Bill Gates gets 4 million e-mails a day SINGAPORE -- Bill Gates might not use AOL, but he #39;s definitely got mail. The Microsoft Corp. chairman receives millions of Internet messages a day, said Steve Ballmer, the company #39;s chief executive.


Paleontologists say fossil may be ancestor to great apes BARCELONA - A fossilized ape that was adept at climbing trees and stood upright was the last probable ancestor to great apes, including humans, researchers said Thursday.


New Microsoft Search Engine Rivals Google Microsoft, Yahoo and AskJeeves have adopted the  quot;link analysis quot; algorithmic approach that gave Google a vast lead among search engines.


AOL Tightens Security AOL has launched its 9.0 Security Edition, which includes McAfee #39;s VirusScan Online application, offering protection against infection from peer-to-peer file sharing, Web site downloads, CD-ROMs and disks, or multimedia files.


Google Searches For Scholars Google late Wednesday rolled out a beta search tool designed for academics and other researchers digging through peer-reviewed papers, abstracts, and theses.


Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Tonight Astronomers say the show should be a good one. They note, however, that predicting meteor shower intensity is not always an exact science.


Scott Speed moving up to F1 ? Red Bull Racing owner Dieter Mateschitz has not made his final choice for his team #39;s drivers line-up but he is not hiding his actual preferences.


Controversy surrounding Owens #39; MNF promo touches deep social <b>...</b> I should #39;ve known this latest Terrell Owens story wouldn #39;t have vanished quickly. It involves sex, money, sports and, most critically, race.


Va. Tech #39;s Beamer to coach despite mother #39;s death The mother of Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer died early Thursday morning, but Beamer said he will be on the sidelines for tonight #39;s game with Maryland, according to the school.


Terps open ACC tournament The No. 7-seeded Terrapin volleyball team begins its ACC championship defense tonight in Charlottesville, Va., against No. 10-seed Wake Forest.


Congress Told FDA Failed Public on Vioxx  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug  Administration failed the public in its oversight of Merck   Co  Inc.'s MRK.N withdrawn painkiller Vioxx and is "incapable of  protecting America" from another dangerous drug, an agency  researcher told Congress on Thursday.


A Glimpse of Bristol-Myers' Portfolio Late-stage drugs are crucial for a company beset with patent losses.


Google Warns of Slowing Growth  quot;Although our revenue growth rate increased in the third quarter of 2004 compared to the second quarter of 2004, our revenue growth rate has generally declined, and we expect it will continue


Economy: Raspy Second Wind After a batch of stronger-than-expected economic reports lately, some pundits have declared the  quot;soft patch quot; dead. In fact, it could make an unwelcome return in the coming months.


Rates on 30-Year, 15-Year Mortgages Dip Rates on 30-year and 15-year mortgages dipped this week, a development that should help keep the housing market humming. Rates on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 5.74 percent for the week ending Nov.


Yukos lawyer faces arrest warrant Russian prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for Yukos #39; chief lawyer and arrested another executive from the oil firm on suspicion of embezzlement.


Calif. insurance commish sues MetLife, Pru, others: report California Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi has sued MetLife, Prudential Financial Inc., Cigna Corp., and UnumProvident Corp.


Human race off and running The evolution of a physique for long-distance running is what made humans look the way we do now -- whether winning a marathon, nursing a strained Achilles #39; tendon


Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Miracle Blesses eBay A partially eaten piece of a grilled cheese sandwich has become the most talked about item on eBay over the past week, bringing in bids of almost \$19,000.


Gates Gets 4M Spam Messages Each Day SINGAPORE -- Bill Gates, the chairman and founder of Microsoft, receives millions of e-mail messages a day, said Steve Ballmer, the company #39;s chief executive.


Future of EU Patent Legislation in Doubt BRUSSELS, Belgium - The future of controversial European Union legislation that would allow for some software patents was in doubt Thursday after the Polish government switched sides, saying the directive could hurt small and medium-sized businesses.


FIFA launches probe into Bernabeu abuse FIFA will hold an investigation and demand answers from the Spanish Football Federation after home fans hurled racist abuse at England #39;s black players in the friendly international between the two countries in Madrid last night.


Men #39;s contest highlights Trophee Bompard skating Johnny Weir and Brian Joubert already have victories in the Grand Prix series. The American champion and European gold medalist meet this week at the Trophee Bompard.


Device Allows Doctors to Practice Deliveries The birth simulator has now been used to determine the best way to deliver a baby whose shoulders become stuck in the birth canal.


A Fantasy Field Trip to Jurassic Park The career of Richard Ellis advances the maxim that scientific knowledge is often moved forward by the work of committed amateurs.


Militant groups back end of chaos Palestinian militant groups Thursday expressed support for disarming independent militias operating in the Palestinian territories.


Merci la France: We Will Be Forever Grateful By honoring President Yasser Arafat, France has honored every Palestinian man, woman and child. For this we will be forever grateful.


Arafat's Diagnosis May Soon Be Revealed (AP) AP - Nearly a week after his death, speculation still swirls around what killed Yasser Arafat. Cirrhosis of the liver, AIDS, a blood disorder and poisoning are frequently mentioned in unconfirmed reports  #151; all consistent with the little that is publicly known about the medical condition that landed the Palestinian leader in a French hospital.


Suspected Mastermind Held in Pakistan (AP) AP - Authorities have arrested a man they called the alleged mastermind of a deadly bombing near the U.S. Consulate in Karachi two years ago, but another key member of his network remains at large, a senior official said Thursday.


Walmart.com Sees Electronics Leading Online Sales (Reuters) Reuters - Consumer electronics should be the\hottest online sellers this holiday, according to the head of\the online unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's top\retailer.


Tories raise allegations of ties between NY mob and Gagliano (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Conservative Leader Stephen Harper raised published allegations Thursday that former Liberal cabinet minister Alfonso Gagliano was a member of a New York organized crime family.


Oracle readies integration splash (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Oracle at the Oracle OpenWorld conference in San Francisco the week of Dec. 5 plans to unveil Oracle Integration, a product that combines the company #8217;s application server with several other technologies for integration and enablement of SOAs (service-oriented architectures).


Fossil Ape May Be Ancestor of All Apes -- Report (Reuters) Reuters - An ape that lived 13 million years\ago in what is now Spain may have been the last common ancestor\of all apes, including chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and\humans, researchers said on Thursday.


Ancient Animal Could Be Human-Ape Ancestor (AP) AP - The last probable common ancestor to humans and great apes had a body like an ape, fingers like a chimp and the upright posture of humans, according to researchers who unearthed a fossil of the animal in Spain.


Several Insurgent Command Bases Found in Falluja, General Says A top Marine officer also denied reports that one of them was the headquarters of the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.


UN Security Council, in Africa, Pushes Sudan Peace  NAIROBI (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council, leaving its  New York home for the first time in 14 years, met in the Kenyan  capital on Thursday and won promises from Khartoum and rebels  in south Sudan of an end to their 21-year civil war.


Update 6: FDA Called  #39;Defenseless #39; Against Bad Drugs The American public is  quot;virtually defenseless quot; if another medication such as Vioxx proves to be unsafe after it is approved for sale, a government drug safety reviewer told a congressional committee Thursday.


Not all great apes were swingers The fossil of an ancient species of ape, discovered at a construction site in western Spain, has revealed that great apes went through more evolutionary stages than previously thought.


KOREA: Rumors Swirl over Missing Portraits Speculation surrounding the reported removal of portraits of Dear Leader Kim Jong-il from some public buildings and homes in North Korea continued to swirl Thursday but


Airlift for earthquake-hit fish Japan's 'living jewel' koi carp are airlifted to safety after the Niigata earthquake devastated stocks of the ornamental fish.


Sprinters Charged With Dodging Drug Test Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou and their coach were charged Thursday with avoiding a drug test on the eve of the Athens Olympics and faking a motorcycle accident hours later.


Dow Near Flat; Nasdaq, S P 500 Down  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. blue-chip stocks rose slightly on  Thursday after a court gave a boost to Altria Group Inc. MO.N  and other tobacco companies, but that was offset by a drop in  McDonald's Corp. on new mad-cow worries.


Photos: 'Wanna buy an iPod, guv?' Apple's new London store on Regent Street puts the iPod music player front and center.


Dell's Photo All-In-One Printer 962 Dell's Photo All-In-One Printer 962 prints, scans, faxes and copies for \$179.


Dell goes wireless with printers Company adds new level of convenience to home and office printing with wireless printer adapter and multifunction inkjet product.\<br />\  Photo: Dell All-In-One Printer 962 \


First Taste of a Once-Forbidden Fruit Long seen as a threatening land ruled by a madman, Libya has become a must-see destination ever since it opened its doors to Western tourists 10 months ago.


Gadgets rule in digital household photos The NowHouse project in San Francisco brings together the latest in design, construction and digital wares.\


Photos: Handheld fever grips Japan Consumers get psyched for the release of Nintendo and Sony gaming devices.


Cracker Barrel Rolling The country dining chain is weathering cost increases better than its rivals.


Photo: Giant digital image A TNO engineer prepares to start capturing images for the world's biggest digital photo.


Stern and Letterman Get Sirius Stern has a date with Letterman tonight, and you can expect fireworks.


Seagate drive joins 400GB club The Barracuda 7200.8 series packs more data on the hard-drive platters.


World's biggest digital pic Dutch engineers stitch together hundreds of images to create a photo with 2.5 billion pixels.<br /> Photo: Giant digital image


Four vendors team up on new standardized Linux Four small Linux vendors are working together to create a new Linux Standard Base 2.0-compliant binary set that they hope will attract independent software vendors and hardware makers to port their wares to the new code.


Burst.com says Microsoft destroyed evidence In court documents made public this week, Burst.com accused Microsoft managers of telling employees in 2000 to destroy evidence contained in old e-mails.


West Coast retailer hits software rollout bumps Ross Stores has taken a hit to its bottom line because of ongoing problems surrounding the implementation of a merchandising system.


Q A: Cordys president talks up Web services Justin Anderson, president of Cordys' Americas group, sat down yesterday with Computerworld at the Gartner Application Integration and Web Services Summit to talk about his company and its Web services platform.


Troubled HP server group sees profit in Q4 Several key executives in that group were fired during the quarter following a botched order-processing system migration. HP CEO Carly Fiorina said the problems with the system have been resolved.


Kmart, Sears agree to \$11B merger The companies, both of which have struggled in recent years, said the merger, expected to be finalized by March, is expected to generate significant cost savings, but could also trigger sales of "nonstrategic real estate assets.


