J amp;J May End Stent Shortcomings With Guidant Buy Credit Suisse First Boston maintained  quot;neutral quot; ratings on Guidant (nyse: GDT - news - people ) and Johnson  amp; Johnson (nyse: JNJ - news - people ), saying a near-term acquisition of the former by the latter values Guidant at \$76.


Intel pushes Pentium 4 bus to 1,066-MHz for gamers SAN JOSE, Calif. - Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.) on Monday (Nov. 1) rolled out a new Pentium 4 processor and chip set for PC gamers, based on a 1,066-MHz front-side bus technology.


Protect your computer It only takes 20 minutes on the Internet for an unprotected computer running Microsoft Windows to be taken over by a hacker. Any personal or financial information stored


AOL Partners with Microsoft, Earthlink And Yahoo For Spam Lawsuits America Online, Inc. (www.corp.aol.com) announced it was stepping up its fight against purveyors of unwanted, junk computer messages by filing two new lawsuits in Federal Court.


Nokia 9500 Communicator Receives Wi-Fi Certification Nokia announced that its 9500 Communicator has been granted IEEE 802.11b and WPA certifications by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The company also plans to provide the phone with Smartner #39;s Duality Always-On push e-mail solution.


Masters organisers hold crisis meeting over withdrawals The organisers of European Masters Series tournaments will meet in Paris on Tuesday to discuss ways to curb the number of withdrawals by leading players from their events.


Auburn Moves Into Third Place in BCS Auburn running back Carnell Williams (24) sprints past a Mississippi defender on his way to a 4th quarter 29-yard touchdown run in Oxford, Miss.


Norway Shuts Embassy amid Terror Warning Norway has temporarily closed its embassy in Latvia for security reasons, the country #39;s foreign ministry said on Monday. But Oslo insisted the measure was not motivated by a new US terror warning for the Baltic state.


Update: Oracle makes  #39;final #39; PeopleSoft offer, raises bid NOVEMBER 01, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - The end may be in sight in the ongoing saga of Oracle Corp. #39;s hostile takeover bid for embattled competitor PeopleSoft Inc.


Startup no more, Netflix girds for DVD rental price war The future suddenly looks shaky for online DVD rental pioneer Netflix Inc. -- a plucky home entertainment upstart that managed to hold its ground after retailing giants Wal-Mart Stores Inc.


Videsh Sanchar to Buy Tyco #39;s Undersea Cable System (Update1) Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd., an Indian long-distance phone company owned by the \$14 billion Tata group, said it will buy Tyco International Ltd.


Wal-Mart Workers in British Columbia Want to Unionize (Update1) Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers at seven tire centers in British Columbia applied to join the United Food and Commercial Workers, expanding efforts by Canadian unions to make inroads at the world #39;s largest retailer.


China Cracks Down on Internet Cafes The Chinese government has shut down 1,600 Internet cafes during 2004 and hit thousands more with fines and temporary closures. The country #39;s Culture Ministry claims that the shuttered establishments


Enter your e-mail: Sometimes shopping on EBay is like being trapped in the world #39;s largest mall, but one in which every store looks the same. The page #39;s color scheme may be different (for better or worse), but otherwise you


Courts to decide fate of political prisoners: PM ISLAMABAD: Courts will decide cases of the imprisoned political leaders, said Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz when asked about PML Secretary-General Mushahid Hussains proposal for release of Asif Ali Zardari, Javed Hashmi and Yousal Raza Gilani.


Senate Okays uniform bill ISLAMABAD: Senate Monday approved President  #39;s another office bill permitting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to continue as Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) beyond Dec 31 this year.


National Semi Warns on Buildup The inventory correction claimed another victim late Monday as National Semiconductor (NSM:NYSE - news - research) said that second-quarter revenue would decline by nearly 20, about twice the amount it had expected.


Forest Labs Lowers 2005 Outlook Forest Laboratories Inc., which makes antidepressants like Celexa and Lexapro, lowered its profit outlook for 2005 as products from generic drug makers are expected to cut into its sales during the year.


VSNL buys out Tyco unit for \$130 mn MUMBAI, NOVEMBER 1: India Inc is stepping up acquisitions abroad. In its latest shopping abroad, Tata group firm Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) has signed an agreement to buy Bermuda-based Tyco Global Network


Chinese Internet Crackdown The Chinese government shut down 1,600 Internet cafes between February and August of this year, according to China Radio International.


Macromedia Puts Custom Storefronts at EBay Users #39; Fingertips Mom-and-pop shops doing business online have long struggled with the fact that they look just like the diminutive outfits they are.


Toshiba To Replace Parts in 650,000 Notebooks Toshiba will provide replacements for defective parts used in some 650,000 notebook PCs.  quot;Under certain conditions and when used in combination with certain other components, quot; Toshiba says,  quot;the


Veritas beefs up utility software Strengthining its utility computing software, Veritas Software on Monday released an upgrade to its server provisioning product called OpForce.


Chrysler Group recalling 23,600 minivans in Canada over fire <b>...</b> WINDSOR, Ont. (CP) - DaimlerChrysler is recalling about 23,600 minivans in Canada over concerns that water could leak into a vehicle radio, trigger a short circuit and possibly start a speaker fire, the company said Monday.


Macromedia Targets eBay Users (Article Central) Macromedia announced on Monday that it is offering a customized version of Macromedia Contribute 3 that simplifies online store creation and customization for eBay sellers.


Air and Space museum expands offerings once again CHANTILLY, Virginia - Yesterday, the Smithsonian took the wraps off a new hangar where visitors can get close to a space shuttle. The space shuttle Enterprise is now on exhibit, the museum #39;s second-largest artifact after the Concorde.


Feds Issue Test Copies of E-voting Software NOVEMBER 01, 2004 (COMPUTERWORLD) - Federal officials last week released a set of software files submitted by five vendors of e-voting systems and voting verification tools, saying that election officials can use the code and related digital signatures to


Singh attends THE PLAYERS charity luncheon Vijay Singh didnt have his golf clubs. He wasnt inside the ropes where hes gotten so comfortable this year, either. As Singh looked out at the gathering of


Norwich Glean Seventh Draw After City Lead Norwich City moved off the bottom of the Premiership table but are still searching for that elusive first win after drawing 1-1 at Manchester City.


Porcher retires early from Lions Allen Park, MI (Sports Network) - Robert Porcher, Detroit #39;s all-time sack leader, retired Monday. The defensive end, who was inactivate for all seven games this season, posted 95 1/2 career sacks.


Raines joins White Sox staff CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Former Montreal Expos great Tim Raines has landed a coaching job with the Chicago White Sox. The once-prolific base-stealer has signed on to be Chiago #39;s first-base and base-running coach.


PM opposes bilateral issues at SAARC forum KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz opposes amendments to the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Charter that would allow the discussion of bilateral issues, but


The Marketplace Report: Vioxx Risks Long Known? Description: Drug maker Merck knew about the health risks of taking the pain medication Vioxx long before it pulled the drug from the market, The Wall Street Journal reports.


NASA Sets New Space Shuttle Launch Planning Window After an extensive review, NASA is planning its Return to Flight Space Shuttle mission, designated STS-114, for a launch window that opens in May 2005.


Gilbertson to step down after the season Seattle, WA (Sports Network) - University of Washington head football coach Keith Gilbertson will step down at the end of the 2004 season.


Timing an issue in Tel Aviv hit Ilan Moscovsky was heading out of his apartment to buy vegetables in Tel Aviv #39;s Carmel Market Monday at the moment a 16-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber detonated himself.


REGION: UN presses Iran and N Korea on N-threat UNITED NATIONS: The director of the UN nuclear watchdog agency said on Monday that North Korea posed a serious challenge to attempts to limit nuclear weapons in the world and Iran should suspend uranium enrichment activities.


Senate stamp on Pervez post Islamabad, Nov. 1. - Amid strong protests from opposition lawmakers, Pakistans Parliament today approved a Bill allowing President Pervez Musharraf to continue as Pakistans army chief, disregarding


Forest Laboratories Cuts Profit Outlook Forest Laboratories Inc. (FRX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday lowered its profit outlook for fiscal year 2005, citing the recent approval of generic versions of its antidepressant drug Celexa.


Briefs: Delta gets financing from GE Delta Air Lines, which is trying to avert a bankruptcy filing, said Monday that General Electric #39;s commercial finance unit would provide it with \$500 million of financing.


US faces record borrowing requirement The federal government, running record budget deficits over the past two years, is projecting that it will have to borrow a record \$147 billion in the first three months of 2005, the Treasury Department announced Monday.


Stocks: US data send Wall Street a mixed message NEW YORK Stocks edged into positive territory in turbulent trading on Monday as pre-election jitters kept the markets off-balance and investors weighed a mix of US economic data.


HUD Eases Affordable-Housing Goals New government-set goals for mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make home ownership affordable have been eased slightly from the targets proposed earlier this year, the Housing and Urban Development Department said Monday.


Toshiba is taking back bad memory ZDNet #39;s survey of IT professionals in October kept upgrading hardware at number two on the businesses radar throughout the year.


Veritas Upgrades OpForce Veritas has released a new version of its OpForce provisioning software. The application enables administrators to discover, provision, configure and track multiple brands of servers and applications across data centers.


BP warning to randy staff Bosses at BP - Britains biggest firm -ave fired off a memo to staff asking them to stop having sex in the office. It comes after romps in toilets, in a meeting room and behind cabinets were caught on CCTV cameras, says The Sun.


The War of Words November 01, 2004 - Hot on the heels of Sony #39;s announcement last week that its forthcoming handheld, called the PSP, would retail this December in Japan for approximately \$186 USD, a brief war of words between the company and rival Nintendo erupted.


Ukraine headed for runoff vote, officials say Amidst allegations the election fell far short of meeting democratic standards, officials say Ukraine #39;s hotly-contested presidential vote is too close to call.


Arafat is still in charge:Minister RAMALLAH: Ministers insisted on Monday there was no vacancy at the top of the Palestinian Authority as they held their first cabinet meeting since Yasser Arafat left for life-saving treatment in France.


AT amp;T Adds Worm And Virus Protection To Firewall Service AT amp;T has added worm and virus protection to its Internet Protect service network-based firewall. The service now helps businesses protect themselves from a variety of threats without


Macromedia and eBay make the Web business prettier Online marketplace eBay has helped create hundreds of thousands of small businesses by offering huge audiences, a trusted interface, easy payment options, and even benefits like health insurance.


Grab a Bigger Mech November 01, 2004 - Microsoft today unveiled the special MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf Limited Edition. Available only in limited quantities, the special edition to the much-anticipated sequel will include two


Henman to add Texas date to his schedule TIM HENMAN was out in the drizzle on the Esplanade du Trocadero yesterday, hitting balls back and forth with Lleyton Hewitt without a care in the world.


