Woods answers challenge, gets his game back on target names Tiger Woods turned in his most complete round of a difficult year, missing only two fairways and one green in closing with a 5-under-par 66 to take a two-shot victory over Padraig Harrington yesterday in the Target World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club in Sherman Oaks, Calif. It was Woods's second straight stroke-play title after going without one on ...


Celtics' defense is coming alive LOS ANGELES -- After 14-plus years in the NBA, Gary Payton is an unapologetic realist. He has no use for morale-boosting optimism.


Making the playoffs a rush for Dillon FOXBOROUGH -- Before yesterday's kickoff, Corey Dillon spotted Marvin Lewis across the field, approached the Cincinnati coach, and gave him an embrace. As they brought their heads together, the Patriots running back told Lewis that his grudge against the Bengals finally would be gone. And the Cincinnati coach reciprocated, agreeing that after the game the hatchet would be buried forever. ...


Palmer's loss stifles Bengals FOXBOROUGH -- The play did not look as bad as Rodney Harrison's hit that leveled Rudi Johnson in yesterday's 35-28 Patriots victory over Cincinnati at Gillette Stadium.


Home-Brew IPod Ad Opens Eyes An animated ad for Apple's iPod made by a schoolteacher is thrilling buzz marketers. Forget word-of-mouth -- the future of advertising is in professional-looking ads that go viral. By Leander Kahney.


Chinese retail sales hold firm Chinese consumers show little sign of reining in their spending, despite the first rise in core interest rates in nine years.


London Exchange rejects German bid The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has rejected a proposed offer for the company from Deutsche Boerse valued at 530 pence per share in cash.


Unocal Corp. tentatively settles human rights lawsuits LOS ANGELES A spokesman for Unocal Corp. says tonight the oil and gas giant has reached a tentative agreement to settle human rights lawsuits.


MONDAY MORNING HSBC Bank planted its flag in Washington last week, opening its first branch in the District with hopes of becoming Riggs Bank #39;s replacement to the embassy community.


Sony launches portable games pad Sony has launched its first handheld games console, the PlayStation Portable (PSP), which it hopes will challenge Nintendo in the portable games market.


Spouse says  quot;No iPod, quot; Getting rid of CDs, and Resurrecting a dead <b>...</b> Ask iPodlounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-related questions from a member of the iPodlounge editorial team.


NASA telescopes spy planets under construction Planet-building is dusty work, and now two space telescopes have captured images of cosmic construction materials: disks of dust circling stars about the same size as our sun.


PETROV WANTS BHOYS SIGNED UP Celtic star Stilian Petrov has urged the Parkhead board to hand a number of top players new contracts before they live to regret letting them go.


SIX OF THE BEST FOR MILAN Reigning Italian champions AC Milan handed out a lesson in quality finishing at the San Siro to hit outclassed Fiorentina for six of the best on Sunday afternoon.


ST Telemedia and Telekom Malaysia buy Idea stake Singapore Technologies Telemedia and Telekom Malaysia are paying US\$390m-equivalent to acquire a 48 per cent stake in Idea Cellular, India #39;s fifth-largest mobile operator, after conducting due


Ericsson awarded GSM expansion contract by Guangdong Mobile Corp Ericsson has been awarded an \$805m contract by Guangdong Mobile Communication Corporation Limited (Guangdong Mobile, a whole-owned subsidiary of China Mobile HK Holdings, to expand its GSM network in Guangdong Province, China.


US Dollar Falls Against the Yen The dollar fell against the yen and the euro in Asia on Monday for the first time in three sessions as US hedge funds and Japanese exporters resumed selling the greenback on concerns about US economic imbalances.


Queues for PSP as Sony enter the fray (PSP) It seems there #39;s no end to Japan #39;s love of handheld gaming these days. With Nintendo selling big with its hugely successful Nintendo DS launch, Sony have begun the counter attack with queues of up to 1500


Free Music for Your iPod You #39;re probably already familiar with one of the most common questions we hear at iPodlounge:  quot;how can I load my iPod up with free music?


Apple iTunes in Grammy Award link-up The US music industry is strengthening its embrace of music download services, with a unique Grammy Award/iTunes tie-up. The organisers of the Grammy Awards have reached a deal with Apple to


Blues held by Gunners Eidur Gudjohnsen #39;s equaliser gave Chelsea a 2-2 draw with champions Arsenal at Highbury and took the Blues four points clear at the top of the Premiership table.


Knicks count on new math If you take Isiah Thomas at his word and believe he #39;s not trading Allan Houston before the February deadline, then the Knicks have to hope that Houston-Jamal Crawford-Stephon Marbury isn #39;t the second coming of Houston-Latrell Sprewell-Glen Rice.


Suicide bomb blasts Green Zone A SUICIDE car bomb has ripped through a line of vehicles at a checkpoint outside the Green Zone today, killing 13 people as Iraq marked the first anniversary of Saddam Hussein #39;s capture.


Online Groups Brag About Movie Piracy (AP) AP - In not-too-secret online forums, Wesley Snipes' latest movie, "Blade: Trinity," is the subject of intense discussion and evaluation. But unlike typical movie fan sites, the chatter from visitors to Web sites like VCDQuality.com doesn't key on the vampire film's plot, acting or bloody visual effects. Instead, computer users dish out praise or criticism on the caliber of video and sound achieved by online groups whose sole mission is to make available unauthorized copies of Hollywood films within a day or two of a movie's debut, if not before.


Lamy Says France Proposed Him as WTO Chief (Reuters) Reuters - France has formally proposed former\European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy as a candidate to\become the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Lamy\said Monday. EU governments backed Frenchman Lamy as Europe's\candidate last week for the post of WTO director-general, which\former Thai deputy premier Supachai Panitchpakdi is due to\leave at the end of August 2005.


LSE rejects 1.35bn Deutsche bid The London Stock Exchange today said it had rejected a 1.35 billion takeover approach from German rival Deutsche Boerse. Shares in the LSE have risen 25 per cent in recent weeks as investors anticipated a possible takeover bid.


IBM, AMD Speed Chips, Strain Wafers  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Researchers at IBM IBM.N and  Advanced Micro Devices Inc. AMD.N have improved a chip-making  technology called strained silicon, boosting  semiconductor  performance at a time when such gains are increasingly hard to  come by, the companies said on Sunday.


OPEC Head Sees Oil Demand Dropping  JAKARTA (Reuters) - Demand for oil will decline by 1  million barrels per day (bpd) in the second quarter of 2005,  the head of the OPEC producers' cartel said on Monday.


GLOBAL MARKETS-Exporters Gain  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Exporters such as Honda Motor Co. led  gains in Japanese shares Monday as a rebound in the U.S. dollar  eased concerns over corporate profits, but stocks elsewhere in  Asia slipped on rising oil prices.


Blog Creation, Readership Rise in 2004 (AP) AP - Readership of online journals known as blogs grew significantly in 2004, driven by increased awareness of them during the presidential campaign and other major news events, according to a study released Sunday.


Saddam #39;s lieutenants on  #39;hunger strike #39; Some of Saddam Hussein #39;s top aides are refusing meals in their secret US detention centre, the US army acknowledged on Sunday after a detainee #39;s lawyer said Iraq #39;s ousted leaders were on hunger strike.


Barghouti pulls out of election Marwan Barghouti withdrew from the race to replace Palestinian President Yasser Arafat late last night. His withdrawal means there will be a smooth transition in the election on 9 January, with interim leader Mahmoud Abbas the clear favourite.


Central Banks Short-Circuit U.S. Savings?  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Have Asia's central banks lulled  Americans into a false sense of security?


Nikkei Ends Up as Yen Helps Car Firms  TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average closed  higher for the first time in three sessions Monday, as a weaker  yen against the dollar helped auto exporters such as Honda  Motor Co. Ltd.


IBM, AMD claim 24 per cent chip speed gains IBM and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have jointly developed a new method for implementing strained silicon technology on both positive and negative transistors, the companies are expected to announce today.


NASA Chief Is Resigning After 3 Years, Officials Say NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe is said to be pursuing a job as chancellor of Louisiana State University.


Second Delay for Rocket Engineers sought to determine what caused a temperature control system to malfunction after an aborted launch Saturday.


Court Case Pits Google and Geico A trademark infringement suit against Google may alter how the search industry makes a profit.


N.Korea Says Reconsidering Place at Nuclear Talks (Reuters) Reuters - North Korea is seriously reconsidering\its role in talks on its nuclear plans because of what it sees\as a concerted campaign to topple the North's ruling system,\the North Korean Foreign Ministry said on Monday.


UAE Urges Radical Arab Reform from Within (Reuters) Reuters - The United Arab Emirates urged fellow\Arabs Monday to implement radical political and economic\reform, saying history and their people would not forgive them\if they failed to do so.


Iraqi Leader Criticizes U.S.-Led Coalition (AP) AP - Iraq's interim President Ghazi al-Yawer said in an interview broadcast Monday that the U.S.-led coalition was wrong to dismantle the Iraqi security forces.


Manning Comes Up Short of Marino's Mark (AP) AP - No. 45 was a simple 3-yard floater to his favorite target. No. 46 was vintage Peyton Manning, a 12-yard bullet between two defenders.


Spain PM Testifies at Bombing Inquiry (AP) AP - Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, testifying Monday before a parliamentary commission investigating Spain's worst terrorist attack, dismissed any link between his surprise election victory last March and the Madrid train bombings three days earlier.


Abandoned Africa HIV Orphans Struggle with Stigma (Reuters) Reuters - Monica is 12, likes ice cream, thinks\boys are rough and dirty, and wants to grow up to be a flight\attendant "because they work hard and play hard."


Tiger Woods Wins Target World Challenge (AP) AP - At this rate, Tiger Woods probably can't wait for the 2005 season to start. Woods turned in his most complete round of a difficult year Sunday, missing only two fairways and one green in closing with a 5-under 66 for a two-shot victory over Padraig Harrington in the Target World Challenge.


Giuliani Said Apologized to Bush Over Kerik (AP) AP - Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, at a preplanned dinner with President Bush, offered apologies for the abortive nomination of close associate Bernard Kerik as homeland security secretary, a Giuliani spokeswoman said.


Mobile multimedia slow to catch on Mobile phone firms face a series of hurdles if they want to get their customers using their funky new handsets.


Hong Kong Shares Close Little Changed The Hang Seng Index slipped 15.65 points, or 0.1 percent, to 13,886.16. On Friday, the index had slumped 107.01 points, or 0.8 percent.


Singapore #39;s Jetstar Asia becomes 5th budget airline to operate <b>...</b> The Singapore #39;s budget airline, Jetstar Asia, will launch its daily service between Hong Kong and Singapore from Monday. Jetstar Asia will become the fifth budget airline


Sharon: Peace Depends on Palestinians GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Dec 13, 2004 - The new Palestinian leadership is not doing enough to restrain militants, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday, after attackers blew up an Israeli army outpost in Gaza and killed five soldiers.


