Mutant Mice Help Shed Light on Tobacco Addiction Genetically altered mice that are unusually sensitive to nicotine may help scientists nail down exactly how people become addicted to smoking, US researchers said on Thursday.


Nicotine Addiction Gene Identified A study on mutations in the brains of mice may someday be used to help smokers quit. By Ed Edelson. THURSDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDayNews) -- Researchers say they have identified brain cell receptors that appear


Novell CEO Office Vice Chairman to Leave Networking firm Novell Inc. on Thursday said Chris Stone, vice chairman of the office of the chief executive officer, is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities.


IBM Supercomputer Again Claims Record A \$100 million supercomputer being built to analyze the nation #39;s nuclear stockpile has again set an unofficial performance record - the second in just over a month.


Hubby Tiger mediocre in return to action ATLANTA - Vijay Singh used a steady round to pull within two strokes of the lead after Thursdays opening round of the \$6 million Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.


Easy For Newcastle Newcastle United took control of Group D with a comfortable 2-0 win over Dynamo Tbilisi at St James #39; Park. Patrick Kluivert, Craig Bellamy and Alan Shearer all went close, before Laurent Robert fired a good chance wide on the half-hour mark.


UEFA Cup: Zenden double gives Boro win over Lazio Boudewijn Zenden scored twice as Middlesbrough beat Lazio 2-0 to maintain its 100 percent record in the UEFA Cup group stage on Thursday.


EU leaders consider bigger role in Iraq European Union leaders on Thursday considered taking on a bigger role in rebuilding Iraq and forging stronger ties with re-elected President Bush.


Seoul worried about Bush #39;s N. Korea stance South Korean officials were very cautious when they were waiting for the outcome of the closely contested US presidential election, refraining from making any prediction or comments.


Airbus-maker EADS raises forecasts European aerospace giant EADS more than doubled its profit in the first nine months of the year, topping market expectations as a rebound in civil


Hollywood lawsuits to strike Net pirates com November 4, 2004, 2:38 PM PT. This priority retains its ranking at number five as more and more companies deploy Web services to share business logic, data and processes with each other and with clients.


IBM supercomputer claims new record A \$US100 million (\$A130 million) supercomputer being built to analyse the US nuclear stockpile has again set an unofficial performance record - the second in just over a month.


IBM Supercomputer Again Claims Record SAN JOSE, Calif. Nov 4, 2004 - A \$100 million supercomputer being built to analyze the nation #39;s nuclear stockpile has again set an unofficial performance record the second in just over a month.


Opera Software and SlipStream Data partner to accelerate Opera <b>...</b> Opera Software and SlipStream Data announced the integration of the Opera browser with SlipStream #39;s web and email acceleration technology.


Clarke joint leader in season-ending Tour Championship Britain #39;s Darren Clarke shared the lead with Jay Haas and Jerry Kelly after Thursday #39;s wet first round of the \$6 million season-ending Tour Championship.


Boro sinks Lazio Middlesbrough secured a victory at home to Lazio, while Newcastle was also too good for Dynamo Tbilisi as the UEFA Cup action continued across Europe.


Jenkins sentenced after pleading guilty to desertion CAMP ZAMA, Japan - The Charles Jenkins saga drew nearer an end Wednesday when the Army sergeant was reduced in rank to E-1, dishonorably discharged and ordered to forfeit all pay and allowances and serve six months in prison after pleading guilty to


Aid workers increasingly a target in conflict zones The group holding three foreign aid workers in Afghanistan says it will decide Friday whether to kill them. NEW DELHI AND ISLAMABAD - The brazen daylight kidnapping of three international aid workers in


Koizumi hopes US ties deepen Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday he hopes to further develop Japanese-US ties through his close personal relationship with President George W. Bush, who was re-elected in a neck and neck race with Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry.


AUSTRALIA PRESS: Malone Snaps Up Bigger News Corp Stake SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--US cable television mogul John Malone has swooped on a large parcel of News Corp. #39;s (NCP) voting stock, upsetting the balance of power inside the global media company on the eve of its long-awaited incorporation in the US, the Sydney


Update 3: CEO: Altria Preparing to Break Up Company Tobacco and food giant Altria Group Inc. is moving ahead with preparations to break itself up into two or three businesses, the company #39;s chairman and CEO said Thursday.


Conexant Shares Plunge on 4Q Loss Conexant Systems Inc. shares slid in after-hours trade Thursday after the chip maker reported a fourth-quarter loss, following others in the industry to report customer demand below expectations.


Casino workers end strike in Atlantic City ATLANTIC CITY, NJ -- Thousands of cocktail waitresses, housekeepers, bellhops and other workers returned to their jobs today, ending a monthlong strike that hit them in the pocketbook and cost this gambling town visitors.


MPAA to Sue Movie File Swappers The Motion Picture Association of America will begin suing online file traders this month, pursuing a strategy similar to one employed by the recording industry during the past year.


Reports: Halo 2 already on sale in Midwest Roughly a month before its November 9 release, a pirated version of Halo 2 began to be widely circulated around the Web. Now, it seems the game is once again falling into gamers #39; hands earlier than Microsoft and Bungie had planned.


Capriati and Molik advance at Advanta Championships VILLANOVA (Pennsylvania): Third-seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia moved into the quarter-finals of the Advanta Tennis Championships on Wednesday when Jelena Kostenic of Croatia was forced to retire in the third set because of a strained groin.


Turin  #39;06 organizer resigns Just 15 months before the start of the games, the chief organizer of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics is quitting in a power struggle with the Italian government.


Lyon, United make merry PARIS, Nov. 4. - Both Lyon and Manchester Uniteds Ruud van Nistelrooy struck four times in group D of the Champions League as the French champions downed Fenerbahce 4-2 while the Dutch stars goals


Lehman the right man to lead Ryder Cup revival It was supposed to go to Payne Stewart, the position of captain of the United States Ryder Cup team for 2006. That was the speculation.


Iraq suicide bomber kills three men of Black Watch By Richard Lloyd Parry at Camp Dogwood and Michael Evans, Defence Editor. THREE soldiers of the Black Watch battle group were killed yesterday in the first fatal suicide bomb attack against British troops in Iraq.


Make-up, another thing the Romans did for us The first analysis of a rare Roman skin cream shows that it is similar to modern equivalents and suggests that women went to the same lengths to look beautiful two thousand years ago as they do today.


MPAA Sues P2P Movie Fans to Reduce Piracy LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - File-swappers beware. Illegally downloading movies can now get you sued. Like the recording companies, movie studios are fed up with computer users sharing unauthorized copies of


IBM Supercomputer Sets New Speed Record An IBM-built supercomputer being assembled for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has attained a record 70.72 trillion computations per second, the Energy Department said Thursday.


Microsoft wants servers to drive Office sales Microsoft wants to create closer ties between its Office desktop software and its server applications in the next version of Office, hoping customers will upgrade their copies of the dominant desktop software suite.


Novell Slides on Exec Departure Shares of Novell (NOVL:Nasdaq - news - research) are slipping after-hours on the unexpected news that the software company #39;s No.


Altec Lansing MX5020 Speakers Altec Lansing has been around since before the dawn of stereo. Altec Lansing was formed in 1941 when Altec purchased the Lansing Manufacturing Company.


Double Dutch to Lazio TWO Boudewijn Zenden goals put Middlesbrough firmly on the UEFA Cup map at the Riverside today. The victory was richly deserved and means Middlesbrough are likely to qualify from Group E into the latter knockout stages.


Turin Winter Games President to Resign The president of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games has decided to resign saying he no longer has the support of the Italian government.


Van Nistelrooy is both workhorse and thoroughbred, target man and <b>...</b> If it #39;s true what they say about nice guys finishing last, Ruud van Nistelrooy must be a right nasty piece of work. Manchester United #39;s serial goalscorer has been accused


Strong quake jolts northern Japan TOKYO - A strong quake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 jolted Japan #39;s northernmost main island of Hokkaido Thursday night, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.


Singapore Telecom #39;s Lee Says Impact of Cheap Calls Limited Singapore Telecommunications Ltd., Southeast Asia #39;s largest phone company, said the popularity of cut-rate calling plans offered by its Australian mobile-phone unit may limit the impact of lower prices on profit.


Hartford executive #39;s stock sale probed New York AG is investigating the timing of a sale by Thomas Marra; company reports higher 3Q. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.


Cisco Source Code Up For Sale: Only \$24,000 spackbace writes  quot;The notorious, mysterious Source Code Club (SCC) has re-emerged, this time selling source code for a Cisco application in another blatant violation of copyright regulations.


IBM Forms SOA Practice IBM #39;s Global Services division Thursday announced the formation of a management practice to help customers implement service-oriented architectures.


Elegant Bose SoundDock Broadcasts Your IPod #39;s Music As Apple Computer #39;s IPod has become a cultural phenomenon akin to Sony #39;s Walkman, the market for IPod accessories has exploded--some of the biggest names in computer and home audio have responded with speaker systems specifically made for the IPod (and


#39;Special #39; Win for Boro Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren hailed as something special his sides stunning UEFA Cup victory over Lazio. Two goals from Bolo Zenden, one either side of half-time, crowned


Shearer shows lasting value Alan Shearer last night demonstrated why Newcastle manager Graeme Souness is toying with the idea of trying to persuade his captain to postpone his retirement with the clinical


Radcliffe facing tall order after Athens THERE is a point on the New York City Marathon course, at about 15 miles, where the runners cross the Queensboro Bridge and catch a view of the Empire State Building over to their left.


Cowart might not be back against Buffalo One day after it appeared the New York Jets would get Sam Cowart back into the lineup for Sunday #39;s game at Buffalo, the outlook became less optimistic.


Arafat reportedly in a coma ILL HEALTH -- Under a portrait of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia talks to journalists after an emergency Fatah Central Committee meeting at Arafat #39;s headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Thursday.


CEO Louis Camilleri says Altria preparing to break up company Altria Group Inc. is beginning to make the needed preparations to possibly split up into several parts in order to maximize shareholder value, chairman and chief executive Louis Camilleri said Thursday.


Cardinal 1Q Earnings Fall 25 Percent Cardinal Health Inc., the second-largest distributor of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies in the United States, reported Thursday that first-quarter earnings fell 25 percent because of declines in drug distribution due to drug maker sales


Conexant Sees Continued Revenue Decline Conexant (CNXT:Nasdaq - news - research) posted a sequential decline in fourth-quarter revenue due to lower demand that boosted inventory -- a circumstance that the chip supplier said will plague results in the current quarter.


Viacom confirms MarketWatch interest Viacom Inc. confirmed Thursday that it plans to bid for the part of MarketWatch that it doesn #39;t already own. Viacom, which holds a 22.


