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case have already been told whether to return to the courthouse later this week for more questioning, putting the selection process on schedule, court officials say.


Mortgage Applications Ease in Aug 27 Week (Reuters) Reuters - New applications for U.S. home loans\eased last week for the second week in a row even though\30-year mortgage interest rates decreased slightly, an industry\group said on Wednesday.


Sudanese Aid Workers Released by Rebels (AP) AP - Rebels released six Sudanese aid workers early Wednesday in Darfur, four days after they went missing during a trip to register refugees fleeing a brutal campaign of killings in the war-ravaged region, a U.N. official said.


Tougher policy in works In the wake of leaked grand jury testimony that implicated superstars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi in the BALCO steroid scandal, Major League Baseball and the Players Association may be close to forging a tougher new policy on drug testing.


Deutsche Telekom to buy Polish telecoms operator PTC (AFP) AFP - German telecommunications giant Deutsche Telekom has agreed with French firm Vivendi Universal and Polish energy group Elektrim to buy Poland's biggest mobile phone group PTC.


Musharraf inducts 32 ministers in new Pakistani cabinet (AFP) AFP - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf swore in a 32-member cabinet headed by newly elected Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, officials said.


Without crucial feature, what will new Windows do? (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Microsoft's next version of Windows, due in 2006, is code-named Longhorn. Last week, after Microsoft said it is postponing what would've been the most profound new feature of Longhorn, the tech comedians started calling the coming operating system Shorthorn.


Stocks Seen Flat; Data, NY Protests Eyed  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks looked to open flat on  Wednesday as investors await Friday's job figures and stay  cautious as concerns loom about potential disruptions to the  Republican party's convention in New York this week.


Before-the-Bell: SuperGen Shares Soar  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of SuperGen Inc. SUPG.O  jumped more than 24 percent in trading before the market opened  on Wednesday after MGI Pharma Inc. MOGN.O said it would take  a \$40 million stake in the company as part of a cancer drug  license deal.


Henin-Hardenne Shakes Off Teen at U.S Open (AP) AP - Her credentials are impeccable  #151; No. 1 player in the world, winner of the Olympic gold medal. And yet, there were moments Tuesday at the U.S. Open when Justine Henin-Hardenne was in trouble, challenged by a teenager who had never played in a Grand Slam event before.


Drug Companies Wooing GOP Pols at RNC (AP) AP - The pharmaceutical industry, fighting to defeat proposals that would give U.S. patients easier access to cheaper Canadian drugs, is making the most of its chance for face time with lawmakers at the GOP convention.


Stocks to Watch Wednesday  The drug company's experimental treatment for Alzheimer's  failed to prove effective in a big clinical trial. The stock  closed Tuesday at \$45.85 on the New York Stock Exchange before  falling 10 percent in after-hours trading following release of  the trial results.


Oil Rebounds After 8-Day Slide on Blaze  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Wednesday, stemming  an eight-session slide that has dragged prices down 14 percent  from record highs as news emerged of a fresh pipeline fire in  Iraq.


Rocket Launches with U.S. Security Satellite (Reuters) Reuters - The last Atlas 2 rocket was\launched on Tuesday, putting a national security satellite into\orbit after four days of delays caused mostly by stormy\weather.


Senegalese Fight Locusts with Smoke and Sticks (Reuters) Reuters - Residents burned tires and\children took to the streets with sticks in Senegal's capital\on Wednesday to fight an invasion of locusts, as 12 West\African nations agreed on a battle plan.


Mortgage Applications Ease in Aug 27 Week  NEW YORK (Reuters) - New applications for U.S. home loans  eased last week for the second week in a row even though  30-year mortgage interest rates decreased slightly, an industry  group said on Wednesday.


Seven Foreign Truckers Freed in Iraq; France Anxious  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic militants freed seven truck  drivers from India, Kenya and Egypt held hostage in Iraq for  six weeks, offering a ray of hope Wednesday to a dozen other  foreign nationals still in captivity.


Boston Scientific Outlook Trails Views  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Boston Scientific Corp. BSX.N, whose  Taxus heart device has been involved in a major recall, said on  Wednesday preliminary August sales of the device slowed to \$200  million from \$207 million reported in July, and issued an  outlook that was below Wall Street estimates.


Pakistan Says 'Important' Al Qaeda Men Arrested  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces have  arrested two "important" al Qaeda operatives, including an  Egyptian, a senior official said on Wednesday.


Kuwait Firm Says Its Truckers Held in Iraq Freed  KUWAIT (Reuters) - A Kuwaiti company with seven truck  drivers held captive in Iraq said Wednesday that they have been  freed by their captors.


Dollar Struggles Above Recent Lows  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar struggled on Wednesday to  move away from the previous day's six-week lows versus the yen  and a one-week trough against the euro brought on by weak U.S.  data, but caution remained high ahead of other key releases.


Leading Iranian Dissident Demands Trial by Jury  TEHRAN (Reuters) - A top Iranian dissident demanded trial  by jury Wednesday, refusing to be tried by one Hardline judge  on charges including "acting against state security."


Pope Appeals for Iraq Hostages; French Cling to Hope  DOHA (Reuters) - Pope John Paul, echoing appeals by Muslim  leaders, called Wednesday for the release of two French  journalists held hostage in Iraq as France's foreign minister  pressed on with a Middle East rescue mission.


Last Chance for N.Irish Deal as Fresh Talks Open  BELFAST (Reuters) - Talks billed as the last chance to save  Northern Ireland's 1998 Good Friday peace agreement began on  Wednesday with the end of the IRA guerrilla group as one of  their prime aims.


Milosevic Blasts His Trial as 'Pure Farce'  THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Former Yugoslav President Slobodan  Milosevic condemned his war crimes trial as a "pure farce" on  Wednesday in a defiant finish to his opening defense statement  against charges of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.


Industry Advocates Play Key Convention Roles When Juan Jose Perez, an Ohio delegate, formally placed George W. Bush's name in nomination for president Monday, two men stood by to make sure there were no mistakes.


Senegalese Fight Locusts with Smoke and Sticks  DAKAR, Senegal (Reuters) - Residents burned tires and  children took to the streets with sticks in Senegal's capital  on Wednesday to fight an invasion of locusts, as 12 West  African nations agreed on a battle plan.


Mitsubishi chiefs deny cover up The Japanese car maker and three former executives plead not guilty to charges of covering up a truck defect in an official report.


Octopus Doesn't Give Up on Motherhood (AP) AP - IN AN OCTOPUS'S NURSERY: Aurora, a female giant octopus who hit it off with an elderly male of the species at the Alaska Sealife Center in May, had been tending thousands of eggs ever since. Her sweetheart, J-1, died in September.


Botswana strikers 'being evicted' A union claims that strikers at Botswana's biggest diamond firm are  being evicted from their company-owned homes.


Blast victim sues German agency A five-year-old victim of a Tunisian bomb attack brings a case against  Europe's biggest travel agency, TUI.


Reverse rout in Bronx makes us wonder As opening statements go, this was something along the lines of the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and JFK's inaugural address. In the first true  quot;big quot; game of the season -- the series opener against the potential playoff foes from Anaheim on the very eve of September -- the Red Sox batted around and put a 4-0 lead on the board ...


Start spreading the boos: Yankees absorb worst loss NEW YORK -- With an epic defeat, the New York Yankees' hold on first place in the American League East became increasingly tenuous.


Bookie profits from punters' woes Irish bookmaker Paddy Power reports a dramatic jump in interim profits after punters' fortunes take a turn for the worse.


Angels have some high hopes Several Angels offered only cliches last night when asked about the baseball season entering the home stretch. But others were more candid about their important series at Fenway Park. When asked if facing Boston at a time when it was playing its best ball of the season represented a welcome challenge, an incredulous look came across the face of Anaheim ...


U.S. Firmly Anti-Kyoto as U.N. Climate Talks Start (Reuters) Reuters - The United States\showed no signs of budging in its opposition to the Kyoto\protocol Monday as U.N. climate change talks began, a month\after President Bush's reelection and Russia's ratification of\the agreement.


A great eight for Harden, A's Rich Harden pitched seven solid innings, helping the Oakland A's extend their winning streak to eight games with a 7-2 win over the White Sox last night in Chicago.


Windows update prompts problems The key security update for Windows XP looks set to cause trouble for thousands of firms reveals a survey.


Nixon is still in Garciaparra's corner Among other things left behind by Nomar Garciaparra is his summer baseball camp at Stonehill College, but another member of the Red Sox already has plans to take over next year.


Attackers storm Russian school Armed men and women seize a secondary school in southern Russia, taking up to 200 pupils hostage.


Miller release puts it up in air Options, options. Will the Patriots enter the season with Rohan Davey and Kliff Kingsbury as their backup quarterbacks or will they wait for Jim Miller , whom they released yesterday, to get ready and then re-sign him? Will they sign a quarterback if one is released in the next few days or trade for one?


Milosevic says Serbs not guilty Ex-Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic denies Serbs committed war crimes he is accused of orchestrating.


Raiders' Woodson signs to end holdout Charles Woodson signed the Oakland Raiders' one-year tender for \$8.782 million yesterday, rejoining the team after a 33-day holdout.


Foreign truckers released in Iraq Militants in Iraq have freed seven foreign lorry drivers held hostage for more than a month, their employer says.


Thornton's game: It's improving On Monday, reporters were speculating about whether Bruins captain Joe Thornton would be odd man out for Team Canada in last night's World Cup matchup against Team USA at the Bell Centre because of the amount of talent on the roster. But Thornton knew something they didn't. During an on-ice meeting with coach Pat Quinn during practice that ...


Rookie is here to stay In the Deutsche Bank field of 156 golfers, many are well-known, but a lot are far removed from the spotlight. Meet another of those unheralded golfers -- PGA Tour rookie Zach Johnson. He won the BellSouth Classic in April and ranks 23d on the money list, but he's hardly a household name. Yet.


Rugby: Woodward to quit England England coach Sir Clive Woodward says he will hand in his resignation on Wednesday.


Kenya seeks 'miracle baby' pastor Kenyan police seek the extradition of a UK-based evangelist over an alleged child-smuggling ring.


Catholic Conference capsules BC HIGH Coach: Jim Cotter (41st year, 232-139-17). Last year's record: 4-7. Returning starters (8): Chris Marinelli, TE/DT, 6-7, 275, Sr.; Jack Shields, QB, 6-6, 225, Jr.; Dan Capeless, FB, 5-11, 190, Jr.; Joe Hobin, OG, 6-0, 210, Sr.; Mike Cannon, OG, 6-1, 210, Sr.; Ryan Cooney, WB/FS, 6-2, 195, Sr.; Mariano Beecher, CB, 5-9, 165, Sr.; Matt Fopiano, NG, ...


