IEA trims 2005 world oil demand growth forecast PARIS (AFP) - The International Energy Agency trimmed its forecast for growth in global oil demand next year but warned that prices were likely to remain high and dismissed producer fears of a sharp fall as  quot;overstated.


Sprint, Nextel May Merge With a combined 38.5 million customers, the new company formed by a Sprint and Nextel merger would move closer to frontrunner Cingular, which now has some 47 million customers following its


First direct flight from US to Vietnam since 1975 has landed HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam The last time a US passenger plane landed there, it was Saigon. Today, the first US commercial flight to Vietnam in nearly 30 years arrived in Ho Chi Minh City.


Wholesale Prices Rise in November an improvement compared with the previous month #39;s surge, but still fresh evidence that inflation is picking up as the economy gains momentum.


Hooray for Blu-Ray! If there was ever a time to feel sorry for a corporate titan like Sony (NYSE: SNE) it may have been last month when rival movie studios announced that they would be supporting Toshiba #39;s HD-DVD technology in upcoming releases over the promising Blu-ray


Astronauts Await Vital Christmas Food Package The two astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been put on a diet because they are running out of food, it emerged today.


Cisco turns 20 com December 10, 2004, 4:00 AM PT. When Cisco Systems unveiled its latest and greatest network router in May, it trumpeted the event as a watershed.


Ericsson Gets China, South Africa Deals Ericsson said Friday that it received contracts to build wireless communications networks in China and South Africa. China Telecom Corp.


Adware War Heading to Federal Court Is all fair in love, war and adware? A federal court may help decide - as far as adware goes, at least - in a case involving software from one company uninstalling a rival #39;s computer code.


Turkey joins 19-race Formula One schedule A record 19-race calendar was approved Friday for the 2005 Formula One season, with the Turkish Grand Prix joining the lineup. The British, French and San Marino races remain after facing cancellation threats.


Gustafsson Turns Up Heat on Challengers Unknown Swedish blond Peter Gustafsson manufactured a crafty early-morning 68 to take an unexpected two-shot lead into Saturdays third round of the Dunhill Challenge at the Leopard Creek Golf Club.


Wenger ruling out goalkeeper swoop LONDON, England -- Arsene Wenger has ruled out a January transfer swoop for Australia #39;s Mark Schwarzer or any of the other goalkeepers he has been linked with.


Rejuvenated Hughes leads Australian Masters by four strokes Two-time winner Bradley Hughes, boosted by a new relaxed approach to his game, led the Australian Masters by four strokes after completing rounds of 64 and 66 on Friday for a 14-under-par 130.


Utah State hire Brent Guy as football coach Guy, a former Utah State assistant coach from 1992-94, has spent the last four seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Arizona State.


Bomb Kills Soldiers, Civilians in Pakistan An apparent terrorist bombing in southwestern Pakistan has killed at least nine people and injured a dozen others. Police say a bomb attached to an abandoned bicycled explode at a crowded


Woman, 79, Accused of Cocaine Smuggling (AP) AP - A 79-year-old woman has been caught attempting to smuggle heroin out of Colombia on a flight to New York, police said Friday.


Court: certificates used to detain suspected terrorists are constitutional (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - OTTAWA (CP) - Security certificates used to detain suspected terrorists like Adil Charkaoui are constitutional, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled Friday.


Hunts 'to meet legally' after ban More than 250 hunts will meet legally the day after the ban on hunting with dogs comes into force, campaigners say.


OPEC Cut Will Be 1 Million Barrels per Day Iraq isn #39;t part of its quota system -- pump about 1.1 million barrels a day over their agreed 27 million barrels a day target, leaving them room to cut production without adjusting the target.