FDA Researcher Says Supervisors Delayed Vioxx Study That Found <b>...</b> Dr David Graham, associate director for science in the Office of Drug Safety at FDA, alleged in a  quot;series of testy e-mail exchanges quot; that agency officials  quot;delayed and demeaned quot; the results of a study he conducted that found Vioxx -- a COX-2 inhibitor


Hollywood Wants File Sharers to Fade Out The movie industry announced today it will launch its first wave of lawsuits later this month against those it alleges are illegally sharing copyrighted films on the Internet, following its


Microsoft wants servers to drive Office sales com November 4, 2004, 3:25 PM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been enterprise directories for several months, but for many IT managers, ERP (enterprise resource planning


Stone Rolls Away From Novell Chris Stone, who was instrumental in Novell #39;s acquisition of SUSE Linux, has left for other pursuits, the company said Thursday.


Internet bankers face new phishing scam Hi-tech fraudsters have developed a new way of tricking customers who go online to do their banking, analysts warned yesterday. A  quot;Trojan horse quot; programme insinuates itself into a user #39;s computer via an email


MSN Music launched in eight European countries Microsoft responded quickly to Apple #39;s recent European expansion for its iTunes service by launching its own online music service MSN Music in eight European countries.


Sacked Chelsea striker Mutu banned 7 months November 5, 2004. Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu has been suspended for seven months and fined 20,000 following an FA disciplinary hearing into his failed drugs test.


Mystery surrounds what ails Arafat CLAMART, France The mystery surrounding Yasser Arafats illness broadened Thursday as the Palestinian leader at various times was said to be in a coma, in stable but serious condition, very critically ill, and then dead - until reports of his death


US #39;s Syria embassy temporarily closed The United States embassy in Damascus, Syria, says it has temporarily closed its doors to the public to re-evaluate its security but would not say if it is the target of a specific threat.


OPEC To Monitor Impact of US Polls on Oil Prices When asked if OPEC will discuss a possible cut in output in the second quarter of 2005 at its meeting next month in Cairo, OPEC President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said:  quot;We do not know yet.


ECB chief warns on oil prices European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet warned on Thursday that persistent high oil prices could stoke inflation and undermine an already slow economic recovery in the eurozone.


FDA Official Alleges Vioxx Report Obstruction A US Food and Drug Administration official who attempted to publish his negative findings about the now-withdrawn painkiller Vioxx said that agency officials ridiculed the results and ultimately delayed publication, The New York Times reported Thursday.


Gambling board gives conditional OK to Bangor slot license By a 5-0 vote Thursday, Maines Gambling Control Board granted Penn National Gaming Inc. a conditional license to operate slot machines at Bangors harness racing track.


Microsoft, Intel Ads Coming to a Screen Near You Microsoft and Intel have joined forces in the hope of advancing a strategy both companies have been plotting for some time, saying they will work together to promote cutting edge digital home entertainment options.


WSU Notes and Quotes From Pacific-10 Men #39;s Basketball Media Day LOS ANGELES -- The Washington State University men #39;s basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the 2004-05 Pacific-10 Conference season in the annual preseason media poll, announced Wednesday at the conference #39;s media day.


Three East Carolina players involved in car accident East Carolina quarterback James Pinkney and two other players are listed as questionable for Saturday #39;s game at Houston after they were injured in a single-car accident.


Merck Should Have Pulled Vioxx in 2000 -Study US drugs giant Merck  amp; Co Inc. should have pulled its Vioxx painkiller from the market four years ago, because data showing it raised the risk of heart attacks has existed since 2000, Swiss scientists said on Friday.


Viacom Will Bid for Marketwatch Viacom said today that it expects to make a bid for MarketWatch Inc., according to a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing.


Commonwealth Bank Affirms EPS Growth at Least 10 Through 2006 Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the nation #39;s second-largest lender, reiterated its forecast for compound annual growth in per-share operating profit of at least 10 percent in the next two years.


SBC, BellSouth Buying YellowPages.com BellSouth and SBC intend to combine YellowPages.com with their own online directory affiliates, RealPages.com and SmartPages.com, respectively.


IBM Supercomputer Claims New Record In September, IBM announced that the Blue Gene/L prototype had sustained speeds of 36 trillion calculations per second. Last week, NASA announced that a system built by Silicon Graphics had topped that by sustaining 42 trillion calculations per second.


Cornell moves into the driver #39;s seat for Mars rovers Because his job involves driving around on Mars all day, Cornell University astronomer Steve Squyres is glad he no longer has to make a cross-country commute to get home.


Zenden brace invigorates vibrant Middlesbrough IT HAS taken 128 years but after all the pain and pessimism, plus the passion, persistence and pockets of Steve Gibson, the chairman, Middlesbrough were finally allowed to play with the big boys last night.


NJ Drops Rape Charges Against 2 Teens Prosecutors dropped sexual assault charges against two high school football players accused of raping a 15-year-old schoolmate. Charges against the boys, ages 15 and 17, were dropped Wednesday.


Arafat supporters hold overnight vigil outside hospital in Paris <b>...</b> CLAMART, France, Nov 4 (AFP) - Several dozen people on Thursday gathered outside a military hospital near Paris where Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was being kept alive by artificial life support systems.


Three British soldiers killed in Iraq TONY EASTLEY: To Iraq now, where three British soldiers have been killed and a number of others injured in an ambush by insurgents.


US investor raises stakes in shift of News Corp power The Murdoch family #39;s long-term control of its media empire is less certain this week after News Corporation #39;s largest investor moved to almost double his voting stake.


European Central Bank to maintain rates as costs surge The European Central Bank (ECB) will keep borrowing costs at a six-decade low for an 18th month as a surge in oil costs curbs economic growth in the dozen nations sharing the euro, a survey of economists showed.


Australia #39;s Seven 1H05 EBIT To Be Down 20 On 1H04 -2- MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Australa #39;s Seven Network Ltd. (SEV.AU) said Friday that earnings before interest and tax for the six months ending Dec. 31 will be down around 20 from A\$112.


2 NC residents convicted of spamming A Loudoun County jury convicted two North Carolina residents of violating Virginia #39;s anti-spam law yesterday, a decision that likely will become a landmark in the nation #39;s growing crusade against unwanted e-mail.


Microsoft Shores Up Security Effort Rich Kaplan of Microsoft #39;s Security Business  amp; Technology Unit previewed the company #39;s Windows Rights Management Services Service Pack 1 beta at RSA Conference Europe 2004, and announced the


Henman is scuttled by Youzhny #39;s guile It was difficult for Tim Henman to be overly disappointed after losing his Paris Masters title yesterday. After all, he still has two major events to look forward to in the next few


Newcastle stumble past poor opponents WHILE awaiting the result of the North East Assembly referendum, Newcastle United cast a marginal vote in favour of European football.


Eagles ink Brown to six year deal PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) - The Philadelphia Eagles showed their confidence in Sheldon Brown on Thursday, signing the cornerback to a six-year contract extension.


UN condemns Ivory Coast bombing United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has condemned raids by government aircraft on rebel-held Ivory Coast as a  quot;major violation quot; of the ceasefire.


House price slide puts rates on hold Halifax says price of average home fell 1.1 per cent last month. Bank not expected to act until next year. By Philip Thornton, Economics Correspondent.


Cazenove set to unveil tie-up with JP Morgan Cazenove is planning to end 181 years of independence by announcing today it is creating a joint venture with the Wall Street investment bank JP Morgan Chase.


About China #39;s Richest NEW YORK - We have expanded our list to 200 names from 100 in 2003. To make the top 100 this year required personal wealth of at least \$141 million, against \$100 million last year.


MPAA Does the Unexpected: Targets Downloaders In a surprise move this week, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has launched a multi-pronged legal attack on movie downloaders.


Cisco source code for sale A group of unknown hackers posted on message boards and security user groups claiming to sell Ciscos PIX Firewall software source code for sale.


Hope for the hooked after scientists find nicotine gene A single gene could be responsible for determining how easily people become addicted to smoking, according to a report published today.


Sperm grown in the lab fertilises eggs Cells critical to sperm development have been grown in the lab and used to father baby mice, US researchers say. They said the development could lead to easier ways to genetically manipulate animals, and said


Xbox execs on Sony PSP Over on Microsoft #39;s Xbox campus today, the  quot;Halo 2 quot; fans chosen to take part in a Backstage Pass event were given some time to speak with the Xbox bigwigs -- Robbie Bach, senior vice president of Microsoft #39;s Home  amp; Entertainment division, J Allard and


Hauritz fills the boots of Warne India yesterday resembled a cartoon villain whose face has been frazzled by a backfiring booby trap. Having presented Australia with a green seamer in Nagpur last week they attempted to make amends by producing


Turin chief frozen out The president of the 2006 Winter Games in Turin is to offer his resignation because he no longer has the support of the Italian government.


Eagles CB Brown signs six-year extension PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 4, 2004) -- Sheldon Brown signed a six-year extension with Philadelphia, keeping the second-year cornerback with the Eagles through the 2012 season.


NY, NY: Randolph takes over hometown team Willie Randolph hung up the phone and gave his wife a big hug. After falling short nearly a dozen times, he finally was a major league manager.


#39;Escalation of success #39; is groundwork for disaster INDIANAPOLIS -- With a package of academic reforms in place, the NCAA #39;s next crusade will address what its president calls a dangerous drift toward professionalism and sports entertainment.


F-16 fighter jet attacks school A NATIONAL Guard F-16 fighter jet on a night training mission has turned its guns on an elementary school and strafed it with 25 rounds of ammunition.


Militants used grenade attacks to lure Black Watch into deadly <b>...</b> By Kim Sengupta in Baghdad and Richard Lloyd Parry in Camp Dogwood, Iraq. The attack was carried out with deadly thoroughness, and took planning that illustrated the depth of the militants #39; information.


Darfur crisis now affects two million, UN reports THE crisis in Darfur is now affecting at least two million people as violence and insecurity in the war-torn region of Sudan intensify, the United Nations warned last night.


Damning report on EU economic ambitions under fire BRUSSELS - European Union leaders got a wake up call this week as a high-level report warned the bloc must run just to stand still in global competitiveness rankings.


Australia #39;s Seven Chmn Stokes: No Plans To Sell 43 Stake MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Seven Network Ltd. (SEV.AU) chairman and biggest shareholder Kerry Stokes said Friday he has no intentions of selling his 43 stake in the Australian television broadcaster.


Judge freezes \$600 million linked to tax scheme peddled to doctors SAN DIEGO A federal judge in San Diego issued an order today freezing about 600 (m) million dollars tied to a company that peddled allegedly fraudulent tax avoidance schemes to doctors.