Greater Boston League capsules ARLINGTON Coach: Rob DiLoreto (third year, 9-11). Last year's record: 4-6. Returning starters (12): Jay McGrath, C, 6-0, 260, Sr.; Michael O'Loughlin, RB, 5-11, 185, Sr.; Moses Ortiz, TE, 6-1 215, Sr.; Jordan Cooper, SE, 6-3, 195, Sr.; Neil Rainford, RB, 5-10, 210, Sr.; Michael Talarico, RB, 6-0, 195, Jr.; Peter Samko, OG, 5-9, 255, Jr.; Josh Vest, DL, 6-0, ...


Fidelity slashes index-fund fees Fidelity Investments pays its mutual fund managers handsomely to do one thing: outsmart the stock market.


Today's schedule Amateur baseball: Yawkey League playoffs -- Somerville vs. South Boston at Ronan Park, Dorchester, 7:30 p.m.


No easy answers It was the final Saturday morning in August in this North Shore town, the kind of day made for yard sales or packing off to the beach with the kids. But as the brilliant sun poured through the stained-glass windows of St. Richard Church, hundreds had come to say goodbye to Tim Harbert, a husband, a father of ...


'Cards' stacked for US It's called the US Open, and though fewer than a fifth of the competitors this year are US-born, it's not because the US Tennis Association hasn't tried to get more Americans. All 16 of the wild cards in men's and women's singles were awarded to Americans, even at the expense of the men's NCAA champion, Benjamin Becker ...


Transactions BASEBALL Atlanta (NL): Optioned P Roman Colon to Greenville (Southern); recalled OF Dewayne Wise from Richmond (IL). Boston (AL): Purchased C Sandy Martinez from Cleveland (AL) and assigned him to Pawtucket (IL). Cleveland (AL): Recalled OF Ryan Ludwick from Buffalo (IL). Chicago (NL): Acquired OF Ben Grieve from Milwaukee (NL) for player to be named and cash; acquired C Mike ...


Consumer confidence plummets Consumers' renewed worries about job prospects led to a bigger-than-expected drop in confidence in August and provided more evidence of the fragility of the economic expansion.


Cubs trade for Grieve and DiFelice The Chicago Cubs made a pair of trades yesterday, getting outfielder Ben Grieve from the Milwaukee Brewers for cash and a player to be named and backup catcher Mike DiFelice from the Detroit Tigers for a player to be named. Grieve, 28, hit .261 with seven home runs and 29 RBIs in 108 games for Milwaukee. He is a career ...


Oil prices slide despite Iraq uncertainty The price of oil slid toward \$42 a barrel yesterday despite confusion about the status of Iraqi exports, indicating the market has become less worried about the global balance of supply and demand.


Greeks still carry a torch for the Olympics The regulars at the Thessalia Grill on Skiathou Street had waited all month for Panagiotis Tsimbidas to open his doors, which had been closed because of his annual August vacation and the unexpected heart problems of his elderly father-in-law.


TechTarget hires 2 IDG executives The rivalry between TechTarget Inc., an upstart Needham technology publisher, and the giant International Data Group intensified as TechTarget hired away two key IDG executives. Maryfran Johnson, longtime editor of the IDG publication Computerworld, and Joseph Levy, who headed the company's CXO Media group, are joining TechTarget to launch publications. ''Right now we're not revealing what we're working on, quot; said ...


Fallon arrested in fixing probe Champion jockey Kieren Fallon is among 16 people arrested over allegations of horse race fixing.


State eyes 9.3 auto-rate hike In what Governor Mitt Romney hopes will be a regulatory swan song, Massachusetts officials yesterday began hearing testimony on rate increases sought by the state's automobile insurers and agents that would boost the average premium of drivers next year by 9.3 percent, to \$1,183.


Analysts expect drop in stent sales Boston Scientific Corp. may forecast a drop in third-quarter sales of its Taxus heart stent after three recalls cut demand for the device, the company's top-selling product.


Scientists track incoming probe The Genesis spaceprobe with its cargo of solar wind particles is just a week away from reaching Earth.


Passion sells 2.4m copies on DVD The Passion of the Christ sells 2.4 million copies on DVD in its first few hours on sale in the US.


Video said to show slaying of 12 hostages BAGHDAD -- A gruesome video posted on a website purportedly showed militants beheading a Nepalese worker and shooting 11 others in the first mass slaying of foreign hostages during the Iraqi insurgency.


16 killed in suicide bombings in Israel BEERSHEBA, Israel -- Palestinian suicide bombers blew up two passenger buses in near-simultaneous explosions yesterday afternoon along the main thoroughfare of this southern Israeli city, killing 16 people and shattering a five-month lull in suicide attacks inside the Jewish state.


China, Taiwan lauded for canceling exercises WASHINGTON -- The State Department welcomed yesterday steps by China and Taiwan to ease tensions by curtailing long-planned military exercises. Taiwan canceled a major live-fire military exercise shortly after Beijing reportedly called off massive war games near Taiwan.  quot;We welcome and encourage all these steps that are being taken by Taiwan and the People's Republic of China to reduce tensions, quot; ...


US bombs militants by Afghan village KABUL, Afghanistan -- US warplanes bombed an Afghan village in the heat of a battle between US-led forces and insurgents, killing more than a dozen people and striking the camp of a Danish relief group.


In India, some farmers benefiting from a cyber-revolution BANGALORE, India -- For three generations, two families have fought over an acre of farmland in an arid stretch of southern India, each waving documents to support its claim.


Communism, capitalism forge throngs in Bucharest BUCHAREST, Romania -- No parking spaces. Crippling traffic jams. Sky-high rents. Is this London, Rome, or Athens? No, it's Bucharest, where communism and capitalism have conspired to make it Europe's most crowded capital.


Illegal migrants' Social Security payments out of reach MEXICO CITY -- For the 14 years he worked as an undocumented migrant in the United States, Carmelo Rivera saw up to \$30 deducted each week from the \$300 to \$500 he earned as a vineyard worker. The deductions were supposed to pay for his retirement.


11 Kurds killed in Turkey clashes ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish commandos killed 11 Kurds in three days of battles in the mountains bordering Iraq, one of the biggest offensives against the autonomy-seeking rebels in five years, authorities said yesterday. The government didn't rule out bolstering its forces in northern Iraq.


Despite stigma, Indian film focuses on growing HIV epidemic BOMBAY -- In the fantasy world of Indian film, Shilpa Shetty is a reigning princess, a lissome 29-year-old with a talent for twirling across Alpine meadows, muscle-bound suitors in tow. Serious drama? Well, it's Bollywood, after all.


Armed Attackers Seize School in Russia Heavily armed insurgents, some with explosives strapped to their bodies, seized a school in southern Russia today and herded scores of people into its gymnasium.


Kidnappers in Iraq Free Seven Truckers KUWAIT CITY - Seven employees of a Kuwaiti trucking company who had been kidnapped in Iraq are free and headed to Kuwait, a company spokeswoman told The Associated Press Wednesday.   "They are all fine, in good health...


Stock Futures Indecisive in Early Going NEW YORK - U.S. stock futures were indecisive early Wednesday despite Republican convention speaker Arnold Schwarzenegger's scolding of "economic girlie men."   Dow Jones futures were down 1 point recently, while Nasdaq futures fell 2.50 point and S P futures rose 0.30 of a point...


Butterfly Ballot Designer Loses Election WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The county election supervisor whose confusing ballot design contributed to the turmoil of the 2000 presidential election became the butt of late-night talk show jokes and the target of death threats...


1-Day Figures Due for 'Passion' DVD Sales LOS ANGELES - Total one-day sales figures were expected Wednesday for the DVD of Mel Gibson's biblical epic "The Passion of the Christ," which has already sold about 2.4 million copies.   "We think a lot of the consumers will be going in after work to pick it up," said Steve Feldstein, spokesman for Fox Home Entertainment, which is distributing the DVD...


Talks to End Fighting in Baghdad Stall BAGHDAD, Iraq - Talks to end fighting between U.S. forces and Shiite militants in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City have stalled, with the government refusing militant demands for American troops to keep out of the troubled district, negotiators for the militants said Wednesday...


Hundreds Held Hostage in Russia School MOSCOW - Attackers wearing suicide-bomb belts seized a school in a Russian region bordering Chechnya on Wednesday and were holding hundreds of hostages, including 200 children. The assault came a day after a suicide bomber killed 10 people in Moscow...


Cheney Due to Lash Into Kerry in Speech NEW YORK - Vice President Dick Cheney was stepping up to denounce Democrat John Kerry's "confusion of conviction" after President Bush formally won the Republican nomination for a second term in a carefully choreographed GOP convention roll call.    The second day of the convention brought out thousands of protesters who set out on a march to the convention site, getting in the way of a busload of delegates and engaging in shouting matches with officers around Manhattan...


West Bank City Closed Off After Blasts JERUSALEM - Israeli troops closed off a West Bank city and Palestinian militants celebrated after Hamas blew up two buses, seconds apart, in the desert town of Beersheba, killing 16 Israelis and ending a months-long lull in suicide attacks.    The twin bombings shattered hopes in Israel that the period of suicide attacks - more than 100 in four years - was over...


Hundreds Held Hostage in Russia School MOSCOW - Armed attackers, some wearing suicide-bomb belts, seized a school Wednesday in a Russian region bordering Chechnya and were holding hundreds of children and adults hostage, news reports said. The assault came a day after a suicide bomber killed 10 people in Moscow...


Terrorists Storm School in Southern Russia Armed terrorists stormed a school in southern Russia near the separatist region of Chechnya Wednesday morning, taking hostage more than a hundred students, teachers and parents after a shootout with local police, authorities said.


Vote Swaps Revamped for 2004 If you'd like to vote for a third-party candidate, but don't want to cost the Democrats or Republicans the election, take heart. Sites are cropping up to allow voters in swing states to swap votes with people in non-swing states. By Joanna Glasner.


Rockies release Neagle Denny Neagle's second run-in with the law in a little more than a year cost him his job with the Colorado Rockies.


Countdown to download chart debut The UK music industry launches its first official download chart on BBC Radio 1 on Wednesday evening.


Silver surfers' cyber caf award Pensioners celebrate after their internet caf is chosen as one of the world's best places to surf the internet.


Web romance 'fuels divorce rise' Websites which reunite old flames may be contributing to the highest UK divorce rate for seven years.


Ringleader Pleads  Guilty in Internet Drug Sale Scheme The leader of a ring that sold weight-loss drugs and other controlled substances over the Internet pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge yesterday even as he defended his business and insisted that he never intended to harm patients.