Lawyer Urges Red Cross to Examine Saddam A French lawyer representing Saddam Hussein asked Monday for the International Red Cross to look into reports that the jailed former Iraqi leader has begun a hunger strike.


China to Impose Tariffs on Some Textiles  BEIJING (Reuters) - China will impose tariffs on some  textile exports in a move that may ease frictions with the  United States and others over an expected flood of Chinese  products on world markets after a global quota system expires  at year's end.


China textile exports develop BEIJING, Dec. 13 -- Three years after China #39;s entry into the World Trade Organization and the country #39;s quality of textile exports continues to improve.


UPDATE: Telekom Malaysia Spreads Its Wings KUALA LUMPUR (Dow Jones)--Telekom Malaysia Bhd. (4863.KU) has begun to spread its wings overseas, but it will be awhile before its Indian and Indonesian investments begin to pay off in substantially stronger earnings.


Hong Kong #39;s Record \$2.7 Bln Property Trust IPO May Be Delayed The trading debut of Hong Kong #39;s record \$2.7 billion property trust may be delayed because of a legal challenge, a government lawyer said.


IBM #39;s PC saga was two decades in the unmaking until then the ruler of a still-nascent industry -an a cheeky advertisement greeting its new rival. The ad said:  quot;Welcome, IBM.


Oil giant makes peace in Myanmar US oil giant Unocal Corp has agreed in principle to settle a lawsuit brought by Myanmar villagers who accused it of complicity in human rights abuses, including slave labour, during the building of a pipeline, a company spokesman said today.


Turning a setback into an opportunity Minneapolis-based Target Corp. #39;s decision this fall to stop allowing Salvation Army bell ringers at its stores has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Lake County Salvation Army.


AMD e IBM introducono un nuovo processo produttivo AMD e IBM hanno rilasciato congiuntamente un comunicato stampa, con il quale annunciano lo sviluppo di nuove tecniche di produzione per transistor strained silicon, che beneficia di una migliore gestione del consumo a parit di frequenza di clock.


Coral reefs may grow with global warming Rising levels of greenhouse gases may not be quite as bad for coral reefs as was previously thought. A team of Australian scientists say that the damage done by increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the


Toshiba rejects Sony Truce in HD-DVD - Blu-Ray War UK daily, The Guardian, is reporting that Sony executives have approached Toshiba in the last few weeks in an attempt to stave off the brewing next-gen format war.


Mforma makes Marvel-ous deal Rather than tell you, Dan Kranzler chooses instead to show you how he turned Mforma into a worldwide publisher of video games, ringtones and other hot downloads for mobile phones.


Current Mozilla Foundation Projects Well, for those of you who are interested, here #39;s my take on the Mozilla Foundation #39;s current, major projects. The Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit and open-source organization that develops Mozilla and all of its related apps.


Google Suggests the way to search Google has launched a new feature that tries to guess what people are looking for as they type queries into a search box. Google Suggest quietly debuted this week on the company #39;s Labs site, which showcases


AOL Creates Its Own Browsing Software As part of its reincarnation, America Online Inc. is creating its own software for browsing the Web and playing movies and songs. It #39;s a question of staying relevant in an increasingly broadband world.


Decoding Dusty Disks The Spitzer and Hubble Space Telescopes each have found dusty disks around sun-like stars. Finding such rings of dusty debris around stars the size of the sun is difficult, because they are fainter and harder


After Williams, Klitschko to fight Lewis? LAS VEGAS - KIEV, Dec.12-13 -mmediately after defending his WBC heavyweight title in the fight against Danny Williams in Las Vegas Saturday night, Vitali Klitschko headed to his native Ukraine to joint another battle  - fight for freedom in the


GOLF: NEIL STILL STANDING DESPITE PLAY-OFF DESPAIR Briton Neil Cheetham came agonisingly close to claiming the Dunhill Championship in South Africa, before losing in a sudden-death play-off.


Chad pins picks, loss on himself Chad Pennington took full blame for the Jets #39; loss yesterday and the numbers back him up. It was the second-worst performance of his outstanding young career.


Eagles 17, Redskins 14 With some of the focus on coach Andy Reid #39;s possible future spandex practice attire, the Philadelphia Eagles got an unexpectedly stiff challenge from the Washington Redskins on Sunday night in a 17-14 victory.


Twins lose Koskie to Jays Anaheim, Calif. - There is a decidedly right lean to the three-time champions of the American League Central. In a span of 26 days, the Minnesota Twins lost the left side of their infield to free agency.


Weis signs a six-year contract at Notre Dame Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis touched down in South Bend, Ind., last night and met with his new team, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.


Bears toe the playoff line Chad Hutchinson #39;s linemen were like hotel doormen.  quot;Right this way, sirs, quot; they repeatedly said, welcoming Jacksonville defenders into the Bears #39; backfield.


NFL Wrap-Manning Near Record as Colts Beat Texans (Reuters) Reuters - Peyton Manning continued to close in\on the NFL record for single season touchdown passes on Sunday,\firing two TD strikes as the Indianapolis Colts eased past the\Houston Texans 23-14 to clinch the division title.


Spanish Leader Faces Grilling on Train Bombings Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will become the first Spanish prime minister to be questioned by a parliamentary commission on Monday when he gives his version of events surrounding the Madrid train bombings.


NFL Wrap-Manning Near Record as Colts Beat Texans  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Peyton Manning continued to close in  on the NFL record for single season touchdown passes on Sunday,  firing two TD strikes as the Indianapolis Colts eased past the  Houston Texans 23-14 to clinch the division title.


Willingham Headed to Washington  SEATTLE (Sports Network) - The University of Washington has  named Tyrone Willingham its new head football coach. The school  will have a press conference at 2 p.m. (et) Monday to introduce  him.


Giants Still Need Big Bat Behind Bonds  ANAHEIM, Calif., (Sports Network) - San Francisco Giants  manager Felipe Alou answered several questions on Sunday at the  baseball winter meetings about the steroids issue and his super  slugger, Barry Bonds.


Notre Dame Makes Weis Decision  SOUTH BEND, Ind., (Sports Network) - The University of  Notre Dame has named New England Patriots assistant Charlie  Weis its 28th football coach. Weis, who will the fired Tyrone  Willingham, will be introduced at a press conference Monday at  11 a.m. (et).


China to Impose Tariffs on Some Textiles (Reuters) Reuters - China will impose tariffs on some\textile exports in a move that may ease frictions with the\United States and others over an expected flood of Chinese\products on world markets after a global quota system expires\at year's end.


Bruce hails Heskey after derby win (AFP) AFP - Steve Bruce paid tribute to the influence of England striker Emile Heskey after Birmingham moved away from the Premiership relegation zone with a 2-1 win away to arch-rivals Aston Villa.


Central Banks Short-Circuit U.S. Savings? (Reuters) Reuters - Have Asia's central banks lulled\Americans into a false sense of security?


Darfur Peace Talks Overshadowed by Fighting (Reuters) Reuters - Peace talks on Sudan's war-torn Darfur\region got under way Monday in Nigeria's capital, overshadowed\by fighting between rebels and government forces in the vast\desert area.


N.Korea Says Reconsidering Place at Nuclear Talks  SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea is seriously reconsidering  its role in talks on its nuclear plans because of what it sees  as a concerted campaign to topple the North's ruling system,  the North Korean Foreign Ministry said on Monday.


Spain Defends Its Iraq Troop Withdrawal  MADRID (Reuters) - Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez  Zapatero Monday strongly defended Spain's withdrawal of troops  from Iraq after the March 11 Madrid train bombings that killed  191 people.


Romanian Opposition Head Scores Upset Victory  BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's centrist opposition leader  Traian Basescu scored an upset victory in a presidential race  against leftist Prime Minister Adrian Nastase, partial official  results showed Monday.


Malaysia, Singapore Jumpstart Stalled Relations  PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) - Malaysia and Singapore  agreed Monday to work on resolving long-standing disputes in  what could be a milestone in relations between the two  quarrelsome Southeast Asian neighbors.


Dutch watch Van Gogh's last film The last film by slain director Theo van Gogh - whose death convulsed the Netherlands - is premiered.


China to Tax Textile Exports to Ease US, EU Concern (Update2) China said it will tax some textile exports and curtail investment in its domestic industry after the US and European Union threatened restrictions on an expected flood of Chinese clothing when quotas expire Jan. 1.


Honeywell to Buy Novar to Expand in Building Products (Update6) Honeywell International Inc., the world #39;s largest supplier of building controls and thermostats, agreed to buy Novar Plc of the UK for 798 million pounds (\$1.53 billion) to expand in security, fire and ventilation systems.


A Whole Lot to Swallow Squeezed at home, China #39;s biggest computer maker, Lenovo, is buying IBM #39;s money-losing PC business. But venturing abroad is fraught with risk.


Building surge forecast to transform Indy area By 2030, 4 in 10 homes will be under 30 years old, study says. By Matthew Tully. The Indianapolis metropolitan area will be reshaped dramatically in the coming decades as new residential, industrial and commercial


Microsoft desktop-search announcement due Microsoft #39;s MSN division is expected to announce a test version of its long-awaited desktop-search software this morning in a conference call with reporters.


Firefox hits 10-million mark Firefox, the open-source challenger to market heavyweight Internet Explorer, has surpassed 10 million downloads in a little more than a month since the browser was released in November.


AOL to let nonsubscribers in In a move both risky and essential, AOL is abandoning its strategy of exclusivity and will free much of its music, sports and other programming to nonsubscribers in hopes of increasing ad sales.


TARGET CHALLANGE GOLF LATEST BETTING ODDS NEWS The golf season finally enters its winter break this week, and there will be no more action on either the US PGA Tour or the European Tour until January.


Isiah Thomas Speaks, and Declares Support for Houston Isiah Thomas emerged from the Madison Square Garden shadows yesterday morning, gushed about his team #39;s break-even pace and swatted away the trade rumors that have chased the Knicks through the first quarter of the season.


Spain Defends Its Iraq Troop Withdrawal Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Monday strongly defended Spain #39;s withdrawal of troops from Iraq after the March 11 Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people.


Twenty-one die as  #39;petrol bus #39; explodes after collision Twenty-one Iraqis were killed when a bus carrying petrol exploded in a fireball after colliding with a car north-east of Baghdad, a hospital official said today.


Progress on Bilateral Talks between Singapore and Malaysia Leaders from Singapore and Malaysia said talks have been successful after they agreed to move forward on outstanding bilateral issues.


Target made rational choice about Salvation Army Just because Target has changed policy on allowing the Salvation Army bell-ringers this year doesn #39;t mean they don #39;t deserve our patronage  quot;Target doesn #39;t care about us, I don #39;t care about it, quot; Dec. 7.


US university tells 80,000 to  #39;ditch IE #39; US university Penn State has advised its 80,000 students to ditch Internet Explorer, citing that browser #39;s well-reported security vulnerabilities.


KING #39;S IDEA: A TOURNAMENT The ballroom at Mandalay Bay was decorated late Saturday night for an elaborate post-fight conference where Vitali Klitschko was to celebrate his eighth-round technical knockout over Danny Williams.