State financial picture brightening - on income side, at least ATLANTA - It #39;s been a long time coming but the state #39;s financial picture, at least on the income side, is brightening, state officials said Thursday.


Saints-Chargers game blacked out The San Diego Chargers #39; home game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday will not be shown on local TV because 9,500 general admission tickets remained unsold at Thursday #39;s deadline.


Note left on body had death threat THE HAGUE, Netherlands Officials in the Netherlands say the killers of an outspoken filmmaker are also threatening a Dutch politician.


Barroso claims his revamped team will now win backing from MEPs The unprecedented crisis over the European Commission moved decisively towards a conclusion last night when two would-be commissioners were dumped and a reshuffled team was announced.


Rates pegged as house prices drop The Halifax, Britain #39;s biggest mortgage lender, yesterday reported the sharpest fall in house prices for four years, the clearest signal to date that the country #39;s housing boom has run out of steam.


Australia #39;s Seven Chmn: No Plans To Sell 43 Stake -2- MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Seven Network Ltd. (SEV.AU) chairman and biggest shareholder Kerry Stokes said Friday he has no intentions of selling his 43 stake in the Australian television broadcaster.


Airbus beats Boeing to \$6bn order from low-cost carriers Airbus landed another blow in its battle with rival aircraft maker Boeing with an order which could be worth up to \$6bn (more than 3bn).


Linux cluster companies attract new funds com November 4, 2004, 6:00 PM PT. Organizations are replacing aging servers with newer more-powerful boxes, often Linux--based, and theyre also investing in storage.


Middlesbrough Beats Lazio in UEFA Cup Soccer Match (Update1) Boudewijn Zenden scored twice as Middlesbrough defeated two-time Italian champion Lazio 2-0 to post its second straight victory in the group stage of European soccer #39;s UEFA Cup.


Notes: Randolph to tutor Matsui Several factors went into Omar Minaya #39;s decision to hire Willie Randolph as the new manager of the Mets. One of them involved Kaz Matsui.


Jet fires rounds through school The US military was investigating Thursday a National Guard F-16 fighter jet that fired 25 rounds through a New Jersey school. The rounds were fired on a nighttime training


Oregon State latest to try to slow Bush, USC CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State cornerback Aric Williams remembers just how dangerous Reggie Bush can be. Last season, Bush grabbed a simple screen pass from quarterback Matt Leinhart and took it for a touchdown in USCs 52-28 victory over the Beavers.


Three British troops killed LONDON: Three British soldiers were yesterday killed in a suicide and mortar fire attack at a checkpoint, only days after being redeployed to an insurgent-hit region near Baghdad, Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram told the parliament.


Darfur talks near collapse ABUJA (AFP) - African Union mediators struggled Thursday to persuade the Sudanese government and rebel leaders from the war-torn region of Darfur to sign up to a compromise security deal and save their peace talks from failure.


A tragedy and an opportunity In the days when Britain was being forced to give up one colony after another, the phrase  quot;father of the nation quot; was much in vogue.


Lawmakers approve \$242 million package for Dell RALEIGH, NC State lawmakers have approved a 242 (m) million dollar incentives package to bring a Dell computer manufacturing plant to the Triad.


SEC: Ponzi Scheme Preyed on LA Blacks The Los Angeles area #39;s black community was the chief victim of a Ponzi scheme that took at least \$8 million from investors, the Securities and Exchange Commission alleged Thursday as it shut down two companies it said were involved.


Arthritis drug warnings  #39;ignored #39; An arthritis drug should have been taken off the market years before it was finally withdrawn, say researchers. Manufacturer Merck withdrew Vioxx in September after evidence linking it to heart problems.


Sorbara says  #39;restraint #39; required to stay on plan to balance <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Ontario must exercise restraint in keeping to its plan to balance the budget, Finance Minister Greg Sorbara said Thursday as he gave his first economic statement since May #39;s budget.


IBM #39;s Blue Gene Picks Up Speed A supercomputer being built to analyze the US nuclear stockpile has again set an unofficial performance record -- the second in just over a month.


At Vermont, starting at point a 4-year lock One of the hallmarks of Tom Brennan #39;s 19-year run as Vermont men #39;s basketball coach has been his approach to filling the point guard position.


Woody Williams won 11 games for the Cardinals in 2004. (Eric Gay <b>...</b> ST. LOUIS -- According to an Associated Press report, the Cardinals have chosen to buy out Woody Williams #39; 2005 contract option.


BUSH #39;S MIDDLE EAST SETBACK FOR BLAIR GEORGE Bush yesterday snubbed Tony Blair #39;s bid to kick-start the Middle East peace process. In his congratulation message to the newly re-elected US president, Blair called


MCI and Qwest Report Large Losses as Revenue Falls MCI and Qwest Communications International, two of the country #39;s largest phone companies, reported large losses in the third quarter, driven by a continued decline in revenue and one-time write-offs.


First contract signed with US companies at Havana Trade Fair US entrepreneurs participating in the Havana Trade Fair are planning to negotiate new sales of cattle and foodstuffs and hope to exceed the one billion dollars in total revenue they have


Hollywood lawsuits to strike Net pirates Hollywood studios are about to take the long-anticipated step of firing a barrage of lawsuits at some of the most prolific Internet pirates, echoing the legal strategy that the recording industry already has used with limited success.


Kastor remains in awe of Radcliffe The American woman who cruised past a broken Paula Radcliffe to win an Olympic marathon medal still believes that the 30-year-old world record-holder is the person to beat in New York on Sunday.


Tiger Woods sues yacht builder over use of his name FORT LAUDERDALE -- Tiger Woods is taking a swing at the builder of his luxury yacht Privacy, #39; #39; accusing the shipyard in a lawsuit of using his name and photograph for financial gain without permission.


3 UK Black Watch members among 17 killed in Iraq attacks FALLUJAH, November 05 (Online): US artillery shelled Fallujah on Thursday after overnight air and tank attacks killed five people in Iraqs most rebellious city, braced for an all-out offensive now the US presidential election is over.


UN Envoy: Darfur Sliding Toward Anarchy Warning that Darfur is descending into anarchy, the top UN envoy to Sudan urged the Security Council Thursday to quickly deploy African troops to deter violence and speed up peace talks


ECB toughens stance over inflation dangers FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank (ECB) staged a tough balancing act yesterday, sharpening its warnings about the inflationary dangers of high oil prices but noting that costly energy is also softening economic growth.


\$500 Million Frozen in IRS Crackdown in Doctors #39; Tax Case A federal judge has temporarily frozen more than \$500 million in assets owned by thousands of doctors and dentists who bought abusive tax shelters run by a San Diego investment company, the Justice Department announced yesterday.


Altria Seeks Ways to Split Into 3 Units The chief executive of the Altria Group, Louis C. Camilleri, said yesterday that the company might split into two or three independent entities.


SEC: Scheme targeted LA black community The Los Angeles area #39;s black community was the chief victim of a Ponzi scheme that took at least \$8 million from investors, the Securities


Toyota, Honda, Nissan Lead Asians to Peak US Share (Update4) Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Honda Co. led Asian automakers to a record share of the US market in October as improved quality and fuel efficiency bolstered demand for their newest car and light truck models.


Nokia Sees Multimedia Phones As Major Growth Driver in Asia <b>...</b> Nov. 4--Nokia is moving rapidly in the multimedia smart phone segment in the Asia-Pacific market as part of its strategy to focus on what it sees as a key growth driver next year, with the introduction of three new interactive application handsets.


Beat goes on for Manuel, Thome com. Thome has known Charlie Manuel for his entire professional baseball life, which started shortly after he became a 13th-round draft pick by the Cleveland Indians in 1989.


Eagles lock up CB Brown with extension The Philadelphia Eagles have taken yet another step in locking up their youngsters for the long term. FOXSports.com has learned that Philly has signed starting cornerback Sheldon Brown to a six-year, \$25 million


Gay playwright #39;s a natural for writing about baseball  quot;Take Me Out, quot; which opens Wednesday at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, is about baseball. Playwright Richard Greenberg is a baseball fan.


Ivory Coast Cease-Fire Ends With Airstrikes Against 2 Rebel Towns Government planes in Ivory Coast conducted bombing raids against two rebel-held towns starting shortly after sunrise on Thursday, ending a tenuous yearlong cease


Weather Service Praises Its Isabel Response Conservative predictions by the National Weather Service during Hurricane Isabel, communication breakdowns within the agency and confusing bulletins led DC area officials to underestimate the


Movie Studios to Sue Internet File Traders Taking a cue from the music industry, film studios and the Motion Picture Association of America said on Thursday that they were readying the first lawsuits against people


Cornell explores Mars Researchers at Cornell University are still sending messages to Mars giving instructions to the rover, Opportunity.  quot;Telling the rover how to point the cameras, and then how to take the images, what kind of


Microsoft E-Mail Looks Like Spam to Some For a year, Microsoft Corp. has extolled the virtues of the Can-Spam Act, which Congress passed in late 2003 to crack down on purveyors of unwanted bulk e-mail.


To Play Late, Play Well, Wilkens Tells Knicks If you excel early, you will get a chance to excel late. That was the message Coach Lenny Wilkens wanted to impart to his Knicks, young and old, about what will happen when the fourth quarter arrives.


Suspected Muslim rebels attack monk-protection unit, killing one <b>...</b> : Suspected Muslim insurgents attacked an army unit protecting Buddhist monks at a monastery early Friday, killing one of the soldiers as sectarian violence continued in southern Thailand, police said.


Bush, Retailers Drop in Oil Prices Give Markets Boost Wall Street continued its post-election rally yesterday as oil prices dropped by more than \$2 a barrel and President Bush outlined plans for a second term.


OPEC To Monitor Oil Prices in Wake of US Election Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) President Purnomo Yusgiantoro said today that the cartel will monitor any impact on oil prices from the re-election of US President George W. Bush.


Insurance Executives Fired in Bid Probe Companies caught up in New York state Attorney General Eliot L. Spitzer #39;s investigation into rigged bids and kickbacks in the insurance industry began firing and suspending


Wachovia to Pay \$37 Million SEC Fine The Wachovia Corporation agreed to pay a \$37 million civil fine Thursday to settle federal regulators #39; accusations that the company violated disclosure rules


Lawyer in Philly corruption probe dies PHILADELPHIA -- A lawyer who was a central figure in an ongoing FBI investigation into city corruption died Thursday after a hospitalization of several days, his attorney said.


Movie Industry Preparing Suits on File Sharing Hoping to head off the kind of rampant online piracy that has plagued the record industry, Hollywood #39;s major movie studios said yesterday that they would begin filing lawsuits


A Chipper New Skipper  quot;I #39;ve been about everywhere you can go, quot; Manuel said this afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies introduced him as their 51st manager.