Just Keep Clicking From digital video cameras on the sidelines to Sony PlayStation 2s in the locker room, technology is changing the way coaches and players prepare for games.


New Front: Recording of Digital Broadcasts Technologies that let people record satellite and Internet radio broadcasts digitally are opening a new front in the recording industry's war on music piracy.


Nintendo Cuts Price on Game Boy Advance Nintendo Co. has permanently slashed prices on its Game Boy Advance SP portable video game system as the company tries to entrench its No. 1 position in the handheld game market.


Philly Considers Wireless Internet for All For about \$10 million, city officials believe they can turn all 135 square miles of Philadelphia into the world's largest wireless Internet hot spot.


ISS Astronauts Prepare for Another Spacewalk NASA -- International Space Station Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke will replace and install equipment during their fourth and final Expedition 9 spacewalk.     Some of that equipment, three new antennas, will help guide the new Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) to its first docking to the Station late next year...


U.S. Dietary Panel May Green-Light Desserts, Treats By E.J. Mundell, HealthDay Reporter    HealthDayNews -- The new federal dietary formula may offer sweet rewards for following its guidelines, an idea that's not settling well with nutritionists...


Nearly Pain-Free Surgery Becoming More Common Doctors say patients timid about having surgeries for fear of pain shouldn't put it off: A new focus on patient comfort and advances in pain management are making many procedures nearly pain-free.


Drug Companies Wooing GOP Politicians at RNC By SHARON THEIMER    NEW YORK (AP) -- The pharmaceutical industry, fighting to defeat proposals that would give U.S. patients easier access to cheaper Canadian drugs, is making the most of its chance for face time with lawmakers at the GOP convention...


Scientists Praise New Cholesterol Test By EMMA ROSS    MUNICH, Germany (AP) -- A simple test that scrutinizes bad cholesterol more closely may more reliably predict who is going to have a heart attack, new research indicates.    The current test measures total cholesterol and the breakdown of good HDL and bad LDL cholesterol...


Health Highlights: Aug. 31, 2004 Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:    -----       ACE Inhibitors Protect Artery Lining      Blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors not only lower blood pressure but also improve the health of artery walls, says an Italian study that reveals exactly how the drugs help protect people against heart attacks.      It's long been suspected that there had to be something else besides the ability of ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors to lower blood pressure to explain their benefit to patients...


Software maker targets remote access market Among new products from 3am Labs is a free tool for accessing a PC via any device with a browser.


Organizers shun wireless for GOP convention network NEW YORK -- The IT planners began working 18 months ago, evaluating the buildings that would contain 4,800 delegates and twice as many journalists at this week's Republican National Convention in New York. From the start, they agreed on one major infrastructure issue: No wireless.


Veritas buys KVault Software in \$225M deal Storage and backup application vendor Veritas Software Corp. is acquiring e-mail archiving vendor KVault Software Ltd. (KVS) to bolster its offerings to customers.


Dell to introduce its first color laser printers Dell Inc. is expected to add a splash of color to its laser printer lineup Wednesday with three new models for businesses and home-office users.


Logitech launches laser-tracking mouse SAN FRANCISCO - Logitech Inc. was set Wednesday to introduce a new mouse that uses a laser beam to track the movements of the device. The mouse, which Logitech claims will be the first such laser-tracking device, provides end users with better click-and-point capabilities than traditional LED- (light-emitting diode) based optical mice, according to company officials.


Building a Global Phone If a technology currently in development pans out, one handset could work on multiple cellular networks.


Tech.gov: Can Anything Stem the Spyware Tide? Spyware problems continue to rise. Congress is stepping up to the plate--but will its efforts be more effective than CAN-SPAM?


New Tech Front: Recording of Digital Broadcasts Technologies that let people record satellite and Internet radio broadcasts digitally are opening a new front in the recording industry's war on music piracy. This has given the music industry a new problem to worry about.


Republican Convention Wiring a Mix of Technologies By ANICK JESDANUN    NEW YORK (AP) -- The wiring at the Republican National Convention is rich enough to download the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in roughly 30 seconds. More noteworthy, though, is what the gathering lacks: Wi-Fi wireless networks for Internet access...


New Computer Mouse to Use Sensor Based on Laser By MAY WONG    SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Forget about a better mousetrap...


Nintendo Cuts Price on Game Boy Advance System By MATT SLAGLE    DALLAS (AP) -- Nintendo Co. has permanently slashed prices on its Game Boy Advance SP portable video game system as the company tries to entrench its No...


Philadelphia Considers Wireless Internet for All By DAVID B. CARUSO    PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- For about \$10 million, city officials believe they can turn all 135 square miles of Philadelphia into the world's largest wireless Internet hot spot...


UPDATE 1-Before the Bell-Boston Scientific falls Shares of Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) slid more than 3 percent in premarket trading on Wednesday after reporting that sales of its Taxus stent slowed


Albertsons #39; profit falls 36 percent Albertsons Inc., the No. 2 US supermarket chain, said second-quarter profit dropped 36 percent after the Boise, Idaho-based company slashed prices to attract shoppers lost during a strike in Southern California.


Hain Celestial #39;s Earnings Meet Estimates MELVILLE, NY - The Hain Celestial Group #39;s earnings matched analysts #39; estimates for the latest quarter, and the natural food company said it expects improved earnings because of price increases and recent acquisitions.


Nintendo cuts price on Game Boy Advance Nintendo Co. has permanently slashed prices on its Game Boy Advance SP portable video game system as the company tries to entrench its No.


UPDATE 1-England win toss, elect to field v India England won the toss and elected to field in the first one-day international against India at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. The home side handed a debut to all rounder Alex Wharf, who


Milosevic Calls his Trial  #39;A Farce #39; Slobodan Milosevic attacked a prosecution theory that he sought to carve out an ethnically pure greater Serbia in the broken Yugoslav federation, and branded the war crimes indictments against him a sheer mutilation of justice.


Thatcher agrees to pay bail for son in S. Africa: report Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher agreed to pay the 165,000-pound bail (about 297,000 US dollars) required to release her son Mark Thatcher from house arrest in


Darfur rebels release aid workers held hostages, no word on 22 <b>...</b> NAIROBI : Rebels in Darfur released six aid workers taken hostage over the weekend, aid agencies said, but there was still no word on the fate of 22 other health workers missing in the war-ravaged western Sudanese region.


Have 25 Years of Progress Helped? At this year's Ars Electronica, the largest annual festival of technology and art, organizers are focusing on a simple question: Have the technological advancements of the last quarter century helped or hurt us? By Michelle Delio.


Site Tracks Political Zeitgeist With 24-hour-a-day talk on all things political, the web is the ultimate gauge of public thinking. A new site seeks to capture up-to-the-minute buzz with an index of the most authoritative political bloggers. Commentary by Adam L. Penenberg.


Segwaying Across the Country Bidding his desk job goodbye, a web designer is taking his Segway scooter on a cross-country trek from Seattle to Boston. Friends are documenting the 10-mile-per-hour trip along the way. By Rachel Metz.


Scientific Method Man Gordon Rugg cracked the 400-year-old mystery of the Voynich manuscript. Next up: everything from Alzheimer's to the origins of the universe. By Joseph D'Agnese from Wired magazine.


Astronomers: More Earths Likely Two separate teams of astronomers find Neptune-size planets beyond our solar system. Earth-like planets are just around the corner, they say. By Amit Asaravala.


Florida Says E-Vote Primary A-OK The touch-screen voting machines used in 15 Florida counties appear to work smoothly during the state's primary election Tuesday.


Paris Says Bonjour to New IMac Apple introduces a new flat-screen iMac in Paris that looks more like an iPod than a Luxo-lamp. Starting at \$1,300, the new model has Parisian Mac nuts saying 'oui.'


3 Planets Are Found Close in Size to Earth, Making Scientists Think 'Life' A trio of newly discovered worlds are much smaller than any other planets previously discovered outside of the solar system.


New iMac Makes Debut a Bit Later Than Apple Hoped Apple Computer introduced an updated version of its iMac home computer with a minimalist all-in-one system that hides the computer's internal components inside a flat-panel L.C.D. display.


Recording of Digital Broadcasts Is New Frontier Technologies that let people record satellite and Internet radio broadcasts digitally are opening a new front in the recording industry's war on music piracy.


Video Game Sales Seen Pausing After Record 2003 Video game sales soared to a record \$18.2 billion last year, but the days of strong growth are on pause as players await a new generation of consoles.


First Look: Rio's Hot New Carbon MP3 Player (PC World) PC World - Supersleek 5GB digital audio player is set to challenge Apple's IPod Mini.


Brazil slashes Mozambique's debt Brazilian president Lula da Silva says his government will cancel 95 - or \$332m - of the debt owed to it by Mozambique.


Dow Average Futures Fall; Forest Labs Declines, Guidant Rises Dow Jones Industrial Average futures declined amid concern an upcoming report on manufacturing may point to slowing economic growth.


Nintendo cuts Game Boy Advance price Japanese videogame maker Nintendo Co Ltd said on Wednesday it would cut the price of its handheld videogame console Game Boy Advance SP by 21.


House Prices Stall The Bank of England has applied the brakes, and the UK housing juggernaut is finally juddering to a halt... The latest house price report from the Nationwide confirms that the housing market has pulled out


Man Utd in Rooney admission Manchester United have revealed they had no plans to sign Wayne Rooney until Newcastle made a bid for the striker. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said he had held talks with Everton boss David Moyes about signing


Cubs Get Grieve From Brewers, Backup Catcher From Tigers The Cubs made a pair of trades yesterday, getting OF Ben Grieve from the Brewers and acquiring backup C Mike DiFelice from the Tigers.


Oh No! A Bob Knight Sitcom? The life and times of former Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight could soon be coming to television. The fiery Knight, who now coaches at Texas Tech, met with television officials last month in


Hostage takers at Russian school refuse talks with Islamic leader Hostage takers holding up to 240 people at a school in southern Russia have refused to talk with a top Islamic leader and demanded to meet with regional leaders instead, ITAR-TASS reported on Wednesday.


Software maker launches remote-access tools Among new products from 3am Labs is a free tool for accessing a PC via any device with a browser.


European Shares Start Little Changed (Reuters) Reuters - European shares started little changed\on Tuesday, weighed by the dollar's fall to a new record low\against the euro, and a rise in oil prices, while French\insurer Scor fell on worries over a WTC jury decision.


Boston Scientific sinks on forecast Boston Scientific Corp. said Wednesday it expects overall third-quarter sales will miss analyst expectations as preliminary August sales of its Taxus heart device, which was involved in


Little sign of new jobs created in Europe BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The euro zone continues to experience a jobless recovery, with no indication that new jobs are being created after more than a year of generally sluggish economic growth.