Seagate ships 400GB hard disk drive Seagate Technology has started shipping a 400GB hard disk drive for PCs that offers performance closer to that of a 10,000-rpm drive than that of a 7,200 rpm.


'World Community Grid' seeks to harness unused computers IBM and officials from leading science, education and philanthropic organizations yesterday launched a global grid computing project aimed at helping solve a variety of health issues and other scientific problems.


RIAA files 761 new file-trading lawsuits The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed new lawsuits against 761 people who allegedly use peer-to-peer (P-to-P) software to trade music files without permission, the trade group announced Thursday.


Oracle readies integration splash Oracle at the Oracle OpenWorld conference in San Francisco the week of Dec. 5 plans to unveil Oracle Integration, a product that combines the companys application server with several other technologies for integration and enablement of SOAs (service-oriented architectures).


Ukraine MPs reject election bill Ukrainian MPs fail to adopt election law changes the opposition says are needed to avert fraud in a new run-off.


PeopleSoft, Oracle fight is a canine affair The wrangling between PeopleSoft and Oraclehas once again gone to the dogs.


W3C highlights Mobile Web Initiative at workshop The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is considering a new effort called the "W3C Mobile Web Initiative," that will seek to make Web access from mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants), as simple, easy and convenient as desktop Web access.


New Google Scholar search service aimed at academics Google on Thursday formally launched a new search service aimed at scientists and academic researchers.
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Intel evaluating India for chip manufacturing BANGALORE, INDIA -- Intelis evaluating India as a possible location for a new chip manufacturing facility, the company's chief executive officer, Craig Barrett, told reporters Thursday in Delhi.


Microsoft, Yahoo extend contract for Web ads Microsoft has extended its partnership with Yahoo to deliver sponsored search results on its U.S. and international MSN sites, despite the software maker's recent declarations that it intends to be a major force in the search market.


3G: Anything in it for businesses? HONG KONG -- Consumers have been promised a lot from the high-speed 3G (third generation) cellular networks being rolled out around the world, but is there much in it for businesses?


German Police Arrest Fourth Iraq Attack Suspect  BERLIN (Reuters) - German authorities arrested a fourth man  in connection with a suspected plan to attack Iraqi Prime  Minister Iyad Allawi during a visit to Berlin earlier this  week, the federal prosecutor's office said on Saturday.


AMD-Fujitsu Venture Plans 'Mega' Japanese Chip Plant Spansion sinking nearly a billion dollars into flash memory production.


New AOL Software Gives Added Security Service provider revamps spam and spyware defenses, offers account lock to members.


Microsoft Talks Security, Seriously Efforts to ease patch management are just part of the process, exec says.


Google Scholar Offers Access To Academic Information Google has launched a new Google Scholar search service, providing the ability to search for scholarly literature located from across the web.\


Mitsubishi Motors to buy preferred shares of Isuzu Motors LONDON, November 18 (newratings.com) - Mitsubishi Corp (7211.TSE), Japans largest trading company, has agreed to purchase 11.75 million preferred shares, worth  9.4 billion (US\$ 90 million), of Isuzu Motors (ISU).


Calpers Tendered Its PeopleSoft Shares Calpers, the biggest US pension fund, said on Thursday that it had tendered its 1.5 million shares of PeopleSoft Inc. (PSFT) to Oracle Corp.


LA City Council OKs tax relief package LOS ANGELES -- The City Council unanimously passed a tax relief package aimed at keeping film companies and other businesses from leaving Los Angeles.


Uh-Oh! SpaghettiOs switches brands  quot;Uh-oh, SpaghettiOs! quot; The iconic kids pasta that has made mealtime easier for countless American families for four decades is getting a face-lift, and its once-popular Franco-American brand is being consigned to history.


Delhomme Feels He May Play on Sunday (AP) AP - Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme said he's encouraged about his chances of playing against the Arizona Cardinals after throwing Thursday for the first time this week.


MPAA Sues Movie Swappers Following in the footsteps of the RIAA, the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) announced that they have began filing lawsuits against people who use peer-to-peer software to download copyrighted movies off the Internet.


More Security Holes Found In Internet Explorer 6.0 Three more vulnerabilities in Microsoft #39;s Internet Explorer 6.0 browser were disclosed Wednesday by Danish security vendor Secunia, bringing the total of IE bugs found by the firm in the last two months to an even dozen.


Steve Spurrier Set to Take South Carolina Coaching Job One legendary coach will replace another at South Carolina next season. According to published reports, former University of Florida and Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier will take over the as head


Asia-Pacific leaders to spur world trade, fight terror US President George W. Bush and other Asia-Pacific leaders muster in Chile this weekend to spur world trade and suppress terrorism, under the growing menace of nuclear proliferation.


Prince Charles rebuked for  #39;old fashioned #39; views Prince Charles #39; beliefs on class standing are about as ancient as his royal lineage, say his critics. Servants should not aim above their station, according to the heir to the throne.


Chileans Take Advantage of Divorce Law (AP) AP - A 48-year-old woman became the first person in Chilean history to file for divorce Thursday, ushering in a new era for this heavily Roman Catholic country that had been the last in South America with no divorce law.


Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Miracle Blesses eBay Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Miracle Blesses eBay\\A partially eaten piece of a grilled cheese sandwich has become the most talked about item on eBay over the past week, bringing in bids of almost \$19,000. Don't get me wrong, this is not ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. You see, it's a miracle. ...


Organic Search Engine Optimization for Large Sites Organic Search Engine Optimization for Large Sites\\Commercial websites are getting larger. Driven by the rapid evolution of content management systems, shopping carts and e-biz facilitation, and by the increasing sophistication of Internet retailers, "small" business sites averaging 500 pages have become common.\\Some large sites are very well focused and present ...


MSN and Yahoos Overture Extend Paid Search Relationship MSN and Yahoo's Overture Extend Paid Search Relationship\\Yahoo's Overture is going to continue to serve ads on MSN Search for the next 18 months. Overture today announced that they have extended its sponsored search distribution relationship with Microsoft Corp. in the United States and internationally through June 2006.\\Under the terms ...


RocketNews Search Engine Adds Personalization RocketNews Search Engine Adds Personalization\\The RocketNews current news and weblog search engine has been enhanced with the addition of personalization features. RocketNews is a technology showcase operated by Rocketinfo Inc., a  supplier of real-time news and competitive intelligence software to corporations, governments and professional service firms.\\Visitors to the new ...


Search Engine Friendly Design and Coding (Especially Flash) Search Engine Friendly Design and Coding (Especially Flash)\\Its been almost a year since I attended a session of this nature. I was not too impressed last time, so I am hoping things have changed within the year. Brett introduces the panel, by saying its the first time WMW is doing ...


History of Search Engine Optimization and Marketing Testing History of Search Engine Optimization and Marketing Testing\\Calum I. Mac Ceod was first up. He discussed how Google used to rank pages (title and pagerank). Now its a bit more complicated, with proximity and linkage data. He goes through the various on page factors and describes how most are not ...


Paid Inclusion Topics and Issues Paid Inclusion Topics and Issue\\Greg Boser is the moderator and he introduced the panel. The first man up was Jim Stobb from PositionTech. He discusses what paid inclusion is: (1) new sites are usually indexed within 72 hours (2) existing pages are recrawled every 48 hours. Two programs (1) Direct ...


Design and Coding for the Complete Package - WMW Conf 7 Design and Coding for the Complete Package - WMW Conf 7\\Roger Sooley from CompStar was up first, his forum name is "rogerd". He first goes into the question about building the software yourself or using a pre-built software application. The first question you need to ask is "is your business ...


WebMasterWorld Conference Coverage WebMasterWorld Conference Coverage\\I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be attending the WebmasterWorld's Conference. I hope to be able to provide the conference coverage I have in the past for this conference, I actually plan on it, so stay tuned. The conference begins tomorrow morning and ends ...


News: Petco settles with FTC over cyber security gaffe It's the fifth time regulators have taken action against a company for failing to protect consumer data -- and the second time the same California coder blew the whistle.


News: Russian fined for virus-writing exploits A Russian member of well-known 29A virus writers group has been fined 3,000 roubles (approximately 57) after he admitted writing malicious code.


News: IE in fresh security drama IE is subject to a trio of unpatched vulnerabilities, security firm Secunia warned yesterday.


Infocus: Detecting Rootkits And Kernel-level Compromises In Linux This article outlines useful ways of detecting hidden modifications to a Linux kernel. Often known as rootkits, these stealthy types of malware are installed in the kernel and require special techniques by Incident handlers and Linux system administrators to be detected.


Chirac urges fairer world order France's Jacques Chirac says global powers must recognise the new reality of an interdependent world.


Mac OS X Tiger Features Derrick Story writes for the O #146;Reilly MacDevCenter, summarizing a Mac OS X Tiger preview recently presented to the O #146;Reilly Mac OS X Conference by Apple product manager Chris Bourdon. Nov 17


Mac OS X Tip of the Week: Clean Up That Clutter Tired of the clutter on your desktop? The latest Mac OS X killer tip shows you how you can use Expos #233;, one of the coolest features of Mac OS X, to clean it up  #151; instantly. Nov 17


Intel evaluating India as manufacturing destination Dr Craig Barrett, CEO, Intel Corporation, with a young learner from Kerala during the launch of the Intel Learn Programme in the Capital on Thursday.


AOL Beefs Up Security America Online Inc. on Thursday launched a version of its proprietary online service that includes additional security features. AOL 9.0 Security Edition is the first version of the service


Alaska senator disagrees with climate study #39;s conclusion US Sen. Ted Stevens says he disagrees with a new scientific study #39;s conclusion that the burning of fossil fuels is a major factor in climate change.


FDA to e-track popular drugs The Food and Drug Administration launched an effort this week to use radio frequency identification technology to track the nation #39;s drug supply from manufacturer to pharmacy to reduce counterfeiting.


Spurrier Spurns Gators For Gamecocks A report states that Steve Spurrier would take over at the University of South Carolina if Coach Lou Holtz should retire. Spurrier decided to turn down the job at University of Florida after Coach Ron Zoock


Purposeful negotiations possible with Pak: Singh JAMMU: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today expressed his belief that purposeful and meaningful negotiations are possible with Pakistan within the limits set by him that redrawing of borders and second partition of the country are not feasible.


Clarke says prince is old fashioned Education Secretary Charles Clarke accused the Prince of Wales of being  quot;old-fashioned and out of time quot; after details emerged that the heir to the throne believes that the schools system offers pupils too much aspiration and refuses to admit failures.


FDA, Drug Industry Under Fire on Safety US Food and Drug Administration officials defended their record on drug safety Thursday in the face of attacks from both inside and outside the agency.