Fragile Arsenal need to shake off fallout from Old Trafford EIGHT days after the Game of the Decade gave way to the Battle of the Buffet before turning into a war of words between Arsenal and Manchester United


Probe focuses on bomber #39;s route Investigators are seeking to determine the route taken by 16-year-old suicide bomber Amar al-Far, and find out who assisted him after he left his home in the Askar refugee camp near Nablus at 7:30 Monday morning, blowing himself up just over three hours


Roundup: Vioxx News; Weight And Your Heart; Benefits Of Being <b>...</b> The Wall Street Journal has reported that pharmaceutical company Merck knew as far back as 2000 that its arthritis medication, Vioxx, was linked to an increased risk of heart attack.


AT amp;T Builds In Network Security AT amp;T (Quote, Chart) announced a new version of its predictive service designed to help protect far-flung businesses from worms and viruses without deploying firewalls at each location.


Macromedia Software Helps eBay Sellers Build Stores Macromedia is offering a new version of its Contribute 3 software that will make it easier for eBay sellers to create custom eBay stores.


MechAssault 2 gets limited edition Premiere pressing of Microsoft Game Studios #39; robot war sequel will feature exclusive maps, making-of video. Microsoft Game Studios today announced that it will release a limited edition package for MechAssault


Poll leaves Ukraine facing run-off UKRAINE was in agonising limbo yesterday after results of a presidential election showed a dead heat between the Prime Minister and his liberal challenger, setting the stage for a tense runoff in three weeks.


Arsenal cannot escape from tunnel vision The Manchester United-Arsenal spat assumed even more surreal proportions yesterday when the Arabic television channel, al-Jazeera, descended on the champions #39; London Colney training ground to grill Patrick Vieira on flying pizza.


Kenteris keen to clear his name The disgraced Greek sprinter, Kostas Kenteris, has come out fighting over claims that he faked a motorcycle crash to avoid a drug test before the Athens Olympics.


Italians shake off shackles MOST YEARS, AROUND THIS TIME, THE pundits gather around the Champions League tables and begin to draw conclusions, looking for wider trends and patterns.


Patriots run brought to an end by Pittsburgh FIRST Arsenals unbeaten record came to an end and now that of the New England Patriots is no more. The Super Bowl champions suffered their first defeat for 399 days on Sunday, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers


Textile heads mull end of quotas It is sad for company executives to curb business growth themselves. But the curbing of growth is now being hotly debated among Chinese textile producers, reported China Daily on Tuesday.


Deja Vu at AT amp;T AT amp;T (NYSE: T) is without a doubt facing many challenges to its business, and therefore, it #39;s been looking at some burgeoning areas for growth, like voice over Internet protocol (VoIP).


CA sets Ingres database free com November 1, 2004, 8:03 AM PT. This fourth priority #39;s main focus has been enterprise directories as organizations spawn projects around identity infrastructure.


MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf Continuing in the thirty-first century, MechAssault 2 allows gamers to encounter entirely new experiences in the epic BattleTech world.


AT amp;T upgrades security tools Cyber threats, chiefly viruses like NetSky and Sasser, make security an ongoing concern as it holds steady over software infrastructure as the third top priority.


Make the Case: Business Case Template for Voice Over Internet <b>...</b> Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one benefit of the convergence between data and telecommunications. Companies today are seeing the value of transporting voice over IP networks to reduce telephone and


The TV That Sent Out a Cry for Help, via Satellite It may be that many people, staring blankly from their sofas into the empty, late-night flicker of their televisions, are in need of rescuing.


Uruguay elects leftist leader for first time was enough to ensure he would be able to govern. Vazquez declared himself winner a few hours. after compulsory voting ended in the nation of 3.4 million, and his two challengers conceded.


Darfur rebels, complaining of fresh violence, plan to withdraw <b>...</b> Darfur #39;s largest rebel group said Monday it would send its military officials home from peace talks within the week to deal with what it claimed were fresh bombing


National Semi Cuts Guidance High performance analog chipmaker National Semiconductor today lowered its revenue guidance for its fiscal Q2. The new guidance for the quarter calls for revenues to range from \$445 million to \$450 million


Freddie Mac to Resume Quarterly Profit Reports in  #39;05 (Update4) Freddie Mac, the second biggest provider of financing for US residential mortgages, said significant #39; #39; revisions are still required before it can resume quarterly reports of its earnings.


Workers weigh grocery concessions About 150 union workers at three grocery chains today debated whether to offer their employers more concessions, two days before a contract extension was to expire.


Study: FireFox still gaining on Internet Explorer Alternative Web browsers Mozilla and FireFox experienced another month of growth at the expense of Microsoft #39;s dominant Internet Explorer, according to an online study.


Bluetooth mini-mouse p2pnet.net News:- IOGEAR says it #39;s launched a rechargeable Bluetooth mini-mouse so road warriors can work wirelessly up to 66 feet away from their computers.


Microsoft, Others Launch Anti-Spam Lawsuits AOL has filed two lawsuits, while EarthLink and Yahoo! each filed a single lawsuit. The three Microsoft lawsuits allege that defendants spoofed the domains of all four ISPs and used open proxies to route the emails.


Misfiring Gunners can win Champions League, says Wenger LONDON: Arsene Wenger has insisted his Arsenal side can shrug off their under-achievers tag and win the Champions League this season.


Beijing to learn from experiences from Olympic host cities The Athens Olympic Games debriefing has opened in Beijing, with future Olympic hosts and five bidding cities for the 2012 Games participating.


IAEA chief calls on Iran to voluntarily suspend uranium enrichment <b>...</b> Chief of the UN nuclear activities watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei urged on Monday Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment activities and pursue transparent nuclear policies


Sergeant  #39;committed suicide #39; A senior military policewoman found dead in Basra and named last night by the Ministry of Defence is understood to have killed herself.


Toyota #39;s Shares Decline After Unexpected Quarterly Profit Drop Toyota Motor Corp. #39;s shares fell for a second day, after the world #39;s second-biggest automaker had an unexpected quarterly profit drop.


Industrialist Lord Hanson dies at 82 Former industrialist Lord Hanson, one of the biggest figures in corporate history, has died from cancer, the BBC reports. He was 82.


Purpura Succeeds Hunsicker As Astros #39; GM Newly named Houston Astros general manager Tim Purpura, left, answers a question as former general manager Gerry Hunsicker, right, listens during a news conference to announce Hunsicker #39;s resignation Monday, Nov. 1, 2004, in Houston.


Rockets give \$83 million to McGrady CBC SPORTS ONLINE - The Houston Rockets welcomed aboard reigning scoring champion Tracy McGrady with open arms and an open wallet.


Lejeune Marines Get Help From British Troops CAMP LEJEUNE, NC -- Camp Lejeune Marines patrolling south of Baghdad, Iraq, are getting help from British troops. The 24th Marine Exepeditionary Unit of some 2,200 troops says it is being reinforced by some


Tokyo stocks open lower TOKYO - Stocks opened lower Monday on the Tokyo Stock Exchange due mainly to falls in export-oriented auto and technology shares on a firmer yen.


Brother: Castro Improving After Fall HAVANA Nov 1, 2004 - Fidel Castro is healing nicely after shattering a kneecap and breaking an arm in an accidental fall, his older brother Ramon said Monday, adding that their family has always enjoyed good health and longevity.


Internet Explorer Takes Another Market-Share Hit Challenges to Microsoft #39;s Web browser dominance are mounting as Internet Explorer loses more market share to open-source rival Mozilla.


MPs blame lack of cash for failure of Beagle 2 Britain #39;s ill-fated Beagle 2 mission to Mars failed partly because a lack of government funds left the project as an  quot;amateurish gentlemen #39;s agreement quot;, a committee of MPs says in a report today.


Capcom undecided on Resident Evil cross-platform strategy The news of Resident Evil 4 #39;s conversion to the PS2 threw up more questions than answers this morning; most obviously whether the end of its GameCube exclusivity deal would open the floodgates to the brand making a belated appearance on a slew of other


IOGEARs new Wireless Bluetooth Mini Mouse Before we go any further, stop saying Mini Mouse like youre Mini Me. Stop it. Thats no longer allowed in the cubicles of America.


Smith gets Scots Vogt WALTER SMITH is waiting for a call from the SFA to succeed the axed Berti Vogts as Scotland manager. Vogts, 57, finally decided to go by mutual consent after thrashing out a compensation package worth an estimated 500,000.


Opp rejects two-offices bill ISLAMABAD: The Senate opposition rejected the two-offices bill on Monday, arguing that it violated the Constitution and deprived parliament of its powers.


Tokyo Stocks Open Higher, US Dollar Up Tokyo stocks opened higher Tuesday after the dollar rose slightly against the yen and shares posted modest gains on Wall Street overnight.


Readers React to RE4 November 01, 2004 - Capcom #39;s stunning Halloween announcement definitely came as a shock to PS2 and Cube owners yesterday, what with the company #39;s previous statement that Resident Evil 4 would never be available for another system this generation.


IOGEAR #39;s Wireless Mini Mouse Uses Bluetooth IOGEAR launched its rechargeable Bluetooth Mini Mouse. Offering greater flexibility and functionality, the Bluetooth technology allows for use up to 66 feet away from the computer, making it a practical tool for presentations.


Lowe, Varitek among 10 Red Sox filing for free agency Right-hander Derek Lowe and catcher Jason Varitek led a parade of 10 Red Sox who filed for free agency Monday, two days after they were honored in Boston following the team #39;s first World Series title since 1918.


North Korea Poses Serious Challenge, #39; IAEA #39;s ElBaradei Says North Korea poses a serious challenge #39; #39; to United Nations efforts to control the spread of nuclear weapons, said Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.


Macrovision 3Q Net Slumps, Beats Views Macrovision Corp., a maker of copyright protection software, said Monday that third-quarter profit fell 82 percent as charges offset markedly higher sales.


US: Rothschild Chalone takeover is go Chalone Wine Group has finally accepted the takeover offer from French winemaker Domaines Barons de Rothschild. The French company announced today (1 November) that it has entered into a merger agreement with


240,000 Minivan Radios May Be Susceptible To Fires DETROIT -- Chrysler is recalling 240,000 minivans because their radios may short-circuit and cause a fire. Affected are Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country minivans from the 2001 and 2002 model years.


Piracy Clampdown By Nintendo It has been announced that a temporary restraining order by the US District Court for the Western District of Washington has been placed on two companies that have been importing products into the US containing dozens of inbuilt NES games.


Cuba rules out US change of policy towards it The Cuban government does not believe there will be changes in Washington #39;s policy against the island country, regardless whoever wins the presidential election in the United States next week, local press said Saturday.


CA Announces General Availability of Ingres r3 Under CA Trusted <b>...</b> Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE:CA) today announced general availability of Ingres r3 for Linux and Windows under the CA Trusted Open Source License (CATOSL).