Singapore economy may grow by 8 despite high oil prices Despite higher oil prices, the Singapore government on Wednesday keeps its economic growth forecast of 8 percent to 9 percent for this year, and growth of 3 percent to 5 percent for next year.


SCO Posts Q3 Loss as Legal Costs Mount Unix vendor SCO Group (Quote, Chart), in the midst of copyright infringement lawsuits over parts of Linux, reported a net loss of \$7.


Will internet cafs survive 10 more years? As the internet caf celebrates its 10th birthday, what future does it face as net access at home becomes an everyday reality for more and more people?


Israel bombs Palestinian areas, targets Hamas Jerusalem, Sept 1. (PTI): Vowing to fight terrorism with  quot;all the might quot;, Israel today launched a military offensive against the Palestinian Hamas militant group destroying the house of a man involved in yesterday #39;s suicide attacks that left 16 dead.


Keyword Trademark Infringements Search Engine Keyword Trademark Infringements\\On May 19, 2004, auto insurance company Geico sued Google and Overture for allegedly violating its trademarks in search-related advertisements, in the latest legal salvo against the Internet companies.\\The insurer charged the two companies with infringing on its trademarks when they sold them as keywords to ...


Iran Poses Vexing Problems for U.S. (AP) AP - Suspected of seeking nuclear weapons and sponsoring terrorism, Iran could prove to be the biggest foreign policy challenge for the winner of the presidential election.


eBay Bids for the Rest of S.Korean Arm (Reuters) Reuters - eBay Inc.  offered about  #36;530\million to buy the remainder of South Korean affiliate Internet\Auction Co. Ltd. as it pushes deeper into Asia, saying key\shareholders had accepted a 79 percent increase to an earlier\offer.


eBay Bids for the Rest of S.Korean Arm  SEOUL (Reuters) - eBay Inc. EBAY.O offered about \$530  million to buy the remainder of South Korean affiliate Internet  Auction Co. Ltd. as it pushes deeper into Asia, saying key  shareholders had accepted a 79 percent increase to an earlier  offer.


Omnicare Extends Offer for NeighborCare  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Omnicare Inc. OCR.N said on  Wednesday it extended its \$30 a share all cash offer for all  the outstanding shares of NeighborCare Inc. NCRX.O.


Pakistan Says It Arrests 'Important' Al Qaeda Men  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces have  arrested two important al Qaeda operatives, including an  Egyptian and a Saudi national, officials said Wednesday.


Need for carbon sink technologies Climate scientists tell a Stockholm conference that greater efforts should be made to pull CO2 from the atmosphere.


Holy DVD! <i>The Passion of the Christ</i> is a hot DVD, even if the film studios were cast as doubting Thomas' understudies.


Hurricane Creeps Toward Southeastern U.S. MIAMI - A menacing Hurricane Frances, packing 140 mph wind, crept closer Wednesday to the southeastern United States, and forecasters said Florida - still cleaning up after Charley - was at risk for another hurricane strike as soon as Friday.    As Frances closed on the Bahamas, it was expected to fluctuate in intensity and could become a Category 5 storm with winds of 156 mph or higher, said Jamie Rhome, a meteorologist with the National Hurricane Center in Miami...


Cheney to Lash Into Kerry in N.Y. Speech NEW YORK - Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday was stepping up to denounce Democrat John Kerry's "confusion of conviction" after President Bush formally won the Republican nomination for a second term in a carefully choreographed GOP convention roll call.    Tuesday night, before a roaring audience of delegates, Bush was lauded by his wife, Laura, and California Gov...


Government launches sale of 9.6 per cent stake in France Telecom France launched the sale of at least 9.6 per cent of France Telecom, a move that could raise up to \$7.1 billion US that will be used to help the French government reduce its national debt.


Hitachi, Matsushita, Toshiba in Venture Japan #39;s Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Toshiba Corp. struck a deal to jointly make displays for flat-screen televisions, starting as early as July 2006, the companies said Tuesday.


Race-fixing probe nets 16 SIXTEEN people, including champion jockey Kieren Fallon, were arrested today in a major investigation into alleged fixing of horse races in Britain, police and news reports said.


No reason to jump for joy It was another head-scratching turn in a Giants season in which no good deed seems to go unpunished. Brett Tomko got his eighth win Tuesday night, a 9-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies that lifted the Giants


Seven Hostages Freed In Iraq 1 September 2004 -- Seven employees of a Kuwaiti firm taken hostage in Iraq on 21 July were freed today. Spokeswoman Rana Abu-Zaineh of the Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company confirmed that the three Kenyans


Nepal shocked by hostage murders The news that 12 Nepalese hostages in Iraq have been killed has shocked everyone in the country. Ever since the first images of the hostages pleading for their lives was aired on television


UK expertise 'at risk from cuts' Gordon Brown's Whitehall cuts risk damaging the UK's ability to deal with key scientific problems, a trade union says.


Boston Scientific Outlook Trails Views Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , whose Taxus heart device has been involved in a major recall, said on Wednesday preliminary August sales of the device slowed


Mitsubishi Pleads Not Guilty to Cover-Up TOKYO Sept. 1, 2004 - Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and three former executives pleaded not guilty Wednesday to falsifying data on a vehicle defect that caused a wheel to fly off a truck and kill a pedestrian, the company said.


eBay Opens Wallet in Korea That #39;s a lesson leveraged for tens of millions of dollars by minority investors in Internet Auction Co., the South Korean Internet site that eBay controls and tried to take private last year.


Friends site  #39;helps swell divorce rate #39; The popularity of Friends Reunited and other internet websites was today blamed for helping to fuel a rise in divorces. Leading counselling group Relate said the growing number of cases in which people met


Top jockey Kieren Fallon arrested Champion jockey Kieren Fallon is among 16 people arrested in an investigation into corruption within horse racing, sources said. Two other jockeys and a trainer were also held in the probe into alleged race fixing.


Boston Red Sox Team Report - September 1 (Sports Network) - The red-hot Boston Red Sox hope to continue rolling as they continue their three-game set with the Anaheim Angels this evening at Fenway Park.


Treasuries Up; Economy's Strength Doubted (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. Treasury debt prices rose on\Wednesday, building on the previous two sessions' gains as\doubts about the economic outlook and how much the Federal\Reserve will be able to raise interest rates persisted.


U.N.: No Clear Arms Evidence on Iran Nuclear Program (Reuters) Reuters - United Nations inspectors have found\no clear evidence of a nuclear arms program in Iran, according\to an upcoming report by the International Atomic Energy Agency\cited on Wednesday in The Washington Post.


Kidnappers in Iraq Free Seven Truckers (AP) AP - A militant group in Iraq on Wednesday released seven foreign truck drivers they had held hostage for six weeks after dropping nearly all their demands, while Muslims united behind calls for the release of two French journalists captured by a separate group demanding that France revoke a controversial head scarf law.


India rocked by Harmison and Wharf (AFP) AFP - Stephen Harmison took a hat-trick as India were bowled out for a meagre 170 in the first one-day international of a three-game series at Trent Bridge here.


L'Oreal Profits Paint Pretty Picture  PARIS (Reuters) - L'Oreal, the world's biggest cosmetic  group, reported a 6.3 percent rise in first-half earnings on  Wednesday helped by a contribution from drugmaker Sanofi, and  confirmed it was aiming for a 20th straight year of  double-digit profit growth.


Stocks Open Lower as Oil Climbs  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks opened lower on Wednesday  with oil prices rebounding on fresh supply disruptions and  investors cautious before Friday's jobs figures amid concerns  of possible attacks and disruptions to the Republican party's  convention in New York.


Update 1: Ford Reports Sales Drop, Cuts Production General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. reported disappointing US sales Wednesday, prompting the nation #39;s two largest automakers to cut planned vehicle production in the fourth quarter, which could hurt profits.


IMF Chief Urges Argentina to Finish Debt Restructuring Plan The head of the International Monetary Fund has urged Argentina to agree soon to pay private lenders at least part of the \$100 billion in debt the country stopped paying in January 2002.


Boston Scientific #39;s Taxus Sales Rebounded in August (Update2) Boston Scientific Corp., the world #39;s largest maker of heart stents, said US sales of its top-selling Taxus device recovered in August after three recalls led some doctors to stop using the product.


Bill Gates to Upgrade Fun In a revelation that should give late-night comedians two or three days #39; worth of snark fodder, the headlines this morning startled us with the news that the world #39;s


Update 1: Carrefour #39;s Profit Up on Robust Operations Carrefour, the world #39;s No. 2 retailer said Wednesday that its profit increased 5.3 percent in the first half of the year, as robust international operations and lower finance costs helped it ride out tough conditions at its core French superstores.


Pace of US Factory Growth Slows Growth in US factory activity slowed in August as new orders shrank and manufactures were forced to pay higher prices for supplies, a report on Wednesday showed.


Coke is it: BHP coal to double BHP Billiton plans an aggressive \$US1.5-2 billion (\$2.1-2.8 billion) near-doubling of its coking coal production over the next five years to meet the China-inspired surge in demand for carbon steel-making materials through mine expansions and developments


MGM shares jump 7.5 pct; report suggests deal near Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) shares jumped more than 7 percent on Wednesday on a report that a deal to acquire the company for up to \$5 billion could be announced as early as next week.


TransCanada, Petro-Canada to Develop Gas Terminal (Update2) TransCanada Corp., Canada #39;s largest pipeline operator, and oil company Petro-Canada plan to jointly develop aC\$660 million (\$504 million) terminal in Quebec to import liquefied natural gas amid growing demand for the fuel.


Omnicare Extends Offer for NeighborCare Omnicare Inc. (OCR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it extended its \$30 a share all cash offer for all the outstanding shares of NeighborCare Inc.


United Says More Job Cuts Necessary CHICAGO -- United Airlines said Wednesday that it needs to cut more jobs as it works on climbing out of bankruptcy. But the nation #39;s No.


Small planets breathe life into old quest The universe looked a little more familiar and friendlier. The roll call of planets beyond the solar system swelled significantly with the announcement of a trio of newly-discovered worlds much smaller than any previously discovered around other stars.


New iMac Packs Computer into Flat Screen The new iMac, whose basic model is priced at \$1,299 in the United States, is set to ship worldwide in mid-September, Schiller said.


EBay To Take Over Korean Affiliate EBay, the world #39;s largest Internet auction house, is making a purchase of its own, increasing its stake in South Korean affiliate Internet Auction.


SCO Slides Again Picking on SCO Group (Nasdaq: SCOX) is really too easy. Unfortunately, it #39;s also necessary, if only as an ongoing cautionary tale for Foolish investors.