Accuser in Montclair Rape Case Consented to Sex, Sources Say Prosecutors suddenly dropped charges against two Montclair High School football players charged with raping a schoolmate because they concluded that the sex was not forced or violent but


Mars Rovers Get Mystery Power Boost As NASA (news - web sites) #39;s Mars rovers keep rolling past all expectations of their useful lives, scientists have a happy mystery: For some reason one


McClaren Hails  quot;Special quot; Boro Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren was blown away by the Riverside club #39;s dominating performance Thursday evening against Lazio.


Astros #39; Clemens Said Close to Retirement Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens, left, shows his glove to a Japanese schoolboy during his visit to Nishigahara Elementary School in Tokyo, Friday, Nov. 5, 2004.


Darfur Increasingly Unstable, UN Envoy Warns The United Nations #39; special envoy to Sudan told the Security Council on Thursday that Darfur is sliding into anarchy as government and rebel forces battle over control of the territory.


Liberty will up vote in News Corp. Rupert Murdoch #39;s News Corp. posted a higher profit Wednesday for its fiscal first quarter, driven by strong revenue gains in its broadcast and cable TV operations.


United Seeks \$2 Billion More in Cost Cuts United Airlines, trying to restructure after nearly two years in bankruptcy protection, told its unions last night that it wanted to terminate its four pension plans and seek additional


House prices down by 1.1 HOUSE prices have shown their largest decline in four years, according to figures out yesterday. The data came as the Bank of England announced that its interest rates would stay at 4.75 per cent.


NYRA Picks Chief Out of Racing Form Charles Hayward, a former top executive with The Daily Racing Form and Little Brown Publishing, was named yesterday to the top management position at the troubled New York Racing Association.


HENMAN PUTS FRENCH WOE BEHIND HIM World number seven Tim Henman is already focused on the Masters in Houston and believes he has a good chance of finishing his 2004 season on a high there.


Carragher: Euro success will fund new Liverpool striker Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher says Euro success will help boss Rafa Benitez land a new striker in January. Carragher said:  quot;It is important we qualify because we obviously need to do something to bring in cover for Djibril Cisse.


Leyland Reflects on the Job That Got Away Ed Wade squared his shoulders behind the faux-wood podium, fixed his eyes and almost defiantly spit out his announcement written on the folded piece of paper in his hand.


Eagles ink CB Brown to six-year extension Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Eagles signed starting corner Sheldon Brown to a six-year contract extension Thursday.


Fans mourn death of Sergei Zholtok CBC SPORTS ONLINE - News of Sergei Zholtok #39;s death sent shockwaves through the Latvia and hockey communities on Thursday. The 31-year-old died while playing with Latvian club Riga 2000 in Belarus on Wednesday night.


Italy #39;s steady Frattini heading to EU Commission ROME - Foreign Minister Franco Frattini was today named Italy #39;s next European commissioner following the withdrawal at the weekend of the initial candidate, Rocco Buttiglione.


Afghan talks break down but Nayan may be spared KABUL, Afghanistan -- Militants claiming to hold three United Nations workers hostage said talks on demands, which include the release of Taliban prisoners, had broken down and that they would decide Friday whether to kill the trio.


Karzai pledges to check warlords Hamid Karzai formally accepted his election as president of Afghanistan Thursday, a day after a joint UN-Afghan electoral board proclaimed him the victor in the October 9 vote, and said he would not condone the existence of  quot;private militia forces


FDA Unveils New Rules For Supplement Labels The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday it is setting up a new system for identifying potentially dangerous and mislabeled dietary supplements, and it promised to aggressively go after


October Airline Traffic Up at Independence NEW YORK, Nov. 4 -- Low-cost carriers Southwest Airlines Inc., JetBlue Airways Corp. and Independence Air on Thursday reported upbeat October passenger traffic figures, signaling greater demand for air travel and lifting airline stock prices.


RADCLIFFE READY TO TACKLE BIG APPLE Paula Radcliffe believes she is ready in every respect to challenge for the ING New York City Marathon title on Sunday. Radcliffe insisted she is top shape after arriving in the Big Apple, and although her


Thome honored for work off field Phillies first baseman Jim Thome was the recipient of the 2004 Players Choice Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award on Thursday. The Man of the Year award, named in honor


United Airlines details new contract proposals that include <b>...</b> CHICAGO United Airlines, which has been threatening to end its pensions, has sent contract proposals to its employee unions. United wants to replace future pension plans with a defined contribution plan.


China: commercial flights in 20 years BEIJING: China can expect to see the first commercial space flights in 20 years, the head of the country #39;s space program was quoted as saying by state media.


(14) Louisville 56 Memphis 49 MEMPHIS Eric Shelton scored on a one-yard run with 37 seconds remaining to lift 14th-ranked Louisville past Memphis 56-to-49. The Tigers went ahead by a point when Stephen Gostkowski hit a 29-yard field goal with six-19 left.


Losing start for Charlotte The NBA returned to Charlotte after a two-year absence, but the Bobcats could not start in style, losing 103-96 to the Washington Wizards.


LATE KICK MAY BOOST RADCLIFFE If Paula Radcliffe is looking for a low-profile re-entry into competition, she #39;s picked the wrong race. The 30-year-old world record holder hasn #39;t raced since her crack-up


Government planes bomb rebel towns in Ivory Coast Government planes in Ivory Coast bombed two rebel-held towns yesterday, ending a tenuous yearlong cease-fire and indicating a possible resumption of civil war.


Update 3: United Aims to Replace Pension Plan United Airlines #39; workers are getting formal details on how the bankrupt company wants to replace their traditional pension with a 401(k)-style benefit plan - plus further steep reductions in pay and other benefits.


NY public transit authority reduces proposed fare hikes The Metropolitan Transportation Authority(MTA), the agency responsible for public transit in Greater New York area, is lowering its projected fare increases and will not lay off employees, officials said Thursday.


October retail sales reassuring Retailers around the country reported October sales Thursday that were better than Wall Street analysts were expecting, but industry experts said the results didn #39;t raise their expectations for the holiday season.


Clemens considers retirement, but no decision yet  quot;I #39;m very close to retirement, quot; Clemens told reporters Friday.  quot;Obviously, I haven #39;t made the decision for the upcoming season yet.


British troops killed in Iraq suicide bombing BAGHDAD - Three British soldiers were killed in a suicide car bombing and mortar attack in Iraq Thursday, after taking up duties in a dangerous area south of Baghdad.


Verizon to buy Nextwave licenses for \$3 billion Verizon Wireless (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday that it had signed an agreement with NextWave Telecom Inc. (NXLC.


BODY COUNT RISES The casualties of Attorney General Eliot Spitzer #39;s probe of bid-rigging and restraint of trade in the insurance industry are beginning to pile up.


Qwest trims loss; sales decline slows WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Qwest Communications International #39;s third-quarter loss narrowed as the phone carrier slowed the decline in its sales, the company reported Thursday.


Studios to sue over online film piracy LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) - Taking a cue from the recording industry, Hollywood film studios said Thursday they would start suing those who pirate their movies online.


Didn #39;t Take Long: IBM Regains Supercomputing Crown IBM #39;s Blue Gene/L supercomputer has recaptured the speed record briefly held by Silicon Graphics Columbia system. Blue Gene/L, which is being installed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, hit 70.


Mars rovers struggle with sandy slopes, solar winter Opportunity, one of NASA #39;s two Mars rovers, struggled to get up the side of Endurance Crater. It spun its wheels, digging deep holes in the stadium-size crater #39;s  quot;sand trap.


Intel, Microsoft Run Digital Home Campaign Intel Corp. and Microsoft Corp., which together have dominated the personal computer industry since the early 1980s, are for the first time running a joint advertising campaign to push their notion of the digital home.


Pacific Assault Director #39;s Edition ships Extra-packed version of the latest Medal of Honor establishes retail beachhead; grunt #39;s version of the game due next week. As revealed two weeks ago, the once-delayed Directors Edition of Medal of Honor


Disbelieving Hauritz bowled over by Bombay turn Off spinner Nathan Hauritz could hardly believe his eyes at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. Nor could he believe his luck.  quot;I #39;ve never seen a wicket on which the


Bonds Named Player Of The Year By MLB Players Nov. 4 (BCN) - San Francisco Giants player Barry Bonds has been voted player of the year by his peers in Major League Baseball, the Giants announced today.


Spurrier withdraws from coach search All the hype and speculation came to an end Thursday when Steve Spurrier, once considered the leading man for the UF job, removed his name from the pool of candidates.


Darfur falling into anarchy, collapse: UN UNITED NATIONS: Sudans Darfur region was heading for total anarchy and the United Nations would be blamed if the Security Council did not take action, a senior UN official warned on Thursday.


Bush pledges to carry on fight against terrorism US President George W Bush today sketched out the agenda for his second term in office vowing to carry on the fight against terrorim and reach out to allies divided by the war in Iraq.


Deadline for UN workers extended The United Nations was increasingly worried about three of its election workers, it said on Thursday as it marked one week since they were abducted at gunpoint in Kabul by a Taliban splinter group which has threatened to kill them.


Analysts await update on Marsh probe SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- When Marsh  amp; McLennan reports third-quarter results next week, few analysts will be looking at the numbers.


#39;Experts ignored risks of drug #39; A widely prescribed arthritis drug withdrawn on safety grounds in September should have been taken off the market several years earlier.


Altria up on outlook, possible breakup CHICAGO (CBS.MW) -- Shares of Altria jumped more than 8 percent Thursday after the company #39;s chief executive said 2004 earnings would come in at the high end of previous expectations and that the company is looking at splitting up.


Xbox Ghost Recon 2 deploys 2 weeks early Ubisoft #39;s first-person shooter is arriving on Microsoft #39;s console November 16, with the PlayStation 2 shipping as previously scheduled.


Kastor carries new celebrity status into NYC Marathon Deena Kastor, as humble an athlete as they come, has been struggling with her newfound fame. For the last two months, Kastor has made the daily trek to her post office in tiny


Arizona #39;s Stoops not enjoying first taste of losing Mike Stoops knows all about winning. He was one of the architects of a defense that helped Oklahoma to the 2000 national championship.


Verizon to Buy NextWave Licenses for \$3 Billion Verizon Wireless said on Thursday that it had signed an agreement with NextWave Telecom Inc. to purchase all of its airwave licenses for \$3 billion.


Vioxx Dangers Were Known In 2000 Research shows that the dangers linking the arthritis drug Vioxx, a COX-2 inhibitor, to an increased risk of heart attacks, were known in 2000, which should have led to its immediate recall.


Major movie studios vow to sue Internet pirates The major Hollywood studios vowed yesterday to sue people who illegally download movies from the Internet, borrowing a page from the music industry #39;s script of using lawsuits to fight online piracy.