Tiger wins - and charity scores \$1m Tiger Woods shot a bogey-free five-under-par 66 to overtake a fading Colin Montgomerie and win the \$5,25-million Target World Golf Challenge in California.


Quick free angers Mourinho CHELSEA manager Jose Mourinho said he was  quot;more than unhappy quot; after Arsenal striker Thierry Henry #39;s second goal was allowed to stand at Highbury today.


Schwartzel delights the home supporters with maiden victory IF YOURE South African, young and very promising, with an eye on a long and successful career around the world, you would be delighted to win your maiden event in your home country as near as possible to where you were born, which is exactly what Charl


Niners blow lead, survive scare from Cards in OT Dennis Erickson may not have much time left as San Francisco #39;s coach. If this was his last game, though, he will go out a winner, thanks to an unlikely pair of stars -- Ken Dorsey and Maurice Hicks.


Denver returns to old habits In the third quarter of an interactive Sunday matinee at Madison Square Garden, a fan sitting behind the Denver basket shouted a question to Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony.


Eli building trust In Eli Manning #39;s eyes, it has become a trust issue between him and his teammates. In a four-game string of declining performances, lowlighted by yesterday #39;s 4-for-18, 27-yard


Eight US marines killed in western Iraq Fierce fighting in Fallujah forces US marines to call in both tanks, fighter jets for back up. By Pierre Celerier - FALLUJAH, Iraq.


Saddam #39;s Cause Remains Strong Without Him Even though a year has passed since former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was arrested, terrorism continues to escalate. Saddam was assumed to be organizer of the resistance in Iraq and was arrested on December 13 of last year on his farm in Tigrit.


Oracle Posts Higher Second-Quarter Profit (Reuters) Reuters - Business software maker Oracle Corp.\ on Monday posted a higher quarterly profit on firm\demand for its market-leading database software.


Fiber Pact: China Textile Dominance Spooks Asian Rivals BEIJING (Dow Jones)--China #39;s likely emergence as the world #39;s textile and garment superpower after 30 years of global quotas end Dec. 31 has spooked rival producers across


Novar Agrees on 798M Takeover Building supplies-to-cheque printing group Novar today agreed to be taken over by US giant Honeywell for 798 million. The deal sent shares in Novar up more than 14 and is


Singapore Shares End Flat, But Chinese Stocks Volatile SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--Singapore shares ended flat Monday, although many Chinese stocks fell on renewed fears about corporate governance sparked by a newspaper report containing unconfirmed allegations about a businessman linked to Singapore-listed United


Nippon Steel to pay double for coal next year Nippon Steel, Japans leading steelmaker, has agreed to pay a record price of more than \$120 per tonne for coking coal from next spring to Australias BHP Billiton Mitsubishi


Qantas Not Lifting Fuel Surcharge On Tickets - CEO SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--Qantas Airways Ltd. (QAN.AU) isn #39;t ready to lower the fuel surcharge on its tickets although oil prices have retreated from highs, the Australian airline #39;s chief executive Geoff Dixon said Monday.


Legislation expected today to set up do-not-call registry OTTAWA -- Tired of rushing to a ringing phone only to hear telemarketers pitching insurance products, exciting new job opportunities or cable TV packages?


AOL abandons exclusivity in favor of ad-supported model In a move both risky and essential, AOL is abandoning its strategy of exclusivity and will free much of its music, sports and other programming to non-subscribers in hopes of boosting ad sales.


Klitschko defends WBC heavyweight title Vitali Klitschko will defend his WBC heavyweight title tonight against Danny Williams in Las Vegas. Klitschko is 34-and-2 with 33 knockouts heading into his first title defense.


Report: Jays front-runners to sign Koskie The Toronto Blue Jays are close to signing Canadian third-baseman Corey Koskie and hope to have a deal done by Monday.  quot;We #39;re still talking, and hopefully we #39;ll know something soon, quot; Blue Jays general manager JP Ricciardi told TSN on Sunday night.


The Best in The Business Charlie Weis will be named the next head football coach at Notre Dame tomorrow during a Monday morning press conference. The New England Patriots offensive coordinator is known as one of the rising stars in


COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Reed #39;s 23 leads WMU to 5-2 CHARLESTON, SC -- Ben Reed scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Western Michigan beat the College of Charleston, 69-56, on Sunday.


China's Hu Moves to Further Consolidate Power (Reuters) Reuters - China's Communist Party chief, Hu\Jintao, pulled a close political ally out of a problem-plagued\province Monday in an apparent further consolidation of power\after assuming the top job in the military in September.


Suicide attack kills 13 in Baghdad A suicide car bomber killed 13 people today next to the heavily fortified area in central Baghdad housing the interim government and US embassy, and eight US Marines died in combat in western Iraq.


EU Ministers Prepare Disputed Turkey Decision EU foreign ministers met on Monday to make final preparations for a landmark decision later this week to open entry talks with Turkey amid renewed evidence of strong


N Korea warns US to stop smear campaign In a long statement in its trademark colourful language, the Korean Central News Agency issued its clearest indication since the US elections in November on the prospects for the stalled multilateral negotiations.


Arabs sent home from Afghan hunt US troops expel a group of Arab businessmen visiting Afghanistan to hunt a rare species of bustard.


Cingular to sell 33 stake in Idea to ST Telemedia and Telekom <b>...</b> NEW YORK, December 13 (newratings.com) - Cingular Wireless, a joint venture between SBC Communications (SBC.NYS) and BellSouth Corporation (BLS), has agreed to sell its 33 stake in Indias fifth-largest mobile operator, Idea Cellular, to Singapore


UK annual house price growth down The monthly figures may provide some relief however, that the UK housing market is not showing signs of a sustained downward trend after last month #39;s figures showed a drop in prices of 0.1pc from August.


Rumblings far beneath Earths crust may predict quakes Deep rumblings many kilometers (miles) below the San Andreas fault in California could offer a way to predict earthquakes, according to US scientists.


Pennington still needs a big game As a team, the Jets have an awful lot to prove. And as a quarterback, Chad Pennington is still trying to cement his reputation as a big-game performer.


Knicks best with Houston Allan Houston started the game on the bench, and finished it on the bench. In between he was so-so, with more than a couple of shots that rattled around inside the rim before


Another Giant Disaster In the time it took the ball to tumble from kick returner Derrick Ward #39;s arms, the New York Giants #39; chances of beating the Baltimore Ravens evaporated Sunday.


Pedro poised for his big decision The clock kept ticking on the Pedro Martinez stats, news-Red Sox stats, schedule negotiations last night, with all signs pointing to the ace hurler making up his


Israeli forces launch air raid on Gaza city Israeli forces fired rockets at the Gaza City on Monday, responding to an earlier attack launched by Hamas movement against an army post.


Turkish EU entry opposed by many French and Germans Spain showed Spain was the only country with a large majority in favour of Turkey #39;s accession. poll of 4,813 people conducted between November 25 and December 3 and published by Le Figaro newspaper on Monday.


For North Korea, Openness Proves a Two-Way Street Before his defection 11 months ago, Kim, a 35-year-old with round-rimmed glasses and a self-assured air, enjoyed the relatively blessed life of the North Korean elite.


WORLD MARKET NEWS Oil prices climbed above \$41 a barrel on Monday after Saudi Arabia cut January crude deliveries to clients in Asia, confirming that the top exporter was adhering to OPEC #39;s agreement last week to curb excess supply.


Stake in India cellphone operator to be sold The government of Singapore and Telekom Malaysia have agreed to buy a 48 percent stake in Idea Cellular of India from three companies for \$390 million to tap into India #39;s wireless market.


Lamy Says France Proposed Him as WTO Head France has formally proposed former European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy as a candidate to become the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Lamy said Monday.


Update 1: Ericsson Lands \$805M Contract From China Telecommunication equipment maker Telefon AB LM Ericsson said Monday it received a \$805 million (euro609.3 million) contract from Guangdong Mobile Communication Corp.


Canada Confirms Second Mad Cow Case (Reuters) Reuters - A final laboratory test has\confirmed an Alberta dairy cow had mad cow disease, the second\case Canada has found in its herd, an industry source briefed\by veterinary officials said on Sunday.


Basescu Leads Romania Presidential Runoff (AP) AP - Reformist opposition candidate Traian Basescu was winning Romania's presidential runoff in a tight contest, according to partial official results released Monday.


Sony handheld wins customers Sony Corp. said on Monday retailers had almost completely sold out of the Play Station Portable on its first day in Japanese stores, marking a strong start for the company #39;s first handheld game machine.


Meteor Shower: Free Sky Show It #39;s a celestial event and scientists say the annual Geminid Meteor Shower is the best astronomy show of the year, with meteors shooting across the sky in all directions.


Clinton Stumps for Newest Search Engine (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Ex-president Bill Clinton last week delivered the keynote address at the launch of a new business-focused search engine.


More schools offer cheap music downloads for students (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - More college campuses are adopting deeply discounted - and legal - digital music as the latest amenity for students. Several top schools began offering these services in September, either free or highly subsidized.


Bernabeu Clash To Finish On January 5 Real Madrid will play the last six minutes of their match with Real Sociedad on January 5 after yesterdays encounter was abandoned because of a bomb scare.


Nedved strike keeps Juve four points clear Pavel Nedved scored with a superb free-kick four minutes from time to give Juventus a precious 1-0 Italian Serie A win at Bologna on Sunday.


Bettis #39; TD pass sparks Pittsburgh Running back Jerome Bettis flipped a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jerame Tuman three plays after surpassing the 13,000-yard barrier early in the fourth quarter, fooling what had been a nearly impenetrable New York Jets defense and sending the Pittsburgh


Jaguars blitz Bears #39; playoff hopes With a chance to legitimize their postseason aspirations Sunday, the penalty-prone and offensively challenged Bears came up flat in a 22-3 loss to the Jaguars.


Russia Defense Minister in China Cooperation Talks (Reuters) Reuters - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov\met Chinese military leaders in Beijing Monday to discuss\cooperation between China, a fast-rising military power, and\its main foreign arms and weapons-technology supplier.


Sprint, Nextel could make deal this week (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Sprint and Nextel Communications could announce a  #36;35 billion merger this week in a deal that would forge a third goliath in the quickly consolidating wireless industry.  The union would complete Sprint's transformation from perennial also-ran in the troubled long-distance business.


Sun License Thumbs Nose at GPL (Ziff Davis) Ziff Davis - Sun's open-source license proposal for Open Solaris will surely be unpopular.


Russia Defense Minister in China Cooperation Talks Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov met Chinese military leaders in Beijing Monday to discuss cooperation between China, a fast-rising military power, and its main foreign arms and weapons-technology supplier.


PeopleSoft Relents, Agrees Oracle Bid (Reuters) Reuters - Oracle Corp.  on Monday said\rival business software maker PeopleSoft Inc.'s  board\has accepted a sweetened purchase offer of about  #36;10.3 billion,\ending a long and bitter hostile takeover battle.