Europe gains no US aid to support dollar European officials, blaming US deficits for a surge in the euro, are unlikely to persuade Treasury Secretary John Snow to help support the dollar when the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bankers meet in Berlin.


US production prices increase US industrial production jumped the most in three months in October, housing starts surged and consumer prices rose, suggesting the Federal Reserve may keep raising its benchmark interest rate.


IMF #39;s Rato says action required on US deficits The large US current account deficit is a matter of concern, and policy changes are needed to address existing global imbalances, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Rodrigo de Rato said.


Nike Co-Founder Knight Steps Down as CEO Nike Inc. (NKE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) co-founder Philip Knight, who helped transform a small-start up business into the world #39;s biggest athletic shoe company


CIO Business Briefing Disney #39;s Q4 Earnings Reach \$516 Million The Walt Disney Company reported \$516 million net income in the quarter ended September 30th, compared to \$415 million in the year-ago quarter.


Calif. retirement fund tenders PeopleSoft shares Calpers, a large US pension fund, has joined a growing list of big investors supporting Oracle in its hostile buyout--at \$9.2 billion--of rival PeopleSoft.


Foot Locker 3Q Profit Meets Estimates Athletic shoe retailer Foot Locker Inc. on Thursday said its third-quarter profit grew on higher sales, meeting Wall Street estimates.


Marsh  amp; McLennan Says Five Executives Leave Board (Update2) Marsh  amp; McLennan Cos., the insurance broker sued by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer last month, said five company executives stepped down from the board.


Continental to Seek Wage, Benefits Cuts Continental Airlines Inc. on Thursday said it will seek to cut \$500 million in annual wages and benefits on expectations of losing  quot;hundreds of millions of dollars quot; this year.


Leading Indicators Fall 0.3 Pct. in Oct. The economy could be headed for slower growth in the next several months, according to a report released Thursday by a private research group.


UPDATE 2-Gold-backed security streetTRACKS debuts on NYSE A gold-backed security named streetTRACKS Gold Shares made a much-hyped debut on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, aimed at attracting the investment capital


Human Species Born To Run, Scientists Say The evolution of a physique for long-distance running is what made humans look the way we do now. The crucial role of running in human evolution, overlooked in previous research, is being proposed in an article


Bill Gates Dubbed Most Spammed Person In The World January 2006 can #39;t come too soon for Bill Gates because that is the date by which he believes the spam problem will be solved.


Peninsula Grill serves up toasty grilled cheese sandwich, no <b>...</b> There #39;s a Florida woman who is auctioning off a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich on eBay this week that, she thinks, bears the image of the Virgin Mary.


Ballmer attacks Linux on patent front Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer warned on Thursday that Linux may not really be free given the intellectual-property risks that could be posed by the open-source operating system.


Microsoft, Yahoo Extend Contract for Web Ads Microsoft has extended its partnership with Yahoo to deliver sponsored search results on its US and international MSN sites, despite the software maker #39;s recent declarations that it intends to be a major force in the search market.


Ancient Animal Could Be Human-Ape Ancestor The last probable common ancestor to humans and great apes had a body like an ape, fingers like a chimp and the upright posture of humans, according to researchers who unearthed a fossil of the animal in Spain.


Gateway expands Media Center PC lineup NOVEMBER 18, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Gateway Inc. plans to release two additional Media Center PCs Thursday, hoping that consumer excitement over multimedia will boost what is forecast as a weak holiday season for consumer PCs.


AOL Releases Version 9.0 with Security Software America Online today released AOL 9.0 Security Edition features a suite of safety and security features, marking the Internet service provider #39;s first version to focus specifically on safety and security.


Novell Posts 4th-Quarter Profit of \$13M Novell Inc. on Thursday said it swung to a fiscal fourth-quarter profit after the computer networking provider saw strong growth from its enterprise server business during the period.


Drugmaker Teams With Law Enforcement To Use RFID To Halt Thefts Pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma LP is working closely with law-enforcement agencies to use radio-frequency identification technology to protect shipments of OxyContin, Purdue #39;s painkiller drug that #39;s a frequent target for theft.


Wanna buy an iPod, guv? Apple #39;s first British store will open this Saturday on London #39;s Regent Street--and Silicon.com got to take a peek before the doors open to shoppers.


Californian Charged with eBay Sports Card Scam A man who purported to offer rare sports cards including that of baseball legend Mickey Mantle has been charged with defrauding eBay (EBAY.


Richardson urges UC to partner up; submit bid During a speech to the UC board of regents on Wednesday Gov. Bill Richardson urged them to find an industrial partner and together bid on the Los Alamos National Laboratory management contract set to expire Sept.


The IPod Economy NEW YORK - By year #39;s end a five-year-old company called PortalPlayer will begin selling its shares to the public. What #39;s notable is that this company owes its success--even its existence--to the popularity of Apple Computer #39;s iPod.


Olympic bid suffers as Madrid #39;s image is tarnished THE Madrid Olympic bid has suffered a setback because of the racist chanting on Wednesday in the Bernabu stadium, one of the most famous arenas in the world and a proposed venue for the 2012 Games.


Repentant Casey fears reaction on US return BARELY holding back the tears, Paul Casey began a damage limitation exercise in an attempt last night to win back the minds, if not the hearts, of the American public.


Kenteris and Thanou charged over missed tests EKATERINI THANOU and Konstantinos Kenteris, the Greek sprinters, were charged yesterday with missing a mandatory drugs test on the eve of the Olympic Games and for making false statements about a motorbike accident.


Woods leads Dunlop Phoenix MIYAZAKI - Tiger Woods, playing in Japan for the first time in two years, got off to a strong start Thursday as he shot a 5-under-par 65 to take a three-stroke lead at the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament.


Ecuador upset Brazil NEW YORK, Nov. 18. - Defending World Cup football champions Brazil suffered the most shocking result of the day, but China were the biggest losers.


Our  #39;desperate #39; TV times Once again, my indifference to television paid off big time, because I wasn #39;t watching  quot;Monday Night Football quot; on Nov. 15, and thus avoided direct involvement with a controversial


Former NFL lineman going to jail Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - Luis Sharpe, a former offensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals, has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in state prison.


Annika seeking eighth win of season WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Annika Sorenstam is off to a good start in the final LPGA event of the season. Sorenstam, who already has won her seventh Player of the Year Award, shot a 6-under 66 in Thursday #39;s


Fallujah Strike Breaking Insurgency, General Says (Update1) The US-led attack on insurgents in Fallujah, now in its second week, has broken the back of the insurgency, #39; #39; according to documents uncovered in house-to-house raids in the city, said Lt.


UN Security Council discusses Darfur, shuns rebels NAIROBI, Nov 18 (AFP) -- The deteriorating situation in Sudan #39;s troubled Darfur region received secondary attention during a meeting Thursday of the United Nations Security Council in Nairobi as emphasis focused on the search for peace in southern Sudan.


Afghan Opium Cultivation Reaches Record High, UN Says Afghanistan #39;s opium cultivation jumped 64 percent to a record 324,000 acres this year and drug exports now account for more than 60 percent of the economy, the United Nations drugs office said Thursday.


Palestinians Ask for Election Monitors Palestinian officials appealed Thursday for international monitors to help with their presidential elections and urged Israel #39;s unilateral plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip


Williams-Sonoma Warily Pessimistic The specialty retailer's uncertainty about the fourth quarter is unsettling.


Brown Shoe Sings the Blues The company announces a disappointing quarter and reduces full-year guidance.


Medtronic Down, Not Out Internal defibrillator maker's earnings growth rate is slowing down, but its future looks healthy.


Brookstone Rolls On Brookstone met analyst estimates and has raised guidance for the all-important Christmas quarter.


Sympathy for Pfizer The market acts like Vioxx, Bextra, and Celebrex are the same drugs. They're not.


Brady's Signs Are Positive Most of the signs attached to Brady's most recent quarter say "Don't Exit."


The Elusive Value of Goody's Despite an encouraging third quarter, the market still isn't sure what to make of Goody's.


No verdict in Afghan 'torture' trial A jury in a torture trial of an alleged Afghan warlord is discharged after failing to decide a verdict.


Walt Disney Quarterly Profit Rises 24 Pct  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co.  quarterly profit  rose 24 percent on Thursday as stronger cable television  results and a tax benefit more than made up for a sharp  slowdown at Disney's movie studio.


Marsh   McLennan: 5 Top Execs Leave Board  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Marsh   McLennan Cos. MMC.N, the  insurance broker accused by New York's Attorney General Eliot  Spitzer of bid-rigging fraud, on Thursday said five senior  executives stepped down from its board of directors.


Gap Third-Quarter Earnings Tick Up 1 Pct  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clothing retailer Gap Inc. GPS.N  said on Thursday its third-quarter earnings ticked up 1  percent, hemmed in by lackluster sales at its Old Navy and   international Gap stores open at least a year.


Knight stands down as Nike boss Philip Knight is to resign as chief executive of sports footwear and clothing giant Nike although he will remain as chairman.


Knight Steps Down as Nike Chief Phil Knight stepped down Thursday as president and chief executive officer of Nike Inc., the athletic shoe and clothing company he co-founded.


Ireland, Austria Share World Cup Lead The Irish duo of Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington shot a 12-under 60 Thursday to share the lead with Austria's Martin Wiegele and Markus Brier after the first round of the team World Cup.


S American nations sign oil deal The word's fifth largest oil exporting nation, Venezuela, signs an oil deal with South American neighbour, Paraguay.


Zimbabwe Ruling Party Picks Woman as Mugabe Deputy Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe #39;s ruling ZANU-PF confirmed the first woman to become his deputy on Saturday, putting her on course to succeed Mugabe when he eventually retires in 2008.


Vivendi boosts Moroccan stake Vivendi Universal increases its stake in Morocco's national telecoms business, days before it is partially floated.


After Food and Shelter, Help in Coping With Unbearable Loss Providing psychological services for millions in Asia will become critical in the coming weeks.


Sometimes, Your New Smile Will Make You Frown Veneers, porcelain shells bonded to the front side of the teeth, may not provide smiles as pretty as expected.


Music industry asks Napster founder, former arch foe, to sing new tune (AFP) AFP - The recording industry has turned to its former arch-nemesis, the founder of online music file-swapping service Napster, to help it beat the piracy that it once accused him of spawning.


Diet and Lose Weight? Scientists Say 'Prove It!' A new study finds little evidence that commercial weight-loss programs help people drop excess pounds.


In Past Tsunamis, Tantalizing Clues to Future Ones Undersea quakes are inevitable. The questions are where and when  and the recent catastrophe may provide clues.