First US flight to Vietnam for 30 years For the first time since the war ended nearly 30 years ago, a US passenger jet landed in Vietnam today. United Airlines Flight 869 took off from San Francisco yesterday and arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly


Automotive supplier Delphi to cut 8500 jobs in 2005 (Detroit-AP) Dec. 10, 2004 - The world #39;s largest automotive supplier says it will slash 8500 jobs next year. Delphi had set the same goal for this year and exceeded it.


Southwest to bid for ATA assets Low-cost airline said it will bid at least \$100 million for assets of bankrupt ATA Airlines. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines said Friday it will bid at least \$100 million for certain assets of bankrupt


Producer Price Gain Bigger Than Expected US producer prices climbed an unexpectedly steep 0.5 percent last month as energy costs mounted, according to a government report on Friday that buttressed the case for interest-rate rises to keep inflation at bay.


Wireless Internet Napster Enters Ringtone Market Music download sewvice Napster will try to claim a piece of the growing market for mobile phone ringtones through a partnership with Dwango Wireless, which specializes in wireless content.


Cisco Expands Router Offerings with BCN Buy Cisco will pay approximately US\$34 million in cash for all outstanding equity interests of BCN. In addition, the acquisition price may be increased by as much as \$122 million depending on


Two adware firms battling in court As millions of computer users try to deal with the scourge of adware and other nefarious online marketing programs, two purveyors of the technology are battling in a Seattle court.


Notre Dame Eyes Clements, Weis Two NFL offensive coordinators, the Buffalo Bills #39; Tom Clements and the New England Patriots #39; Charlie Weis, have become focal points of Notre Dame #39;s head-coaching search.


Dallas Mavericks Team Report - December 10 (Sports Network) - The Dallas Mavericks were knocked off by the Seattle SuperSonics, 107-102, at American Airlines Center. Dirk Nowitzki tallied 27 points and seven rebounds for the Mavs, who have dropped two of three.


Sharon, Bolstered by Vote, Reaches Out to Labor Party Prime Minister Ariel Sharon phoned the leader of the Labor Party, Shimon Peres, this morning and asked him to begin talks on forming a coalition government, Israel Radio reported.


19 Iraqis Killed in Car Bombing Insurgents pressed their campaign against Iraqi security forces, killing 18 members of the Iraqi National Guard and a civilian.


Bring that Guy back Logan, UT (Sports Network) - Brent Guy, a former Utah State assistant, has been named the 25th head coach of the Aggies. Guy, who coached the Utah State linebackers from 1992-94, has spent the last four seasons


Powell Bids Nostalgic Farewell to NATO Secretary of State Colin Powell bid a nostalgic farewell on Thursday to the NATO Western security alliance he first served as platoon commander facing down the Soviet army 46 years ago.


Shia leader Sadrs movement insists on Iraq election boycott BAGHDAD - Radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadrs movement will not participate in the national Iraqi elections due on January 30, Sadrs senior assistant asserted on Friday.


Petrol price cut sparks pump war The fall in crude oil prices has begun to reach UK consumers, with supermarket Morrisons sparking a potential price war in the run up to Christmas.


Types of Investors: Which Are You? Learn a little about yourself, and it may improve your performance.


Yahoo Searches Desktops, Too Catching up to Google, Yahoo unleashes a desktop search tool  Also: IBM makes move in data storage market   hellip;.  HP makes cheap computer with rural Chinese appeal   hellip;. and more.


US Jet Flight to Vietnam Makes History United Airlines Flight 869, from San Francisco, arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, at shortly after 10:00 pm Friday (10 am EST).


Airbus owners approve A350 to compete with Boeing #39;s 7E7 The owners of Airbus approved the launch of a new A350 passenger jet Friday to rival Boeing #39;s 7E7, a spokesman for Airbus parent EADS said.


Van Der Moolen Specialists CEO Retires Dutch investment firm Van der Moolen Holding NV on Friday said James P. Cleaver Jr. will retire as chairman and chief executive of Van der Moolen Specialists USA LLC at the end of the month.