Oracle Signs Merger Deal With PeopleSoft (AP) AP - Oracle Corp. announced Monday that it has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire PeopleSoft Inc. for approximately  #36;10.3 billion.


Daschle packs up after 26 years on Hill (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - His elegant, red-walled Capitol office is filled with boxes of memorabilia and photos and artwork in bubble wrap. At the end of this week, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., will close the doors for the last time and leave behind the view of the National Mall that he has enjoyed for a decade.


Red Thai Vegetable Curry This week I purchased the ingredients for Red Thai Curry, a fantastic dish I was first introduced to at Bangkok Pavilion in my wonderful home of Kansas City. It has fantastic, varied texture, a medley of rose-tinted colors, and a scent sure to get any curry enthusiast's saliva glands working overtime.  After returning from the grocery store with my bag of goodies, I wasted no time in preparing my meal.  My shopping list included:    1 bag sticky sushi rice  1 can coconut milk  Red Thai curry paste  fresh basil leaves  fresh anise leaves  1 green bell pepper  1 red onion  1 tomato  1 bag frozen peas  lemon grass  Total time from preparation to serving is about 45 minutes, so set aside at least an hour just in case there's an unforeseen complication.


Hey Ann, Just Try It! On a recent political round table on CNN, Ann Coulter took a swipe at Canadians, saying that we should consider ourselves "lucky that we are allowed to exist on the same continent" as the US.     Alright, Ann, this isn't the first time that an American has denied our right to exist. It's been going on for most of US history. But let's say, for the sake of argument, that we exist at the USA's continued sufferance. If we're that much trouble, why not do what your implications in those statements suggest.    Invade. You're bound to do better than you did before.    Just remember that last time, someone  burned the White House down.


Local URLs \\Right now if I want to show you a resource local to my desktop I'd have to copy\it to an HTTP server and then provide you with the updated URL.\\While most geeks can do this easily enough its pretty hard for most users.  Its\also very confusing.\\I guess IM is moving in this directly.  If you want to give them a file just\drag it into your IM session.\\URLs might be overkill because you'd never want to put a local URL into an HTML\document or blog post.\\Then again it would be cool to have my own burtonator: URI scheme!\\


Siemens to sell mobile phone biz to China - report Chinese distributor lined up as 'potential buyer'


ID checks could have stopped cockler deaths, says Blunkett Or more properly, could have lost them their jobs


IBM, AMD, Sony boost chip speeds by 24 Chip-making technique to fuel AMD64, PowerPC, 'Cell' production


Mobile cashpoints coming soon Bank customers may soon be able to check their balances on mobile phone screens in an initiative from the Link cash machine network and Morse.


PeopleSoft Relents, Agrees Oracle Bid  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. ORCL.O on Monday said  rival business software maker PeopleSoft Inc.'s PSFT.O board  has accepted a sweetened purchase offer of about \$10.3 billion,  ending a long and bitter hostile takeover battle.


GLOBAL-MARKETS-Dollar on Ropes, Shares Up  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar was under pressure again  Monday, snapping last week's rebound ahead of a key week of  U.S. data and Tuesday's meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve on  interest rates, but European shares got a lift as oil prices  hovered near-five month lows.


WTO Agrees Entry Talks with Iraq  GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization (WTO)  agreed Monday to begin accession talks with Iraq and  Afghanistan, but the United States again blocked any such  negotiations with Iran, diplomats said.


O'Keefe Reported Ready To Quit NASA NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe will likely resign this week to take a \$500,000-a-year job as chancellor of Louisiana State University's Baton Rouge campus, university officials said on Sunday.


'Pirates of the Internet' Is New Class Lesson Iris Beckwith uses a 5-foot-tall robot to help teach elementary school students why it is illegal to download movies and music from the Internet.


This Just In, From The Guy Next Door Mark Potts, a self-described "recovering journalist," says with a bit of understatement: "It isn't Woodward and Bernstein stuff."


An Optimistic Hiring Forecast    Chief executives in the Washington-Baltimore region are more optimistic in their hiring plans for the year ahead than are their colleagues across the nation, according to a survey released last week.


Oracle buys PeopleSoft for \$10 billion Ening a bitter battle, PeopleSoft's board has finally approved a deal worth around \$10 billion Oracle says.


Beijing set to impose own tariffs on textiles HONG KONG The Commerce Ministry in China plans to impose tariffs on some textile exports, a step that could avert a trade war with the United States and the European Union over a new influx of low-cost Chinese garments that had appeared likely to flood


LSE rejects Deutsche Boerse bid Deutsche Boerse has made a 1.3 billion (\$2.49 billion) approach for the London Stock Exchange, and the LSE #39;s rejection of it on Monday left observers doubting a much better offer would emerge.


Retail Sales Edge Up Slightly, Cars Down US retail sales rose 0.1 percent in November, the Commerce Department said on Monday in a stronger-than-expected report that cemented views the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again this week.


IBM Seeks To Minimize Disruption With PC Sale Ken Andre, CIO at packaging company Greif Inc. and an IBM customer, says he #39;s not worried about IBM #39;s sale of its PC business to China #39;s Lenovo Group Ltd.


Hilfiger to Buy Lagerfeld Trademarks Clothing company Tommy Hilfiger Corp. said Monday that it agreed to purchase the trademarks of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, including Lagerfeld Galleries and other Lagerfeld collections, for an undisclosed cash amount.


DaimlerChrysler, GM team on hybrids DaimlerChrysler and General Motors will jointly develop new hybrid motors to compete against Japanese rivals on the fuel-saving technology that reduces harmful emissions, the companies said Monday.


Computer Sciences to Sell DynCorp Assets Computer Sciences Corp. late Sunday said it has agreed to sell DynCorp International and related assets to private equity firm Veritas Capital for \$850 million.


Iron Ore Prices to Jump 20 Percent in 2005 Iron ore prices will probably rise another 20 percent in 2005 after increasing 19 percent this year, the top executive of the world #39;s biggest ore exporter said Monday.


Australian Livestock Exports May Hit A\$13 Billion Australia #39;s chief commodities forecaster, the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics, said Monday livestock exports will be nudged higher in the current economic year as overseas markets retain their appetite for Australian beef and lamb.


Dollar #39;s decline concerns UK bank LONDON The possibility of a further slide in the dollar and a decline in demand for US assets has become a potential risk to financial stability, the Bank of England said on Monday in its semiannual Financial Stability Review.


Lawsuit plunges \$3bn HK Reit into chaos The listing of the worlds largest real estate investment trust (Reit) by Hong Kongs Housing Authority descended into chaos on Monday after the agencys lawyers admitted


Sony #39;s PlayStation Portable sold out on its first day! Sony #39;s anticipated PlayStation Portable (PSP) has virtually sold out on its debut day in Japan - the launch outside Japan will follow next year.


Space agency chief  #39;to resign #39; The head of the US space agency (Nasa), Sean O #39;Keefe, is preparing to resign, according to US newspaper reports. Mr O #39;Keefe will meet with a committee seeking to fill the job of chancellor at Louisiana State


AMD, IBM announce semiconductor manufacturing technology <b>...</b> AMD and IBM today announced that they have developed a new and unique strained silicon transistor technology aimed at improving processor performance and power efficiency.


Four NFL Teams Clinch Division Titles (AP) AP - Four teams took the first big step toward the Super Bowl by clinching division titles, joining the Philadelphia Eagles, who already wrapped up the NFC East crown.


Meteor shower peaks tonight The Geminid meteor shower is one of the annual meteor showers that pull professional and amateur astronomers alike out into the cold night air.


Week #39;s delay for Delta launcher Boeing #39;s new heavy-lift Delta 4 rocket must wait a further week before making its maiden flight from Florida, US. All the technical issues on the 70m-tall (230ft) vehicle that delayed its weekend blast-off


Think Before You Click to Avoid Viruses and Scams One phenomenon that has become quite obvious from the vast numbers of virus victims over the last year is that people click first and ask questions later.


Improved Opera Browser Competing with Explorer, Firefox All Mozilla browsers, including Firefox, boasted a combined share of 7.35 percent, a five-percent increase since May. Jakob Snilsberg, Opera Software #39;s manager of global distribution, gamely


Newham chooses HP to build MS Exchange infrastructure Newham Council has signed a \$27m (16m) 10-year deal with Hewlett-Packard to provide a Microsoft Windows and Exchange 2003-based IT infrastructure.


The iPod v. the Zen Micro It #39;s no wonder portable digital music players are one of the hottest gadgets this holiday season, as they carry hundreds or even thousands of songs, they #39;re compact enough to bring anywhere and getting music on to the player is as easy as two mouse clicks


TVland a little bewildering Buying a new television used to straightforward: It was simply a matter of deciding how large you wanted the screen to be. Today, however, the purchase process has become much more complex as the 107-year-old


Sharman witness: Tech can protect copyright Sharman Networks has called former Napster expert witness Justin Tygar to give his testimony during the ongoing trial against the peer-to-peer software provider for alleged copyright infringement.


Samsung unveils thumbnail mobile phone memory Samsung today unveiled a small, low-power multimedia memory card (MMC) designed for mobile phones. At just 12 x 14 x 1.1mm, Samsung #39;s MMCmicro device is one-third the size of today #39;s common reduced-size multimedia cards.


SingTel teams up with Samsung to tap the Korean market Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and Samsung Networks, an IP communications service provider in Korea, have signed an IP-VPN (Internet Protocol - Virtual Private Network) distribution agreement.


Tiger roars in again TIGER WOODS again showed the world he #39;s back in business by winning his own golf tournament, the Target World Challenge in California.


Bomb scare at Real Madrid stadium More than 70,000 people were forced to leave Real Madrid #39;s Bernabeu stadium on Sunday following a bomb scare. David Beckham and other Real Madrid players had to leave the pitch three minutes before the end of their 1-1 match against Real Sociedad.


Klitschko a  #39;Cut #39; Above the Rest Chris Byrd, John Ruiz, Lamon Brewster, and Vitali Klitschko all hold a fraction of the undisputed heavyweight crown, but which of these pugilists can claim legitimately that he is the one true champion?


Rock steady Blues keep title in sight NERVES - no problem. That #39;s the verdict of Jose Mourinho today after his Chelsea side gave a resolute display of character at Highbury.


Stop the talking and start spending FOR Celtic chairman Brian Quinn there is simply no hiding place from reminders of what has to be done. That includes when he is sitting watching his side win 2-0 at Dunfermline to reclaim top spot in the SPL.


Serie A round-up: Milan to make Crespo bid Champions Milan have said they will make Chelsea an offer to sign on-loan striker Hernan Crespo.  quot;We are already in talks with Chelsea, quot; confirmed Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani.


Smith to join Redknapp at Saints New Southampton boss Harry Redknapp plans to bring Jim Smith in as his assistant in time for Saturday #39;s Premiership clash against Tottenham.