The BlackBerry Brain Trust First he reinvented the way we get e-mail. Now he's rounded up a bunch of radical thinkers to reinvent physics itself. By Duff McDonald from Wired magazine.


In the long run, humans prevail To err may be human, but so, too, may be the ability to run. Specifically, the ability to run long distances across the African savannah may have given human ancestors an evolutionary advantage


Holy Toast! eBay Sandwich Taking Record Bids The most popular item on eBay today is not a rare signed copy of Bob Dylan #39;s  #39;Like a Rolling Stone. #39; Nope. It #39;s a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich with a running price of over \$16,000.


RIAA files new round of P2P lawsuits com November 18, 2004, 1:03 PM PT. This priority retains its ranking at number five as more and more companies deploy Web services to share business logic, data and processes with each other and with clients.


Saving America Online Maybe I was a bit harsh last week when I was reminiscing about the days when AOL was a classic Rule Breaker. After all, Time Warner #39;s (NYSE: TWX) online service has only lost 2 million net subscribers over the past year.


British ID Card Gains Ground The U.K. government sees a national identity card now making its way through Parliament as a way to fight terrorism, but opponents see it as an expensive waste of time. By Wendy M. Grossman.


Scientist: FDA Incapable of Protecting Safety Nov. 18, 2004 -- An FDA scientist who says he was pressured by superiors not to warn the public about the cardiovascular risk of Vioxx urged lawmakers Thursday to create an independent safety office free of


Golden State of Privacy California laws that went live on New Year's Day keep cell phones unlisted and rental cars unmonitored. The effects could be felt nationwide. By Ryan Singel.


Update 1: Foot Locker 3Q Net Income Up 19 Percent Net income at Foot Locker Inc., the country #39;s largest sports-shoe chain, increased 19 percent in its fiscal third quarter as sales climbed 14 percent.


Call Centers Ride Out Disaster Some U.S. customer support lines outsourced to India experienced a brief failure in service following the deadly Asian tsunami, but economists say U.S. companies won't have to move their call centers. By Elisa Batista.


Yahoo Extends Microsoft Ad Deal to Mid-2006 Yahoo Inc. (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) has agreed to extend its deal to place advertisements on Microsoft Corp. #39;s (MSFT.


Sat Radio Recording Moves Ahead Once seen as the embodiment of evil, devices that record satellite radio are making inroads without much fight from the recording industry. By John Gartner.


Oracle Announces Quarterly Critical Patches Quarterly patch updates will allow organizations to better plan configuration management, says Oracle, eliminating the need to deal with the current unscheduled  quot;surprise quot; patch alerts.


Fifa prepares to put Spain in the dock over racism GOVERNMENT ministers led the calls yesterday for strong sanctions against Spain in the wake of the racist abuse of England players on Wednesday night.


Brazil left looking for answers Altitude, apathy, overconfidence - Brazil groped for reasons Thursday to explain its stunning 1-0 loss to Ecuador in the World Cup qualifiers.


Baros fears the worst with leg injury Liverpool striker Milan Baros is hoping for the best, but fears the worst after pulling up lame in the Czech Republic #39;s 2-0 win in a World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on Wednesday.


Ohio fires head coach Knorr after four seasons Ohio coach Brian Knorr was fired Thursday after leading the Bobcats to an 11-35 record in four seasons. Ohio had a 4-7 mark this season.


Rockies land two of the 10 players on MLB squad Folks are paying attention to the Colorado Rockies #39; youth movement. Second baseman Aaron Miles and outfielder Matt Holliday each made the 46th annual Topps Rookie All-Star


Annan calls for urgent action over Sudan United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan has opened a special session of the Security Council in the Kenyan capital Nairobi. It is the first time in 14 years that the UN Security Council has met outside New York.


#39;Road map #39; sponsors will send foreign ministers to West Bank next <b>...</b> Sponsors of an internationally backed Middle East peace plan will send their foreign ministers to the region next week in hopes of restarting peace talks in the wake of Yasser Arafat #39;s death, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Thursday.


Russia benefiting from oil price surge The head of the International Monetary Fund Thursday lauded Russia #39;s efforts to save income from oil revenues. Concluding his visit to Moscow, the IMF #39;s Director General Rodrigo de Rato said that the agency


American Lowers  #39;Walk-Up #39; Fares, Cuts Restrictions For S. Florida <b>...</b> FORT WORTH, Texas -- American Airlines has unveiled a new simplified domestic fare structure and eliminated many fare restrictions, including all Saturday night stay requirements on the Fort Worth-based airline, as well as American Eagle and


Gates may be world #39;s most spammed person E-mail users inundated with unsolicited spam messages have reason to hope Microsoft will develop better tools for tackling the problem: Bill Gates is suffering more than anyone.


Sprinter Kenteris completes fall from grace Even by the capricious standards of modern day sport, Costas Kenteris #39; fall from grace has been spectacular. Thursday #39;s announcement of a criminal prosecution against the former Olympic champion for obstructing


CORRECTED - Van Nistelrooy plays down hip injury In LONDON story headlined  quot;Van Nistelrooy plays down hip injury quot;, please read in intro ... World Cup qualifying win ... instead of ... friendly win ... correcting status of match. LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Manchester


Donovan Wins Third Straight Player Of Year Award BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Landon Donovan was voted the US soccer team player of the year Thursday, becoming the first three-time winner of the award.


Arafat: A Costly US, Israeli Failure I must start by thanking the French government and people for honoring President Yasser Arafat who spent his last days in their hospitality.


Mercenaries turn against Thatcher JOHANNESBURG: Three South African men pleaded guilty to mercenary activities yesterday and agreed to testify against Mark Thatcher who is charged with bankrolling an alleged coup plot in Equatorial Guinea, their lawyer said.


Reports of Kim #39;s demise exaggerated  quot;DON #39;T have a reaction, I #39;ll leave it to the analysts, quot; responded US State Department official Adam Ereli to questions about the significance of reports that North Korea #39;s media had stopped calling Kim Jong-il  quot;Dear Leader quot;.


Iran  #39;breaking nuclear deal with secret site #39; Iran is secretly producing enriched uranium for nuclear weapons at a military site in Teheran in direct breach of an agreement signed earlier this week, according to Iran #39;s most prominent opposition group.


Pakistan cracks down terrorism A man accused of involvement in a bombing in Pakistan has been arrested by police. Naveedul Hasan, suspected of taking part in a bomb blast in front of the US Consulate in Karachi


Sirius Names Karmazin CEO, Shares Jump (Reuters) Reuters - In the latest migration of a\mainstream radio heavyweight to the fledgling satellite\industry, Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.  on Thursday\named former Viacom Inc. President Mel Karmazin as its chief\executive officer.


Greek sprinting pair are charged Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou have been charged with avoiding a drug test on the eve of the Athens Olympics and then faking a motorcycle accident.


Sad to lose The penalty was very debatable and I think it changed the game. At that stage we could still have won it. Wayne Rooney showed what a great young talent he is by scoring twice and, of course


Soccer: Even if Hong Kong helps, China #39;s world may end Brazil #39;s champions are being flown from Europe to compete at high altitude in Ecuador without acclimatization. Iraq is competing against the Palestinian team.


Reds #39; Baros fears confirmed Liverpool have received confirmation that striker Milan Baros will be out of action for at least three weeks with a hamstring injury.


U.S. Mutual Funds Assets Rise This Week (AP) AP - Assets of the nation's retail money market mutual funds rose by  #36;4.36 billion in the latest week to  #36;829.70 billion, the Investment Company Institute said Thursday.


Gap 3Q Earnings Meet Analysts' Estimates (AP) AP - Gap Inc.'s third-quarter profit improved slightly even as the clothing retailer's sales began to sag.


Gap Third-Quarter Earnings Tick Up 1 Pct  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Clothing retailer Gap Inc. GPS.N  said on Thursday its quarterly earnings ticked up 1 percent,  buoyed by improved profit margins, but hemmed in by weakness at  its Old Navy and international Gap stores.


Vioxx fallout: Scientist names five more questionable drugs WASHINGTON - The FDA scientist who studied the safety of the recalled painkiller Vioxx delivered a bombshell Thursday, naming five more drugs he believes could be dangerous.


Gates gets spammed 4 million times a day So you think you get a lot of spam, maybe a few hundred per day? Well think about the amount that bill gates gets at Microsoft, over 4 million a day apparently!


Ballmer Bearish on Linux Microsoft (Quote, Chart) CEO Steve Ballmer urged Asian government leaders not to take sides in the Linux versus Windows debate.  quot;We recommend to all governments that they not get emotionally involved in preferring


DC College Students Targeted in Piracy Suit The recording industry #39;s lobbying group today sued three users of American University #39;s computer network, accusing them of illegally sharing digital music files online.


Rayovac to Buy United Ind. for \$476 Mln  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Battery maker Rayovac Corp. ROV.N on  Tuesday said it would buy United Industries Corp., a maker of  lawn and garden products, for about \$476 million in cash and  stock in a bid to diversify its product mix.


NFL shouldn #39;t get a pass on naked lady stunt The decision makers at ABC are pretty much beyond embarrassment, particularly given the fact that the locker room romp was designed to promote a show called  quot;Desperate Housewives.


Inside the Top 25 Most of the Top 25 is in action this week. No. 3 Auburn, No. 4 California and No. 7 Michigan all face dangerous games against bitter rivals.


Possible Spurrier development could impact USC recruiting (Columbia) Nov. 18, 2004 - Former South Carolina Gamecock, New York Giant and Minnesota Vikings linebacker Corey Miller says the name Lou Holtz has helped South Carolina recruit football players.


Vikings' Birk Expected to Play Vs. Lions (AP) AP - Minnesota Vikings center Matt Birk is expected to start Sunday against the Detroit Lions despite pain in his abdomen.


Blair, Chirac try to put Iraq war behind them (AFP) AFP - British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac called for  quot;a stable and democratic Iraq quot; as well as urgent efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.


Bender Out Indefinitely With Knee Injury (AP) AP - Indiana Pacers forward Jonathan Bender's chronically injured left knee has taken yet another turn for the worse.


Dominican Navy Finds 10 Migrants' Bodies (AP) AP - Rescuers recovered the bodies of 10 Dominican migrants and searched for eight who remain missing after their boat capsized trying to reach Puerto Rico, officials said Thursday.


NHL Draft Will Wait on New Contract (AP) AP - There won't be an NHL entry draft before a collective bargaining agreement is reached with the players' association, the director of the league's scouting department said.