Acer reshuffles execs amid growth Taiwanese PC maker Acer on Wednesday laid out its new executive structure, appointing a European executive as president as it prepares for the retirement of founder Stan Shih.


Microsoft to offer Windows XP security pack at post offices TOKYO - Microsoft Corp said Wednesday it will exploit a network of 25,000 post offices in Japan to provide a free CD-ROM version of Windows XP Service Pack 2 with added security features from Oct 1. The update will help computer users protect their


Veritas Buys KVault for \$225 Million September 1, 2004 -- (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) -- Storage software company Veritas (veritas.com) announced on Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement to acquire email backup company Kvault Software for \$225 million in cash, according to a report by


Cybercafe nets nomination for style A funky Melbourne cybercafe in an Elizabeth Street basement has been named one of the best internet cafes in the world in a survey by search engine company Yahoo.


Nintendo trims Game Boy Advance price Nintendo trimmed the price of its Game Boy Advance player on Wednesday as the company prepared for one of the most serious challenges yet to its dominance of the portable game market.


Final Atlas 2 rocket launches on fifth try A top-secret National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft circles Earth today after rocketing off from Cape Canaveral and away from Hurricane Frances.


Game publisher Acclaim on verge of bankruptcy? Financially troubled game publisher Acclaim Entertainment was expected to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection this week, after laying off more than 600 employees, according to sources closes to the company #39;s management.


AMD Debuts Dual-Core Opteron Processor AMD #39;s new dual-core Opteron chip is designed mainly for corporate computing applications, including databases, Web services, and financial transactions.


Survey: More Hotels Adding Broadband Access A study by the American Hotel  amp; Lodging Association says half of US hotel rooms now offer broadband Internet access. By Eric Chabrow.


Maria dials up big dose of heart Great players do not almost lose to the Laura Granvilles of the women #39;s tour in the first round of the US Open in their first real bow after having won a Wimbledon championship for the ages.


Defense: Prosecution withheld key evidence EAGLE, Colo. -- Attorneys for NBA star Kobe Bryant have asked the judge to dismiss the sexual assault charges against him with opening statements less than a week away, a courts official said Wednesday.


Bertuzzi trial set for new year VANCOUVER - Vancouver Canuck star Todd Bertuzzi will go on trial in Vancouver provincial court on Jan. 17, 2005 for his on-ice attack on another player last season.


Yankees humbled in the Bronx The New York Yankees are comfortably the richest team in baseball. Their \$180m annual wage bill is more than double that of most of their counterparts, and they have many of the game #39;s most luminous stars in their line-up.


Guscott backs Woodward move Former England centre Jeremy Guscott has tipped Sir Clive Woodward to be a success if he does move into football. Woodward resigned as England rugby coach on Wednesday and has been linked with a move to football


Notre Dame #39;s Goolsby eager to return after missing season He sat out the entire frustrating 5-7 season because of what he describes as his own stupidity. He broke his left collarbone in the Gator Bowl to end the 2002 season, then broke it again several months later


Referee D #39;Urso suspended for one month London, England (Sports Network) - The English Football Association #39;s referees committee has suspended Andy D #39;Urso for 28 days, retroactive to August 27 and ending September 23.


Stoops brings new swagger to Arizona Mike Stoops #39; voice boomed over the meeting room, startling sleepy reporters at Pac-10 Media Day and announcing that a little Big 12 swagger was invading the mellow conference.


Indiana town houses NHRA #39;s biggest operations The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the world renowned Indianapolis 500, may be the most famous racing venue in all of motorsports.


Milosevic denounces  #39;mutilation of justice #39; The former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic today told the war crimes tribunal in The Hague that the charges against him were  quot;a mutilation of justice quot;.


Blast at South African Gas Plant Kills 5 An explosion at a South African gas plant has killed five workers and injured at least 100 others. A spokesman for the Sasol energy company says the blast occurred Wednesday at its ethylene plant in the northeastern town of Secunda, Mpumalanga.


Iraq #39;s Chalabi escapes assassination Just after escaping an attempt to kill him on Wednesday, he said an Iraqi court had dropped charges that could have put him in jail.


Two die in Nepal protest against Iraq killings Police in Nepal have shot dead two men after crowds attacked a mosque in the capital, Kathmandu and charged through the streets to protest against the killing of 12 Nepalis in Iraq.


Sikhs Gather to Celebrate 400-Year-Old Holy Book Thousands of Sikhs have gathered in the northern Indian city of Amritsar to mark the 400th anniversary of the installation there of Sikhism #39;s holiest book.


29 N. Koreans seek asylum in Beijing Twenty-nine North Koreans sought asylum Wednesday at a Japanese school in Beijing, hoping to ultimately reach South Korea, the Kyodo news agency reported.


Three killed in Saudi rush for IKEA vouchers Sixteen shoppers were injured on Wednesday at the Sweden-based furniture store opening in Jeddah. Medics revived some 20 customers.


Verizon Starts Selling World Phone to Consumers (Reuters) Reuters - Verizon Wireless said on Wednesday its\stores have begun selling a phone from Samsung Electronics\(005930.KS) that was designed to work on mobile networks around\the world.


U.S. Factory Growth Eases (Reuters) Reuters - Expansion in the U.S. factory sector\slowed in August as higher costs for energy and raw materials\squeezed manufacturers, a report showed on Wednesday, but\analysts said growth remained relatively robust.


Israel Helicopter Fires Missiles at Gaza Refugee Camp (Reuters) Reuters - An Israeli helicopter fired three missiles\at an unknown target in a Gaza refugee camp on Wednesday,\Palestinian witnesses said, one day after militants killed 16\Israelis in bus bombings in southern Israel.


GM, Ford Cut Production; U.S. Sales Fall (Reuters) Reuters - General Motors Corp.  and Ford\Motor Co.  posted weaker U.S. sales for August on\Wednesday and both cut planned fourth-quarter production as\their aging vehicle lineups lost ground to rival Chrysler and\some foreign brands.


Bloggers Blanket Republican Convention (washingtonpost.com) washingtonpost.com - The idea of penning a blog to cover the Republican National Convention isn't so unique after all.


CEOs See More Hiring, Capital Spending (Reuters) Reuters - A quarterly survey of U.S. chief\executives showed they plan to increase hiring and capital\spending, despite recent soft economic data, concerns about\sluggish job growth and high energy prices.


Air Force Cadet Innocent of Steroid Charge (AP) AP - Air Force linebacker Overton Spence was found innocent of drug charges Wednesday after telling a court-martial he thought the steroids he had taken were legal.


Talks Resume in Bid for N. Ireland Gov't (AP) AP - Ten years after the Irish Republican Army's momentous cease-fire, negotiations resumed Wednesday in hope of reviving a Catholic-Protestant administration, an elusive goal of Northern Ireland's hard-fought peace process.


Phil Schiller, analysts discuss the iMac G5 (MacCentral) MacCentral - Apple Computer Inc.'s Senior Vice President of Hardware Product Marketing, Phil Schiller, officially kicked off Apple Expo Paris this week introducing the iMac G5 during his keynote address. Analysts are unanimous in their support for the new consumer machine and the strategic ties Apple has drawn between the iMac and the iPod in marketing the computer.


Final Preseason Game Important for McMahon (AP) AP - Don't tell Mike McMahon the NFL's final exhibitions are meaningless.


Parker spurs San Antonio to superb NBA start (AFP) AFP - Tony Parker sparked a game-opening 17-2 run and the San Antonio Spurs routed Chicago 91-75 here, extending their best start in club history to a National Basketball Association-leading 16-3 record.


Report: Kidd Not Expected Back Until December (Reuters) Reuters - New Jersey Nets guard Jason\Kidd continues to recover from surgery on his left knee and\will reportedly be sidelined until December.


Fidelity Slashes Fees on Index Funds (AP) AP - Leaping into a burgeoning price war with low-cost exchange traded funds, Fidelity Investments has slashed fees on five index mutual funds widely used in group and individual retirement accounts.


Opera Browser Performs for Windows Mobile (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Bowing to the influence of wireless operators and handset makers, Opera Software will deliver its revolutionary \smartphone browser to the\Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system.


Reds Activate Wilson, Larson (AP) AP - The Cincinnati Reds activated right-handed pitcher Paul Wilson and infielder Brandon Larson from the 15-day disabled list Wednesday.


Carrefour's Profit Climbs for First Half (AP) AP - Carrefour, the world's No. 2 retailer said Wednesday that its profit increased 5.3 percent in the first half of the year, as robust international operations and lower finance costs helped it ride out tough conditions at its core French superstores.


SCO Revenue Drops as Lawsuits Take Toll (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - It has been a bad quarter for the SCO Group in more ways than one. \The company experienced legal setbacks in its suit against \IBM and Linux users. Then there was the matter of its one-time stalwart financial backer, BayStar, looking very much as though it might bolt from the relationship at one point, due to differing opinions on SCO's overall strategy.


Accused U.S. Deserter to Turn Himself In (AP) AP - Alleged U.S. Army deserter Charles Robert Jenkins said Wednesday he would surrender to U.S. military authorities to face charges he deserted his post along the demilitarized zone dividing north and south Korea in the 1960s.


Swiss Army Medicine (Forbes.com) Forbes.com - Early last year 61-year-old Judy Norris was ready to stop all treatment and let her cancer run its course. Her kidney tumor, diagnosed in 1997, had spread to her abdomen, pancreas and both lungs. Six months of treatment with toxic interleukin-2, one of the only treatments for advanced kidney cancer, had eroded nerves in her hands and feet, caused frequent vomiting and made her skin peel all over--but did nothing to slow the tumors' relentless growth. In June, in a last-ditch effort to save her life, her oncologist recommended an experimental pill from Pfizer called SU11248. ...


Report: SP2 Problems Impact 10 Percent of Windows XP PCs (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Businesses preparing to implement Windows XP SP2 should brace themselves for problems impacting a significant number of their Windows XP machines, according to research conducted by I.T. infrastructure management firm AssetMetrix.


Mountaineers Prepared to Lead Big East (AP) AP - West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez can't help but notice the buzz on campus.


AMD's Next Rabbit Out of the Hat: Dual Core (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Advanced Micro Devices is making a push to beat Intel in the development of dual core microprocessors based on x86 chips. \On Tuesday, AMD (NYSE: AMD) unveiled a prototype dual-core Opteron processor running in a Hewlett-Packard ProLiant server.