Spirit captures some evidence that underground source created rock <b>...</b> NASA #39;s older Martian robotic rover, Spirit, has found evidence that underground water changed a major rock formation called the Columbia Hills, scientists said Thursday.


Scientists close in on source of cosmic rays An international team of astronomers believe they have solved a mystery that has been perplexing scientists for 100 years -- the origin of cosmic rays.


India, Australia evenly poised at lunch Test debutant Nathan Hauritz took the key wicket of Sachin Tendulkar to give Australia a slight advantage on day three of the fourth and final Test against India in Mumbai.


Offense owns the night The great thing about football in America is that you never know when all hell is going to break loose. When two teams are going to detonate for 105 points, 1,202 yards of offense


Boosters Say They Understand Spurrier #39;s Decision TAMPA - Since his name first surfaced as a possible replacement for Ron Zook, former Florida football coach Steve Spurrier has been the focal point of a Gator Nation desperately seeking a return to glory.


Thailand Braces for Worse Violence in the South -PM Muslim separatists are intensifying violence in southern Thailand in hopes of a brutal government response that would boost foreign support for their aims, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Friday.


Hungary to pull troops from Iraq shakes hands with Hungarian defence minister after a military parade in Budapest, Wednesday. The prime minister said that Hungary would withdraw its 300 troops from Iraq by March 31 next year.


Official to Leave Fed for College Post The Texas A amp;M University System named Robert D. McTeer, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, as its new chancellor on Thursday.


Blue Gene breaks speed records IBM #39;S Blue Gene supercomputer, which is still being installed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has set an unofficial performance record.


Thieves spoil release of hot new video games DALLAS -- A month before the video game #39;s scheduled release this coming Tuesday, illegal copies of the hot sci-fi action title  quot;Halo 2 quot; already were circulating on the Internet.


EA #39;s Medal of Honor Pacific Assault Director #39;s Edition PC-DVD in <b>...</b> Electronic Arts, the world #39;s leading interactive entertainment company, is pleased to announce that the Medal of Honor Pacific Assault(TM) Director #39;s Edition has shipped to stores in North America and is available for purchase today.


A three-way tie, and Singh lurking Vijay Singh of Fiji hits from the tee on the seventh hole during first-round play at the Tour Championship on Thursday in Atlanta.


Will Spurrier take a swing? UF has few sure candidates past ex <b>...</b> It #39;s not a lock that Steve Spurrier will return to coach Florida #39;s football team, but if not him, then who #39;ll coach the Gators after this year?


Trio of talented backs lift Vikings Minnesota Vikings running back Michael Bennett watched the season #39;s first five games from the sideline with a knee injury. Anxiety over recovering from injury eventually led to concern


Phils appear to be settling for 2nd-best Charlie Manuel might turn out to be the best manager ever. He might lead the Phillies to the World Series and bring peace, love and understanding into a tense clubhouse.


3 Britons killed in Iraq A suicide bomber killed three British troops and wounded eight others at a British checkpoint in central Iraq, Britain #39;s armed forces minister Adam Ingram told reporters on Thursday.


Buddhist chief beheaded in revenge for Muslim deaths A Buddhist village chief was beheaded in Thailand #39;s Narathiwat province yesterday in an apparent revenge killing, a week after 78 Muslim protesters were crushed to death en route to a military detention centre.


US soldier killed by roadside bomb in Iraq A roadside bomb killed a US soldier and wounded another when it struck their vehicle near the Iraqi town of Balad, the US military today said.


United Airlines Seeks Staff Concessions United Airlines is expected to ask a bankruptcy judge to let it extract new concessions worth \$725 million a year from employees as it seeks to reorganize, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.


Undefeated Diaz retains title Juan Diaz carried his impressive boxing show on the road Thursday night. In the first defense of his World Boxing Association lightweight title, Diaz not only was successful


Baseball: Mets introduce Willie Randolph as manager NEW YORK : The New York Mets formally introduced Willie Randolph as the 18th manager in the history of the major league baseball club, giving the veteran coach an opportunity that had often eluded him.


Russia OKs Global Warming Treaty President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill confirming Russia #39;s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, giving the final stamp of approval that would bring the global climate pact into force early next year, the Kremlin said Friday.


3 British soldiers die in Iraq BAGHDAD - Insurgents attacked British troops at a checkpoint in central Iraq on Thursday, killing three and wounding eight in a suicide bomb and mortar barrage aimed at soldiers sent to the high-risk area to free US forces for an assault on the militant


McTeer appointed new A amp;M chancellor Robert D. McTeer was appointed chancellor of the Texas A amp;M University System by the Texas A amp;M Board of Regents in a special telephone meeting Thursday.


Studios launch legal offensive against online movie swappers Hollywood studios said yesterday they will file lawsuits this month against hundreds of people who swap pirated copies of movies over the Internet.


Rover control shifts to Ithaca ITHACA -- Getting to drive two rovers on Mars all the way from Ithaca is a dream come true for Cornell University #39;s Steven Squyres.


Video game pirates hard at work Insiders are blamed for most leaks of hot new titles online; catching suspects is difficult. By Matt Slagle. A month before the video game #39;s scheduled release on Tuesday, illegal copies of the hot sci-fi action


Houston no problem so Henman takes off Since its inception in 1986, when Boris Becker won the title, the Paris Indoor Open has never been successfully defended and Tim Henman, the most jubilant of winners last year, came nowhere near this time, losing 7-5, 6-1 to Russia #39;s Mikhail Youzhny in


Nuggets Nudge Timberwolves 94-92 in OT Denver Nuggets guard Andre Miller, front, gets caught in the corner with the ball by Minnesota Timberwolves center Michael Olowokandi of Nigeria, back left, and guard Sam Cassell during the first quarter in Denver on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004.


No. 14 Louisville Defeats Memphis, 56-49 Louisville #39;s JR Russell (3) lands in the end zone for a touchdown against Memphis #39; Joshua Tinch (9) during the first quarter on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004,at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.


ACE changes its practices ACE Ltd. yesterday became the latest insurance company to unveil changes in its business practices in response to the industry probe launched by New York #39;s attorney general.


Japan Airlines Returns to Profit Japan Airlines Corp. reported Friday that it returned to earning profits in first half of the fiscal year as international travel picked up from a decline a year ago caused by the war in Iraq and the SARS outbreak in Asia.


UPDATE:Australia Seven Lags Nine, Ten Amid Bleak Outlook MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Despite buoyant advertising conditions benefiting its rivals, Australian television broadcaster Seven Network Ltd.


Planetary Society Asks People to Imagine Titan Surface Scientists and space enthusiasts are excited about pictures of Saturn #39;s moon Titan that are now being sent to earth by the Cassini orbiter.


NBA Wrap: Heat Downs Cavaliers, 92-86 MIAMI (Sports Network) - Shaquille O #39;Neal made his home debut, but once again it was Dwyane Wade stealing the show with 28 points as the Miami Heat downed the Cleveland Cavaliers, 92-86, in front of a record crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena.


For Woods, Els,  #39;It was a tough day #39; Ernie Els and Tiger Woods are ranked Nos. 2 and 3 in the world, but on Thursday paired together in the first round of the Tour Championship they could have been two guys at the local municipal course.


Mutu in pledge to rebuild career Adrian Mutu has vowed to rebuild his career after being handed a seven-month ban for failing a drugs test. Former Chelsea star Mutu was suspended by the Football Association after a positive sample for a recreational drug, believed to be cocaine.


#39;Perfect #39; Boro Have Mcclaren Purring Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren believes his side last night put themselves on the European map with a perfect performance which even caught him by surprise.


Shorter season would liven up Series A year ago baseball was toying with the ill-conceived idea of expanding the playoffs by adding two wild-card teams - one from each league.


Putin Signs Bill to Ratify Kyoto Protocol President Vladimir Putin makes a speech as he hosts Russia #39;s Olympic athletes at a Kremlin banquet in Moscow, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2004.


US Seals Off Iraq #39;s Falluja, Air Raids Kill Three The US military blocked roads round Iraq #39;s rebel-held city of Falluja on Friday after mounting air strikes overnight that local hospital sources said killed three people.


Lawyer says deserter believes sentence was fair Tokyo -- Former US Army Sgt. Charles Jenkins believes his conviction and sentence of 30 days in jail for desertion after nearly 40 years in North Korea is  quot;very fair, quot; his defense attorney told The Associated Press on Thursday.


Fallujah focus for US forces BAGHDAD -- US forces pounded parts of Fallujah from the air and ground yesterday, hitting insurgents in a city where Americans are said to be gearing up for a major offensive.


Markets surge on oil drop, election Wall Street bounded higher for the second straight day yesterday as investors reveled in sharply falling oil prices and the probusiness agenda of the second Bush administration.


Australia #39;s Commonwealth Bank says earnings set to increase SYDNEY: The Commonwealth Bank of Australia said it expects increased earnings in the current financial year even though home lending had eased and margins are being squeezed in an increasingly competitive financial sector.


Update 1: McTeer Seen As Raising Dallas Fed Profile Robert McTeer #39;s tenure as president of the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank was marked by his endless advocacy for free trade and his belief that rising productivity could trump inflation.


Seven shares dive on downgrade SHARES in TV station the Seven Network Ltd dived more than 8 per cent this morning after it downgraded its earnings forecasts for the half and full year because of disappointing ratings.


Nokia Plans 40 New Handsets for 2005 Nokia Corp., the world #39;s largest mobile phone maker, plans to bring 40 new handsets to the market next year as it seeks to expand its already dominant market share amid increased competition from rivals Motorola Inc.


MPAA to Take Legal Action Students who download and exchange movies illegally over the Internet may soon face lawsuits and subpoenas similar to those faced by music filesharers.


Clue to nicotine addiction found They hope their findings, published in Science, may lead to new drugs to help smokers quit. It is thought nicotinic acetylcholine receptors found on the surface of brain cells are key.


VUG Goes For  #39;True #39; Simultaneous Release With Half-Life 2? November 04, 2004 - We sometimes hear of big-name games being released simultaneously across the globe. Typically this means the game will be released on the same day in each supported territory, although


Phishing Attacks May No Longer Require Lure typically e-mailed as enticements to bogus sites that endanger users #39; systems and expose their personal information -- is limited in scope


Shaq debuts in Miami win over New Jersey Dwyane Wade paced a balanced attack with 21 points and Shaquille O #39;Neal added 16 in his Heat debut, leading Miami to an easy 100-77 win over the New Jersey Nets at the Meadowlands Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).