Golden Bears Focus on Archrival Stanford (AP) AP - J.J. Arrington and his California teammates are on the verge of so many remarkable accomplishments that it might be impossible not to think ahead to New Year's Day or beyond.


Baseball Owners' Vote on Expos Move Delayed  WASHINGTON (Sports Network) - Owners of Major League  Baseball's more than 30 teams did not vote as scheduled  Thursday on the proposed move of the Montreal Expos franchise  to Washington, DC.


Kerry to Give Dems Leftover Campaign Cash (AP) AP - Under friendly fire, Sen. John Kerry likely will donate a substantial portion of his excess presidential campaign cash to help elect Democratic candidates in 2005 and 2006, advisers said Thursday.


Henman Crushes Coria to Keep Masters Hopes Alive  HOUSTON (Reuters) - Britain's Tim Henman pounded Argentine  Guillermo Coria 6-2, 6-2 Thursday to keep alive his hopes of  reaching the Masters Cup semi-finals.


Senate Hears Testimony on Porn Addiction (AP) AP - Comparing pornography to heroin, researchers on Thursday called on Congress to finance studies on "porn addiction" and launch a public health campaign about the dangers.


Group Cites Electronic Voting Problems (AP) AP - The record use of electronic voting machines on Nov. 2 led to hundreds of voting irregularities and shows the need for higher standards, a voting rights group said Thursday.


Iraqis, U.S. Hail Falluja Success, Threats Remain  FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Lieutenant-General John  Sattler declared on Thursday his forces had "broken the back of  the insurgency" in Falluja, but U.S. troops still faced dangers  in the city and guerrillas attacked elsewhere in Iraq.


UN Security Council to Witness Sudan Peace Pledge  NAIROBI (Reuters) - The Sudanese government and its  southern rebel opponents have agreed to sign a pledge in the  Kenyan capital on Friday to formally end a brutal 21-year-old  civil war, with U.N. Security Council ambassadors as witnesses.


IRA must take immediate steps to disarm: N. Ireland Protestant leader (AFP) AFP - Warning that he would not be "bluffed," Protestant leader Ian Paisley said the latest attempt to achieve piece in Northern Ireland was doomed unless the Catholic paramilitary IRA took immediate and verifiable steps to disarm.


Britain Bans Fox Hunting, Brushing Off Blair Wobble  LONDON (Reuters) - Ending years of bitter argument, Britain  finally banned the centuries-old pursuit of fox hunting on  Thursday -- but only after a last-minute attempt by the  government to delay its demise until after the next election.


China eyes new turf: S. America Bush visits the region Friday, but President Hu Jintao has been striking business deals for two weeks.


Fallujah yields up weapons, videos Captured video shows what appears to be Iraqi insurgents preparing for battle and attacking US forces.


Activist Charged With Blackmailing Yankee (AP) AP - A federal judge refused to dismiss charges Thursday against a self-styled community activist accused of attempting to blackmail New York Yankees slugger Gary Sheffield and his wife with a purported sex videotape, and ordered him held in jail.


MBIA Gets Subpoenas from SEC, Spitzer  NEW YORK (Reuters) - MBIA Inc., a large U.S. bond insurer,  said on Thursday it received subpoenas from the U.S. Securities  and Exchange Commission and New York Attorney General Eliot  Spitzer, seeking information about so-called non-traditional or  loss-mitigation insurance products.


Disney Profit Up, TV Outshines Studio (Reuters) Reuters - Walt Disney Co.  posted a 24\percent rise in profit on Thursday as advertising gains at ESPN\and ABC television networks more than made up for a sharp\slowdown at Disney's movie studio.


Mitsubishi, Itochu to be stakeholders in Isuzu Mitsubishi Corp. and Itochu Corp. will buy stakes in truck maker Isuzu Motors Ltd., the two trading companies said Thursday. Mitsubishi Corp.


Nike Chief Phil Knight Resigns; Board Appoints Perez (Update4) Nike Inc. said Phil Knight, who began the company in 1972 selling sneakers from his car and built it into the world #39;s biggest athletic-shoe maker, will step down next month as chief executive officer.


Google warns a slowing of growth is  #39;inevitable #39; Google warned Thursday that increased competition and the maturing of the company would result in an  quot;inevitable quot; slowing of its growth.


El Paso shareholders endorse auditor HOUSTON El Paso Corporation shareholders today ignored recommendations from two advisory firms to fire its longtime outside auditor.


Victims #39; relatives to make voices heard in crematory case LAFAYETTE, Ga. Prosecutors say several dozen relatives of people whose bodies were among more than 300 found at a northwest Georgia crematory have asked to make statements at a sentencing hearing for the crematory #39;s former operator.


London acquires its own big Apple Those wishing to be the first to worship at London #39;s latest temple of technology will doubtless be huddled in sleeping bags tonight outside the Apple Store in Regent Street.


RIAA follows MPAA in fight against file swappers The great debate over file-sharing rages on, with some, like the Electronic Frontier Foundation maintaining that copyright law doesn #39;t matter anymore.


China, 15 Other Countries Consider NASA Exploration China and 15 other countries joined NASA officials this week to consider how they might cooperate with US plans for human exploration of the moon and Mars.


Man Utd #39;s Van Nistelrooy: Injury just a knock Manchester United #39;s Ruud van Nistelrooy has played down the injury he received playing for Holland on Wednesday night. Van Nistelrooy hobbled off with a hip problem as the Dutch beat Andorra 3-0.


Molson Indy Vancouver gets black flag  quot;The bottom line is the business model couldn #39;t work, quot; said Jo-Ann McArthur, president of sponsoring Molson Sports and Entertainment.


#39;Old-fashioned, out of time. #39; Clarke dismisses princely view of <b>...</b> The fragile relationship between the government and the royal family was under fresh strain last night, after the education secretary, Charles Clarke, dismissed the Prince of Wales #39; views on education as  quot;old-fashioned and out of time quot; and claimed the


Wave of Violence in Iraq as Marine Is Killed in Fallujah BAGHDAD, 19 November 2004 - A wave of violence engulfed Iraq as a US Marine and an Iraqi soldier were killed in Fallujah yesterday.


An Ivorian economy  #39;fatally hurt #39; PARIS One week after a fragile calm returned to Ivory Coast, the country #39;s business life remains in shambles, with many foreign chief executives out of the country and no prospect of their immediate return.


Hamas demands new Palestinian election system Hamas is demanding changes to the election system employed by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the 1996 elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council (the parliament).


A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq (AP) AP - As of Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004, at least 1,216 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. At least 945 died as a result of hostile action, the Defense Department said. The figures include three military civilians.


Unproven rumours and innuendo trailed Gagliano throughout years in office (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - The list of slurs, none proven, has come full circle for Alfonso Gagliano, more than two years after he fled the political limelight.


House Ready to Send Bush Debt-Limit Hike (AP) AP - Democrats accused Republicans of disastrous economic policies as Congress moved Thursday toward shipping President Bush an  #36;800 billion increase in the federal borrowing limit.


Groups Brace for Social Security Changes (AP) AP - Officials representing business groups, financial service companies, banks and insurance firms are gearing up for a legislative fight over Social Security, telling White House officials Thursday they are solidly behind President Bush's desire to remake the retirement system next year.


TV Reporter May Be Jailed for Refusing to Disclose Source The reporter was convicted of criminal contempt for refusing to disclose who leaked him an F.B.I. videotape on an investigation of government corruption in Providence.


US expert makes damning Vioxx claims An expert with the Food Drug Administration has accused the agency in Congress of having pressed him to withhold results of a study showing potential dangers of the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx.


Marsh #39;s 5 top execs leave board Insurance firm says its board now consists of its new CEO Michael Cherkasky and 10 outside members. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Marsh  amp; McLennan Cos.


Knight: Quits As Nike CEO, President; Remains Chairman In one fell swoosh. Nike (nyse: NKE - news - people ) said its President and Chief Executive Phil Knight, 66, will relinquish those posts.


Judge orders chief operating officer Radler, 2 more, off Hollinger <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - An Ontario judge has ordered three directors removed from the board of Hollinger Inc., including Conrad Black #39;s wife, Barbara Amiel-Black, company co-chief operating officer David Radler and vice-president Jack Boultbee.


El Paso shareholders vote to keep auditor Shareholders in natural gas pipeline company El Paso Corp. (EP.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday rejected a bid to fire PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP as the company #39;s


New Fossil May Be Close Ancestor of Great Apes and Humans A husband-wife fossil-hunting team in Spain has excavated the skeleton of a 13 million-year-old creature they believe is close to the last common ancestor of modern great apes and humans.


Major Security Patch Overhaul For Oracle Oracle (Quote, Chart) has overhauled its security patch policy after a growing number of complaints from customers and even its own executives.


Study: VoIP costs all over the map com November 18, 2004, 4:04 PM PT. Wired  amp; Wireless continues its reign as the top IT priority among IT managers due to widespread IP telephony deployment and other network infrastructure upgrades.


Turkey of the Week: The NFL Hypocrisy Clear Channel, Cincinnati. To the hypocrisy of the NFL, a bird comes your way. A promo airs before  quot;Monday Night Football quot; featuring Nicolette Sheridan from the  quot;Desperate Housewives quot; show and Terrell Owens of the Eagles.


Blazers reportedly mull blockbuster trade for Carter The Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers are in talks about a seven-player blockbuster deal that would grant Vince Carter his wish to get out of Toronto, ESPN reported Thursday.


MLB delays vote to move Expos CBC SPORTS ONLINE - Major League Baseball owners tabled Thursday #39;s vote to relocate the Montreal Expos to Washington. According to baseball commissioner Bud Selig, the owners will likely vote before the winter meetings on Dec. 6.


US claims on Iran  quot;undermined quot; by Iraq False warnings about Iraq #39;s nuclear capabilities have undermined similar US claims about the dangers of Iran #39;s activities, a former chief weapons inspector has said.


Scotsman praised as media urged to keep Dafur in spotlight POLITICIANS and aid agencies yesterday stressed the importance of the media in keeping the spotlight on the appalling human rights abuses taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan.


PM arrives in Chile for APEC PRIME Minister John Howard joined world leaders from across Asia and the Pacific today for the 12th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders #39; meeting.


US expected to boost troop levels in Iraq Some question whether it will be enough to quell the violence and worry about the impact of prolonged tours. Amid a spike in violence in Iraqi cities coinciding with the Fallujah offensive, the US military


New European Commission endorsed by EP The revised team of European commissioners headed by Jose Manuel Durao Barroso was approved by the European Parliament (EP) on Thursday.