Will desktop searching reveal all your hidden PC secrets? Desktop search is not new: it is already built into the Start menu of Microsoft Windows XP. However, not everyone is aware it exists, it excludes lots of file types, the results are generally poor, and it


Avaya, Polycom Unveil Internet Videophone The Avaya Video Telephony Solution: Desktop Edition bundles US-based Polycom #39;s ViaVideo II video camera for PCs with Softphone from Avaya.


Bosses ban bonking London - Bosses at a big British firm have sent out a memo to staff - asking them to stop having sex in the office. It comes after romps in toilets, in a meeting room and behind cabinets were caught on CCTV cameras, reports The Sun.


#39;Spat upon #39; Vogts quits Scottish job GLASGOW: Scotland manager Berti Vogts, right, has resigned because of  quot;disgraceful abuse quot; including being spat upon, he said in a Scottish Football Association statement last night.


Henman gains Masters place What had appeared a potentially awkward couple of days for Tim Henman were transformed into sweetness and light yesterday morning when he qualified for the eight-man end-of-season Masters Cup in Houston in a fortnight #39;s time without the need to win a


Kederis awaits drugs charges Kostas Kederis, Greece #39;s disgraced former Olympic champion, has said he is confident he will clear his name in court if authorities in Athens decide to charge him with deliberately avoiding a drugs test.


Cup stars to keep on racing Seven of the eight Breeders #39; Cup race winners on Saturday, including Classic hero Ghostzapper, will remain in training next year, their respective trainers said.


Van Gundy concerned over injured O #39;Neal #39;s limited practice time Shaquille O #39;Neal remains bothered by a strained left hamstring, yet the 11-time All-Star center hopes to play Wednesday when Miami opens its season at New Jersey.


China blasts Bush as  #39;arrogant #39; ahead of presidential poll China criticized US President George W. Bush #39;s war on Iraq yesterday, accusing an  quot;arrogant quot; United States of trying to  quot;rule the world quot; and blaming the US-led invasion for sparking an increase in terrorist attacks.


The Asahi Shimbun The safe scenario Japan envisioned in Iraq has been shattered, underlined by the slaying of Shosei Koda. In a country where veteran diplomats refuse to go outdoors and armed troops hesitate to leave the confines


North Korea Says South #39;s Navy Staged Provocation North Korea accused the South #39;s navy on Tuesday of staging a grave provocation that could lead to a maritime skirmish after South Korean patrol boats fired warning shots to repel navy vessels from the North.


Nasa to relaunch shuttles two years after  #39;Columbia #39; Nasa has announced plans to launch the first manned space mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster. The next shuttle flight is to take place in May 2005 following a series of delays because of damage caused by hurricanes.


Macromedia Introduces Publishing Tool for EBay A special version of Macromedia #39;s Contribute Web publishing desktop application is designed to automate and simplify the creation and modification of EBay Stores.


Benesova Wins at Advanta Championships VILLANOVA, Pa. Nov 1, 2004 - Iveta Benesova defeated Kristina Brandi 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 Monday in the first round of the Advanta Championships.


It #39;s a Brees: Chargers pound Raiders A few weeks ago people in San Diego were screaming for a change at quarterback. Now it seems that sort of talk has been quieted by the play of Drew Brees.


Miami vs. NY Jets EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Ticker) -- Four years ago, the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins staged what has been voted as the greatest Monday Night Football game.


US condemns beheading, praises Japan for not bowing to terrorists WASHINGTON, Nov 1 (AFP) - The United States on Monday condemned the beheading of a Japanese tourist by militants in Iraq as a  quot;heinous crime quot; and hailed Tokyo #39;s rejection of terrorist demands to withdraw troops from the insurgency-wracked nation.


Here #39;s a look at Houston #39;s family #39;s companies, lawsuits * Winning Action Investments Inc., real estate investment corporation that filed for bankruptcy in February 2003. Guy Houston signed loan papers as company vice president and was cited with the company by


Veritas releases OpForce 4.0 Veritas Software on Monday will announce a new version of its OpForce provisioning software designed to make it easier for administrators to install and manage applications, as well as operating systems, on servers.


Owen on target again Real Madrid picked up a much-needed win over lowly Getafe, with Michael Owen again on target. The former Liverpool striker scored his fourth goal in his last four games to give Real the advantage after 28 minutes.


Benesova wins at Advanta Championships Iveta Benesova defeated Kristina Brandi 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 Monday in the first round of the Advanta Championships. Benesova and Brandi split the first two sets and Brandi broke serve to take a 1-0 lead in the third.


Warriors sign two players to extensions Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy will stay with the Golden State Warriors for the long term after agreeing to six-year contract extensions with the team a day before the start of the season.


Purpura replaces Hunsicker as Astros GM Tim Purpura became general manager of the Houston Astros Monday, replacing Gerry Hunsicker, who resigned. Purpura had been the team #39;s assistant GM and director of player development.


Ethnic Clashes Are Confirmed by Beijing; Toll Is Unclear Riots in the central Chinese province of Henan resulted in seven deaths and 42 injuries and were quelled after authorities imposed martial law, the New China News Agency said


US Issues Nordic, Baltic Security Alert The United States has warned its citizens in the Nordic and Baltic states to be extra vigilant after receiving  quot;threat information quot; on the eve of the US presidential election.


Miloevic can defend himself but must accept court lawyers, UN <b>...</b> 1 November 2004 - Slobodan Miloevic can go back to representing himself in his ongoing genocide trial but must let his court-appointed lawyers assist him if his health threatens to interfere with the case, a United Nations tribunal ruled today.


Toyota Q2 Earnings Slip 1 Percent Toyota reported a profit of \$2.8 billion for the July-September quarter, down 1 percent from \$2.836 billion a year ago. The auto maker recorded group net profit of \$5.


240,000 Minivan Radios May Be Succeptible To Fires DETROIT -- Chrysler is recalling 240,000 minivans because their radios may short-circuit and cause a fire. Affected are Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country minivans from the 2001 and 2002 model years.


Failed Mars Probe Blamed on Lack of Funds A failed European mission to land a probe on Mars last year was hampered by late funding from the British government and tensions between groups conducting the flight, a parliamentary committee said Tuesday.


Ill., Mich. Want New Federal Isotope Lab CHICAGO - Like most of us, politicians don #39;t know much about isotopes. But because they know something about money and jobs, lawmakers from Illinois and Michigan are locked in a battle to convince the federal


Report Says Overdose Killed Caminiti The chief medical examiner #39;s office in New York City reported yesterday that Ken Caminiti, the National League most valuable player in 1996, died from an accidental drug overdose.


Cuba seeks US food trade HAVANA -- Just days before the US presidential election, which could alter US-Cuba relations, communist officials were designing deals to buy \$150 million more in US farm products at a trade fair opening today.


Mariners Won #39;t Pick Up Guardado Option SEATTLE - The Mariners declined to pick up the contract option on closer Eddie Guardado, giving the injured left-hander 10 days to decide if he wants to become a free agent.


Cuba, US sign major food deals HAVANA - Fidel Castro may have recently stopped circulation of US dollars in Cuba, but that isn #39;t stopping a multi-million dollar agricultural deal between the two countries.


Drugs in sport: Olympic horse #39;s urine sample stolen Part of the B-sample of a show jumping horse that won Ireland #39;s only gold medal at the Athens Olympics has been stolen, the International Equestrian Federation said yesterday.


Senate Allows Musharraf To Hold Duel Office General Pervez Musharraf to retain duel office-army chief and presidency- beyond December 31, 2004 amid opposition #39;s walkout. The bill, already passed by the National Assembly, was endorsed by the Upper-House


Update 1: Tokyo Stocks Trading Higher Tokyo stocks rose Tuesday morning after shares posted modest gains on Wall Street and oil prices declined overnight. The US dollar was down against the Japanese yen.


Investors pour robust \$5.5 billion into venture funds Venture capital and private equity firms enjoyed a particularly strong third quarter when it came to raising money from institutional investors.


Northwest adds Guangzhou, more flights from Indianapolis Northwest Airlines is expanding services again in Indianapolis and has begun a new passenger service from Guangzhou, China, to its Tokyo hub.


VW Workers protest as pay talks start Volkswagen workers in Braunschweig were among 15,000 who yesterday staged token stoppages across Germany over the group #39;s demands for cuts in labour costs, including a two-year pay freeze.


Oracle sets PeopleSoft deadline Oracle yesterday raised its hostile takeover offer for rival software company PeopleSoft by 14, to \$8.8bn (4.37bn), and for the first time set a deadline for acceptance of the bid.


Painkiller firm  #39;hid heart risk #39; The reputation of the drug industry took another heavy blow yesterday with a report suggesting that Merck had fought for years to cover up evidence linking its painkiller Vioxx to heart attacks and strokes.


Cuba signs more food deals in days before critical US election Communist Cuba on Monday signed contracts to buy 100 head of American dairy cattle worth \$300,000 and \$10 million of wheat and meat products from the southern United States, launching


Dutch state takes over gas network The creation of a single European gas market took a step forward yesterday with the Dutch government taking control of its country #39;s gas transport network from Royal Dutch/Shell and ExxonMobil.


Barrett: Intel Releases  #39;Extreme #39; Chip To Mixed Reviews Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ) released its Pentium 4 Extreme Edition processor on Monday. The hotly awaited--and just as hotly touted--new chip is geared for a  quot;balanced quot; approach to home PCs: By tightening


AT amp;T Adds Worm And Virus Protection To Firewall Service It lets businesses protect themselves from a variety of threats without having to deploy firewalls at each of their locations. By Networking Pipeline News.


Microsoft Help Promotes Google Web Search Doing some news catch up and came across this interesting item from InfoWorld last week: Google helps promote Windows XP. It #39;s about how Microsoft #39;s Partner Pack For Windows is promoting the Google Deskbar.


Ready for Liftoff Here in the lime-green payload bay of the space shuttle Enterprise, Anne McCombs is going boldly where -- well, where only a few men have gone before.


Avaya, Polycom Dial in Videoconferencing Avaya (Quote, Chart), a communications software, systems and services company, has announced a new Internet Protocol-based video-conferencing offering for businesses.


Vinnie firms as storm strikes Flemington IRISH stayer Vinnie Roe firmed from \$6 to \$5.50 for this afternoon #39;s Melbourne Cup as a storm reached Flemington bringing strong winds and rain.


Ranieri under pressure at Valencia Claudio Ranieri thought he had escaped the worst excesses of management insecurity when he moved from Chelsea to Valencia in the summer, but the Italian takes his new charges to Inter


BCS Is Shaken by Upsets, But Top Two Stay in Place The Bowl Championship Series standings underwent a shakeup yesterday, but the top two teams -- Southern California and Oklahoma -- remained the same.


Milosevic wins appeal on defence The former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, yesterday won back the right to lead his own defence at his trial for war crimes.


Setback in Darfur peace talks Darfur #39;s largest rebel group has said it will send its military officials home from peace talks within the week to deal with what it claimed were fresh attacks in the bloodied western Sudan province.