Bobcats fall in first regular-season game For months, the Charlotte Bobcats were nothing more than a concept with a bright orange logo. They became a reality Thursday night in their NBA debut, hanging tough in a 103-96 loss to Washington that impressed Wizards star Antawn Jamison.


Cats try to bust out of cellar It may not be for the Pac-10 championship, but don #39;t tell the UA football team that its matchup with Washington doesn #39;t matter.


The strain starts to tell for Irureta Deportivo La Coruna coach Javier Irureta is rarely a picture of relaxation but he was tense even by his own standards ahead of his team #39;s Champions League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday.


Charges dropped against MHS students in rape case Prosecutors dismissed all charges Wednesday, Nov. 3, against two Montclair High School students who were accused of raping a 15-year-old schoolmate last month, ending a case that brought


Arafat in Coma, Critical State -Palestinian Envoy Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is not brain dead but is critically ill in a coma, between life and death, Palestinian envoy to Paris Leila Shahid said on Friday.


Arafat and Palestinians The land traditionally known as Palestine has been an unsettled international issue since the end of World War I. In 1947, the United Nations proposed dividing the land into Arab and Jewish countries, with Jerusalem under international administration.


US closes Syrian embassy The US has closed its embassy in Damascus on Thursday for security reasons, the mission said in a website statement. The embassy will be closed to the public on Thursday, November 4, 2004 to enable it to reassess its security posture, it said.


Qwest posts loss of \$569 million in third quarter Qwest posted a third-quarter loss of \$569 million after setting aside money to settle lawsuits stemming from a three-year accounting fraud.


Japan Air #39;s 2nd-Qtr Profit Soars Sixfold on Demand (Update2) Japan Airlines Corp., Asia #39;s largest carrier by sales, had a sixfold jump in second-quarter profit as rising Japanese exports boosted airfreight demand and passenger numbers rebounded from last year #39;s SARS-induced slump.


Ralph fires risk warning FEAR of public blame is making company boards more cautious and it could cost them profits, veteran business figure John Ralph warned today.


SPAMMER IN THE SLAMMER A CONMAN who made 13.8million with spam emails offering non-existent money-making schemes has been jailed for nine years. Dubbed a  quot;modern day snake oil salesman quot;, Jeremy Jaynes ripped off thousands of internet customers.


Cornell moves into the driver #39;s seat for Mars rovers ITHACA, NY Control of the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity has gradually shifted from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, to Cornell University in upstate New York.


Munch Museum will stay closed until 05 OSLO, Norway - Oslos Munch Museum could remain closed until June 2005 while officials upgrade its security system following a brazen daylight robbery in August of two Edvard Munch masterpieces.


Notebook: Spurrier #39;s news may affect UW job search No sooner had the news hit yesterday that Steve Spurrier was pulling himself out of consideration for a return trip to Florida than speculation began to rumble around Seattle that maybe that means the ol #39; ball coach is headed to UW.


Notebook: Cardinals #39; Williams files for free agency St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Woody Williams filed for free agency yesterday after the team told his agent it will decline his \$8 million option and pay him a \$900,000 buyout.


Roddick, Henman upset at Paris Masters Top seed American Andy Roddick and defending champion Tim Henman both crashed out of the Paris Masters in the third round on Thursday.


Wizards welcome Bobcats to NBA Basketball returned to Charlotte as the Bobcats opened their first season Thursday night with a 103-96 loss to the Wizards. Replacing the Hornets after they moved to New Orleans


Nuggets snag win this time The Nuggets and the Timberwolves, who exchanged words and cheap shots in a playoff series in April, met again Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.


Don #39;t blame Manuel, yet You walk around feeling like your team is messing this up, that they #39;re doing it wrong, that the Phillies are doomed to unending futility - even when they do something right.


ATHLETICS: I CAN #39;T LET ATHENS AGONY DESTROY MY LIFE PAULA RADCLIFFE insisted last night that her Olympic disaster will not  quot;ruin my life quot; as she bids to rebuild her career.


United seeks pension cuts Pay and benefits are included in the proposal to pare another \$2 billion in annual costs. United Airlines, still trying after two years to emerge from bankruptcy, officially proposed terminating its employee


JP Morgan, Cazenove agree joint venture deal Cazenove and JP Morgan have agreed a joint venture that effectively ends 181 years of independence for the UK stockbroker. The new venture, to be called JP Morgan Cazenove


MPAA to sue Net pirates Warning that film piracy represents the greatest economic threat to the movie industry in its 100 year-plus history, the Motion Picture Association of America announced Thursday that it plans


Study of nicotine addiction advances Scientists have said for decades that nicotine is a major addictive component in cigarettes. But exactly how chemical dependency results from nicotine #39;s interaction


Drastic changes to Scream museum The Munch Museum in Oslo could be shut until next summer while it introduces drastic security measures after the theft of its most famous painting.


Planets in dazzling array; conjunction peaks next week Early morning joggers, dog-walkers and commuters are enjoying a dazzling predawn light show in the eastern sky this week. Jupiter and Venus, the two brightest planets visible


Former Chelsea Football Club star will return to football Adrian Mutu has vowed to rebuild his career after being sacked by Chelsea Football Club and banned for seven months. Mutu received the worldwide ban from football after failing a routine drugs test.


Notes: NCAA #39;s Brand wants fiscal responsibility With a package of academic reforms in place, the NCAA #39;s next crusade will address what its president calls a dangerous drift toward professionalism and sports entertainment.


Radcliffe out to put Athens in rearview mirror Paula Radcliffe holds the world record for both the marathon and the 10K. She won the world championships half-marathon three times in the last five years.


Putin approves ratification of Kyoto Protocol RBC, 05.11.2004, Moscow 10:01:15.Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law the federal bill on the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, adopted by the State Duma of Russia on October 22, 2004 and approved by the Federation Council on October 27


Cazenove, JP Morgan Unveil Joint Venture Cazenove and JP Morgan Chase  amp; Co. unveiled a joint venture that effectively ends 181 years of independence for the UK stockbroker and gives a big boost to the US investment bank #39;s UK presence.


Retailers grin over Oct. sales But as the holiday shopping season approaches, discounters aren #39;t so optimistic about the jingle in their pockets. BY ANNE D #39;INNOCENZIO.


IBM Builds Worlds Fastest Computer A partially assembled prototype of a new IBM supercomputer set a record of 70.72 trillion transactions per second earlier this week.


Hitman: Blood Money announced  quot;80 of Americans could correctly name the first President Bush #39;s pet dog Millie, but only 15 knew that both President Bush and the challenger, Bill Clinton, favoured the death penalty quot; Link.


Shaq is hot stuff Basketball star Shaquille O #39;Neal could not have made a better home debut for his new club the Miami Heat. The American Airlines Arena felt the full force of the  quot;Shaq Attack quot; as a record crowd of more than


Henman targets Houston Tim Henman is already looking forward to the Masters event in Houston and believes he has a good chance of finishing the tennis season on a high.


VENUS NARROWLY AVOIDS UPSET Venus Williams barely kept alive her hopes of qualifying for next week #39;s WTA Tour Championships. Williams, seeded fifth, survived a third-set tiebreaker to outlast Yuilana Fedak of the Ukraine, 6-4 2-6 7-6


Locals take Spurrier decision in stride Upon hearing the news that Steve Spurrier turned down the chance to return to the University of Florida, Southwest Florida Gator Club president-elect Corbyn Hightower exchanged a few calls and e-mails with fellow Gators.


Nuggets battle past T-wolves in overtime The plan seemed simple Thursday for the Denver Nuggets in their home opener: make someone other than Kevin Garnett beat them. It worked until the fourth quarter.


Jail sought for  #39;JI bomb tutor #39; INDONESIAN prosecutors today called for a two-year prison term for a man accused of using his science degree and Islamic militant experience to run bomb workshops and plot terror attacks on Western interests.


Bush rally continues, with Dow soaring 177 The Bush rally roared into a second day yesterday, with a big assist from oil that pushed blue-chips to their biggest gain in 13 months.


Oil price drops below \$49 mark Oil futures prices plunged by more than \$2 a barrel Thursday, continuing a sell-off that began last week amid rising US supplies of crude and expectations of a surge in heating oil production before winter arrives.


Backs off drastic fare  amp; service plans The MTA unexpectedly has withdrawn its doomsday plan to raise fares, slash service and pink-slip workers. New Yorkers had been told to prepare for the worst, including a nearly across-the-board hike in discount MetroCard prices.


Cazenove in JP Morgan deal Cazenove and JP Morgan Chase have unveiled a joint venture that effectively ends 181 years of independence for the UK stockbroker and gives a big boost to the US investment bank #39;s UK presence.


Three Bid on Australia National Bank Units As many as three European banks may have submitted bids to purchase National Australia Bank #39;s two units in Ireland, newspapers reported Friday.


Virginia Convicts NC Spammers A North Carolina man and his sister became the first two people convicted of a felony for sending fraudulent unsolicited commercial e-mail.


Solaris source code schedule slips The server and software company had planned to release its new version of the Unix operating system by the end of the year -- source code and all.


Microsoft to step up music sales effort Microsoft hopes to more than double its presence in the European online music market by launching its MSN Music Service in seven more countries, the Financial Times reported.


Clarke eyeing first win Darren Clarke had his first tournament victory of 2004 in his sights today as he topped the leaderboard after the opening round of the \$6million Tour Championship in Atlanta.


Spurrier to UF: Look elsewhere All the hype and speculation came to an end Thursday when Steve Spurrier, once considered the leading man for the Florida job, removed his name from the pool of candidates to replace Ron Zook, who was fired Oct.25.


United prepare for a flood London - Here #39;s the good news for Manchester City: Manchester United will be without lethal striker Ruud van Nistelrooy for this weekend #39;s crosstown derby at Old Trafford.


Japan air profit up on overseas demand Japan Airlines Corp, Asia #39;s largest carrier, may say second-quarter profit more than doubled as waning concerns about SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) boosted travel overseas.


Trio of Hot New Games Victimized by Piracy A month before the video game #39;s scheduled release this coming Tuesday, illegal copies of the hot sci-fi action title  quot;Halo 2 quot; were already circulating on the Internet.


Middlesbrough Football Club boss hails perfect team Steve McLaren was delighted with his Middlesbrough Football Club players after their 2-0 win over Lazio last night.  #39;Boro won the game 2-0 with goals in each half from Dutch international Bolo Zenden and could


Judge freezes \$500 million linked to Xelan A federal judge in San Diego yesterday froze more than \$500 million in bank accounts linked to the San Diego financial planning firm Xelan, whose aggressive tax shelters had run afoul of the Internal Revenue Service.