Torre Glad Yankees Pursuing Pedro (AP) AP - New York Yankees manager Joe Torre would love to have Pedro Martinez in his rotation  #151; just as he'd love to have any great starting pitcher.


Donovan Claims Soccer Player of Year Again (AP) AP - Landon Donovan was voted the U.S. soccer team player of the year Thursday, becoming the first three-time winner.


Gold Fields loses again Gold Fields #39; latest legal bid to prevent a hostile takeover by South African rival Harmony was thrown out by regulators yesterday in another blow to its defence strategy.


Nike Co-Founder Knight Steps Down as CEO  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Philip Knight, the co-founder of  Nike Inc. NKE.N, is stepping down as chief executive officer,  the athletic shoe company said on Thursday.


Sirius Names Mel Karmazin as Its CEO  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In the latest coup for the  fledgling satellite radio industry, Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.  SIRI.O on Thursday named former Viacom Inc. President Mel  Karmazin as its chief executive officer.


Vietnam hits out at US anti-dumping shrimp tariffs HANOI (AFP) - Vietnam has hit out at a decision by the United States to uphold anti-dumping duties on imports of Vietnamese shrimp.


Dollar Rallies from Record Low Vs. Euro  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar rallied on Thursday from a  record low against the euro as traders attempted to square  positions ahead of a meeting of G20 finance ministers this  weekend.


Google Shares Slump on Revenue Outlook  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shares of Google Inc. GOOG.O  fell almost 3 percent on Thursday, after the Web search leader  warned it could not sustain in revenue growth rate, a sign that  it could report disappointing fourth-quarter results.


UPDATE 1-Stelco fails to reach labor deal by GM deadline Stelco Inc (STEa.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) said it will not reach a new labor agreement with the union at its Lake Erie Works by midnight on Thursday, meaning Canada #39;s No.


Calif. insurance chief sues four insurers in kickback probe SAN DIEGO California #39;s insurance commissioner says a San Diego company took kickbacks from four major insurance companies in exchange for winning contracts with major US companies.


Fossilised ape skeleton could be evolution #39;s missing link An extinct ape that lived 13 million years ago has been identified as the leading contender for the title of last common ancestor of humans and all great apes alive today.


Many still await MSN, Yahoo e-mail upgrades Microsoft #39;s Hotmail and Yahoo have promised to boost storage limits for their free e-mail services, but for many users, the upgrades haven #39;t been delivered.


Casey voices regret after e-mail barrage A FLOOD of nasty e-mails has made Ryder Cup star Paul Casey realise he made the biggest mistake of his career so far by talking about  quot;hating quot; Americans.


Regent: CU needs to restore confidence University of Colorado Regent Jim Martin said Thursday the university must take swift, sure action to restore public trust after the disclosure of a critical audit of a fund-raising organization and a private football camp run by head


Ministers criticise Prince #39;s  #39;out-dated #39; views on schooling Two of the Cabinet #39;s senior members criticised the Prince of Wales yesterday, saying his views on schools, which emerged during a discrimination case, were old-fashioned, out-dated and wrong.


Dispute over commissioners ends after MEPs finally approve <b>...</b> Jose Manuel Barroso, the European Commission President, yesterday won the big majority from MEPs he needed for his new team of commissioners, as a three-week political crisis ended.


Robinson Signs Deal to Manage Expos in DC (Reuters) Reuters - On the day Major League\Baseball owners delayed the vote to finalize the move of the\Expos to Washington, DC, the club on Thursday signed manager\Frank Robinson to a one-year contract.


Robinson Signs Deal to Manage Expos in DC  VIERA, Florida (Sports Network) - On the day Major League  Baseball owners delayed the vote to finalize the move of the  Expos to Washington, DC, the club on Thursday signed manager  Frank Robinson to a one-year contract.


Roddick Blasts Way Past Safin Into Masters Semis  HOUSTON (Reuters) - Andy Roddick out-muscled Russia's Marat  Safin 7-6, 7-6 on Thursday to win a battle of the heavy hitters  and a place in the Masters Cup semi-finals.


Canadian PM expels anti-Bush MP Paul Martin dismisses an MP from the ruling Liberal Party because of her outspoken criticism of US President George W Bush.


Nike Co-Founder Knight Steps Down as CEO  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nike Inc. NKE.N co-founder  Philip Knight, who helped transform a small start-up into the  world's biggest athletic shoe company, will step down as chief  executive officer, the company said on Thursday.


76ers Score Record-Low 6 Points in Quarter (AP) AP - The Philadelphia 76ers set a dubious team record Thursday night by scoring just 6 points in the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs.


No. 12 Maryland Tops George Mason 78-54 (AP) AP - Chris McCray and Nik Caner-Medley each scored 20 points and 12th-ranked Maryland limited George Mason to four first-half baskets in a 78-54 victory Saturday.


Sirius Names Karmazin CEO, Shares Jump (Reuters) Reuters - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.\ on Thursday named former Viacom Inc. President Mel\Karmazin as its chief executive, in the latest migration of a\mainstream radio heavyweight to the fledgling satellite\industry.


Sirius Names Karmazin CEO, Shares Jump  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.  SIRI.O on Thursday named former Viacom Inc. President Mel  Karmazin as its chief executive, in the latest migration of a  mainstream radio heavyweight to the fledgling satellite  industry.


Leaders reassure Pakistan-US ties remain strong Presidents George W. Bush of the United States and Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan met Saturday to emphasize that ties between their nations remain strong, despite Islamabad #39;s decision to scale back its search for Osama bin Laden.


The Local Scene-Some local talk about Sears-Kmart merger Wednesday #39;s announcement that Kmart is acquiring Sears in an \$11 billion deal spawned a lot of questions and comments at the Rolla outlets of the two companies.


Dollar falls to 103.75 yen on remark by Snow The dollar slipped close to its lowest level of the year Thursday in Tokyo, entering 103 yen territory as market players dumped the currency in the belief that the United States tacitly approves of its weakening.


Scientist blasts FDA over Vioxx, says other drugs pose similar <b>...</b> The recently withdrawn painkiller Vioxx may have caused as many as 139,000 heart attacks, strokes and deaths, a government drug-safety scientist told lawmakers on Thursday.


Briefs: Russia to pay IMF debt early President Vladimir Putin told the director general of the International Monetary Fund, Rodrigo Rato, on Thursday that Moscow was ready to pay off its debts early because the budget was benefiting from soaring prices for Russia #39;s energy exports.


Disney 4Q Earnings Rise to \$516 Million Walt Disney Co. said Thursday that profit jumped 24 percent in the fiscal fourth quarter, driven by growth at its television networks, theme parks and consumer products businesses.


Nike Co-Founder Knight Steps Down as CEO Nike Inc. (NKE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) co-founder Philip Knight, who helped transform a small start-up into the world #39;s biggest athletic shoe company, will step


Courses to help teach you LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) - The California Public Employees #39; Retirement System, the largest public US pension fund, has tendered its 1.5 million shares of PeopleSoft Inc.


Stocks to Watch Tuesday  Dealers said Smith Barney cut its rating on the stock of  Amazon.com to "sell" from "hold" on concerns over sales during  the year-end period.


Nation/World Forty percent of Americans in a new survey say the quality of health care has gotten worse in the past five years compared with just 17 percent who see improvement.


Fossil may fill gap in evolution A 13-million-year-old fossil found in Spain may be that of the last common ancestor to all living great apes, including humans, researchers reported Thursday.


IBM tops server speed test IBM #39;s new top-end Power5-based Unix server has a commanding lead in a performance test of servers running a large database. A \$16.7 million configuration of the company #39;s eServer p5-595 performed 3.21 million


Energy Secretary Gets Mixed Reviews at Los Alamos Los Alamos employees like the University of California #39;s benefits, its academic reputation and the chance to send their children to UC at in-state prices.


Microsoft adds support to Unesco IT education plan Microsoft has added its support to the efforts of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to apply IT to education initiatives in developing countries.


Australia four back as Ireland, Austria grab World Golf lead Australia is four shots from the lead after the opening fourballs round of the World Cup golf event in Spain, with Stephen Leaney and Nick O #39;Hern tied for sixth on 8-under.


Kenteris, Thanou charged for crash Greek authorities have charged athletes Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou with avoiding a drug test prior to the Athens Olympics and then faking a motorcycle accident.


McMurray best of the rest in NASCAR Jamie McMurray clinched 11th place in the Nextel Cup points standings by finishing in fourth place at Darlington Raceway last Sunday.


Webb two off Sorenstam #39;s pace Karrie Webb shot an opening round of four-under par 68 to be two shots behind Annika Sorenstam at the LPGA Tour Championship at Trump International golf course.


Early breakthrough to Kasper Michael Kasprowicz dismissed Daniel Vettori in just the fifth over of the session to reduce New Zealand to 8 for 264 on the second day of the Gabba Test this morning.


Stubblefield eyes NCAA receptions mark But he admits he never expected to be on the brink of breaking the NCAA career receptions record when he first arrived in West Lafayette five years ago.


Prince Charles chastised for  #39;old fashioned #39; views LONDON: A British minister launched a scathing attack on heir to the throne Prince Charles on Thursday, accusing him of being  quot;very old fashioned quot; and out of touch in his views on teaching in schools.


APEC Ministers Prepare for Two-Day Summit Ministers and officials from the 21 Asia and Pacific Rim economies continue their work in Santiago, Chile, in preparation for the two-day summit of leaders from APEC - the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.


Ivory Coast rebel ministers suspended after failing to end cabinet ABIDJAN : The Ivory Coast government suspended former rebels from the cabinet after they failed to attend a first government session since the country #39;s latest crisis, citing security reasons.


Death penalty call in E Guinea Equatorial Guinea #39;s state prosecutor has called for the death penalty for a South African man accused of taking part in an alleged coup attempt.


Relief goods airlifted to stricken areas as weather begins to <b>...</b> REAL, QuezonHelicopters delivered food to famished survivors and picked up casualties as the weather cleared Saturday in villages ravaged by back-to-back storms that slammed into Northeastern Luzon.


Mother of murder victim Reena Virk wishes offender well at parole hearing (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - VANCOUVER  (CP) - Warren Glowatski has served enough time in prison for the murder of Reena Virk and should be granted parole Friday, the victim's mother said Thursday.


Feinstein Warns Goss Against CIA Reforms (AP) AP - A Democratic senator warned CIA Director Porter Goss Thursday that his efforts to make major changes could have "a significant and negative effect on the agency."


Voice loss 'threat' to workforce Germs, dust and central heating are partly to blame for an epidemic of voice loss which plagues UK workers, says a report.