Porto Wins European/South American Cup Porto FC of Portugal won the European/South American Cup, beating Once Caldas, from Colombia, 8-7 on penalty kicks after the game, including the additional time, ended in a 0-0 draw.


Jays sign Canadian Koskie: report CBC SPORTS ONLINE - The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly lured Corey Koskie back to Canada. The third baseman from Anola, Man., has reached a preliminary agreement with the Jays on a three-year, \$17-million US contract, according to the Globe and Mail.


He #39;s ND #39;s darling now, but jobs at football factories are risky Maybe I #39;m out of the loop, but I don #39;t remember when it was normal for a football coach to work for two teams at the same time.


Pakistan #39;s Malik awaits results Pakistan #39;s Shoaib Malik could play in the first Test against Australia starting on Thursday as he waits for results of tests on his bowling action.


Patriots once again beasts of AFC East: Clinch title in ugly win <b>...</b> The Patriots stats, news steamroller has yet to meet an obstacle it can #39;t obliterate. Job-hunting coordinators. (Allegedly) vengeful running backs.


Jaguars get jump on Bears JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Byron Leftwich threw two touchdown passes and the Jacksonville defense constantly harassed Chad Hutchinson in the Jaguars #39; 22-3 victory over the injury-depleted Chicago Bears yesterday.


Israel to Leave Palestinian Cities During Election (Reuters) Reuters - Israel plans to pull troops out of\Palestinian cities for a Jan. 9 presidential election to pick a\successor to Yasser Arafat, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said\on Monday.


Saddam #39;s top aides end food protest: US Army The US Army said that eight of toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein #39;s jailed lieutenants who were earlier refusing food had now given up their protest.


Hospital says 13 killed in suicide blast in Iraq Hospital workers say a suicide car bombing in Baghdad has killed at least 13 people and injured 15 others. Police say the car exploded while waiting in line at a gate to the Green Zone.


PNA lauds diplomatic reconciliation with Kuwait A Palestinian National Authority(PNA) senior official said Monday that the PNA welcomed a diplomatic reconciliation with Kuwait in a sign that the relations between the two sides were improving.


Turkey divided over EU entry Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged yesterday to press forward with democratic reforms even if the European Union refuses to open membership talks with Turkey this week.


Former Congolese rebels block troops deployment in eastern DRC Former Congolese rebels blocked Kinshasa #39;s troops reinforcement to the border with Rwanda, according to reports on Monday. According to senior military commanders in eastern


US, UK Made Mistake #39; in Dismantling Iraqi Army, Yawar Says The US and Britain shouldn #39;t have dismantled Iraq #39;s army after toppling Saddam Hussein, Iraqi interim President Ghazi al-Yawar said in a radio interview on the one-year anniversary of the former Iraqi dictator #39;s capture.


Group: 2 More Detainees Die in Afghanistan (AP) AP - Human Rights Watch said Monday it had uncovered two more cases of prisoners dying in American custody in Afghanistan, and it accused the Bush administration of "dragging its feet" on investigations that could have prevented the abuse of prisoners in Iraq.


Oracle Ups Its Offer and Buys PeopleSoft for \$10.3 Billion The acquisition will elevate No.3-ranked Oracle to No.2, behind SAP of Germany, the world's biggest maker of business-management software.


Golden Globes names announced Jamie Foxx has three Golden Globe nominations, with Nicole Kidman and Johnny Depp also up for prizes.


Oracle seals \$10bn Peoplesoft bid Peoplesoft agrees a \$10.3bn takeover bid from rival business software firm Oracle, after an 18-month corporate battle.


Ericsson To Build China Telecom #39;s Next-Generation IP Backbone <b>...</b> STOCKHOLM, Sweden --(Business Wire)-- Dec. 10, 2004 -- Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERICY) has been awarded a contract by China Telecom Corporation Limited (China Telecom) for building its next-generation IP backbone


Learn to locate all of those missing Apple iTunes files Q:I HAVE SOME SONGS that play fine with the iTunes program, but when I look for the song files on my hard drive, I can #39;t find them.


Powell Reaffirms Commitment of U.S. Aid (AP) AP - Ahead of his firsthand look at the tsunami's devastation, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday the United States has responded appropriately to what he called one of the world's greatest catastrophes.


McGrath aims at struggling top order FAST bowler Glenn McGrath has batting trumps Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana in his sights and he has warned Pakistan to expect a rough ride on an old-style Perth pitch this week.


Paul Domowitch  Birds suddenly careless with ball LANDOVER, Md. - Eagles offensive coordinator Brad Childress continually preaches the importance of  quot;having respect #39; #39; for the football, and his players have done an impressive job of practicing what Childress preaches.


Tunnel bomb unleashed PALESTINIAN militants found a way around the heavy fortifications at the Israeli army post between Egypt and Gaza -- tunnelling under the base and blowing it up.


India, Pak agree to fight narco-terrorism jointly India and Pakistan on Monday agreed to jointly fight the war against narcotic and psychedelic substances quot;We have to fight the war against narcotic drugs together.


Cricket: S Africa A beat England  South Africa A complete a seven-wicket victory against England in their final warm-up before the first Test.


US retail sales up 0.1 per cent in November US retail sales in November were up 0.1 per cent from the previous month, slightly higher than expected. Sales were 7.2 per cent up on the same month last year, according to advance estimates


Honeywell bids \$1.5B for Novar Manufacturer Honeywell International agreed Monday to a \$1.5 billion bid for Britain #39;s Novar PLC, beefing up its security business and lifting 2005 earnings towards consensus forecasts.


Tommy Hilfiger steps into Karl Lagerfeld brands PARIS (AFP) - US fashion company Tommy Hilfiger announced it had bought up clothing brands belonging to the stylist Karl Lagerfeld for an undisclosed sum.


Early market signals mixed ahead of US rate move, technology <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Early indicators were mixed for North American stock markets Monday as investors weighed the impact of an expected US interest rate hike and a \$10.3-billion-US merger in the technology sector.


Brazil #39;s CVRD CEO: Iron Ore Prices Should Rise In 2005 RIO DE JANEIRO (Dow Jones)--After jumping 9 in 2003 and 19 in 2004, iron ore prices appear likely to rise another 20 or more in 2005 as the world #39;s biggest steelmakers


Tenet Healthcare Sees 4Q Results Below 3Q Hospital chain Tenet Healthcare Corp. said Monday that fourth-quarter results from continuing operations will fall below third-quarter levels, due to weak volumes and high bad debt expense, and forecast a slow earnings recovery in 2005.


AMD and IBM claim 24 per cent chip speed breakthrough A new faster version  #39;strained silicon #39; has been developed by IBM and AMD. The companies are claiming that the resulting transistors are up to 24 per cent faster than existing processes.


Ericsson Expands Guangdong STOCKHOLM -- Ericsson has been awarded a USD 805 million contract by Guangdong Mobile Communication Corporation Limited (Guangdong Mobile) to expand its GSM network in Guangdong Province, China.


Miller wins giant slalom BODE Miller won his fifth victory of the World Cup season in a giant slalom here today after the three men ahead of him all faltered.


Porto beats Once Caldas to win Toyota Cup European champion FC Porto won the Toyota Cup on Sunday, defeating Colombia #39;s Once Caldas 8-7 in a penalty-kick shootout in a game between the top club teams from Europe and South America.


Hinske shifts to first if Koskie signed The Blue Jays placed a phone call to Menasha, Wis., last night. As the crow flies, Menasha is about as far away from baseball #39;s winter meetings as the southernmost tip of Greenland.


Parma Sack Baldini Silvio Baldinis adventure at Parma is over as on Monday morning the Ducali announced his sacking. This was partly due to their latest defeat at Livorno which leaves the Gialloblu firmly anchored in the last places of Serie A.


India, Pak agree to fight narco-terrorism jointly: India News: New Delhi, Dec 13 : India and Pakistan on Monday agreed to jointly fight the war against narcotic and psychedelic substances.


Retail Sales Rise in November Shoppers showed a bit of cheer at the cash registers in November, boosting sales at the nation's retailers by 0.1 percent.


Oracle to Acquire PeopleSoft Business software giant Oracle Corp. announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire rival PeopleSoft Inc. after sweetening its offer by 10 percent to approximately \$10.3 billion. -The Washington Post


Fed Seen Nudging Rates Higher
\

 By Tim Ahmann

 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve officials are\expected to nudge interest rates up on Tuesday for a fifth time\this year, another small step in a campaign to gradually lift\borrowing costs before inflation rears its head.


Oil fall cuts raw material costs A fall in the price of crude oil pushes UK raw material prices to their lowest level in two years, official figures show.


Mobile cash points coming soon Bank customers may soon be able to check their balances on mobile phone screens in an initiative from the Link cash machine network and Morse.


A mixed crop for battling farms FARMERS recovering from the drought of 2002-03 have received some good news and bad: the value of crop and livestock exports is forecast to rise but the price of wool is set to fall.


Coal deal fails to fill black hole driven by China #39;s insatiable demand for Australian coal - are expected to boost national export earnings by \$12.5 billion this year.


Stelmar to Be Acquired for \$1.3 Billion Stelmar Shipping Ltd. on Monday said it has agreed to be acquired by Overseas Shipholding Group Inc. for \$1.3 billion, including debt assumption.


Big Blue sells its PC division to China IBM has quit the personal computer market 23 years after legitimising the PC revolution that changed everything - from the way we work to the fortunes of Microsoft #39;s Bill Gates.


Air Force ready to test new rocket CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Air Force is scheduled to launch a new Delta 4 rocket here this afternoon in a test that will help determine whether it can become a  quot;heavy lift quot; vehicle to carry billion-dollar


US retail sales remain strong in Nov Retail sales rose 0.1pc in November, for the third straight monthly increase. Auto sales declined 1.3pc in the month, after falling 0.5pc in the previous month.


SingTel signs deal with Samsung Networks to tap S. Korean market SINGAPORE : SingTel has teamed up with the South Korean conglomerate, Samsung, to tap the Korean market. Both companies have signed an agreement to distribute Internet Protocol for Virtual Private Networks services in Korea.


More Search Products Prowl for Market Share We need a search engine to find all the search engines. Two more Web-query services launched last week, Accoona and Blingo; their initial performance, however, suggests market leaders Google and Yahoo don #39;t have reason to worry yet.


Maier Says His Season Has Not Started Yet  VAL D'ISERE, France (Reuters) - As far as Hermann Maier is  concerned, the Alpine skiing season has yet to start.


Bryant Accuses Malone Of Hitting On Wife _ Another Kobe conflict for the Lakers. Bryant has accused Karl Malone of making a pass at his wife at a game last month. Talking before Los Angeles #39; 105-98 win over Orlando on Sunday night


Treasury Investors More Bearish After Drop in Yields (Update1) Bond investors are less inclined to buy the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note after the security had its biggest weekly rally since September and before the Federal Reserve #39;s expected interest-rate increase this week.