City poised to give If the Jets #39; West Side stadium proposal somehow loses state financing, the city has got its back. City officials have agreed to assume the state #39;s \$300 million contribution to the proposed


Studios to sue net movie swappers Hollywood film studios are to sue people who swap pirated copies of films over the internet. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) said the civil suits would seek damages of up to \$30,000 (16,300) per film.


Cry foul over NBA Millionaire basketball players want to bounce a Harlem community center where thousands of kids come for after-school help every year, a group charged yesterday.


#39;Boro, Magpies notch UEFA group wins LONDON -- Boudewijn Zenden scored twice as European rookie Middlesbrough beat Lazio 2-0 in the group stage of the UEFA Cup yesterday.


Peugeot and Citroen to pull out of racing Peugeot and Citroen are to withdraw from the world championship at the end of 2005, the PSA group that owns them announced yesterday, just two days after Ford reaffirmed its commitment to the competition.


Crystal Palace v Arsenal Crystal Palace defender Fitz Hall is doubtful with a knee problem, but boss Iain Dowie will leave it until the last minute before making a decision.


Fool #39;s gold or silver lining? Meb Keflezighi knows what people think. That he #39;s foolish for running the IMG New York City Marathon on Sunday. That 70 days isn #39;t enough time to recover after his emotional performance at


Arafat #39;s passing could remove roadblock to US peace efforts The Bush administration is preparing a strategy for resumed Mideast peacemaking that rests heavily on an emerging core of Palestinian leaders taking charge of keeping order and nurturing an embryonic government.


Threats to Dutch Politicians After Killing Several leading Dutch politicians have been threatened with death since the killing of a filmmaker critical of Islam, media reported on Friday.


US jets, artillery hit Fallujah American jets and artillery batteries launched attacks on the insurgent-held city of Fallujah yesterday, hitting targets in the run-up to what could be a major assault on the Sunni- dominated town.


Barroso makes limited changes to Commission Incoming European Commission President Jose Manuel Duro Barroso yesterday announced the new line-up of his EU executive team, aimed at resolving a row that has left Brussels in limbo.


Oracle faces the masses at OpenWorld SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Oracle is set to kick off its OpenWorld developer conference in San Francisco on Monday, with analysts expecting announcements about product enhancements and at least some words about the company #39;s long-running, \$9.2 billion


Stock buybacks not always a good sign Investors who see company buybacks of stock as only good news may be overlooking the damage that certain share repurchases can do to companies #39; financial health.


U.S. Forces Set for Imminent Assault on Iraq's Falluja (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. military sealed off Falluja on\Friday and launched a night of air strikes on the rebel city\ahead of an assault seen as critical to the interim\government's attempt to pacify Iraq before January polls.


Trio of Hot New Games Victimized by Piracy (AP) AP - A month before the video game's scheduled release this coming Tuesday, illegal copies of the hot sci-fi action title "Halo 2" were already circulating on the Internet. It's had a lot of company lately.


Study reports jump in SUV ownership Between 1997 and 2002, the number of sport utility vehicles in Oregon increased 36 percent, according to data released by the US Census Bureau.


IBM Supercomputer Again Claims Record (AP) AP - A  #36;100 million supercomputer being built to analyze the nation's nuclear stockpile has again set an unofficial performance record  #151; the second in just over a month.


United Airlines Seeks Staff Concessions (Reuters) Reuters - United Airlines is expected to ask a\bankruptcy judge to let it extract new concessions worth  #36;725\million a year from employees as it seeks to reorganize, the\Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources.


Chirac Denies He Refused to See Iraq's Allawi (Reuters) Reuters - French President Jacques Chirac said\on Friday he had not refused to meet Iraqi interim Prime\Minister Iyad Allawi after reports he was snubbing the Iraqi\leader by leaving an EU meeting in Brussels early.


Chiefs' Holmes on Track for 32 Touchdowns (AP) AP - One year after scoring an NFL-record 27 touchdowns, Priest Holmes sometimes has trouble getting out of bed the morning after a game.


Seeking Edge, Hoop Teams Try Video Game (AP) AP - Simplice Njoya, a University of Memphis basketball forward, sat hunched over a laptop, testing an idea first studied on Israeli fighter pilots. The premise: Skills he picks up playing a complex computer game can make him a better ball player.


Afghan Kidnappers Meet on Fate of U.N. Hostages (Reuters) Reuters - Leaders of an Afghan militant group\holding three U.N. workers hostage met on Friday to decide\whether to kill them or extend a deadline for authorities to\meet their demands, a member of the leadership council said.


REVIEW: Device Lets You Record Radio Shows (AP) AP - Call it TiVo for the radio. A new  #36;70 device called RadioShark lets you record your favorite AM and FM radio shows to your home computer and enjoy them later either from the desktop or a portable device.


Time for Alternative Minimum Tactics By now, most people have at least heard of the AMT, but those who still think of it as what it was intended to be -- a special tax to make sure rich people pay at least something to the government -- are badly out of date.


Ex-Student Indicted on Hacking Charges (AP) AP - A former University of Texas student was indicted on charges he hacked into the school's computer system and stole Social Security numbers and other personal information from more than 37,000 students and employees.


Cazenove, JP Morgan Unveil Joint Venture (Reuters) Reuters - Cazenove and J.P. Morgan Chase   Co.\unveiled a joint venture that effectively ends 181 years of\independence for the UK stockbroker and gives a big boost to\the U.S. investment bank's UK presence.


Taipei Plans City-Wide Wi-Fi by End 2005 (Reuters) Reuters - Taipei plans to make wireless Internet\access available across the Taiwan capital by the end of 2005,\joining a small number of cities offering Wi-Fi networks.


Jobless Claims, Productivity Growth Dip (Reuters) Reuters - Fewer Americans filed jobless claims\last week and growth in worker productivity slowed sharply in\the third quarter, government data showed on Thursday, hinting\that conditions in the sluggish U.S. labor market have\improved.


Shaq a big draw in home debut for Heat (AFP) AFP - Shaquille O'Neal making his home debut for Miami before a record crowd, scored 17 points and created plenty of chances for his teammates as the Heat defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-86 in a National Basketball Association Game.


Nokia Says Handset Market to Slow, Share to Rise (Reuters) Reuters - Nokia (NOK1V.HE), the world's\largest mobile phone maker, expects slowing mobile phone growth\in 2005 but plans to launch more phones next year and regain\lost market share, the company said on Thursday.


Giants Pitcher Pleased by Honor From Peers (AP) AP - Jason Schmidt figures he probably lost his chance at the NL Cy Young Award when he strained his groin covering first base back in August.


Nokia Plans 40 New Handsets for 2005 (AP) AP - Nokia Corp., the world's largest mobile phone maker, plans to bring 40 new handsets to the market next year as it seeks to expand its already dominant market share amid increased competition from rivals Motorola Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. and Sony Ericsson.


Chidambaram says possible to raise GDP growth to 7-8 pct (Reuters) Reuters - Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said on Friday it was possible to raise average economic growth to 7-8 percent in the next 12 years and the country was set to become an economic superpower.


United Aims to Replace Pension Plan (AP) AP - United Airlines' workers are getting formal details on how the bankrupt company wants to replace their traditional pension with a 401(k)-style benefit plan  #151; plus further steep reductions in pay and other benefits.


Drug Test Sidelines Mutu for Seven Months (AP) AP - Former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu was suspended for seven months and fined about  #36;35,000 by the English Football Association on Thursday after testing positive for cocaine.


Linux Networx Lands  #36;40 Million Funding (TechWeb) TechWeb - Linux Networx closed on a  #36;40 million funding and unveiled a new scalable storage system engineered for use with its Linux Networx computing systems.


Martens not guilty, says her days in assisted suicide movement are over (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - Evelyn Martens, found not guilty Thursday of helping two British Columbia women commit suicide, said her days in Canada's assisted suicide movement are over.


Holiday Outlook Brightens for Retailers (AP) AP - The outlook for the holiday season brightened Thursday as many of the nation's retailers reported an improvement in sales in October. Discounters, however, had another month of lackluster results as their customers cut back their spending again.


Southern Miss Looks to Extend Win Streak (AP) AP - Southern Mississippi hasn't lost a Conference USA game in nearly two years, but some Golden Eagles players aren't all that impressed.


Microsoft To Issue Early Warnings For Patch Tuesday (TechWeb) TechWeb - The software maker will provide a summary of planned security bulletins three days in advance.


Venus Advances at Advanta Championships (AP) AP - Venus Williams needed a third-set tiebreaker to defeat 87th-ranked Yuliana Fedak, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (4) in the second round of the Advanta Tennis Championships on Thursday night.


A So-So Debut For Microsoft's Blog Service Microsoft made a belated entrance into the "blogosphere" Thursday, unveiling a free Web-log publishing service one day after Merriam-Webster proclaimed "blog" the word of the year.-Leslie Walker


Sun Capital buys Honeywell unit (TheDeal.com) TheDeal.com - The performance fibers business makes high-strength polyester fibers at plants in North Carolina and France.


Bush Vows No Letup in Iraq, War on Terror (AP) AP - Bolstered by a hard-fought election victory, President Bush says the United States will vigorously pursue wars in Iraq and against terror and will not retreat from trying to spread democracy through the Middle East.


World of Warcraft coming Nov. 23 (MacCentral) MacCentral - Blizzard Entertainment on Thursday confirmed earlier speculation that its long-anticipated massively multiplayer online role playing game World of Warcraft will be released this month. Blizzard expects World of Warcraft to be available in stores on November 23, 2004, released simultaneously for Mac OS X and Windows.


Elizabeth Edwards Has Breast Cancer (AP) AP - Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day her husband and Sen. John Kerry conceded the presidential race.


Congressional Republicans to Push Stem-Cell Issue (Reuters) Reuters - California voters' approval of a  #36;3\billion ballot measure this week to fund controversial\stem-cell research gives new life to a similar effort in the\U.S. Congress, moderate Republicans said on Thursday.


Democrats Have Bad Case of the Blues (AP) AP - After losing back-to-back presidential elections, Democratic leaders are trying to figure out how to make the party more relevant to mainstream Americans and keep it from slipping into perpetual minority-party status.


Three Hold Lead at Tour Championship (AP) AP - The leaves have transformed into a sparkling array of colors. There's a bit of a chill in the air. The golf season is coming to a close. Vijay Singh just loves this time of year.


Researchers Grow Sperm Nursery Cells from Mice (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. researchers said on Thursday\they had found sperm nursery cells in mice, grown them in lab\dishes and used them to father baby mice.


Scientists Close in on Source of Cosmic Rays (Reuters) Reuters - An international team of astronomers\believe they have solved a mystery that has been perplexing\scientists for 100 years -- the origin of cosmic rays.


Tin of Ancient Roman Cosmetic Cream Found in UK (Reuters) Reuters - When it comes to cosmetics, the ancient\Romans knew what they were doing.