Profits Are Up 24 at Disney and So, It Says, Is Teamwork Buoyed by the strong performance of ESPN and its other cable channels, the Walt Disney Company said that its profit rose 24 percent in the fourth quarter.


Garamendi settles with San Diego broker in exchange for <b>...</b> Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi says his settlement with San Diego-based Universal Life Resources is just the beginning of a deepening investigation.


Microsoft boss the world #39;s most  #39;spammed #39; person Email users inundated with unsolicited  quot;spam quot; messages have reason to hope Microsoft will develop better tools for tackling the problem: Bill Gates is suffering more than anyone.


AOL upgrades with security tools America Online subscribers will receive a raft of new and enhanced security services as part of their standard package with the launch of AOL 9.0 Security Edition, the latest upgrade of the company #39;s fee-based, consumer-focused online service.


Oracle Moves To Quarterly Security-Patch Cycle Oracle #39;s new quarterly security-patch schedule departs from its monthly schedule, which Microsoft also uses. By George V. Hulme.


Golf: Sorenstam seizes early lead at season-ending event WEST PALM BEACH, United States : Swedish star Annika Sorenstam shot a six-under-par 66 in the first round at the season-ending one million dollar ADT Championship.


AP: Holtz to Retire, Spurrier May Get Job (AP) AP - Lou Holtz will retire as coach at South Carolina after the season, The Associated Press learned Thursday night, apparently paving the way for Steve Spurrier to replace him.


Aussie misses out on Miss World AUSTRALIAN Sarah Davies has missed out on being crowned Miss World 2004 at the finals of the beauty pageant in China. Twenty-year-old Miss Peru was crowned today in the southern Chinese resort town of Sanya


Fears over five more big-selling medicines in US A senior United States drug official last night said he believed at least another five medicines at present on sale needed further scrutiny in the wake of recent health scares.


Reuters moves to sell Instinet Reuters, the media and information group, is understood to have appointed investment bankers to explore the sale of Instinet, its American electronic stock trading business.


Audits of wealthy rise 40 Audits of high-income taxpayers rose 40 in fiscal year 2004, while audits of large corporations rose 34, the IRS said Thursday. IRS officials said the numbers show the agency is


Australia, China Cos. to Look for Nickel Australian nickel miner WMC Resources will explore for nickel and copper in western China in a joint venture with China #39;s Jinchuan Group, the companies said Friday.


Fossils Found in Spain Seen as Last Link to Great Apes Scientists in Spain have discovered fossils of an ape species from about 13 million years ago that they think may have been the last common ancestor of all living great apes, including humans.


Dell offers Media Center on the cheap Dell customers can upgrade from Microsoft Windows XP to Dell #39;s XP Media Center operating system for half the price as part of a promotion running from now until Nov. 22.


DNA company fires analyst Orchid Cellmark, a Maryland-based DNA laboratory that has worked on many high-profile cases, has fired an analyst for allegedly falsifying test data.


Apple iPod from HP (iPodhp) You #39;ve already seen our New Users #39; and Power Users #39; reviews of Apple #39;s fourth-generation iPod (iPodlounge rating: A-/B).


Racist chanting puts Madrid bid at risk Racial abuse of black players during England #39;s friendly against Spain has seriously jeopardised Madrid #39;s chances of staging the Olympics in 2012, according to members of the International Olympic Committee.


No. 19 North Carolina State Pounds Elon RALEIGH, NC (Sports Network) - Julius Hodge poured in a game-high 21 points as 19th-ranked North Carolina State routed Elon, 71-45, in the semifinal round of the BCA Invitational at the RBC Center.


Bucs #39; McFarland tears triceps muscle SPORTS NETWORK - Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Anthony McFarland is likely sidelined the rest of this season because of a torn triceps muscle.


French leader backs cooperation with Britain but maintains stance <b>...</b> Europe needs to become a power on the international stage, able to stand alongside the United States in shaping a fairer world order, President Jacques Chirac of France said last night.


Commandos set to storm Mosul MOSUL: Iraqi commandos backed by US troops were preparing to storm insurgent strongholds in the city of Mosul yesterday as US-led forces continued their bid to clear the city of rebels.


Security Further Tightened In Jammu JAMMU, IHK : Nov 19 (SADA) - In occupied Kashmir, security apparatus has been further beefed up in the winter capital Jammu with additional deployment of police and para military personnel ahead of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh #39;s arrival here


Ratification of Kyoto Protocol serves Russian interests: FM <b>...</b> Russia #39;s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol marks a new phase in the international cooperation to deal with the global warming and serves the country #39;s interests, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko said Thursday.


Officials monitor possible locust threat around-the-clock-Jordan Jordan has so far not been affected by the swarms of desert locusts that plagued Egypt on Wednesday with authorities here saying they are ready to deal with any emergency.


Oracle Takeover Approval Seen  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Oracle Corp. ORCL.O on Thursday  won the backing of a key public pension fund in its  \$8.8-billion takeover bid for PeopleSoft Inc. PSFT.O and  analysts said they expected a majority of shares to be tendered  its way ahead of a Friday deadline.


Continental Seeks \$500 Mln in Labor Cuts  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Continental Airlines CAL.N said  late on Thursday it would seek \$500 million in annual wage and  other concessions from its workers to avert more losses largely  caused by record high fuel prices.


ETA Bombs Put Radical Basque Party in Tight Spot The armed Basque separatist group ETA showed it was not a spent force with Friday #39;s coordinated attacks at five Madrid petrol stations, but it also further isolated the guerrillas #39; closest political allies, Batasuna.


For Merck Chief, Credibility at the Capitol In a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, the chairman and chief executive of Merck   Company was treated gently, inspite of bad news about Vioxx.


No. 24 Memphis Rolls Past St. Mary's 81-66 (AP) AP - Rodney Carney scored a career-high 33 points and Memphis ended the surprising tournament run of Saint Mary's with an 81-66 victory Thursday night in the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.


A Presidential Fraternity Helps Clinton Open Library in Arkansas Members of many of the nation's past and present first families dedicated Bill Clinton's library in Little Rock, Ark., on Thursday.


No. 19 North Carolina State Pounds Elon  RALEIGH, N.C. (Sports Network) - Julius Hodge poured in a  game-high 21 points as 19th-ranked North Carolina State routed  Elon, 71-45, in the semifinal round of the BCA Invitational at  the RBC Center.


FIFA Under Pressure to Stamp Out Racism  LONDON (Reuters) - FIFA is under pressure to act decisively  following the racist abuse directed at England players during  Wednesday's friendly against Spain in Madrid.


A Coach and a Player Prove You Can Go Home Again In returning to their roots, Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and Chargers tight end Antonio Gates have emerged as this season's unsung heroes.


Vivendi ups Moroccan phone stake Vivendi Universal increases its stake in Morocco's national telecoms business, days before it is partially floated.


Nintendo Prepares Weekend Launch of New Handheld  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A generation of children grew up  playing Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s 7974.OS Game Boy handheld video  game system, and now that they've grown up, Nintendo has a new  toy for them.


China pledges efforts in fight against terrorism, corruption Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing vowed Thursday in Santiago to make joint efforts with other members of the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in the fight against terrorism and corruption.


UN sees surge in Afghan opium exports A UN report -- noting while opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan was up 64 percent the past year, opium production had only increased 17 -- has still led one UN official


Prince Charles embroiled in class controversy Britain #39;s Prince Charles was embroiled in a class controversy on Thursday, a day after a note expressing his candid thoughts about people who try to rise above their station in life was made public.


Kashmir: Problem Won #39;t Go Away with Some Troops No, the verdant Kashmir Valley did not witness the return of peace this Wednesday. Quite a few Indians, however, may have rubbed their eyes as they saw on the television screen truckloads of


Microsoft Warns Asian Governments of Linux Suits  SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. MSFT.O warned Asian  governments on Thursday they could face patent lawsuits for  using the Linux operating system instead of its Windows  software.


D.C. College Students Targeted in Piracy Suit The recording industry's lobbying group today sued three users of American University's computer network, accusing them of illegally sharing digital music files online. They are among 761 suspected music pirates in the latest round of lawsuits. -washingtonpost.com


Ex-Viacom Chief Karmazin Joining Sirius Satellite Radio Mel Karmazin, the former president of media conglomerate Viacom Inc., is joining Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. as CEO, replacing Joseph Clayton, who is staying on as chairman, the company announced Thursday.


Group Cites E-Voting Problems The record use of electronic voting machines on Nov. 2 led to hundreds of voting irregularities and shows the need for higher standards, a voting rights group said Thursday.


XML security device unveiled Web-services security company releases appliance designed to authenticate access into business networks.


Plenty to learn about services Conference focuses on challenges in services sector, such as how irritating Web-based self-service can be.


State bill could kill city Wi-Fi Backers of a Philadelphia Wi-Fi project are worried that a bill going through the state legislature would spike a plan to blanket the city with free or inexpensive wireless access. Broadband Blog


Calif. retirement fund tenders PeopleSoft shares Calpers joins group of big PeopleSoft investors backing a \$9.2 billion Oracle buyout.


Start-up pitches high-end Web apps on the cheap ActiveGrid lands multimillion-dollar funding for plan to use open-source tools, low-cost servers for Web applications.


Congress approves supercomputing bill Following report of security inadequacies, Congress passes bill for \$165 million in new supercomputing funds.


IBM tops server speed test New top-end Power5-based Unix server has commanding lead in performance test of servers running a large database.


AOL, Oracle tackle software safeguards Worried about spyware? spam? "spim"? AOL wants to set your mind at rest. Also: Putting patches in place.


Air Force turns to Microsoft for network security New deal aims to simplify and protect Air Force networks by introducing standard configurations.


Following trend, Oracle sets schedule for patches Releases dates of quarterly bulletins for 2005 to allow companies to better plan system updates.


Study: VoIP costs all over the map Companies trying to deploy Internet phone calling face varied costs depending on the technology provider, according to a report.


VoIP: Today Des Moines, tomorrow the world Federal ruling makes Internet phone providers roll out services more actively.


Photo: Super-slim TV tubes LG.Philips Displays' new picture tube line allows for thinner televisions.\


Slimmer tube TVs to challenge flat panels Television makers say 16-inch-thick tube sets will arrive next year at a fraction of the price of thin rivals.


Wanna buy an iPod, guv? Apple's new store in London's West End has a 64-seat theater and a staff that speaks 24 languages.\<br />\  Photos: iPod lands in London


Segway CEO scoots from company Ron Bills will take off next month, leaving Segway to find the fourth CEO in its short history.


Dell offers Media Center on the cheap PC maker promotion lets customers upgrade from Windows XP Home to Windows XP Media Center Edition for half the price.