GOLF: EUAN #39;S TITLE BID IS SUNK AT THE LAST SCOT Euan Little #39;s chase for a bumper pay packet ended in a soggy mess after a dramatic finale to golf #39;s Dunhill Championship in South Africa.


Technical Problems Scrub Delta Four Launch CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The launch of Boeing #39;s new Delta Four heavy-lift rocket was scrubbed for a second time Sunday because of technical problems.


Retail Sales Edge Up Slightly, Cars Down  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales increased by 0.1  percent in November, the Commerce Department said on Monday,  slightly stronger than expectations, while the previous month  was revised sharply higher.


Dollar Running Out of Steam  LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar lost ground against the euro  and the yen on Monday after a brief rebound last week, as  investors grew cautious ahead of U.S. data on trade, the  current account deficit and investment flows later in the week.


Stocks Seen Higher, Oracle Could Help  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were set for a higher open  on Monday, helped by news business software maker Oracle Corp.  ORCL.O struck a deal to buy rival PeopleSoft Inc.PSFT.O,  ending a bitter takeover battle.


Oil Drops on Fund Selling  LONDON (Reuters) - Oil prices fell to a fresh five-month  low on Monday as a bout of fund-led selling countered a cut to  supplies by top OPEC exporter Saudi Arabia.


U.S. Stocks to Watch on Dec. 13  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks to watch on Monday: ORACLE  CORP. ORCL.O, PEOPLESOFT INC. PSFT.O:


DaimlerChrysler, GM Join on Hybrids  FRANKFURT (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler and General Motors  will jointly develop new hybrid motors to compete against  Japanese rivals on the fuel-saving technology that reduces  harmful emissions, the companies said on Monday.


Honeywell Agrees Takeover of UK's Novar  LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturer Honeywell  International agreed a \$1.5 billion trump bid for Britain's  Novar Plc on Monday to beef up its security business and lift  2005 earnings from the low end of forecasts.


BRUSSELS:  quot;No Going Back quot; In Elimination Of WTO Quotas The European Union council has officially adopted a proposal to eliminate all quantitative restrictions on the import of textile and clothing from World Trade Organisation countries from 1 January 2005.


US retail sales rise by 0.1 per cent in November, higher than <b>...</b> US shoppers showed a bit of cheer at the cash registers in November, boosting sales at the country #39;s retailers by 0.1 per cent.


US Treasuries take a fall on upbeat sales data Treasuries were stripped of early gains on Monday as US retail sales data proved strong when many in the market had been betting on a weak outcome.


Denmark mourns its tsunami dead Denmark holds a national day of mourning for victims of the Asian tsunami disaster a week ago.


Maiden flight scrubbed again for Delta 4 rocket The maiden flight of Boeing #39;s new Delta 4 heavy-lift rocket is expected to be delayed until the week of Dec. 19. Sunday, for the second day in a row, the booster #39;s planned


Catch The Shooting Stars In Tonight #39;s Meteor Shower This one is named Geminids because it seems to originate from the constellation Gemini. It will deliver about a dozen stars an hour.


Apple iTunes accepts PayPal Apple and PayPal announced on Friday that the US incarnation of the iTunes Music Store (ITMS) now accepts payment via PayPal #39;s Virtual Wallet.


Future path of Windows Server outlined Microsoft #39;s Windows Server team has issued a road map for server products in 2005, indicating no changes to the most recent projected delivery dates for the next version of Windows Server 2003 and beyond.


Lennox rules out a comeback Britain #39;s former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world retired last year after retaining his WBC title against giant Ukrainian Vitali Klitschko.


Powell warns of more Iraq attacks The US Secretary of State warns of more violence in Iraq as elections approach, after a new suicide attack.


UN 'optimistic' over aid effort The UN's emergency aid chief says he is optimistic the world will meet the challenges of the tsunami disaster.


Hamas Attack Seen As Attempt to Foil Progress Israeli helicopters targeted two buildings in the Gaza Strip overnight following a massive explosion under an Israeli army post on the border between Israel and Egypt.


Pakistan denies CIA bases in hunt for bin Laden Pakistan today denied a newspaper report the CIA has set up covert bases in the countrys remote tribal regions to hunt for Osama bin Laden.


RBC Royal Bank to refund  #36;9.2 million over banking fee billing errors (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Royal Bank is refunding about  #36;9.2 million to 152,000 customers who were charged a separate fee for a service that should have been included in their banking package fee. The refunds average about  #36;60 each.


Iraq Bomb Kills 7, Year After Saddam Capture  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed at least  seven Iraqis at an entrance to Baghdad's Green Zone government  and U.S. diplomatic compound on Monday, a year to the day since  U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein.


China, Russia to Hold Military Exercise in 2005  BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Russia will hold their first  joint military exercises on Chinese territory next year, the  Interfax news agency quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei  Ivanov as saying in Beijing on Monday.


Real to finish bomb scare match  Real Madrid and Real Socieded will play the final six minutes of their abandoned game.


Oracle, PeopleSoft LONDON (CBS.MW) -- PeopleSoft Inc. agreed Monday to be bought by Oracle Corp. for \$10.3 billion, or \$26.50 a share, an 11 percent premium to Friday #39;s stock price, ending a bitter 18-month acquisition battle.


AMD, IBM Use Strained Silicon Transistor Advancement in 2005 Engineers from IBM, AMD, Sony and Toshiba have developed a strained silicon transistor technology aimed at improving processor performance and power efficiency with up to a 24 percent transistor speed increase.


WENDLER MAY HAVE SOME LSU COMPETITION Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Walter Wendler may see some tough competition if he interviews for the chancellor position at Louisiana State University.


Telescopes capture planets in the making Planet-building is dusty work, and now two space telescopes have captured images of cosmic construction materials: disks of dust circling stars about the same size as our sun.


Epic contest brings out the class It was intense and committed without any of the brutishness that Manchester United employed to stop Arsenal #39;s unbeaten run of 49 league matches in October.


Notre Dame #39;s new football coach makes debut today. A new era in Notre Dame football began at 8:42 pm Sunday as Charlie Weis whisked through the halls of the Joyce Center. Weis exited the dark blue Chevy sport utility vehicle


Pats manage to shake off Bengals They chewed up huge chunks of yardage both in the air and on the ground. But the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday also found out the hard way that the key to


Rare anti-Mubarak demo in Cairo Hundreds of Egyptians defy a ban on public protests to call for an end to President Hosni Mubarak's 23-year rule.


Suspended Spain Soccer Game Rescheduled (AP) AP - The soccer game between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad that was suspended because of a bomb threat Sunday will be completed on Jan. 5.


Hello! fights against Zeta ruling Hello! magazine challenges a ruling which made them pay damages to Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas.


Oracle Ups Its Offer and Buys PeopleSoft for \$10.3 Billion The world's second-largest maker of business software was created in the deal, which ended a long and hostile battle.


Golden Globe Nominations Are Announced "Sideways" led Golden Globe contenders today with seven nominations, including best musical or comedy film, three acting nominations and best director.


Car Bomb Kills 11, Wounds 13 in Baghdad A powerful car bomb exploded near an entrance to Baghdad's fortified Green Zone Monday morning, killing 11 Iraqis and wounding at least 13 people, according to officials at nearby Yarmouk Hospital.


Nastase Concedes Defeat in Romanian Presidential Election Prime Minister Adrian Nastase said Monday he had conceded defeat in Romania's presidential runoff in a telephone call to opponent Traian Basescu, whom he called "the future president of Romania."


Attack on Israeli Army Post Kills 4 Palestinians detonated a massive bomb underneath an Israeli military checkpoint on the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt late Sunday afternoon, killing at least four Israeli soldiers and wounding eight others, Israeli military officials and Palestinian militants said.


PeopleSoft accepts latest Oracle offer Oracle Corp. #39;s 18-month struggle to gain control of PeopleSoft Inc. drew to a close this morning when PeopleSoft #39;s board agreed to a new \$10.3 billion takeover offer.


Mustard-hot Frankfurt Werner Seiffert, the chief executive of the Deutsche Brse, the German stock market, has made little secret of his determination to expand into London.


Honeywell Agrees Takeover of UK #39;s Novar US manufacturer Honeywell International agreed a \$1.5 billion trump bid for Britain #39;s Novar Plc on Monday to beef up its security business and lift 2005 earnings from the low end of forecasts.


More Pain Coming at Tenet Tenet (THC:NYSE - news - research) continued to test the nerves of its daring shareholder corps Monday, predicting a wider-than-expected fourth quarter loss, a billion-dollar writedown and another weak year in 2005.


Japan jumps on Sony #39;s PSP Game fans stood in lines through a chilly Tokyo night to be among the first in the world to get their hands on Sony #39;s PlayStation Portable, the consumer electronics giant #39;s first handheld game machine.


Semiconductor Breakthrough: Processor 24 times faster Your processor can now run 24 faster at the same power levels based on the new strained silicon transistor technology, as claimed by IBM and AMD today.


Geminid meteor showers alarm area residents It #39;s a global celestial event and scientists say the annual Geminid Meteor Shower is the best astronomy show of the year. NASA #39;s Web site explains that the shower is created as Earth moves through a cloud


Put us together again HARRY REDKNAPP aims to install Jim Smith as his assistant before Southampton face Tottenham next Saturday. Redknapp was unveiled as Saints boss last week - just a fortnight after leaving south-coast rivals Portsmouth.


Eagles prove toughness with ugly win LANDOVER, Md. - Clinton Portis dived into the end zone with 12 minutes yet to bleed away on the game clock Sunday night, and now we would learn from what sort of stuff these Eagles are made.


Pak says India paranoid on F-16 Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday accused India of being  quot;paranoid quot; over its efforts to secure F-16 fighter aircraft and other weaponry from the US but said this would not have any bearing on nuclear and conventional confidence building measure talks between


What's That Smell, Autobytel? The online auto marketer hits a rough patch in the road, deflating its profit outlook.


XM and Sirius Stream On Satellite radio wins the market's straw poll by landing its two key players into the Nasdaq-100 Composite.


Stocks Surge on Oracle, PeopleSoft Merger Investors welcomed the end of Oracle Corp. #39;s 18-month battle to take over PeopleSoft Inc., pushing stocks higher Monday. A better-than-expected survey of retail sales also helped the markets.


Deutsche Boerse Bids \$2.6 Billion for London Exchange (Update2) Deutsche Boerse AG, Europe #39;s largest stock exchange by market value, made a 1.35 billion-pound (\$2.6 billion) takeover offer for London Stock Exchange Plc, its second attempt in five years to buy the UK company.


Cardinal Grounded by Job Cuts Cardinal Health (CAH:NYSE - news - research) was grounded once again Monday after the struggling health care supplier laid out plans to cut 4,200 jobs.


IBM sale not to hit Indian mart The acquisition of IBM #39;s personal computing division by China #39;s Lenovo Group is seen having little impact on the Indian market in the short- or medium-term, analysts and industry officials said.


Retail Sales Squeeze Out Gain November sales data raised retailers #39; spirits Monday, as the government reported better results than expected after the holiday season had so far been viewed with some disappointment.