First female British soldier dies in Iraq LONDON - A military policewoman has become the first British female soldier to die in Iraq since last year #39;s US-led invasion but her death was believed to have been caused by a non-hostile incident, officials said on Tuesday.


Matsushita Sues Over PDP Patent Matsushita is asking a Tokyo court to halt sales in Japan of plasma display panels made by a South Korean company that the Japanese electronics giant says violate its patents, the company said Tuesday.


HUD Sets New Goals For Fannie, Freddie Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will have to increase their funding of mortgages for low- and moderate-income home buyers, under a new rule the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced yesterday.


Lockheed Must Pay for Failed Dump Cleanup Firm to Take \$110 <b>...</b> Lockheed Martin Corp. said yesterday it will take a \$110 million charge in the fourth quarter after losing a six-year court battle over a failed contract with the Energy Department for cleanup of a radioactive-waste dump in Idaho.


Intel goes  #39;Extreme The Intel Pentium 4 processor Extreme Edition supporting Hyper-Threading (HT) Technology and a higher-speed system bus enabled by the new Intel 925XE Express chipset form the foundation of this new enthusiast platform.


Nokia 9500 Communicator receives Wi-Fi Certification The Nokia 9500 Communicator is the first mobile device operating in both cellular and wireless LAN networks to receive this qualification.


Cassini Close-Up on Titan NASA #39;S Cassini space-probe has sent back some stunning images from its close encounter with Titan, one of the moon #39;s of the giant ringed planet Saturn.


Gunmen seize US and Arab hostages Iraqi insurgents yesterday kidnapped an American and up to five others in an audacious attack on a house in western Baghdad. An interior ministry source told the Guardian the militants approached the villa


Karma Nabulsi Why has Yasser Arafat not  quot;groomed quot; a successor (like some petty oriental despot), commentators have demanded to know in recent days, and why he is leaving a chaotic power-vacuum?


GUNMEN KILL OFFICIAL In a separate incident in Baghdad, four oil workers from a Saudi Arabian firm - including an American and a Nepalese - were grabbed at gunpoint from their office.


PM visits to help bring positive changes in region: PML ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League has said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz ongoing visit to three SAARC member states is highly important as it will play a significant role in bringing positive changes in the region.


In the NBA, Shaq and Kobe Are Still the Show Everything starts, again, with Shaq, Kobe and Phil. They didn #39;t win either of the last two NBA titles. They were dismissed from the Finals by the Pistons in June.


Randolph Appears to Be Leader in Clubhouse When the Mets unveiled the finalists for their opening at manager Monday night, the list was in alphabetical order: Terry Collins, Rudy Jaramillo and Willie Randolph.


Unions and VW narrowing differences FRANKFURT Volkswagen and its workers entered a critical week in their wage negotiations Monday, with signs that a compromise was taking shape even as protests flared at factories across Germany.


ANZ, Royal Group Join on Bank in Cambodia Australian bank ANZ and Cambodia #39;s Royal Group have teamed up in a \$18 million venture that will bring electronic banking to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation, company officials said Tuesday.


Rain hits ahead of Melbourne Cup Rain and strong winds in the Australian city of Melbourne is expected to bring a swag of international horses back into contention for the nation #39;s best known horse race, the Melbourne Cup.


China sows confusion over attack on Bush policies WASHINGTON - Chinas embassy in Washington sowed confusion on Monday about an election-eve attack on President George W. Bushs policies that raised questions about whether Beijing was trying to gain favor with Democrat John Kerry.


Thai King Urges Premier to Be More Lenient in the Muslim South In a sign of national crisis, Thailand #39;s revered king summoned Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and urged him to take a more measured approach toward Muslim violence in the south, Mr.


Oracle boosts hostile bid for PeopleSoft to \$8.8bn Oracle raised its hostile bid for rival business software maker PeopleSoft by 14 percent yesterday, aiming to bring a resolution to the long-running takeover battle between the foes.


Resident Evil 4 Not GC Exclusive PS2 owners will have to wait almost a whole year, but they will be getting it. Capcoms million-seller latest title Resident Evil 4 expanding into Nintendo GameCube and PlayStaion2!


Report shows Arctic nations must cut CO2 emissions immediately <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - Arctic governments must cut emissions of carbon dioxide immediately or face the extinction of species, damaging storms and flooding, says the World Wildlife Fund.


Afghan kidnappers agree to talk Afghan militants agreed to negotiate the release of three UN workers taken hostage last week, but warned they were ready to kill them if any rescue attempt was made.


PeopleSoft: Sour on a Sweetened Bid? An end to the 17-month takeover squabble between software giant Oracle (ORCL ) and rival PeopleSoft (PSFT ) may not be in sight even though, in what Chairman Jeffrey O. Henley called a  quot;best and final quot; offer, Oracle on Nov.


Oil Below \$50 Deepening \$5 Fall US oil prices hovered below \$50 a barrel on Tuesday, deepening a week-long \$5 slump after some traders cashed in profits from this year #39;s record-breaking rally ahead of the US presidential election.


IRS Reveals Less Cheating by Businesses, Its Data Show The push by the commissioner of Internal Revenue for quick completion of audits of big corporations - a move criticized by many longtime agency auditors - has led to a sharp drop in the


Update 1: Casino Reaches Tentative Deal With Workers A union representing 10,000 striking casino-hotel workers tentatively agreed to a new contract late Monday, ending a bitter month-old walkout that disrupted casino operations, made gamblers sleep in unmade beds and put rank-and-file workers onto noisy


Stock Adviser, on Trial for Fraud, Is Portrayed as a Crusader Anthony Elgindy, the San Diego stock adviser accused of gaining confidential government information from an FBI agent in a stock manipulation scheme, looked attentively at the jury yesterday as


Election jitters keep stock gains modest NEW YORK - Wall Street #39;s pre-election jitters left the major stock market indexes with only modest gains Monday, even as crude-oil futures fell near the \$50-per-barrel mark.


Source: Bowden to take Washington GM job The Washington-bound Montreal Expos have found someone to take one of the most tenuous jobs in sports. Jim Bowden, Cincinnati #39;s general manager from 1992-2003, will be announced as Washington #39;s GM on Tuesday


Kidd, Houston start season on injured list When the NBA season tips off, the New Jersey Nets will be without All-Star Jason Kidd, and Allan Houston of the New York Knicks will be on the injured list, too.


UN Nuclear Agency Chief Urges Iran to Suspend Activities The chief of the United Nations #39; nuclear agency appealed to Iran Monday to suspend its nuclear activities and expressed concern that efforts to halt


S. Korea #39;s LG, Japan #39;s Matsushita in war over display panel <b>...</b> SEOUL: South Korea #39;s leading home appliance maker, LG Electronics Inc., declared an all-out war on Japan #39;s Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.


Lack of Pay Accord Extends Stoppages at Volkswagen (Update1) Volkswagen AG, Europe #39;s biggest carmaker, faces production losses at its Wolfsburg headquarters after a sixth set of contract talks with union negotiators on cost cuts, job security and pay ended without agreement.


Toyota makes record first half profit of 866 billion yen Toyota Motor Corp., Japan #39;s top automaker, made a record operating profit of 866.2 billion yen in the first half of this business year, the company said.


AOL Cutting More Than 700, Most in Virginia America Online Inc. is preparing to fire more than 700 employees in early December -- mostly at the company #39;s Northern Virginia headquarters -- a cost-cutting move tied to the firm #39;s continuing


Wal-Mart #39;s health care under attack In the debate over what to do about the growing number of working people with little or no health insurance, no company may be taking more heat than the United States #39; largest employer, Wal-Mart Stores.


Intel Introduces  quot;Extreme quot; Chip For Gamers Intel released its Extreme Edition Pentium 4 processor on Monday, a new platform that the chip-maker says is especially designed for people who like to push their PCs to the limit.


Tom Hanson: Singhing the blues over boring wins The tale of him caddying for a \$1 a day at Nadi Airport Golf Club in his native Fiji to becoming the PGA Tour #39;s first \$10 million man with a five-shot victory Sunday at the Chrysler Championship in Palm Harbor is utterly amazing.


Spurs sign Parker to contract extension Point guard Tony Parker agreed to a long-term contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night. Terms of the deal were not released.


Iraq #39;s prime minister urged not to attack Fallujah The reports come as Iraq #39;s interim prime minister is under heavy pressure not to order an assault on Fallujah. It comes from within his own government -- interim president Ghazi al-Yawer (GAH #39;-zee ahl-YOW #39;-ur).


#39;Southern Thailand could be flashpoint for extremism in Asia #39; : Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, today warned southern Thailand risked becoming a flashpoint for Islamic extremism, after 85 Muslims died there last week in a confrontation with the army.


Boeing may have Wichita buyer WICHITA, Kan. -- The Boeing Co. has indicated it will announce the buyer of its commercial-airplane operations here around Thanksgiving, the plant #39;s largest union told its members yesterday.


Jets cruise over dreadful Dolphins SPORTS NETWORK - Chad Pennington threw three touchdown passes to lead the New York Jets to a 41-14 victory over the Miami Dolphins at Giants Stadium.


Pakistan ; Aziz visit promotes Pakistan, not SAARC The Himalayan Times #39; photographer Dwarika Ranjit was prevented from entering the hall at the Soaltee Hotel where Aziz was speaking on  quot;Promoting Regional Cooperation quot;.


Yukos tax bill may hit \$17 billion The Kremlin is hitting the Yukos Oil Corp. with huge new tax claims that will total \$17 billion, the Moscow Times reported late Monday.


Oil Prices Fall as Concerns About Supply Begin to Ease Oil prices fell to a four-week low yesterday, briefly dropping below \$50 a barrel, as traders grew less concerned about possible threats to supplies.


More than 200,000 barrels of daily production restored Oil companies trying to overcome storm damage in the Gulf of Mexico have put 200,000 more barrels of daily production back on line in the past week, a federal agency reported Monday.


Cuba buying more US farm products HAVANA Despite tighter American restrictions on Cuba, Havana has signed more deals to buy US cattle and wheat. It happened at a major international trade fair in Havana, where American businesses played a major role.


Lord James Hanson, prominent British businessman, dies at 82 Lord James Hanson, a wealthy industrialist whose business prospered by acquiring poorly run, low-tech companies and turning them into money makers, died Monday after a long battle with cancer, his spokesman said.


Study: Firefox still gaining on Internet Explorer Alternative Web browsers Mozilla and Firefox experienced another month of growth at the expense of Microsoft #39;s dominant Internet Explorer, according to an online study.


McGrady, Rockets make a long-term commitment McGrady, who begins his first season with the Rockets tonight, agreed Monday on a foregone conclusion of a contract extension worth as much as \$63 million over three years that could keep him in Houston through the 2009-10 season.