Apple offers iTunes Affiliate Program (MacCentral) MacCentral - Apple on Wednesday introduced the iTunes Affiliate Program. The\program pays 5 percent commissions to affiliate Web sites by offering direct\links to a any song, album or artist on iTunes. Sites who are accepted as\affiliates can download Apple-made marketing materials and are eligible to\apply to the Apple Store Affiliate program as well. And applicants who sign\up through September 15, 2004 are also eligible to win one of five iPod\minis.


China Showcases Space Program (AP) AP - Rising space power China provided a rare peek into its top-secret launch center Wednesday, capitalizing on its recent success in orbit to promote the military-funded project as a lure for foreign investment and a key to growing prosperity.


Kerry Challenges Bush on Terror Policies (AP) AP - In a sharply worded challenge to President Bush, Democratic Sen. John Kerry said Wednesday "extremism has gained momentum" as a result of administration missteps in Iraq, but said the war on terror is a winnable one with the right policies.


Rove: Kerry Tarnished Vietnam Veterans (AP) AP - President Bush's chief strategist said Wednesday that Democratic Sen. John Kerry tarnished "the records and service" of fellow Vietnam veterans with his anti-war protests, and compared the U.S. war on terrorism to the decades-old conflict in Northern Ireland.


Hewitt Makes Impressive Start at U.S. Open  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lleyton Hewitt hit the ground running  after a two-day wait to start his U.S. Open campaign on  Wednesday, racing past experienced South African Wayne Ferreira  6-1, 7-5, 6-4.


AIDS Activists Disrupt Convention Event (AP) AP - AIDS demonstrators disrupted a Republican youth gathering on the floor of the party convention Wednesday, shortly after President Bush's twin daughters left the stage.


Oil Hits \$44 as U.S. Crude Stocks Slide  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices soared to \$44 a barrel on  Wednesday, ending an eight-day streak of losses as a U.S.  government report showed crude oil stocks falling to the lowest  level in five months.


One Small Step as China Opens Space Center (Reuters) Reuters - China\offered a rare glimpse of its manned space flight center\Wednesday, drawing back -- if only slightly -- the veil of\secrecy around China's ambitions in outer space.


GM, Ford Cut Production; U.S. Sales Fall  DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. GM.N and Ford  Motor Co. F.N posted weaker U.S. sales for August on  Wednesday and both cut planned fourth-quarter production as  their aging vehicle lineups lost ground to rival Chrysler and  some foreign brands.


Dwindling Atlantic Salmon Still King on Canada River (Reuters) Reuters - Atlantic salmon\once teemed up the rivers of eastern Canada in staggering\numbers to spawn in an annual ritual that put the biological\richness of the region on full display.


New Class of Planets Found Around Two Other Stars (Reuters) Reuters - A new class of planets has been\found orbiting stars besides our sun, in a possible giant leap\forward in the search for Earth-like planets that might harbor\life, scientists said on Tuesday.


Comet Research Pioneer Fred Whipple Dies (Reuters) Reuters - Fred Whipple, an astronomer who\originated the idea that comets were comprised of ice and\mineral dust, has died at the age of 97.


"Mystery Cloud" Appears Over Eastern U.S. And Canada (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - lives in the eastern part of the United \States or Canada and gazing skyward on Tuesday evening may have noticed \something strange in their west-northwest sky.


US Treasuries Resilient to Profit-Taking  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Treasury debt prices recouped early  losses to turn flat on Wednesday as bullish momentum fought  profit-taking after three straight sessions of gains.


Virtual Humans Proposed As Space Travelers (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - TELLURIDE, COLORADO -- Better make room for an extra crewmember aboard any spaceship heading outward. This person wont require food, oxygen or water, nor even need to buckle up for safety. The tag-along traveler could, however, be a lifesaver in terms of getting the expedition to and from a celestial destination.


Stocks Wobble on DC Sickness Report  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks wobbled lower on Wednesday  as reports that several people had been sickened in an office  in Washington raised terrorism fears, upsetting the market, and  oil prices jumped.


Israel Helicopter Fires Missiles at Gaza Refugee Camp  GAZA, Gaza Strip (Reuters) - An Israeli helicopter fired  three missiles at an unknown target in a Gaza refugee camp  Wednesday, Palestinian witnesses said, one day after militants  killed 16 Israelis in bus bombings in southern Israel.


CEOs See More Hiring, Capital Spending  NEW YORK (Reuters) - A quarterly survey of U.S. chief  executives showed they plan to increase hiring and capital  spending, despite recent soft economic data, concerns about  sluggish job growth and high energy prices.


Armed Group Seizes Russian School, Talks Start  MOSCOW (Reuters) - A heavily armed gang seized up to 400  hostages at a Russian school near Chechnya Wednesday and  threatened to shoot dead 50 children for any one of their  comrades killed, a senior local official said.


France to Cut Debt with Telecom Sale  PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - France will sell up to 12.1  percent of France Telecom in Europe's largest share placement  in four years, bringing as much as 5.75 billion euros (\$6.95  billion) into state coffers as it strives to cut national debt.


Hollinger Accuses Black of  #39;Ethical Corruption #39; Lord Conrad Black ran a  quot;corporate kleptocracy quot; for his own benefit at Hollinger International, the owner of the Telegraph papers in London and The Chicago Sun-Times, and the board of directors


MGI Pharma-SuperGen in Cancer-Drug Deal  NEW YORK (Reuters) - MGI Pharma Inc. MOGN.O will spend up  to \$85 million for a stake in SuperGen Inc. SUPG.O and global  rights to develop and sell SuperGen's experimental drug for an  often-fatal cancer of the bone marrow, the companies said on  Wednesday.


Els Haunted by Major Failures  CRANS-SUR-SIERRE, Switzerland (Reuters) - World number  three Ernie Els says he feels a failure after narrowly missing  out on three of the year's four major championships.


Pakistan Arrests 'Important' Al Qaeda Pair  ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces have  arrested two "important" al Qaeda operatives, including an  Egyptian and a Saudi national, officials said Wednesday.


U.N. Calls for African Peacekeepers in Darfur  UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations called on  Wednesday for a quick and "substantially" larger international  monitoring force in Sudan's Darfur region, saying Khartoum had  failed to stop attacks against civilians by Arab militia.


Arise Sir Mark  mum pays FORMER prime minister and doting mother Margaret Thatcher yesterday agreed to bail her son, Sir Mark Thatcher, out of house arrest in Cape Town.


Manufacturing Activity Up for 15th Month Manufacturing activity rose in August for the 15th consecutive month, but at a slower rate than reported in July, according to a monthly report released Wednesday by the Institute for Supply Management, a research group.


Construction Spending Hits All-Time High Construction spending sprang back to life in July, rising to the highest level on record, the government reported Wednesday.


Iraq's Chalabi Escapes Assassination, Arrest  BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Ahmad Chalabi has survived again.  Just after escaping an attempt to kill him Wednesday, he said  an Iraqi court had dropped charges that could have put him in  jail.


CEOs See More Hiring, Capital Spending A quarterly survey of U.S. chief\executives showed they plan to increase hiring and capital\spending, despite recent soft economic data, concerns about\sluggish job growth and high energy prices.


Russian pupils held in armed siege An armed gang is holding at least 200 hostages,  many of them children, at a  school in south Russia.


Davis tops US qualifying England #39;s Brian Davis took top spot in the qualifying tournament at PGA West in California, where the leading 30 and ties made it onto the American tour.


Upcoming slate offers opportunity This would be a good time for the Pistons to build a winning record as they try to regain their championship form. In the next eight days, they play four teams with losing or .500 records.


US to throw out terror verdicts The justice department is set to overturn the convictions of three men after it emerged mistakes were made in the case.


Monza Testing, Day 1, 01/09/04 Jarno and Fernando in action for the team on the first day of testing at Monza ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.


New Chechen president confirmed Alu Alkhanov has been officially named the new president of Chechnya, and is due to take office in a month.


Guidant wins new trial in St. Jude Medical suit DENVER Indianapolis-based Guidant Corporation says it has won the right to a new trial in its lawsuit seeking up to 140 (m) million dollars in damages from another maker of implantable defibrillators.


US Economy: Manufacturing Expands at Slower Pace (Update2) US manufacturing expanded at a slower pace in August as fewer companies reported an increase in orders and production. Construction spending rose to a record in July, private and government reports showed.


Carrefour posts 5.3 per cent profit rise, maintains 2004 goals Carrefour, the world #39;s No. 2 food retailer said Wednesday that its profit increased 5.3 per cent in the first half of the year, as robust international operations and lower finance costs helped


Veritas Acquires KVS, Gains E-Mail Archiving Capabilities Veritas gets KVS #39;s Enterprise Vault, an app that archives business-critical data held within Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Office, and file systems.


Fallon denies race fixing scam Champion jockey Kieren Fallon has denied any wrongdoing after being arrested over allegations of involvement in a massive race fixing scam.


Hantuchova Upsets No. 17 Molik NEW YORK -- Daniela Hantuchova took another step back up the tennis rankings ladder Wednesday, defeating No. 17 Alicia Molik 6-4, 6-3 at the US Open.


MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: 22-0w  #39;There #39;s a certain element of embarrassment, no question, #39; manager Joe Torre says as his Yankees suffer their worst loss ever.


Russia in shock as hostage drama follows suicide blast MOSCOW, Russia -- Russia was in shock Wednesday as an armed group took more than 200 people hostage at a school near Chechnya just hours after a suicide bomber killed 11 people and injured dozens outside a busy Moscow subway station.


Ford Cuts Production While Chrysler's Sales Rise Ford Motor posted weaker U.S. vehicle sales for August today and cut its fourth-quarter production. Chrysler posted a fifth straight month of stronger results.


French govt to sell up to 12 in France Tele PARIS / LONDON: France said on Wednesday it will sell up to 12.1 of France Telecom to raise 5.8 billion (\$6.9bn) and help cut national debt in Europes largest placing in four years.


Manufacturing Activity Rises Again, but at Slower Pace Manufacturing activity rose in August for the 15th consecutive month, according to a monthly report released today.


Chief Executives Plan to Increase Hiring and Capital Spending A quarterly survey of U.S. chief executives painted the most positive economic picture since it was launched in November 2002.


Stocks Are Mixed as Oil Prices Rise Stocks were trading mixed today following a lower reading on manufacturing activity and a spike in oil prices


France to Lower Debt With Telecom Sale France will sell up to 12.1 percent of France Telecom in Europe's largest share placement in four years, bringing as much as \$6.95 billion into state coffers.


Irish eyes look to Louisville Notre Dame #39;s search for a football coach appears to have turned from Utah eastward toward Kentucky, where sources familiar with the process said the Irish


Bryant's Attorneys Ask for Dismissal Attorneys for NBA star Kobe Bryant have asked the judge to dismiss the sexual assault charge against him with opening statements less than a week away, a court official said Wednesday.