Attendance at Theme Parks Increases Attendance at North America #39;s 50 most popular theme and amusement parks jumped almost 4 percent in 2004, the first overall increase since the 2001 terrorist attacks slowed the US travel and tourism industry.


Bank warns of soaring debt Soaring household debt and the rise in credit card spending has left Briton #39;s borrowers teetering on the brink of a precipice when it comes to the amount they owe, the Bank of England has warned.


NASA Head OKeefe--Louisiana Bound? Louisiana State University may be the next stop for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Chief Administrator, Sean OKeefe, 48 years old.


Penn State encourages students to dump IE Penn State, a public university with an enrollment of about 80,000 students, has made its browser choice, or at least a recommendation on which one not to use.


Monkeys ape human enterprise LONDON, Dec. 11. - Monkeys use tools to dig up roots, crack seeds and dig insects from holes in trees, scientists have found, contradicting the traditional idea that humans are natures only toolmakers.


Madrid to finish bomb hoax match MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid and Real Sociedad will play out the remaining six minutes of Sunday #39;s match, which was interrupted by a bomb hoax purporting to come from ETA, on January 5. The clubs were drawing 1-1 when police evacuated 70,000 spectators.


13 Dec, 2004 - Miller wins Val d #39;Isere Giant Slalom Hermann Maier faltered to give Bode Miller victory in the men #39;s Giant Slalom at Val d #39;Isre on Sunday. Maier had led after the first leg but, along with fellow Austrian #39;s Gruber and Raich, stuttered on the


49ers/Cardinals Box Score 49ers -- Wilson 19 pass from Dorsey (Peterson kick), 13:41. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:05. Dorsey 1-yard run on 4th-and-1 to San Francisco 35; Hicks 15-yard run to 50; Jackson 11-yard run to Arizona 19.


TURKEY AND THE EU A Sultan Looks West This week, as EU heads of state meet to decide the fate of Turkey #39;s candidacy for EU membership, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be preparing his own run for the Turkish presidency.


North Korea denies defection of generals December 14, 2004  A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman has denied an International Herald Tribune report that hundreds of the country #39;s generals defected to China.


DaimlerChrysler, GM to Team Up on Engines (AP) AP - General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG, two of the world's biggest automakers, are teaming up to develop fuel-saving hybrid technology for a range of vehicles that will help them compete with hybrid-vehicle leaders Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co.


Japan Bank Exec: Economic Dip Is Temporary (AP) AP - The head of Japan's central bank acknowledged Monday that the pace of economic recovery here may be slowing, but said the downturn is only temporary.


US Stocks Rise on Oracle #39;s PeopleSoft Purchase, Retail Sales US stocks gained after PeopleSoft Inc. agreed to be bought by Oracle Corp. and Honeywell International Inc. made a UK purchase, signaling that companies are optimistic about the economy #39;s prospects.


London Stock Exchange rejects German takeover bid The London Stock Exchange said Monday that it had rejected a fresh takeover proposal from German rival Deutsche Boerse but has agreed to further talks.


US retail sales up 0.1 percent in November Retail sales in the United States increased by a modest 0.1 percent in November following a revised gain of 0.8 percent in October, the Commerce Department reported on Monday.


Theme Park Attendance Increases, Reversing Two-Year Decline ORLANDO, Fla. -- Attendance at North America #39;s 50 most popular theme and amusement parks jumped almost 4 percent in 2004, the first overall increase since the 2001 terrorist attacks slowed the US travel and tourism industry.


Bayer Sells Plasma Unit to US Investors BERLIN - Bayer AG, the German drug and chemical company, has agreed to sell its plasma products business for \$590 million in cash and stock to the private US investment groups Cerberus Capital Management and Ampersand Ventures.


IBM, AMD speed chips p2pnet.net News:- AMD and IBM say theyve developed a unique technology that results in up to a 24 transistor speed increase at the same power levels as similar transistors made without it.


Yahoo! to get its own desktop search tool After the launch of Google #39;s new desktop search tool, it was only a matter of time before other search engines followed suit. Yahoo!


Raiders Insider Atlanta running back TJ Duckett set a team record with four rushing touchdowns to help the Falcons clinch their third division title in franchise history.


Dissolving army  #39;a mistake #39; London - Iraqi interim President Ghazi al-Yawar said on Monday the US-led coalition authorities had made a big mistake by dismantling the country #39;s armed forces and main government ministries after toppling Saddam Hussein from power.


US retail sales climb 0.1 percent in November (AFP) AFP - US retail sales rose 0.1 percent in November, a better than expected start to the crucial holiday shopping season, seasonally adjusted government figures showed.


Oracle signs deal to buy PeopleSoft for \$10.3B DECEMBER 13, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Oracle Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PeopleSoft Inc. for \$26.50 per share, or about \$10.3 billion, the companies said today, ending an acrimonious


OPEC to Cut Supply in Bid to Set Price The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) agreed on Friday to cut the supply of oil to world markets and defend higher prices in spite of concern about the effect of \$40-a-barrel oil would have on economies, businesses and households.


Stocks Seen Slightly Higher, Oil Slips US stocks were set to open slightly higher on Monday, helped by another retreat in oil prices, while business software maker Oracle Corp.


Does Geico Own  #39;Geico #39; or Does Google? NEW YORK - Geico doesn #39;t mind you Googling Geico, but when you do, it wants Google to tell you about Geico, not Allstate or AIG.


Tommy Hilfiger Agrees to Acquire Karl Lagerfeld Label (Update2) Tommy Hilfiger Corp., known for its logo-splashed clothing and baggy jeans, agreed to buy the Karl Lagerfeld label to expand into luxury wear with apparel brands developed by the German-born designer.


Waste Management Sells Canadian Landfill Waste Management Inc. on Monday said its Canadian subsidiary will sell a landfill in Chatham, Ontario to BFI Canada Income Fund in a deal worth up to \$90 million.


Bank of England warns on currency Uncertainty about future foreign exchange moves and what impact they might have on interest rates and asset prices is one possible risk to a stable outlook for the financial system, the Bank of England said on Monday.


MFORMA, Marvel, Activision in Mobile Entertainment Alliance MFORMA Group and Marvel Enterprises announced that the companies will bring content based on Marvel #39;s brands to mobile phone users.


Saturian Titian Flyby But Hours Away The Cassini spacecraft is but hours away from a second flyby of the Saturian moon Titan set for Monday , December 13 with the closest approach image data arriving at about 8 PM.


Klitschko unimpressed by Lewis comeback hint By Anthony Evans in Las Vegas pic by Mr Will : WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has welcomed the news that bitter rival Lennox Lewis is considering a comeback with derision.


China, Russia Will Hold First War Games China and Russia will hold their first joint military exercise next year, the Chinese government said Monday, as President Hu Jintao called for an expansion of the rapidly growing alliance between the former Cold War rivals.


IFOP: French and Germans are against Turkey #39;s EU Membership The French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) announced that the majority of the public in France and Germany were definitely against Turkey #39;s European Union (EU) membership.


Phishing Scams Continue to Grow (PC World) PC World - After a drop off earlier this fall, more fraudulent Web sites are popping up.


Motorola Gets Orders From China Unicom (AP) AP - Motorola Inc. has been selected to provide a  #36;344 million expansion to a wireless network run by China United Telecommunications Corp., or China Unicom, one of the largest network operators in the world.


Stocks Surge on Oracle, PeopleSoft Merger (AP) AP - Investors welcomed the end of Oracle Corp.'s 18-month battle to take over PeopleSoft Inc., pushing stocks higher Monday. A better-than-expected survey of retail sales also helped the markets.


Icelandic Tin Bath Could Give Earthquake Warnings (Reuters) Reuters - A tin bath on the cliffs of\northern Iceland, where locals take a dip to treat skin\complaints, could help scientists give an early warning of big\earthquakes and save thousands of lives.


Endangered Whooping Cranes Arrive in Fla. (AP) AP - Thirteen endangered whooping cranes landed safely at a west-central Florida wildlife refuge Sunday morning, finishing a 64-day, 1,200-mile journey from Wisconsin to their wintering grounds.


Egypt Unveils 2,500-Year-Old Tomb, Mummies (AP) AP - Archaeologists unveiled Sunday the tomb of a member of a powerful family that governed a swath of western Egypt about 2,500 years ago, along with a dozen recently discovered mummies from Roman times.


Triathlete Out 2 Years Nina Kraft is banned for two years by the German Triathlon Union on Monday after admitting taking a performance-enhancing drug EPO before the 2004 Ironman Triathlon World Championship.


Bomb Hits Iraq Govt., Year After Saddam Capture  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed at least  seven Iraqis at an entrance to Baghdad's government and  diplomatic compound on Monday, a year to the day since U.S.  forces captured Saddam Hussein.


Cingular Sells Stake of India Carrier for \$200 Million Cingular, jointly owned by BellSouth and SBC Communications, said the buyers are Singapore Technologies Telemedia and TM International of Malaysia.


Canada #39;s Bombardier Fires CEO Tellier Canadian trains and planes manufacturer Bombardier Inc. fired its chief executive officer on Monday and its share price dropped to record lows.


Tenet Says 4th-Quarter Loss to Widen From 3rd Quarter (Update2) Tenet Healthcare Corp., the second- largest US hospital chain, said fourth-quarter charges may exceed \$1 billion and its loss from continuing operations will widen from the third quarter #39;s because of increased bad debt.


Bayer Sells Blood Products Unit \$590 Mln Germany #39;s Bayer has agreed to sell its blood products business to US investment firms Cerberus and Ampersand Ventures for about \$590 million as it continues to narrow the focus of its health-care business.


Delta 4 Liftoff Delayed For At Least Week CAPE CANAVERAL -- Weather and technical conflicts scrapped three planned attempts this weekend to launch the first Delta 4 Heavy from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, according to a report.


Yahoo! To Roll Out Desktop Search Late last week, Yahoo! Inc. said it will begin testing a new desktop search engine in early January, with the hope of extending its search engine #39;s reach, thereby contributing added, incremental paid search revenue.


RUSSIA * CHINA * EU * ARMAMENTS * SUPPLY BEIJING, December 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is not concerned about the possible lifting of the embargo on the supply of armaments to China from the EU countries, announced Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov at a press conference in Beijing.


Ethical fair trade - you knew it made sense until MS embraced it Redefining confronting your weaknesses head-on


ATI Radeon Xpress 200G reference board Review Quite a tempting package?


Wi-Fi extensions should breathe new life into 802.11a Extension ratified for Japanese and US public safety band


IBM, AMD Speed Chips by Straining Silicon Wafers  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Researchers at IBM IBM.N and  Advanced Micro Devices Inc. AMD.N have improved a chip-making  technology called strained silicon, boosting  semiconductor  performance at a time when such gains are increasingly hard to  come by, the companies said on Sunday.