As NHL lockout drags on, few cracks starting to develop in players <b>...</b> The NHL Players Association is gathering its players representatives in Toronto for discussions Tuesday, an information session that, when finished, could resemble the biggest pep rally this side of Friday nights in South Bend.


Sexson files for free agency com. Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. spoke with Sexson #39;s agent, Casey Close, on Monday afternoon and did not read too much into the fact that the veteran filed for free agency.


Suicide bomber kills 3 in Tel Aviv TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - A 16-year-old Palestinian blew himself up in an outdoor market here late yesterday morning, killing three Israelis and wounding 32 others.


Drop in price of oil gives boost to financial markets Oil prices plunged to \$50.13 yesterday, capping a 10 percent fall from record highs set last week and easing worries about high energy prices in financial markets.


Investors don #39;t want  #39;November surprise #39; in earnings NEW YORK (CBS.MW) -- Time Warner shareholders hope they won #39;t get a  quot;November surprise quot; when the world #39;s largest media company releases its third-quarter results Wednesday.


Freddie Mac to resume reporting WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- Freddie Mac will resume quarterly financial reporting next summer, after forgoing the regular reports in the wake of its restatement of three years #39; worth of results, the mortgage giant said Monday.


A Google-Microsoft War There #39;s been a lot of gossip about the upcoming Google browser and its possible impact on Microsoft. It #39;s hard to predict what will happen, but it won #39;t surprise me if an all-out war between Google and Microsoft ensues.


Search for new Scotland manager The search for a new Scotland manager is underway following the resignation of Berti Vogts. He quit yesterday after a disastrous two and a half year run, saying he couldn #39;t put up with the  quot;disgraceful abuse quot; any longer.


Election reflects Latin America tilt left Uruguay tapped Tabare Vazquez as its first socialist president in Sunday #39;s election, joining a growing group of South American countries embracing leftist governments.


US Citizen Among 6 Taken Hostage In Iraq Baghdad, Nov. 2 (NNN): An American citizen, an Asian and four Iraqis are reported to have been taken hostage at gunpoint from their office in Baghdad.


Canada #39;s Liberals Try Anew to Decriminalize Marijuana OTTAWA, Nov. 1 -- Canada #39;s Liberal government reintroduced legislation Monday to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, drawing criticism that this could prompt a clampdown at the US border.


Time Warner #39;s Parsons Lifts Profit With AOL Advertising Gains Time Warner Inc., the world #39;s largest media company, probably will report a 26 percent increase in third- quarter net income, helped by a rebound in Web-advertising sales at its America Online unit.


Makybe Diva wins successive Melbourne Cups Makybe Diva won the 144th running of the A\$4.6 million (1.9 million pounds) Melbourne Cup to become only the fourth horse and the first mare to capture Australia #39;s richest and most famous race two years in a row.


Auburn gets closer to top of BCS By wire services. Auburn moved into third in the BCS standings released Monday while Southern Cal and Oklahoma held on to the top spots.


O #39;Hare Airport to get less flights A federal study released Monday lowered the number of flights that O #39;Hare International Airport can handle without creating gridlock.


Newspaper Circulation Continues to Decline The average circulation of the nation #39;s newspapers fell in the six months ended in September, as new federal restrictions on telemarketing and a more conservative approach by some publications


IRS business audits decline so far this year The pace of corporate audits by the Internal Revenue Service continued to decline in the first six months of fiscal 2004, despite IRS pledges to crack down on


La. seeks new bridge, elevated highway If you think oil is expensive now, just imagine if Hurricane Ivan had swung west and come ashore at this bustling oil and gas port at the southernmost point of Louisiana.


Earnings outlook for Q1 falls below expectations Tyco International said Monday that it turned a fourth-quarter profit as strength in its electronics, health-care and engineered products and services divisions spurred a 13 percent rise in revenue.


Tyco to Sell its Tyco Global Network to India #39;s VSNL for \$130 <b>...</b> PEMBROKE, Bermuda, Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Tyco International Ltd. has agreed to sell its Tyco Global Network to Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL), India #39;s leading telephone and internet services provider, for \$130 million.


Ill., Mich. Want New Federal Isotope Lab Like most of us, politicians don #39;t know much about isotopes. But because they know something about money and jobs, lawmakers from Illinois and Michigan are locked in a battle


Vijay Swings to \$10 m kitty Vijay Singh, Fijis star golfer of Indian origin, became the first golfer to go over 10 million dollars in earnings in one year after shooting a six-under-par 65 on Sunday to capture the Chrysler Championship.


Longhorns back on BCS bubble It has happened every year since the BCS was formed in 1998. One way or another, whether by blowing its chance or by another team not providing help, Texas finds itself at the Cotton or Holiday bowls.


Fireworks possible at NHLPA meeting If certain people show up, today #39;s meeting of NHL Players #39; Association executives and members in Toronto could turn into a passionate debate between the union #39;s haves and have-nots.


Backman not one to back down General partner and avid baseball card collector Ken Kendrick happily raised a baseball card of Wally Backman vigorously sliding into an opposing catcher.


Canada to relax drug law The Canadian government signalled its intention yesterday to reintroduce legislation to decriminalise the possession of small amounts of marijuana.


Outrage over murder of Thai Muslim demonstrators The deaths of dozens of protestors on October 25 at the hands of the Thai security forces, and the horrifying manner in which they died, has unleashed fury in the predominantly Muslim provinces


Merck sinks on Vioxx risk report BOSTON (CBS.MW) -- Merck  amp; Co. shares fell more than 10 percent Monday on a news report that the company may have known for years that Vioxx, the pain reliever it recently withdrew from the market, could cause cardiac problems in some patients.


Newspaper circulations drop by 0.9, report says Circulation declined at most major US newspapers in the last half year, the latest blow for an industry already rocked by a scandal involving circulation misstatements that has undermined the confidence of investors and advertisers.


Automobiles lead a surge in spending US consumers opened their wallets and purses in a big way in September, with spending shooting up 0.6 percent. Joseph Zeppieri of West Melbourne looks at new vehicles at Kelly Ford in Melbourne.


Tyco turns corner over year-ago period Industrial conglomerate Tyco International Ltd. swung to a fiscal fourth-quarter profit on a double-digit jump in sales and on lower one-time charges compared with the year-ago quarter.


Chrysler recalls 240,000 vans over threat of speaker fire DaimlerChrysler AG #39;s Chrysler recalled 240,000 Dodge Caravan and similar minivans and sedans because a short circuit can set fire to rear speakers of the radio.


FireFox better than Internet Explorer A recent study done by WestSideStory, a market research firm, present interesting results that show a continuous market share increase in FireFoxs favor.


JETS 41, DOLPHINS 14 Jets Are at Top of Their Game, and Back at <b>...</b> After spending the week facing questions on how they would rebound from their disappointing loss to New England, the Jets turned in a commanding 41-14 victory over Miami on Monday night, their most complete game of the season.


Bowden will be Expos #39; new GM Former Cincinnati Reds general manager Jim Bowden will be the general manager of the Washington baseball franchise, Major League Baseball sources said last night.


Six kidnapped in Iraq A US citizen and five other staff of a Saudi trading firm were kidnapped in Baghdad on Monday, while a deputy governor was shot dead, plunging Iraq deeper into crisis.


China seals off villages in central region after ethnic rioting <b>...</b> Villages were cordoned off and thousands of police kept watch along roads in central China on Tuesday following riots between majority Han Chinese and a Muslim minority that killed seven people and injured 42.


Chronicle increases its daily circulation The Houston Chronicle #39;s daily circulation grew in the last six months, while Sunday circulation declined, the Audit Bureau of Circulations has reported.


Makybe Diva Wins Melbourne Cup Horse Race MELBOURNE (Dow Jones)--Makybe Diva is the winner of the 2004 Melbourne Cup horse race, gaining first place in the 3,200-meter race held at Flemington course.


Wenger Highlights Importance Of Panathinaikos Match Arsenal will be playing against Panathinaikos on Tuesday night, in a match valid for Group E of the Champions League. Arsene Wenger is convinced that a win would almost surely qualify the English champions


Kobe writing his own LA story Kobe Bryant nodded knowingly while remembering his quote from exactly one year ago:  quot;Every day is a bad day. quot;.  quot;Man, I feel great, just great, quot; he said, recalling those dark


The choice in Ukraine AMERICANS anticipating a close presidential election and anxious about the legitimacy of the outcome might consider Sunday #39;s inconclusive presidential vote in Ukraine, a nation of 48 million people whose geopolitical perch between Europe and Russia makes


50 years of trip-wire weirdness end as US leaves Korean border The world #39;s sole remaining Cold War frontier post lost its American guards yesterday when the United States withdrew from the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.


US elections polling begins today WASHINGTON: Polling for the US elections will begin according to Pakistan time at 5:00 pm on Tuesday as Americans vote in one of the closest presidential elections in decades after a long and often bitter campaign between Republican incumbent George W


Chrysler recalling 240,100 minivans DETROIT - Chrysler is recalling 240,000 minivans because the radios may short circuit and cause a fire, the automaker said Monday.


Players to meet today in Toronto All those players who have griped about how little progress has been made toward reaching a settlement to end the NHL lockout will have the opportunity to have their voices heard today.


NHL player reps to meet in Toronto Player representatives will gather Tuesday in Toronto for an update on the NHL #39;s nearly seven-week-old lockout. The meeting will be spiced by recent comments by a handful of players, notably the Calgary Flames


Three Israelis killed by suicide bomber A suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a crowded market in Tel Aviv yesterday, leaving three dead and dozens more wounded.


Chinese deputy Prime Minister attacks  #39;Bush doctrine #39; BEIJING: On the eve of the US Presidential poll, one of the key architects of China #39;s foreign policy lashed out at the controversial  quot;Bush doctrine quot; of pre-emptive strikes, the  quot;catastrophic quot; war on Iraq.


Yukos  #39;faces increased tax bill #39; Russian tax authorities have slapped oil giant Yukos and its main production unit with two new tax claims, raising the company #39;s total bill to more than \$17.


Merck plunges on report it hid Vioxx risks Shares of Merck  amp; Co. plunged almost 10 percent yesterday after a media report said that documents show the pharmaceutical giant hid or denied


Crude prices fall to near \$50 a barrel Oil futures prices sank to their lowest level in nearly a month yesterday on a continuation of the sell-off sparked last week by rising US supplies of crude


Wal-Mart Eyes New China Stores The world #39;s biggest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said it planned at least 10 new stores in China next year, joining other foreign retail giants in taking advantage of new rules letting them move into smaller cities.


UBS Net Slips on Weak Trading Income Swiss banking giant UBS posted weaker third-quarter net profit on Tuesday, just missing market expectations, hurt by a seasonal fall in trading revenue despite a strong showing by its flagship private bank.


Get complete U2 catalog sans new iPod You don #39;t need to buy a new black and red limited edition U2 iPod to get your hands on the collection of the Irish band #39;s tunes designed to accompany it.