Berkshire Hathaway "It's not a sin to be a trader in whole or part; it's just much easier to be an investor."


United Natural's Healthy Again? The leading distributor of natural and organic foods beats revised expectations.


France Asks Arabs to Help Free Kidnapped Journalists in Iraq The French government's appeal set in motion a swell of solidarity unseen in previous hostage dramas in Iraq.


No Time Like Prime Time Here's where the Baltimore Ravens are missing the bus: They've got Deion Sanders and they've scheduled his news conference for early in the afternoon. Put it in Prime Time!


Don't Overpay for Your Mortgage Bye-bye, PMI. So long, souped-up interest. Time to streamline your mortgage budget.


AIDS Activists Disrupt Convention Event NEW YORK - AIDS demonstrators disrupted a Republican youth gathering on the floor of the party convention Wednesday, shortly after President Bush's twin daughters left the stage.    The incident occurred after Jenna and Barbara Bush introduced White House chief of staff Andrew Card...


Stocks Are Mixed on Surging Oil Prices NEW YORK - Stocks were mixed Wednesday as a lower reading on manufacturing activity and rising oil prices chilled an early spate of bargain hunting. Technology shares inched higher despite brokerage downgrades of two semiconductor companies    With trading light, the markets were slow to react to the August reading of the Institute of Supply Management's manufacturing index, which declined to 59.0 in August, lower than the 59.8 percent expected on Wall Street...


Kidnappers in Iraq Free Seven Truckers BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militants in Iraq freed seven foreign truck drivers Wednesday after holding them six weeks, while Muslims united behind calls for the release of two French reporters captured by a separate group demanding that France revoke a ban on Muslim head scarves in schools.    Also Wednesday, gunmen shot at a convoy carrying former Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmad Chalabi as he returned from Najaf to attend the first meeting of Iraq's 100-member National Council, which is to act as a watchdog over the interim government and help shepherd the nation to elections...


Kerry Challenges Bush on Terror Policies NASHVILLE, Tenn. - In a sharply worded challenge to President Bush, Democratic Sen...


China Reports Births of Two Giant Pandas BEIJING - For pandas, it's practically a baby boom. Two giant pandas were born this week, and mothers and cubs were doing fine, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday...


Hundreds Held in Russian School; 8 Killed BELSAN, Russia - More than a dozen militants wearing suicide-bomb belts seized a southern Russian school in a region bordering Chechnya on Wednesday, taking hostage about 400 people - half of them children - and threatening to blow up the building if police storm it. As many as eight people have been reported killed, one of them a school parent...


Moore Not Bothered by GOP Jeers NEW YORK - Filmmaker Michael Moore isn't bothered at all by the jeers he received from Republicans at the convention when his anti-Bush film "Fahrenheit 9/11" was mentioned by Arizona Sen. John McCain...


Israel Blames Syria for Suicide Bombings JERUSALEM - Israel holds Syria responsible for a double suicide bombing that killed 16 people because it allows the group that staged the attack to operate there, a senior Israeli official said Wednesday in a warning that implied possible retaliation.    The militant Islamic group Hamas claimed the attack Tuesday in the desert city of Beersheba, when two bombers from the West Bank city of Hebron blew themselves up seconds apart in two buses...


Hurricane Frances Inches Toward SE U.S. MIAMI - A menacing Hurricane Frances crept closer to the southeastern United States on Wednesday, with forecasters calling Florida - still cleaning up after Charley - a "prime candidate" to be hit as early as Friday. It would be the worst double hurricane strike on one state in at least a century...


Stocks Climb Despite Rising Oil Prices NEW YORK - Stocks edged higher Wednesday despite a lower reading on manufacturing activity and a spike in oil prices. Technology shares were unaffected by brokerage downgrades of two semiconductor companies...


BT may face anti-competition fine BT may be fined if found to have broken competition rules, Ofcom says, but BT says it has been cleared.


Verizon Starts Selling World Phone to Consumers  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Verizon Wireless said on Wednesday its  stores have begun selling a phone from Samsung Electronics  005930.KS that was designed to work on mobile networks around  the world.


Hot or Cold? General Motors No. 1 automaker has outpaced its domestic rivals, but will GM stock keep spinning its wheels? By Chris Isidore, CNN/Money senior writer.


Shoppers deal with mixed signals Economy: With consumer confidence down and spending up, shoppers wrestle with  #39;stop-and-go #39; mixed signals. By Andrea K. Walker.


UPDATE 2-Guidant says it wins appeal in patent case Medical device maker Guidant Corp. (GDT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Wednesday said it won an appeal of a patent lawsuit against St.


Lawmakers Denounce Bank of America Layoffs Description: Legislators from Massachusetts accuse top executives at Bank of America of breaking their word and improperly laying off hundreds of employees in the state and surrounding region.


LNG plant proposed TransCanada Corp. and Petro-Canada will spend \$660-million to build a liquefied natural gas plant on an island in Quebec, the two Calgary-based companies said Thursday.


Omnicare makes another play for NeighborCare Covington-based Omnicare said Wednesday that it has extended its tender offer (a takeover bid publicly inviting shareholders to sell their stock) for all outstanding shares of NeighborCare through Sept.


Two New Neptune-Sized Planets Discovered or about the size of the planet Neptune, say astronomers from the University of Texas and two other institutions.


EBay increases stake in South Korea #39;s Internet Auction SAN FRANCISCO : EBay announced late it has agreed to buy three million shares of South Korea #39;s Internet Auction for 325 million dollars in cash.


Game Boy Advance SP Price Drop! In a press release today, Nintendo of America announced that the Game Boy Advance SP will drop in price tomorrow. Currently priced at \$99.


Hitachi Drives Consumer Storage Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is launching a new line of 1.8-inch Travelstar C4K60 hard drives. The new drives will feature high-density 30GB platters and ZIF (zero insertion force) connectors for use


Special X-rays unmask mummy #39;s face, virtually Washington - The face of a man who died and was mummified in Egypt 3 000 years ago has been modelled, using special CAT scans and without unwrapping his bandages, Italian researchers said on Wednesday.


Neon Deion  #39;Excited, Can #39;t Wait #39; To Play OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- After signing a one-year contract Tuesday with the Baltimore Ravens, seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback Deion Sanders said he #39;s ready to play.


France Telecom unions call for strike to protest privatization <b>...</b> PARIS : French trade unions called on workers at France Telecom to stage a 24-hour strike September 7 to protest government plans to privatize the public telecommunications operator, union sources said.


Bloggers Blanket Republican Convention While the GOP doled out credentials for about 15 bloggers to officially cover its convention in New York, it seems every Tom, Dick and Jane is writing from the convention floor, the streets of New York or home computers in basements across America.
-washingtonpost.com


Personal Tech: HDTV Mark Cuban, co-founder and president of HDNet, discusses the world of digital television.


EBay To Acquire South Korean Auction Firm EBay Inc., which has been aggressively expanding in Asia, plans to increase its stake in South Korea's largest online auction company.


'Astro Boy' Makes Video Game Debut Tetsum Atom is a butt-kicking, pint-sized hero that wants nothing more than peace between humans and robots. More than a half-century after debuting in Japanese comic books, "Astro Boy" - as he's known outside of Japan - is starring in two new video games from Sega of America Inc.


Alien probe 'best way to find ET' We should be using probes to look for life in space instead of radio signals, say scientists.


UBS Aquires Schwab Capital Markets Business The research operation will be shuttered, sources close to the company said, since UBS already has coverage in the areas where Schwab #39;s Soundview is strong.


UPDATE 3-Boston Scientific regains market share, stock up Boston Scientific Corp. (BSX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday it already recovered market share for its popular heart device after a recent recall


Energy giants pair to pursue liquefied gas plant Two of Canada #39;s biggest energy companies, TransCanada Corp. and Petro-Canada Inc., want to build a \$660 million liquefied natural gas plant in northeastern Quebec to meet North Americans #39; insatiable demand for the fuel.


Acclaim shutters offices, staffers ushered off premises Glen Cove staff laid off on Friday, Texas staff locked out of their offices; games library in jeopardy. According to numerous sources, including some former Acclaim staffers, Acclaim Entertainment #39;s home office


WOODWARD:  #39;I #39;M STILL IN CHARGE #39; Mystery surrounded Sir Clive Woodward #39;s future as England coach tonight after he left Twickenham following a four-hour meeting with senior Rugby Football Union figures.


Birding Column: Enigma of the Band-Tailed Pigeon Once hunted by the thousands, the band-tailed pigeon is in decline. Mathew Tekulsky writes of the joy of seeing five or six of these big birds on his backyard feeder.


Grass Grows 13-Foot Roots of "Steel" Vetiver, a grass native to India that grows 13-foot (4-meter) roots, is increasingly used as a low-cost tool to solve problems from soil erosion to pollution.


Neptune-Class Extrasolar Worlds Found While striving to find ever smaller, more rocky worlds, planet hunters have moved from discovering not just Jupiter-class planets outside our solar system. Now astronomers have found two new Neptune-class planets on their road to pinpointing a new Earth-like system.


Searching for Scarce Life with Interplanetary Rovers Chile's Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth. So dry that, in some regions, not even bacteria can survive. That makes it a perfect place to test out Zo, a prototype rover designed to detect life's faintest traces.


Briefly: Verizon opens global phone to consumers roundup Plus: IBM, Honda team on voice-driven car navigation...Linux seller completes name change...SAP names new VP...Amazon opens floor to political pundits.


Apple: Open-source pedigree will protect Tiger The Mac OS X update will be spared the security woes that have hit Microsoft because it's based on Unix, executives say.


Linux seller completes name change The Linux specialist formerly known as Lindows announces that it has completed its name change to Linspire.


SAP names new VP Software maker names Tom Byrne as its national vice president for state and local sales, marketing, and partnership initiatives.


Acer reshuffles execs amid growth The appointment of an Italian executive to Acer's presidency is a symbol of the Taiwanese firm's increasingly global view.


Nanotubes race toward bike parts Easton Sports plans to produce bicycle components made out of carbon nanotubes, a step forward for the tiny technology.


Sun dangles discounts for Microsoft techs Microsoft technology specialists can get up to 35 percent off Windows-certified Opteron servers and workstations.


Another Bagle variant tries to spread New version turns off security, attempts to download malicious programs from Net--but it's not likely to get far.


MessageLabs, Symantec team on antispam service Symantec technology will help MessageLabs offer better e-mail filtering, the companies say.


Time Warner broadband suit advances Appeals court breathes new life into challenge of city law requiring homes, offices connect to municipal network.


Study: Half of U.S. hotel rooms have broadband Broadband growth doubles in hotels, as chains try to tap into demand for speedy Internet access.