Dollar Struggles Above Record Lows  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar struggled just above this  year's record low against the euro on Friday amid worries about  the health of the U.S. economy but caution ahead of U.S. jobs  data later in the day limited its moves.


Rehnquist More Likely to Step Aside Now (AP) AP - President Bush's re-election makes it more likely Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist will retire soon. And Republican gains in the Senate mean the president has more flexibility to nominate another strong conservative to fill that vacancy and other federal judgeships.


Adviser: Britain Hopes to Push U.S. on Climate Change (Reuters) Reuters - Britain hopes it can exert influence on\reelected President Bush and push the United States to do more\to combat climate change, the British government's chief\scientist said on Thursday.


Study: Antarctic Wildlife Facing Food Shortages (Reuters) Reuters - Global warming and disappearing sea ice\in the Southern Ocean are causing food shortages that could\threaten Antarctic whales, seals and penguins, scientists said\Wednesday.


Venus Leads Seeds Into Advanta Quarter-Finals  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Venus Williams and Vera Zvonareva  registered second-round victories at the Advanta Championships  in Philadelphia Thursday to remain in the chase for places in  next week's lucrative end-of-season tournament.


France Suspends Hunting to Save Orphaned Bear Cub (Reuters) Reuters - France suspended hunting in\the western Pyrenees on Wednesday to save a bear cub orphaned\when his mother, the last female bear native to the region, was\killed by hunters earlier this week.


Cazenove, JP Morgan Unveil Joint Venture  LONDON (Reuters) - Cazenove and J.P. Morgan Chase   Co.  unveiled a joint venture that effectively ends 181 years of  independence for the UK stockbroker and gives a big boost to  the U.S. investment bank's UK presence.


Putin keeps IT-date with Infosys BANGALORE: Russian President Vladimir Putin, on a visit to the Infosys campus on Sunday, said that India and Russia should work together on innovative new technologies, with the younger generation taking the lead.


Roddick, Henman Bounced from the Paris Masters  PARIS (Reuters) - Top seed Andy Roddick and holder Tim  Henman, their minds perhaps on next week's Masters Cup, bowed  out of the Paris Masters in the third round Thursday.


U.N.: Sudan Forces Relocating Refugees (AP) AP - The Sudanese security forces surrounded several camps in the war-torn region of Darfur on Tuesday, relocated refugees against their will and denied access to humanitarian groups, the United Nations said. Sudan denied closing off the camps but said angry Arab tribesmen gathered in the area.


WADA: Botched Tests Allowed Hamilton to Keep Olympic Gold  TORONTO (Reuters) - A series of errors and  misunderstandings led to the botched drug test that resulted in  American cyclist Tyler Hamilton retaining his gold medal from  the Athens Olympics, said a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)  report Thursday.


Stocks Rally as Oil Prices Drop  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks extended their  post-election rally on Thursday, pushing the S P 500 to its  highest close for more than two years as oil prices tumbled  below \$49, while tobacco and food company Altria Group Inc.  MO.N surged after saying it may split itself up.


Astronomers Untangle Black Hole Radiation (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Astronomers sifting through \the radiation signals emanating from a distant black hole have separated the \emission into its two component parts, a key step in understanding how such \massive objects work.


Retail Sales Rise Is Biggest in Months  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cooler weather drove U.S. shoppers  into stores in October, with top retailers reporting their  biggest rise in sales in months, but whether this points to a  strong holiday season remains an open question.


Control of Mars Rovers Shifts to Cornell (AP) AP - Because his job involves driving around on Mars all day, Cornell University astronomer Steve Squyres is glad he no longer has to make a cross-country commute to get home.


Spurrier Withdraws Name from Florida Vacancy  GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Sports Network) - Steve Spurrier will  not coach the Florida Gators again after he withdrew his name  from consideration in the process to select a new head football  coach at the university.


Titan: A Good Mystery (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - When was the last time you read a good mystery novel, or munched popcorn while watching a mystery flick at your local theater? Odds are, either of these entertainments set you back at least  #36;10 and lasted a few hours. For a lesser price, we're all participating in cracking a real mystery #x2014;what's beneath the clouds that cover Saturn's moon, Titan?


Mars Rovers Get Mystery Power Boost (AP) AP - As NASA's Mars rovers keep rolling past all expectations of their useful lives, scientists have a happy mystery: For some reason one of the vehicles has actually gained power recently.


Digital Temblors: Computer Model Successfully Forecasts Earthquakes (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - A Southern \California earthquake forecast based on computer models has successfully \pinpointed the location of nearly every major temblor to hit the region over the \last four years.


Chirac Denies He Refused to See Iraq's Allawi  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - French President Jacques Chirac said  on Friday he had not refused to meet Iraqi interim Prime  Minister Iyad Allawi after reports he was snubbing the Iraqi  leader by leaving an EU meeting in Brussels early.


Deer, Raccoons Are the Top Crop Raiders (AP) AP - Purdue University researchers who set up cameras in fields to catch wild animals in the act of gobbling up crops found that deer and raccoons  #151; not wild turkeys, as many farmers believe  #151; are the greediest crop-raiders.


Possible Source of Cosmic Rays Found (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Astronomers have produced the first truly useful image ever of something in space using gamma rays. It's a picture only an astronomer could love, but it appears to help solve a century-long mystery.


Pioli may be Browns #39; best bet The Browns pulled the plug on Davis 3 years into his ill-fated tenure as coach and general manager, leaving the franchise searching for answers about its direction.


Program Turns Restaurant Food to Compost (AP) AP - Haute cuisine is going green in a program that recycles restaurant and household food scraps into high-grade compost for Northern California farms and vineyards.


Mystery of Magnetic Stars Solved (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - While you may never have pondered the similarity between a common bar magnet and a \  star, nbsp;astronomers do, and they believe they have figure out why the two disparate bodies are \  sometimes strikingly similar.


Scientists Search for War Remnants in Ga. (AP) AP - Dragging radar equipment behind a farm tractor, scientists Thursday scanned an old rail yard for buried artifacts from Savannah's bloody Revolutionary War battle in 1779.


Phillies Name Manuel as Their New Manager  PHILADELPHIA (Sports Network) - The Philadelphia Phillies  introduced Charlie Manuel as their 51st manager on Thursday  afternoon. The 60-year-old Manuel was one of eight candidates  interviewed for the job.


All Geared Up to Serve The presidential inauguration is typically the most lucrative single week for the city's hospitality industry in any four-year span.


Ivory Coast Opposition Targeted, War Fears Grow  ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Militant supporters of Ivory Coast's  president attacked opposition party headquarters overnight in  the main city Abidjan as fears grew of a slide into full-scale  war in the world's top cocoa grower.


432-Year Search: Lost Star Found (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe spotted a new star in the sky on Nov. 11, 1572, and astronomers have been trying ever since to figure out exactly what happened. The case appeared to be solved last week.


Serie A wrap: Milan close on Juve - Inter thump Messina Inter Milan has climbed to fourth after thrashing Messina 5-0 at the San Siro where Adriano scored a first half hat-trick. Sinisa Mihajlovic and Christian Vieri completed the


Bush, Retailers Drop in Oil Prices Give Markets Boost Wall Street continued its post-election rally Thursday as oil prices dropped by more than \$2 a barrel and President Bush outlined plans for a second term.


Study: Penguin, Seal Food Source Shrinks (AP) AP - A key food source for Antarctic seals, whales and penguins has declined about 80 percent since the 1970s in ocean waters near the Antarctic Peninsula, researchers report.


Insurance Executives Fired in Bid Probe  NEW YORK, Nov. 4 -- Companies caught up in New York state Attorney General Eliot L. Spitzer's investigation into rigged bids and kickbacks in the insurance industry began firing and suspending executives charged with or suspected of involvement in the alleged wrongdoing.


Mets and Randolph Launch a New Era Willie Randolph walked into Shea Stadium on Thursday and was introduced as the first African-American manager of a major league team in New York.


Lonard wins Australian PGA Championship COOLUM, Australia - Australian Peter Lonard won the Australian PGA Championship by two strokes for his third tournament title in as many weeks on Sunday.


Scientists Intrigued by Rare Dead Whale (AP) AP - The body of a whale resembling a giant dolphin that washed up on an eastern Australian beach has intrigued local scientists, who agreed Wednesday that it is rare but are not sure just how rare.


Unshaken by Loss, Nets Extend Frank The Nets announced that Coach Lawrence Frank had signed a long-term contract extension that one league official said was guaranteed for three years.


Judge Refuses to Delay Rouse Shareholder Vote  A Howard County judge yesterday rejected an effort to delay Rouse Co. shareholders from voting on whether the company should sell itself to a Chicago mall developer.


Upscale Hotel Planned in Prince William County Developers announced plans Thursday for a large hotel and conference center to be built on an environmentally sensitive bluff overlooking the Potomac.


Memphis Has No Days of High Air Pollution (AP) AP - Memphis didn't have a day of excessive air pollution during the seven-month ozone season for the first time in seven years.


Haas Lines Up Perfect Ending to Season Shooting a three-under-par 67 in windy conditions, Jay Haas, who will turn 51 next month, was locked in a first-place tie at the Tour Championship .


BP and Sinopec in retail tie-up Oil giants BP and Sinopec are to open 500 petrol stations in Zhejiang, east China, as part of a joint venture.


Researchers Get Grant for Vaccine Study (AP) AP - A research team has been awarded a  #36;3.5 million federal grant to use a molecular detective technique to study and potentially improve the military's anthrax vaccine.


Waging 'inner jihad' on an empty stomach In the final days of Ramadan, a Muslim reporter grapples with the double standard for female pilgrims.


Scientist Stephen Hawking Decries Iraq War (AP) AP - Britain's most famous scientist, Stephen Hawking, condemned the U.S. led invasion of Iraq as a "war crime" and said Tuesday it was based on lies.


Aid workers increasingly a target in conflict zones The group holding three foreign aid workers in Afghanistan says it will decide Friday whether to kill them.


Price war hurts telecoms firm MCI MCI, which as Worldcom became the world's largest corporate bankruptcy, sees losses balloon to \$3.4bn thanks to a price war.


Championship tour rolls on For a guy who last weekend said he wasn't coming and kept tour organizers in suspense until showing up just hours before the team's charter flight was due to depart from Los Angeles, Manny Ramirez acted mighty happy to be in Japan.


India power shares jump on debut Shares in India's largest power producer, National Thermal Power Corp, rise 13 on their stock market debut.


Summary: Penguin Food Source Declines (AP) AP - REPORT FINDINGS: Stocks of krill, a shrimp-like crustacean, have declined about 80 percent since the 1970s in ocean waters near the Antarctic Peninsula.