UM scientist helps unravel space secrets Data from the far reaches of outer space have been streaming into Dan Reisenfeld #39;s computer at the University of Montana since late Wednesday.


Makybe Diva joins racing immortals MAKYBE Diva joined racing #39;s immortals with a commanding win in the \$4.6 million Melbourne Cup today. Backed into 5-2 favouritism by a flood of money from around the country, she became the first mare to win


West: Without Shaq, who #39;s best? Plenty of Western Conference teams are capable of filling the Los Angeles Lakers #39; role as favorites, but none seem suited to fill the time slot occupied by  quot;Days of our Lakers.


China aims at high-standard 2008 Olympics: President Hu Chinese President Hu Jintao met with Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on the afternoon of November 1. Hu Jintao said, as an


Palestinian suicide bomber kills 3 Israelis A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of Tel Aviv #39;s Shuk HaCarmel yesterday, killing three Israelis and wounding more than


Oracle raises offer for PeopleSoft 14 Oracle yesterday sweetened its hostile bid for rival business software maker PeopleSoft to \$9.2 billion, a 14 percent increase aimed at resolving the long-running takeover battle between the bitter foes.


UPDATE 2-UBS cautious as weak trading hits quarterly profit Banking giant UBS (UBSN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) was cautious over prospects for the rest of the year after a seasonal lull in trading hurt its third-quarter


Chrysler Recalls 240,000 Minivans The recall involves the 2001 and 2002 model year Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country minivans. The automaker says the short circuit may result from water seeping into the radio.


Google plans desktop search tool for Apple PCs Google plans to release a version of its desktop search tool for computers that run Apple Computer #39;s Mac operating system, Google #39;s chief executive, Eric Schmidt, said Friday.


NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS JETS ROUT a three-hour party, really -he Jets delivered a rare rout, skewering the downtrodden Dolphins 41-14 last night at Giants Stadium.


Mets down to final 3 The Mets announced yesterday they have narrowed their field of candidates for their vacant managerial job to three, and a baseball official familiar with the team #39;s planning said Willie Randolph remains the clear favorite.


British Army probes woman #39;s death The British Army is investigating the death of Staff Sgt Denise Rose, the first British female soldier to die in since the campaign in Iraq began.


N Korea accuses South over shots North Korea has accused South Korea of  quot;grave provocation quot; after the South fired warning shots at its vessels. In a statement published by the official KCNA news agency, North Korea said an armed clash was only avoided thanks to its navy #39;s restraint.


Oil prices fall below \$50 a barrel Oil prices fell sharply last night, taking US crude below \$50 ahead of the US presidential election. US light crude dipped as low as \$49.


Talks proceed tentatively at Volkswagen Frankfurt - Volkswagen management and union representatives in Germany were to resume deadlocked wage and job talks on Tuesday following a day of  quot;difficult but not desperate quot; discussions.


Yahoo Names Media Executive Lloyd Braun, ousted last year as the chairman of ABC Entertainment, will become head of entertainment and media content for Yahoo, the company announced yesterday.


SCOTS HAMPERED BY LACK OF TALENT - DOC Tommy Docherty believes the future looks grim for the Scotland national team - no matter who succeeds Berti Vogts. Former Manchester United manager Docherty was not the least bit surprised when Vogts resigned from his post on Monday.


Day One of tennis Paris Masters The opening round of the three-million-US-dollar Paris Masters has produced some spectacular scenes as players displayed their strength at the last tournament of the Masters series.


Confederations Cup to kick off The Confederations Cup will kick off with Olympic champion Argentina taking on African champion Tunisia on June 15, China Radio International reported Tuesday.


Afghan kidnappers offers to negotiate with UN Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Afghan militants threatening to kill three foreign hostages yesterday offered to negotiate with a United Nations envoy, but warned that any rescue attempt would end in bloodshed.


Oil slips back below USD50 a barrel Crude oil prices slipped below USD 50 a barrel in Asian trade overnight as the market waited for the outcome of the US presidential election.


Oil surge to cause  #39;bloodbath #39;, says Ryanair The strength of oil prices is poised to exacerbate an airline  quot;bloodbath quot; long predicted for this winter, Ryanair has said, announcing a profits ahead of City forecasts.


VC funds rake in \$5.5b in quarter, prompting alert Venture capital funds raised \$5.5 billion in fresh capital in the third quarter, 78 percent more than in the prior quarter, prompting a warning by the head of


Storm #39;s blitz snarls Front Range Fall #39;s first significant flurries dusted much of Colorado overnight Sunday, making Monday a mess for many people along the Front Range.


Cuba signs food deals with US companies HAVANA -- Cuba on Monday signed contracts to buy \$10 million of US wheat and meat products, and \$300,000 of American dairy cattle, launching a new round of deals for US farm products projected to reach \$150 million.


Lakers to see early returns The rest of the nation can monitor the presidential election tonight, to see which states go red and which states go blue, to count up electoral college votes, to watch for a concession speech that may not come for days.


It could be Steel Curtains for rest of NFL Patience is less a virtue in the NFL than a vice. Thirteen coaches have been with their teams for two seasons or less. Check most rosters, and the same ratio applies to the players.


Gilbertson to step down Washington coach Keith Gilbertson, above, will step down at the end of the season and end a difficult two years as Rick Neuheisel #39;s replacement.


Rural China reels from violent protests extent of unrest in rural China, fuelled by corruption and a growing gap between rich and poor. the Hui Muslim minority sparked rioting through the weekend.


Market Roundup Merck shares dropped 10 percent Monday to the lowest level since 1995 after a published report said the drugmaker tried for years to stop safety concerns from hurting sales of its Vioxx painkiller.


Intel Takes on Gamers with  #39;Extreme #39; Chipset Following a similar chip announcement from AMD in mid-October, Intel this week has released a chip targeting the gamer segment. The Pentium 4 processor Extreme Edition supporting Hyper-Threading (HT) technology


UK MARS MISSION BLASTED BRITAIN #39;S Beagle 2 mission to Mars was last night blasted as a shambles done  quot;on the cheap quot;. The lander was scheduled to touch down on Christmas Day last year and search for past and present life.


Monday Night Football: Jets soar to 6-1 in AFC East Curtis Martin and LaMont Jordan each rushed for 115 yards and a score to help the New York Jets rout the hapless Miami Dolphins 41-14 last night.


ABUSE IS TO BLAME SAYS BERTI and then claimed he was driven out by personal abuse.  quot;The major factor in this decision has been the disgraceful abuse I have suffered, quot; said Vogts.


Finish line, November 2 The New York City medical examiner #39;s office reported Monday former major league third baseman Ken Caminiti died from a drug overdose.


What #39;s next? West coaching pool deep for UW The search to replace Keith Gilbertson at Washington will be national, athletic director Todd Turner indicated yesterday. But Gilbertson #39;s successor could come from a handful of promising candidates in the West.


Sixers prepared to trade Robinson The Philadelphia 76ers placed 11-year veteran Glenn Robinson on the injured list Monday with left ankle tendinitis and will try to trade the former No.


Arizona to get ready for Wally-world Their hiring of former JetHawks manager Wally Backman out of Single-A ahead of two finalists with significant major-league managerial and coaching experience to manage their big-league club is as much a risk as it is a statement.


Cal makes move in BCS California made a big leap Monday in the Bowl Championship Series standings, giving the Rose Bowl a sigh of relief and possibly dashing Utah #39;s hopes.


Suicide bomber #39;s house destroyed JERUSALEM Israel #39;s army has destroyed the homes of the suicide bomber and those of two men Israel says were behind yesterday #39;s attack in Tel Aviv.


Baghdad car blast kills at least five as first British female <b>...</b> A car bomb went off outside the Iraqi Education Ministry in central Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least five people and injuring four, Reuters reported.


OVITZ: I WANT MY PROPS Michael Ovitz hopes getting his day in court fixes his battered career and tarnished image. Ovitz testified for the fifth day in the trial that has Disney shareholders shooting


MIKE WENDLAND: Pricey iPod upgrade worth every dime Apple #39;s latest addition to its hugely popular iPod line, the iPod Photo, has moved the bar even further as the digital lifestyle continues to converge.


Vinnie Roe caught out by weight Irish stayer Vinnie Roe #39;s top weight of 58 kilograms was a telling factor as he finished second to favourite Makybe Diva in the rainswept Melbourne Cup, according to trainer Dermot Weld.


Oracle makes last bid for PeopleSoft Oracle has dangled its  quot;best and final quot; offer of \$24 per share in front of PeopleSoft shareholders. Oracle #39;s latest bid for the software maker is a \$3 hike over a previous offer and values PeopleSoft at just less than \$9bn.


Vogts driven out by fans Berti Vogts admitted last night he had little option but to quit as Scotland coach, blaming what he called  quot;disgraceful abuse quot;.


Blowout eases Giants #39; minds Kurt Warner #39;s thing is about the locker room learning what it #39;s like to win together. Michael Strahan #39;s thing revolves around a want of respect and the importance of the next game in gaining that commodity.


Volkswagen workers walk out in Hanover, wage talks to continue FRANKFURT : Hundreds of workers at German auto maker Volkswagen #39;s Hanover plant walked off the job, as management and union representatives readied to resume deadlocked wage and job talks.


Europe awaits US poll verdict European shares edged higher Tuesday, with easing oil prices underpinning market sentiment, but investors were cautious ahead of a neck-and-neck race in the US presidential elections.


Penny stock scammer tried A self-proclaimed stock guru was alternately described as a crusader and a crook yesterday in opening arguments of his federal racketeering trial in Brooklyn.


Achilles injury forces Campbell out of north London derby Arsenal defender Sol Campbell will miss the big north London derby against his old club Spurs and England #39;s clash in Spain. The England center back is struggling with an Achilles


It #39;s back to work for Pistons Pistons return from banner season The Detroit Pistons will open the season tonight with a ring ceremony at the Palace. The joint will be packed. Members of the championship team will take their bows, pack their rings away and face one of the


Newspaper says Merck tried to protect Vioxx sales Merck  amp; Co. #39;s shares (MRK) fell 9.7 percent to the lowest price in almost nine years after the Wall Street Journal said yesterday the drugmaker tried for years to stop safety concerns from hurting sales of its Vioxx painkiller.


AT amp;T upgrades Internet Protect AT amp;T on Monday announced it will add virus and worm protection features to its Internet Protect service. It helps businesses to protect themselves from a variety of security threats without deploying firewalls at each location.


Smith and Strachan in Scotland frame The search for a new Scotland manager is under way today after Berti Vogts resigned as national coach following the country #39;s poor start to the World Cup qualifying campaign.


All signs point to victory PRESIDENTIAL PREDICTIONS: We were an idiot on Sunday, believing, suddenly, in the power of nonsense as the Washington Redskins mounted a horrifying drive to beat the Green Bay Packers.