Oracle Softens up PeopleSoft Larry Ellison might not wear a red suit and a white beard, but he sure knows how to deliver the goods for his investors. Next stop after the PeopleSoft acquisition? Germany, the home base of rival SAP. -washingtonpost.com


A Drive to Bring More Entertainment to Vehicles Samer Salameh envisions a world in which you can videoconference, check and send e-mail, watch your favorite television shows, make online reservations at your favorite restaurant and pinpoint the best route around a traffic jam -- all from the comfort of your moving vehicle.


Storage Hardware Thomson To Support Both HD DVD and Blu-ray Thomson #39;s Technicolor subsidiary will provide duplication services for both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats, based on customer preference, the company says.


Use PayPal on iTunes - Get Five Fre PayPal has launched a new promotion offering five free tracks from the iTunes Music Store. You can now use PayPal to securely and easily buy music from the massive iTunes catalogue, including lots of exclusive tracks and videos.


Redknapp wants Smith reunion Harry Redknapp has confirmed that he wants to appoint Jim Smith as his assistant manager at Southampton. The pair worked together at Portsmouth for more than two years before they left the club last month


Pats keep a-rollin #39; Tom Brady threw for two touchdowns as the New England Patriots held off the visiting Cincinnati Bengals for a 35-to-28 victory Sunday.


Retired General Brings Military Expertise to  Firm's Contract Unit HNTB Cos.  has recruited retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the former commander of the U.S. Southern Command, to serve as non-executive chairman of its federal government operation in Washington.


Anteon to Develop Army Training Video Anteon International Corp. has won a \$10 million subcontract from Lockheed Martin Corp. to develop a video system for the Army to use in its urban warfare training.


AOL Creates Its Own Browsing Software As part of its reincarnation, America Online Inc. is creating its own software for browsing the Web and playing movies and songs. It's a question of staying relevant in an increasingly broadband world.


PeopleSoft Relents, Agrees to Oracle Bid  NEW YORK (Reuters) - PeopleSoft Inc. on Monday agreed to a  sweetened \$10.3 billion buyout by rival software maker Oracle  Corp., relenting after a bitter, 18-month takeover saga marked  by personal insults, courtroom battles and the ouster of  PeopleSoft's chief executive.


Nov Retail Sales Edge Up as Car Sales Dip  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. retail sales rose 0.1 percent  in November, the Commerce Department said on Monday in a  stronger-than-expected report that cemented views the Federal  Reserve will raise interest rates again this week.


Robin makes rare Christmas visit A rare species of robin settles in for its first winter in Scotland after being spotted on a reserve in Aberdeenshire.


Space agency chief 'to resign' The head of the US space agency Nasa Sean O'Keefe is preparing to resign, according to reports.


Bombardier CEO Resigns, Shares Plunge  MONTREAL (Reuters) - Paul Tellier resigned as president and  chief executive of train and plane maker Bombardier Inc.  BBDsvb.TO BBDb.TO, a year before his contract was to  expire, the company said on Monday.


Tenet: '05 Results Won't Exceed Breakeven  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tenet Healthcare Corp. on Monday said  fourth-quarter charges could exceed \$1 billion and it does not  expect 2005 operating results to exceed breakeven as the  hospital operator struggles with fewer patients and bad debt.


Blind man 'sees' emotions Scientists at Bangor University believe a blind man possesses a "sixth sense" that allows him to recognise sad faces.


3Com to Buy TippingPoint for \$430 Mln  CHICAGO (Reuters) - 3Com Corp. COMS.O on Monday said it  will buy network security firm TippingPoint Technologies Inc.  TPTI.O for about \$430 million, as 3Com expands its  telecommunications equipment offerings to compete better in the  market for large corporate users.


Nov Retail Sales Edge Up as Car Sales Dip (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. retail sales rose 0.1 percent\in November, the Commerce Department said on Monday in a\stronger-than-expected report that cemented views the Federal\Reserve will raise interest rates again this week.


SEC Won't Punish Global Crossing Founder (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. regulators have decided against\filing civil charges against Global Crossing Ltd. \founder Gary Winnick following a probe of its accounting\practices, his attorney said on Monday.


Supreme Court Limits Pollution Cleanup Lawsuits The Supreme Court on Monday put restrictions on companies that want to voluntarily clean up their polluted land and sue former owners to share the costs.


Update: Oracle to buy PeopleSoft for \$10.3B Oracle has signed a definitive agreement to acquire PeopleSoftfor \$26.50 per share, or approximately \$10.3 billion, the companies said Monday, ending an acrimonious takeover battle that has lasted for more than 18 months.


Siemens to decide fate of mobile phone unit in January German electronics giant Siemens could decide on the future of its mobile phone manufacturing division as early as next month, a company spokesman said.


IBM, AMD develop new use of strained silicon IBM and Advanced Micro Devices(AMD) have jointly developed a new method for implementing strained silicon technology on both positive and negative transistors, the companies are expected to announce Monday.


Phishing Scams Continue to Grow After a drop off earlier this fall, more fraudulent Web sites are popping up.


Congress Fails to Act on Copyright Bills Controversial bills proposed new penalties (including jail time) for copyright violations.


11am Markets Update European stock markets rose this morning, amid news that the Frankfurt and London stock exchanges were considering a possible link.


Canada Confirms Second Mad Cow Case  WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - A final laboratory test has  confirmed an Alberta dairy cow had mad cow disease, the second  case Canada has found in its herd, an industry source briefed  by veterinary officials said on Sunday.


Bombardier Board Ousts Chief Executive Paul Tellier (Update2) Bombardier Inc., the world #39;s top maker of train equipment, ousted Chief Executive Officer Paul Tellier after the company #39;s market value dropped by two-thirds since he was hired two years


Jaguar Workers Vote Against Strike Fifty-five percent of workers voted against strikes, in a ballot that drew participation by 77 percent of the 1,300 eligible employees.


Tenet:  #39;05 Results Won #39;t Exceed Breakeven Tenet Healthcare Corp. on Monday said fourth-quarter charges could exceed \$1 billion and it does not expect 2005 operating results to exceed breakeven as the hospital operator struggles with fewer patients and bad debt.


SEC Won #39;t Punish Global Crossing Founder US regulators have decided against filing civil charges against Global Crossing Ltd. (GLBC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) founder Gary Winnick following a probe of its accounting practices, his attorney said on Monday.


Court Case Pits Google and Geico A FEDERAL judge in Alexandria, Va., will hear opening arguments today in a case that pits Geico against Google. Geico, the auto insurer owned by Berkshire Hathaway, sued Google in May for trademark infringement.


Microsoft #39;s  quot;Broader quot; Search Strategy The Seattle Times article: MSN search engine has foot in door, takes a close look at how a search box in MSN Messenger 7.0 might reveal clues about MSN #39;s  quot;broader strategy in the search business.


Schwartzel has a very bright future He is so young and so good that the mere sight of him hitting a golf ball might be enough to induce an older player to give up, go into a dark room and babble quietly to himself.


Irish and Huskies set to announce new coaches Two major schools are expected to introduce their new head football coaches Monday, Notre Dame and Washington. Two weeks ago, Tyrone Willingham was fired as head coach at Notre Dame and Monday


Indiana nets title again After the 1989 men #39;s soccer finalists were declared co-champions when the game couldn #39;t be settled in overtime, the NCAA instituted a penalty shootout following a set amount of extra time.


A Daily Look at U.S. Iraq Military Deaths (AP) AP - As of Sunday, Jan. 2, 2005, at least 1,329 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 1,042 died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department said. The figures include three military civilians.


Pregnant fan got too close 1. Pregnant fan sneaks into security area to be closer to Shah Rukh Khan as he performs, while fireworks go off. 2. Grenade thrown towards stage but lands in security area, killing pregnant fan.


UN calls for immediate end to Congo fighting The United Nations called on Monday for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Congo as fighting between rival army factions flared for a third day.


Blast rips through Syrian capital A suspected car bomb has exploded in a diplomatic quarter of Damascus wounding two people, Syrian officials say. The car was quickly removed by security teams who collected debris on the street in the Mazze area, reports said.


Chinese official moved as Hu consolidates power China #39;s Communist Party chief Hu Jintao moved a close political ally out of a problem-plauged province on Monday and analysts say he will make more personnel changes as he continues to consolidate power.


Ukraine Leader: U.S. Meddled in Election (AP) AP - Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych accused the United States on Monday of meddling in Ukraine's internal affairs, claiming the Americans have financed his opponent's presidential campaign.


UN Calls for Immediate End to Congo Fighting (Reuters) Reuters - The United Nations called on Monday\for an immediate cease-fire in eastern Congo as fighting\between rival army factions flared for a third day.


Bomb Hits Iraq Govt., Year After Saddam Capture  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed at least  seven Iraqis outside Baghdad's government compound on Monday, a  year to the day since U.S. forces captured Saddam Hussein.


Blast Destroys Car in Damascus, Wounds Passerby  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - A suspected bomb blew up in a car in a  crowded district of Damascus on Monday, destroying the vehicle  and slightly wounding a passerby, residents said.


Romanians Elect Reformist Centrist as President  BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romanian opposition leader Traian  Basescu won a tight presidential election on Monday and vowed  to usher in a centrist government to end the ex-communist  left's hold on power and take the country into the EU in 2007.


OracleSoft At Last This morning, Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL) announced double-digit gains in sales, net income, and per-share earnings for the second quarter of fiscal 2005, plus a definitive agreement to acquire business


OPEC cuts oil production to hold prices The oil producing OPEC cartel Monday began reducing its oil output to maintain prices around current levels, the Wall Street Journal reported.


3Com To Buy TippingPoint for \$340 Million Security firm will operate as a division of 3Com; deal expected to close next year. By Networking Pipeline News. 3Com has signed an agreement to purchase the security company TippingPoint for \$340 million.


Cardinal shakeup to cut jobs, improve profit Cardinal Health Inc. will cut 4,200 jobs, or 7 percent of its work force, as part of a three-year restructuring plan outlined Monday by the Central Ohio health-care products and services provider.


US Shipper Buys Stelmar for \$843 Mln Greek shipping company Stelmar Shipping Ltd. (SJH.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday agreed to be acquired by shipbuilder Overseas Shipholding Group Inc.


Auto Workers Strike Before Fiat Meeting Some of Fiat #39;s auto workers struck for two hours Monday, a day ahead of a top-executive meeting that could determine whether Fiat SpA insists on an option to force General Motors Corp.


NFL Wrap: Rams Join Jets in Playoffs with OT Victory  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jeff Wilkens booted a clutch 31-yard  field goal to earn the St. Louis Rams a playoff berth with a  32-29 overtime victory over the New York Jets on Sunday as the  NFL postseason picture gained sharper focus.


IBM, AMD develop new use of strained silicon DECEMBER 13, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - IBM and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. announced today that they have jointly developed a new method for implementing strained silicon technology on both positive and negative transistors.


O High-Def DVD Format, Where Art Thou? Punches continue to be thrown in the fight over which next-generation DVD format will be established as the industry standard. (And there will be an industry standard, right corporate bigwigs?