Photos: iPod lands in London Apple's new London store on Regent Street puts the iPod music player front and center.


Photo: Dell's Photo All-In-One Printer 962 Dell's Photo All-In-One Printer 962 prints, scans, faxes and copies for \$179.


IT Forum: Exchange users to get more tools Although Microsoft won't announce the release date of the next version of its Exchange Server until next year, users can expect more management tools for existing versions in the meantime.


LI firm #39;s cancer drug approved A breakthrough cancer drug made by a Long Island company won federal approval late Thursday in a major victory for cancer patients and the region #39;s budding biotech industry.


Russian target Abramovich hit by 400m tax bill Chelsea football club #39;s owner, Roman Abramovich, has been hit with a 400m tax bill relating to his Russian oil company Sibneft, according to local reports, raising fears that he could be the next oligarch targeted by President Vladimir Putin in the


University researchers challenge Bush win in Florida According to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, counties with electronic voting machines were significantly more likely to show increased support for President Bush compared to counties with paper ballots or optical scan equipment.


Bill Gates gets 4 million emails a day The next time you #39;re sifting through the mortgage offers, cheap Rolex watches or dubious business proposals from Nigeria, spare a thought for Bill Gates.


Ape discovery fills gap in evolutionary jigsaw Scientists have found fossilised remains of what could be the last common ancestor to all the great apes living today. It will give scientists vital clues in charting the course of primate and, ultimately, human evolution.


IBM Breaks Computing Speed Barrier IBM announced that an IBM POWER5(TM) processor-based IBM eServer(TM), running DB2 Universal Database(TM), has attained a milestone in computing history, soaring past the barrier of three million transactions per minute on the TPC-C benchmark and setting


Spotted owl remains a threatened species, government says GRANTS PASS, Ore. - After a review prompted by a timber industry lawsuit, the federal government announced Thursday that the northern spotted owl, the icon of logging wars in the Northwest, will remain on the threatened species list.


Racing: Best Mate in shape to hold challenge of Rembrandt Today #39;s The Day. Every blade of grass has been inspected and passed fit, every weather forecast scanned. Best Mate will, short of an overnight declaration of Armageddon, make his seasonal


Cavaliers 106, Bobcats 89 LeBron James helped break the game open late in the second quarter by driving baseline for a windmill dunk, one of three crowd-pleasers among James #39; 19 points in Cleveland #39;s 106-89 victory Thursday night over Charlotte.


UN warning over Afghan opium Afghanistan #39;s poppy cultivation increased by almost two-thirds this year and accounts for 87 of world supply of raw opium, a UN report said yesterday, warning of the country #39;s descent into a drugs-based economy.


Ministers line up to attack Charles as  #39;patronising #39; The dispute between the Prince of Wales and the Government over education intensified last night when a second Cabinet minister rebuked the prince for claiming the current system fuelled unrealistic ambitions.


Junta frees prisoners in Burma Burma #39;s military government began releasing almost 4,000 prisoners yesterday whose detentions were ruled irrelevant or improper, state-run radio and television said.


Bush seems primed for Mideast push But the most important entry on Middle East watchers #39; list is George W. Bush: in for four more years. The recent death of Arafat, the Palestinian Authority president, creates an opportunity for the United


Gateway expands Media Center PC lineup Media Center PCs allow users to record live television, burn DVDs and organize their digital media files.


New Google Scholar search service aimed at academics It lets users search for scholarly literature such as peer-reviewed papers, theses, abstracts and technical reports from resources such as academic publishers, universities, professional societies and preprint repositories.


Streaking Spurs Roll Past Sixers 88-80 (AP) AP - Tim Duncan scored a season-high 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the San Antonio Spurs to their fifth straight victory, 88-80 over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.


Microsoft, Yahoo extend contract for Web ads The move comes at a time when Microsoft is sharpening its own tools and expertise in the area.


Salesforce.com continues strong customer growth Company experiences 80 gain in customers in one year, to nearly 200,000.


Cards' Smith, Berry, Dansby Questionable (AP) AP - Arizona starters Emmitt Smith, Bertrand Berry and Karlos Dansby are questionable for Sunday's game at Carolina after sitting out the Cardinals' practice on Thursday.


Britain to Send Christmas Gifts to Troops (AP) AP - Pipes and pencils will be replaced by cameras and games when a 90-year-old royal tradition of sending gifts to British troops abroad is revived this Christmas, a defense spokesman said Thursday.


W3C highlights Mobile Web Initiative at workshop Group seeks to make Web access for mobile device users as easy as it is for desktop users.


Palestinians Seek Int'l Election Monitors (AP) AP - Palestinian officials appealed Thursday for international monitors to help with their presidential elections and urged Israel's unilateral plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip be folded into a stalled international peace plan.


Oracle: PeopleSoft investors should tender shares With tomorrow's deadline approaching, Oracle today made another plea to PeopleSoft stockholders to tender their shares, telling them, "The choice is yours."


No. 19 N.C. State Demolishes Elon 71-45 (AP) AP - Julius Hodge scored 17 points on his 21st birthday to join an exclusive group of Atlantic Coast Conference players, leading No. 19 North Carolina State past Elon 71-45 Thursday night in the semifinals of the BCA Invitational.


Rural leaders put heat on Tory government as Alta election looms (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - EDMONTON (CP) - With just days to go before Monday's provincial election, Alberta's Tory government is taking some heat from rural municipal leaders over its provincial water policy and the handling of the mad cow crisis.


Google sees benefits in corporate blogging Google, which implemented an internal Web log system behind its firewall about 18 months ago, has seen tremendous benefits from it and may in the future consider providing tools and expertise for this purpose to interested clients, a Google executive said.


Do software users need indemnification? If purchasing software were as straightforward as buying a car, users would not have to think twice about the risk of intellectual property lawsuits.


Patent hoarders intensify protection issue The chances of a user being sued for intellectual property (IP) infringement related to software usage are slim, industry observers say. But that may change, as some companies hoard patents for the express purpose of using them to extract money from sellers and users of software.


Oracle to deliver security patches on quarterly basis Starting Jan. 18, Oracle will provide security patches for all of its products on a quarterly basis, a schedule it believes is most convenient for customers.


Yahoo, SBC extend partnership, plan new services Yahoo and SBC Communications will collaborate to extend to cell phones and home entertainment devices some of the online services and content they currently provide to PC users.
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AOL developing file-backup service America Online Inc. (AOL) is developing a new service that will let its members back up files from their PCs on AOL data centers, so that the members will be able to recover files either deleted accidentally or lost due to a hard drive failure, an AOL executive said.


Exchange users to get more tools Microsoft Corp. will announce the release date of the next version of its Exchange Server in the first half of 2005, but until the upgrade arrives users can expect more management tools for existing versions, a company executive said this week.


AOL Developing File-Backup Service Members could have automatic access to easy backup on AOL servers.


Microsoft, Yahoo Extend Contract for Web Ads Renegotiation may provide glimpse into Microsoft's search plans.


Study Claims E-Voting Irregularities Found in Florida Even if so, state presidential results wouldn't shift.


Enter your e-mail: Lycos Europe has found an attractive, but controversial, way to generate buzz about its business - give common folk the power to attack spammers.


Belgian and Italian Banks Talk of Partnership Dexia, the Belgian financial services firm, and Sanpaolo IMI, the Italian bank, confirmed that they were in discussions about a partnership.


Russia Seeks to Prosecute Two More at Yukos The Russian government issued an arrest warrant for the chief lawyer for Yukos and arrested a midlevel executive at a company subsidiary.


Eisner Regrets Praising Ovitz on  #39;Larry King #39; In a interview on CNN #39;s  quot;Larry King Live quot; in September 1996, Michael D. Eisner, chief executive of the Walt Disney Company, praised its former president, Michael S. Ovitz.


Dollar Holds Gain on Concern Group of 20 Will Object to Decline The dollar held a one-day gain in Asia on speculation policy makers will express concern at its recent decline during a meeting of officials from the Group of 20 largest economies this weekend.


#39;Lite #39; beer brand puts fizz into SABMiller profits The low-carbohydrate American beer Miller Lite, which is locked in a bitter brand war with its rival Bud Lite, was the star performer for SABMiller, helping the brewer to a 28 rise in half-year underlying operating profits.


Gas leak from oil platform off SoCal triggers evacuation of crew OXNARD - A leak of explosive natural gas forced dozens of workers to evacuate an offshore oil platform for hours Thursday but no damage or injuries were reported.


AOL 9.0 is Security Minded American Online (AOL) is releasing a new, more secure browser. Included in the package are a firewall, antivirus and a popup blocker all courtesy of McAfee - also included are dozens of other small utilities designed to keep users safe.


IBM Says It Swamps Rivals in Key UNIX Computer Test IBM IBM.N said on Thursday its workhorse commercial computers have smashed the industry #39;s most demanding tests, which analysts said creates a performance gap that could


Ferdinand almost quit Spain game Rio Ferdinand has said he was ready to come off the field after Spanish fans hurled abuse at England #39;s black players in Wednesday #39;s match.


Second-Ranked Wake Forest Beats Virginia Commonwealth WINSTON-SALEM, NC (Sports Network) - Chris Paul scored 16 points to lead No. 2 Wake Forest over Virginia Commonwealth, 81-67, in the quarterfinal round of the Preseason NIT.


Takeover offer for Sunderland FC Bob Murray, the chairman of Sunderland, is seeking to take full control of the football club after buying out fellow shareholder BSkyB.


Jaguar negotiates 534m Ford aid Ford will inject 534m into Jaguar, after the UK car maker had to cover a writedown on its investments following a drop in production.


N.Korea Denies Removal of Leader Kim Portraits-Xinhua Reports that portraits of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had been removed were a  quot;groundless fabrication, quot; China #39;s Xinhua news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry official on Friday as saying in Pyongyang.


Pacers' Bender Out Indefinitely with Knee Injury (Reuters) Reuters - Indiana Pacers forward\Jonathan Bender will be out indefinitely due to his chronically\injured left knee.


Pacers' Bender Out Indefinitely with Knee Injury  INDIANAPOLIS (Sports Network) - Indiana Pacers forward  Jonathan Bender will be out indefinitely due to his chronically  injured left knee.


Touchdowns and Milestones Pile Up for Martin Jets running back Curtis Martin needs just 16 yards on Sunday to become the second player to reach 1,000 yards in 10 consecutive seasons.


Giants' Manning Gets Some Brotherly Advice: 'Don't Trip' Eli Manning, who will start his first professional game at quarterback on Sunday, insisted he would not try to establish his legacy in three hours.