Vieira: I #39;ll be Cesc #39;s minder Patrick Vieira knows exactly how Francesc Fabregas feels. Just 17 years old, a long way from home in a foreign country with a new culture and language to which he must adapt.


Isiah points to backcourt in rebuilding Knicks Isiah Thomas #39; blueprint for building a team is to start with the backcourt and work his way forward. As vice president of the Toronto Raptors, Thomas #39; first significant move was to draft a guard, Damon Stoudamire.


Pistons send NBA back to drawing board There #39;s going to be a ring ceremony in an NBA city tonight, and by now you probably know it #39;s not going to be in Los Angeles.


Break-in Twist in Olympic Horse Dope Test Probe The offices of the Equestrian Federation of Ireland were broken into in another twist in the Irish Olympic gold medal controversy, it has emerged today.


Texas rises to No. 7 in latest BCS rankings and not only on the political spectrum. Another November - another BCS college football quagmire looming. With the release


Tourism in Egypt declines since attacks SHARM EL-SHEIKH - The number of tourists visiting Egypt has fallen by just under 5 since the deadly car bomb attacks on Red Sea resorts last month, the deputy tourism minister said.


Stock picker fraud trial begins Stock picker Anthony Elgindy profited from illegal tips supplied by an FBI agent who told him about probes of companies Elgindy would then sell short while spreading negative information to clients of his online newsletter, a prosecutor said.


Beagle Mars mission spoiled by amateurism THE failure of the Beagle 2 space mission to Mars has been blamed on the lack of government funding and an  quot;amateurish quot; gentleman #39;s agreement that allowed a key backer to pull out of the project.


Nokia, Philips and German Public Transport Network Operator RMV <b>...</b> SAN JOSE, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Nov. 2, 2004 -- Nokia, Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG)(AEX:PHI) together with Rhein-Main Verkehrsverbund (RMV), public transport authority for Frankfurt #39;s greater


KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT OF IT, FERGIE ARSENE WENGER last night told bitter rival Sir Alex Ferguson to mind his own business and leave the FA to deal with the fall-out from the Battle of Old Trafford.


CAR BOMB ROCKS CENTRAL BAGHDAD A suspected car bomb has exploded outside the Education Ministry in central Baghdad killing at least five people, two of them women.


Internet Explorer loses browser market share to young pretender Open Source browsers are continuing to eat into the market share of Microsoft #39;s Internet Explorer. According to market analysts WebSideStory, Internet Explorer held 92.


Cell Phones Do Broadband If waiting for e-mail to download onto your cell phone drives you nuts, try dialing in with one of the new devices available that tap into a speedier, next-generation network.


Shuttle Enterprise takes center stage Space shuttle Enterprise was born to be an astronautical bridesmaid, never a bride. Built in 1976 as one of the first trio of US shuttles, Enterprise never left Earth #39;s atmosphere


Kiwis too strong for Bangladesh Bangladesh #39;s batting problems continued as they slumped to a 138-run defeat in the first of three one-day matches against New Zealand.


Car bomb kills five at Iraq education ministry Cameraman working for Reuters killed in Ramadi clashes, US war planes bomb insurgent-held Fallujah. BAGHDAD - At least five people were killed when a car comb exploded outside Iraq #39;s education ministry in Baghdad on Tuesday, hospital sources said.


China Plays Down Election Eve Barb Against Bush China sought to play down election eve criticism of President Bush by a leading architect of its foreign policy, saying Beijing had clarified the issue with Washington.


VW and union resume wage talks Senior negotiators from Volkswagen and its main union have met to seek a deal on cost cutting that could head off the first full-blown strike at the carmaker #39;s western German factories.


Ryanair beats forecasts No-frills airline Ryanair RYA.I has posted a forecast-beating jump in first-half profit after its low fares drew passengers over the summer, and it is more upbeat than


Shaq #39;s move to Miami won #39;t weaken West When competing sides fall out of balance on shows such as  quot;The Apprentice quot; or  quot;Survivor, quot; they usually mix up the teams to even things out.


NHL players to meet; could  #39;cap #39; come into favor? With the NHL lockout now at 48 days, all eyes will focus on Toronto today for the meeting between Players #39; Association executive director Bob Goodenow and player representatives from all 30 teams.


Pak to sell arms to Nepal Pledging cooperation with Nepal in its fight against terrorism, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz today said his country would supply arms to the Himalyan kingdom on a credit basis.


Election jitters send oil lower Oil prices have fallen further below \$50 a barrel as, with the result of the US presidential elections still difficult to predict, traders cashed in positions.


National trims sales expectations National Semiconductor has lowered its revenue expectations for its second business quarter. The new guidance for the quarter calls for revenues to range from \$445m to \$450m, down about 18 per cent to 19 per cent sequentially.


Wal-Mart Plans as Many as 15 New China Stores in 2005 (Update2) Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world #39;s largest retailer, plans to open as many as 15 new stores in China next year, competing for a foothold with Carrefour SA and Metro Group as the government lifts curbs on foreign retailers.


Yamaha Offering Free Authoring Tools for Adding Dynamic Graphics <b>...</b>  quot;Whether it #39;s the professional content developer or the casual mobile phone user, creating dynamic, SMAF-Multimedia content is simple and intuitive through our authoring tools, quot; says Kazunari Fukaya, Marketing Division Manager of Yamaha #39;s Semiconductor


Illinois, Michigan both want new federal isotope lab CHICAGO Lawmakers from Illinois and Michigan are competing to convince the federal government that their state is the best location for an isotope lab.


Appearances of wickets are deceptive: Dravid Mumbai: The appearance of a match wicket doesn #39;t make the Indian team comfortable or uncomfortable, stand-in captain Rahul Dravid emphasised today.


Overdose played role in death of Caminiti Former Padre Ken Caminiti died of a drug overdose, coronary artery disease and an enlarged heart, according to the New York City Medical Examiner.


Safety sidelined by stress fracture As the Broncos hope to learn more about the return of one standout defensive player this week, they will have to deal with the loss of another defensive leader.


McGrady receives a three-year extension The Rockets made McGrady smile Monday, giving him a three-year contract extension worth \$63 million. That, coupled with the three years he had remaining on his existing


AU reaches highest BCS ranking AUBURN - Ah, easy street. No game this week. Light practices. And now Auburn is being touted as the No. 3 team in the Bowl Championship Series standings.


Sasol partners with Malaysia #39;s Petronas Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia #39;s national oil and gas company Petronas on Tuesday announced its Petronas International unit has signed an agreement with Sasol to create South Africa #39;s largest liquid fuels business.


Makybe Diva wins Melbourne Cup MARK COLVIN: The track was dead, the weather was atrocious, but today #39;s Melbourne Cup produced one of the great results, and rewrote the history of the race.


Vikings star Moss might get week off Minnesota Vikings receiver Randy Moss might miss a game for the first time in his NFL career because of a strained right hamstring that hasn #39;t gotten worse but isn #39;t getting a whole lot better.


Japanese point guard makes NBA history PHOENIX -- A 5-9 point guard who mixes off-court humility with an on-court flair for no-look, fast-break passes is the first Japanese-born player to make an NBA roster.


Ryanair H1 Profit Rises 18 Percent Irish no-frills airline Ryanair posted an 18 percent jump in first-half net income on Tuesday as passenger traffic grew 24 percent, and said yields should not decline by as much as first thought.


Weak trading hits UBS profit Banking giant UBS is cautious over prospects for the rest of the year after a lull in trading hurt its third-quarter profit, despite a strong showing by its blockbuster wealth management operation.


Hong Kong Shares Close Higher Prices on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange closed slightly higher Monday on bargain hunting, traders said. The key Hang Seng Index rose 39.


Union leaders weigh latest contract offer Union leaders representing more than 10,000 Atlantic City casino hotel workers in a monthlong walkout met into the night yesterday, considering the latest in a series of contract offers by the casinos.


Nokia unveils first NFC phone Mobile phone giant Nokia has unveiled its first product to incorporate the NFC (Near Field Communication) shell. Backed by Nokia, Philips and Sony, NFC is a new wireless communications function which is hoped


Ex-baseball star #39;s death ruled drug overdose NEW YORK - A drug overdose killed former baseball star Ken Caminiti, who tested positive for cocaine in the weeks before he died at age 41 and had admitted using steroids during his playing days, the city medical examiner ruled Monday.


Bangladesh crash to Mills pace Chittagong - Fast bowler Kyle Mills grabbed four wickets in a dream spell as New Zealand thrashed Bangladesh by 138 runs in the opening one-day international here on Tuesday.


Dutch filmmaker shot dead: report Police confirmed a fatal shooting occurred outside a city government office Monday morning (Monday evening AEDT), but could not confirm the identity of the victim.


US Seeks Clarification From China on Election-Eve Criticism An unprecedented election-eve attack on Bush administration policies by a senior figure in the Chinese government suggested that, despite undeniable


Parliament yells  quot;Death to America quot; Once again, Iran has sent out a clear signal that it intends to become a nuclear power, presenting President George W. Bush or his successor with the next major foreign policy dilemma.


Oracle makes \$9.2 billion take-it-or-leave-it PeopleSoft offer The Oracle-PeopleSoft takeover battle may have finally entered its endgame, with Oracle Corp upping its bid and for the first time imposing a deadline for PeopleSoft Inc shareholders to accept it.


Merck shares dive on Vioxx fears Shares in US drug maker Merck tumbled nearly 10 on Monday after a press report suggesting the firm may have ignored problems with one of its drugs.


UBS Says Net Profit Slips 1 Percent Swiss banking giant UBS AG said Tuesday its third quarter net profit slipped 1 percent to 1.67 billion Swiss francs (\$1.39 billion; euro1.


Sweden to Boost Infrastructure for Saab The government on Tuesday moved to bolster Saab Automobile AB #39;s lure to parent General Motors by agreeing to use state money to improve road and rail access to the company #39;s last automotive plant in Sweden.


Intels extreme step for Gamers AMD released two extremely powerful chips recently after Intel had to back down from the plan of manufacturing a 4GHz version of their Pentium 4 processor.


Up Close and  #39;Awesome #39; Matthew Seu and his two sons yesterday became the first to boldly go where no tourist had been before: within a few feet of the spaceship Enterprise.


Yamaha Offering Free Authoring Tools for Adding Dynamic HAMAMATSU CITY, Japan - (BUSINESS WIRE) -ov. 1, 2004  -aha Corporation, the worlds largest manufacturer of musical instruments and an established leader in digital audio, is today offering free


Crisis talks over tennis no-shows Organisers of the European ATP Masters Series events are holding a meeting in Paris on Tuesday to discuss the current wave of withdrawals by leading players.


No al-Qaeda hand in Sinai bombings Egypt #39;s interior minister affirmed on Sunday that Al-Qaeda played have no hands in Sinai bomb attacks in October. Israeli officials claimed earlier that Al Qaeda prepared the three blasts that hit the Egyptian Red Sea resorts, killing at least 34 people.