Adelphia to sell AT T Net phone service The move follows a string of similar deals between Ma Bell and cable operators, as it looks to aggressively market VoIP.


Game publisher Acclaim on verge of bankruptcy? Insiders says the company will file for Chapter 7 protection after laying off hundreds.


Grid computing applied to IT automation Year-old start-up Cassatt has launched a new service for automating IT operations using grid technology. Cassatt will aid the management and aggregation of a large number of machines


Apple builds on its core Source code is source of strength in forthcoming Tiger operating system, company says. Also: Commissions for iTunes sales, and iPods on the open road.


IBM, Honda team on voice-driven car navigation Companies, along with Zagat Survey, to offer oral directions based on voice commands to U.S. addresses, restaurants.


Nintendo trims Game Boy Advance price Lowering sticker on handheld game player to \$80 is early move in expected battle for portable gaming market.


Microsoft Pads 64-bit Support in SQL Server Microsoft (Quote, Chart) has released its second Community Technology Preview (CTP) for SQL Server 2005, adding greater performance and 64-bit support for SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services and SQL Server 2005 Integration Services.


Dell unveils hat trick of products The PC maker is gearing up for the fall with new printers, TVs and a spiced-up desktop.


BMW puts iPod in driver's seat You won't even have to take your hands off the steering wheel to use Apple's music player.


IBM revamps ISV partnerships IBM Corp has revamped its partnership arrangements with independent software vendors (ISVs) into a unified approach called PartnerWorld.


Whiz kids earn \$100,000 prize DURHAM -- Two NC School of Science and Mathematics seniors won \$100,000 in scholarships Monday after earning top team honors in a national science competition.


Trend Micro Extends Anti-Virus Software to Mobile Market Trend Micro announced today that they are extending their anti-virus product line into the mobile and portable space with the launch of Trend Micro Mobile Security.


AMD demos first dual-core processor Advanced Micro Devices demonstrated its first dual-core microprocessors today using an HP ProLiant DL585 server running four dual-core Opteron chips.


Sun gets Microsoft-friendly with promotion Sun Microsystems Inc. has found one more way to cozy up to users of Microsoft Corp. products without actually shipping the Windows operating system on its computers.


Iomega REVs backup and recovery Iomega this week unveiled a SCSI version of its REV drive aimed at server backup and disaster recovery applications.


Kerberos critical hole allows system access The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has warned of security vulnerabilities in its implementation of Kerberos that could allow attackers free access to protected systems. Users of MIT Kerberos 5 are urged to apply patches immediately.


Hitachi Drives Consumer Storage New 1.8-inch hard drives may boost battery life in portable devices.


Woodward Can Make Switch - Hogg Scotland back row forward Allister Hogg sees no reason why England coach Sir Clive Woodward cannot make the switch from rugby to football.


Motion to Dismiss Kobe Bryant #39;s defense team has asked the judge presiding over his rape trial to dismiss the sexual assault charge, even as prospective jurors are being questioned, ABC News has learned.


Mountaineers prepared to lead the new-look Big East The Mountaineers open the season in The Associated Press top 10 for the first time in school history. There are great expectations in Morgantown these days.


Russia in shock as school hostage drama looms Iran condemns Moscow <b>...</b> MOSCOW, Russia (Agencies) -- Seven people were killed as armed attackers stormed a school in southern Russia and took at least 100 people hostage on Wednesday, Russian media reported.


Talks to end fighting in Baghdad stall on disagreement over <b>...</b> Talks to end bitter fighting between US forces and Shiite militants in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City have stalled, with the government refusing


EBay Acquiring South Korean Auction Affiliate EBay Acquiring South Korean Auction Affiliate\\EBay Inc., according to news wire reports, has offered a price near \$530 million to purchase the remainder of eBay South Korean affiliate - Internet Auction Co. Ltd. The move is seen as an expansion of the eBay strategy to push deeper into Asia. EBay ...


Behavioral Targeting and Contextual Advertising Behavioral Targeting and Contextual Advertising\\Is online advertising undergoing a "rebirth"? Some might argue it is, first spurred on by paid search advertising then by contextual and adware placements. Now there is another "new" game in town, if the buzz-o-meter is any indication. While not altogether new, behavioral advertising is getting ...


How to Research Keywords for Search Engine Marketing How to Research Keywords for Search Engine Marketing\\The core element of any type of marketing utilizing the search engines is the keyword. Why is it so important? In terms of general marketing principles keyword search is equivalent to targeting a niche. It can help you focus your advertisements on certain ...


News: Appeals court slams garage door DMCA claim In refusing to outlaw a universal garage door opener, judges rule that a device has to facilitate copyright infringement to fall under the ambit of the DMCA.  \


News: New Bagle worm drops in and downloads A new Bagle dropper and downloader, Bagle-AQ, was bulk mailed to numerous internet users yesterday.


News: PDA security still dismal Worker apathy about PDA security is putting corporate data in jeopardy. The storage of the names and addresses of corporate customers on PDAs is now common - but security practices are struggling to keep up with technology usage.\


iTunes Affiliate Program iTunes is the first download music store to offer direct links to a la carte singles and albums that generate paid commissions to affiliate websites. The iTunes Affiliate Program will complement successful iTunes programs including iTunes on Campus, offering free site licenses to colleges and universities, and the iTunes Volume Discount Program, providing bulk song downloads at a discount. Sep 1


Chief of Advanced Micro Targets Market Share Gains Hector Ruiz, the chief executive of Advanced Micro Devices, today laid out a plan to break what he called the monopolistic grip on the microprocessor industry by Intel.


Chargers Quarterback Situation Unsettled (AP) AP - While most teams will rest their starting quarterback as much as possible in the final exhibition game this week, the San Diego Chargers are still trying to figure out who theirs is.


Angels Activate Andres Galarraga (AP) AP - The Big Cat is back in the big leagues. The Anaheim Angels purchased the contract of 43-year-old Andres Galarraga from Triple-A Salt Lake of the Pacific Coast League on Wednesday. They had signed him to a minor league contract Aug. 4.


Florida readies for hurricane Frances, ordering large-scale evacutions (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - MIAMI (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of people were told Wednesday to get ready to evacuate as powerful hurricane Frances crept closer to Florida just weeks after hurricane Charley's rampage.


Utah Enjoying New Atmosphere and Ranking (AP) AP - Utah opens the season with a chance to show it belongs in the Top 25. With a No. 20 ranking in their first ever preseason poll appearance, the Utes play host to Texas A amp;M on Thursday. A win solidifies their status as an emerging program; a loss relegates them to just another mediocre team from the West.


Samsung, Philips Partner for Cell-Phone Payments (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Samsung Electronics and \Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG) have formed an alliance to put near-field communication (NFC) technology in future \cell phone models from Samsung, giving users the ability to use their \mobile phones to make credit-card or debit-card payments. The companies said that Samsung plans to incorporate NFC in other devices as well.


Kobe Bryant's Defense Wants Rape Charge Dismissed  EAGLE, Colo. (Reuters) - Attorneys for basketball star Kobe  Bryant asked a judge to dismiss a rape charge against their  client, arguing prosecutors did not disclose that one of their  expert witnesses had information that could help Bryant.


Oil Hits \$44 as U.S. Crude Stocks Slide  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices soared to \$44 a barrel on  Wednesday, ending a streak of heavy losses, as a U.S.  government report showed crude oil stocks falling to the lowest  level in five months.


With Hurricane Approaching, Florida Calls for Evacuations About 300,000 residents in coastal areas of Palm Beach County were told to evacuate starting 2 p.m. Thursday.


Monsanto unveils VISTIVE soybeans A new, conventionally bred low-linolenic soybean that will reduce or eliminate trans fatty acids in processed soybean oil is ready to roll, Monsanto announced at a press conference this morning at the Farm Progress Show in Alleman, Iowa.


Sports: Date set for Bertuzzi #39;s trial VANCOUVER, British Columbia Todd Bertuzzi (bur-TOO #39;-zee) of the Vancouver Canucks goes on trial January 17th on an assault charge.


IAEA report positive step: Iran TEHRAN (AFP) -- Iran said the UN nuclear watchdog #39;s report Wednesday on Tehran #39;s atomic energy program was a positive step toward clearing up the country #39;s file and demonstrating the peaceful character of the program.


Talks Resume In Bid For N. Ireland Gov #39;t Ten years after the Irish Republican Army #39;s momentous cease-fire, negotiations resumed Wednesday in hope of reviving a Catholic-Protestant administration


Senior Sadr aide assassinated in Iraq BAGHDAD (AFP) -- A senior aide to radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr was assassinated on the road between the holy city of Najaf and Baghdad, an official from the movement said Wednesday.


GOP platform: Broadband and R D tax credits Widely available broadband, electronic health records and increased government spending on research and development (R D) are among the technology-related goals in the U.S. Republican Party's 2004 platform, released this week.


Ballmer bullish on future, bearish on Linux BOSTON -- MicrosoftChief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer addressed a gathering of software industry leaders here on Wednesday, touting his company's vision for a bright future, while casting doubt on alternatives to his company's Windows operating system, in particular Linux.


General Motors, Ford Say Aug. US Auto Sales Fell (Update5) Automakers including General Motors Corp. said US sales fell in August as gasoline prices near records hurt demand. General Motors and Ford Motor Co.


Airbus snags Asian order The Boeing Co. #39;s major rival, Airbus, announced Wednesday it has received an order from Cebu Air Inc., the Philippines #39; second-largest airline, for 12 new A319 jets.


Monsanto launches new  quot;heart-healthy quot; soybean seed Monsanto Company said it has begun marketing a new low-linolenic soybean crop that, once processed, will yield an enhanced oil that is low in trans fats.


SCO #39;s Finances Reverse As Legal Fees Mount SCO Group has a plan to keep itself fit enough to continue its legal battles against Linux and to develop its Unix-on-Intel operating systems.


Yahoo! awards world #39;s best cybercafes London, September 1: A San Francisco laundromat may be the one of the world #39;s most unusual places to surf the Internet but a sleek club on Moscow #39;s Red Square is definitely the sleekest, according to a Yahoo!


Special X-Rays Unmask Mummy #39;s Face, Virtually The face of a man who died and was mummified in Egypt 3,000 years ago has been modeled, using special CAT scans and without unwrapping his bandages, Italian researchers said on Wednesday.


Ballmer Beats Security Drum BOSTON -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer believes the software industry will create more positive change in the next 10 years than it did in the previous 10 -- provided that security threats are effectively handled.


Caller ID Spoofing Service Debuts Star38 #39;s service disguises who is making the call but will only be sold to collection agencies, private investigators, and law-enforcement personnel.