Mac version of Google desktop not planned - O #39;Reilly Reports that Google is planning a Mac version of its Desktop Search tool, recently released in beta for Windows, are not entirely accurate, according to publisher Tim O #39;Reilly.


CA supports open source Ingres for Linux and Windows Computer Associates International Inc has announced that the open source version of its Ingres database management system is now available with enterprise-level support options for Linux and Microsoft #39;s Windows.


Nokia adds Smartner email and hints at more Nokia Corp has unveiled plans to bring Smartner Information Systems Oy #39;s mobile email and personal information management offering to its latest Communicators.


Arsenal #39;s Edu misses Panathinaikos clash Brazilian midfielder Edu will miss Arsenal #39;s Champions League Group E match at home to Panathinaikos on Tuesday. Arsenal #39;s website said Edu was suffering from a calf problem sustained in Saturday #39;s 2-2 draw with Southampton.


Hundreds flee Fallujah after night of US air strikes FALLUJAH, Iraq : Hundreds of people fled the Iraqi rebel-held Fallujah after a heavy night of US air strikes, while an Iraqi cameraman working for Reuters was killed during clashes in the nearby hotspot of Ramadi.


Oracle raises bid, sets Nov. 19 deadline Oracle Corp. raised the stakes in its hostile bid for PeopleSoft Inc. Monday by increasing its offer to \$24 per share, boosting the value of the proposed merger to \$9.


Southwest expands Oakland Airport destinations On Oct. 31, eastbound Southwest Airlines customers out of Oakland International Airport were treated to a new nonstop daily flight to Philadelphia International Airport.


Ryanair sees profits rise 15 percent Ryanair, the Irish no-frills airline, said net profit rose 15 percent for the quarter to September, adding it was well-placed to combat the threat of record high oil prices and fierce competition.


Chalone to sell, pending other bids Chalone Wine Group has completed an unusual agreement to sell to France #39;s Domaines Barons de Rothschild in a deal valued at \$160 million, while retaining the right to shop itself to other bidders.


Apple Intros iPod Photo, iPod U2, and Euro iTMS Apple last week fulfilled the wish of every Internet discussion-forum enthusiast who #39;s longed for the capability to view photos on a tiny color screen.


Nations 1st space shuttle lands in aviation museum After plugging woodpecker holes in the tail and a little touch-up paint, original space shuttle Enterprise and hundreds of other spacecraft and artifacts from human efforts


PORTLAND, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)1er Novembre 2004-- Un groupe de socits leaders dans le domaine de l #39;lectronique grand public et des semi-conducteurs, parmi lesquelles figurent notamment Samsung Electronics Co.


CA releases wireless Lan management software Computer Associates International (CA) has released a new tool for managing and securing wireless networks that attracted significant customer interest when it was previewed earlier this year.


VSNL, Cisco to make broadband cheaper Tata group company Videsh Sanchar Nigam and global networking major Cisco Systems Inc on Tuesday signed a Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) agreement to deploy broadband metro Ethernet solution, that will offer broadband services at less than Rs 1,000 per month


Europe lags behind rest of world on IT spend IT spending in Western Europe is lagging behind the rest of the world, according to figures unveiled at Gartner #39;s annual Symposium IT Expo in Cannes this week.


Edu out of Arsenal #39;s CL clash with Greeks The Gunners #39; website said Edu was suffering from a calf problem sustained in Saturday #39;s 2-2 draw with Southampton. Spanish striker Jose Antonio Reyes was also substituted in that match with a hand injury but is expected to be fit to face the Greeks.


Tendulkar could open bowling in final test v Australia India are considering the high risk strategy of asking Sachin Tendulkar to open the bowling for the first time in his career and selecting three spinners for the


Cal up to 4th in BCS Rose Bowl or national title game possible for <b>...</b> The absurd notion of Cal playing in the national championship game does not seem so absurd today. Thanks to losses by Miami and Florida State and a significant rise in the Bears #39; computer ranking, Cal rose four spots in this week #39;s BCS standings to No.


Wilkens #39; defense on trial Neither did 95 percent of the other coaches. But in the case of Lenny Wilkens, this particular flaw became part of his legacy, along with the NBA title, the record numbers of wins and losses and the trademark crossed arms and cold stare.


Brother of Pinoy hostage appeals for his release (5:15 pm) MANILA -- The brother of a Filipino diplomat kidnapped in Afghanistan appealed for his release Tuesday, calling his sibling  quot;a very good man quot; who respects all Muslims.


Northwest to Expand in Indianapolis Northwest Airlines plans to expand in Indianapolis, a move that will knock ATA from its No. 1 spot on its home turf by offering more flights than the bankrupt carrier.


Microsoft, ISPs launch anti-spam offensive Microsoft, America Online (AOL), Yahoo and Earthlink have filed a handful of lawsuits against spammers, allegedly targeting some of the world #39;s largest unsolicited mail offenders.


France condemns Tel Aviv suicide bombing PARIS, Nov 1 (AFP) - France condemned the Palestinian suicide attack Monday in Tel Aviv that killed four people, including the bomber, and called on all sides in the Middle East conflict to avoid a new cycle of violence.


Car Bomb Explodes in Baghdad BAGHDAD, Nov 2 - A car bomb exploded Tuesday in the busy commercial district of Azamiyah in northern Baghdad, causing casualties, the Interior Ministry said.


Oracle announces final PeopleSoft offer Oracle has put up its  quot;best and final quot; offer for PeopleSoft at US\$24 per share. The new price is up \$3 from Oracle #39;s last offer, and is in excess of PeopleSoft #39;s 52-week closing price high.


San Diego Financial Analyst Accused of Bribing FBI NEW YORK -- A San Diego financial analyst is on trial for bribing an FBI agent and making millions of dollars. Prosecutors claim Anthony Elgindy bribed FBI agents for information on publically traded companies.


Deal in Casino Strike ATLANTIC CITY-November 2, 2004 - The month-old strike by thousands of Atlantic City casino and hotel workers may soon be over. Late Monday night, union leaders tentatively approved a new contract, ending


IE alternatives continue to gain News abounds for Firefox and other Open Source Internet browsers. According to WebSideStory results, both Mozilla and Firefox saw their marketshare grow in the last month.


Athletes to train in Beijing AUSTRALIA #39;s Olympic athletes will train and compete regularly in Beijing over the next three years after an historic co-operation agreement was signed today by the Australian and Chinese Olympic Committees.


Kidnappers Release 2 of 4 Iraqi Guards A US Embassy spokesman said Tuesday that an American, a Nepalese, a Filipino and an Iraqi remain hostages after a kidnapping raid Monday night in Baghdad.


Pak, India have opened many channels for talks: Aziz Pakistan and India have opened many channels for talks and Islamabad wanted to settle all issues, including the core issue of Kashmir, with New Delhi on the basis of mutual respect, said the country #39;s Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.


Toyota catching up on GM Toyota, already the world #39;s most profitable carmaker, is set to draw level with General Motors as the world #39;s biggest in terms of sales.


Ryanair profit beats forecasts No-frills airline Ryanair has beat forecasts with an 18-percent jump in half-year profit after a strong summer and it has cheered investors with a surprisingly upbeat take on the full year.


Retail sales rebound Retail sales rose more than expected in October and at their sharpest pace in three months, a survey has shown. The Confederation of British Industry said on Tuesday 37 percent of firms


FireFox, Safari gain as IE loses favour The percentage of Americans using Web browsers Mozilla and Firefox is on the up as Internet users turn away from Microsoft #39;s Internet Explorer due to perceived risks with that application.


Spansion Enters Serial Flash Memory Market Spansion and Fujitsu today announced an entirely new Flash memory family designed to reduce costs and dramatically simplify system design of Flash-enabled consumer electronics, PC peripherals, and in-cabin automotive electronics.


Hackett admits to Athens injury Olympic 1500m freestyle champion Grant Hackett has revealed that he defended his title in Athens despite suffering from a collapsed lung.


Car Bomb in Northern Baghdad Kills Five News reports from the area Tuesday say at least five people were killed and several others wounded in the blast outside the Education Ministry building in the Azamiyah district of the capital.


Israel razes home of teenage suicide bomber NABLUS, WEST BANK - Israeli troops Tuesday destroyed the home of a 16-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up in a Tel Aviv market a day earlier.


Pakistan ready to provide military aid to Nepal: Aziz Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said here Tuesday that Pakistan is ready to provide military assistance to Nepal if Nepal demands.


UK retail sales growth rebounds British retail sales rose more than expected in October and at their sharpest pace in three months. The Confederation of British Industry said 37 of firms in its monthly distributive trades survey saw sales


Nokia adds RFID to latest handsets Nokia has introduced its Near Field Communication (NFC) shell system which incorporates Radio Frequency Identification technology.


Who will be PGAs first \$100 million man? At first glance, Vijay Singh and Harry  quot;Lighthorse quot; Cooper might not seem to have much in common with each other, except that both were fairly successful golf professionals during their eras.


Bowden to head Expos The Washington-bound Montreal Expos have found someone to take one of the most tenuous jobs in sports. Jim Bowden, the Reds #39; general manager in 1992-2003, will be announced as Washington #39;s GM today, a league


Oracle makes  #39;final offer #39; for PeopleSoft ORACLE chief executive Larry Ellison has increased his companys offer for rival software company PeopleSoft, and set a deadline for the first time since the hostile takeover bid began in June 2003.


Trading slump hurts UBS profit Bank #39;s 3Q profit dips, but it says  #39;04 will be better than  #39;03; wealth management stays strong. ZURICH (Reuters) - Banking heavyweight UBS remained cautious about prospects for the rest of the year after a


Tributes to  #39;distinguished #39; businessman Tributes were being paid today to the  quot;enormously distinguished quot; Lord Hanson after the millionaire businessman died of cancer at his home in Berkshire last night.


Online ad provider exploring a sale DoubleClick Inc., the online advertising provider whose one-time soaring share price made it one of Manhattan #39;s most well-known faces of the dot-com era, said late Sunday that it has hired an investment bank to explore a possible sale.


AOL Reportedly Cutting Jobs Time Warner #39;s (TWX:NYSE - news - research) America Online division reportedly plans to cut 700 jobs next month in a concession to declining subscription rates at its flagship Internet unit.


Lack of cash killed Beagle 2 If there had been as many people taking care of the Beagle 2 project as there have been reports into why the lander got lost, we #39;d have reams of data on the composition of the Martian soil flooding back from a perfectly functioning vehicle, right now.


Wanna know who #39;ll win the title? Winning the NBA title in dominating fashion apparently earns you the respect of one-third of your peers. The results of the league #39;s annual survey of its 30 general managers was released last week, and 33 of


Knicks put Houston on injured list All of the other Knicks either had left the court or were doing television interviews. But backup point guard Moochie Norris remained, practicing his long-distance jumpers.