Cisco Buys Network Design Firm For \$34 Million BCN Systems #39; routing architecture will be used to to speed development of converged networks for data, voice, and video. By Networking Pipeline News.


Players offer to slash 24 from salaries The NHL Players #39; Association handed the NHL a strong proposal Thursday it believes can not only salvage the season but more importantly address all of the league #39;s economic issues.


Zajec Targets Hat-Trick Velimir Zajec aims to register a hat-trick of Barclaycard Premiership victories for Portsmouth at Newcastle tomorrow. And if it had all been within the same calendar month the man


A tale of two  #39;warriors #39; Irfan Pathan is raw and animated; Anil Kumble is polished and low key. Pathan just picked his first five-wicket haul in the Test match at Dhaka; Kumble has 28 in the bag and an Indian record for most number of wickets.


Maathai accepts Nobel Peace Prize The first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize accepted her award on Friday. She urged her audience  quot;to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder.


6-year-old killed in Gaza Israeli gunfire left a 6-year-old girl dead Friday in the Kahn Younis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medics said.


Gay Rights Activists Reassess Strategies (AP) AP - The ritual was replayed from Boston to San Francisco: Exuberant gay couples sharing marriage vows and slices of wedding cake. Gays thought barriers were finally crumbling. Then came the elections.


New Airbus planes to rival Boeing The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus today announced plans for two versions of a wide-bodied passenger jet, which will see it go head-to-head with US competitor Boeing.


ING Canada prices its shares at \$26 each in \$907M initial public <b>...</b> TORONTO (CP) - In one of the largest initial public stock offerings in Canada in the last few years, ING Canada Inc. is aiming to raise \$907 million in its IPO after pricing the shares at \$26 each.


Desktop search avalanche set to hit DECEMBER 10, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and Ask Jeeves Inc. are all set to jump into the desktop search market, two months after Internet search leader Google Inc.


Perth home to new rugby union team MARK COLVIN: Melbourne - Australia #39;s home of Rugby Union. Doesn #39;t sound quite right, does it? And indeed this afternoon the Australian Rugby Union decided that the AFL-mad Victorian capital was not ready to


Gustafsson Leads at Leopard Creek as Els Wilts  MALELANE, South Africa (Reuters) - Sweden's Peter  Gustafsson shot a four-under 68 to take a two-stroke lead after  the second round of the Dunhill Championship at the Leopard  Creek Country Club on Friday.


Utah State Brings That Guy Back  LOGAN, Utah (Sports Network) - Brent Guy, a former Utah  State assistant, has been named the 25th head coach of the  Aggies.


Consumers Perk Up, So Do Wholesale Prices  CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. consumers cheered up in early  December, sending potentially good news to retailers during the  crucial holiday shopping season, a report showed on Friday.


OPEC Agrees Oil Supply Crackdown  CAIRO (Reuters) - OPEC oil producers on Friday agreed to  squeeze out excess supply that has lowered world prices from  record highs.


GE OKs \$15 Billion Buyback, Ups Dividend  BOSTON (Reuters) - Diversified manufacturer General  Electric Co. GE.N said on Friday it boosted its quarterly  dividend by 10 percent and earmarked up to \$15 billion for  share repurchases over the next three years.


Philip Morris Hikes Cigarette Prices  CHICAGO (Reuters) - Philip Morris USA cut wholesale  discounts on its best-selling Marlboro cigarettes and three  other brands, a spokeswoman said on Friday, effectively raising  prices for the first time in more than two-and-a-half years.


Sprint Up, Nextel Down on Merger Talks  PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Shares of Sprint Corp.  FON.N  jumped on Friday as the telephone company continued merger  negotiations with Nextel Communications Inc. NXTL.O for a  deal that would combine the No. 3 and No. 5 U.S. wireless  service carriers.


Legal Fight Menaces Aircraft Debt Ratings  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Standard   Poor's on Friday said  ratings on about \$30 billion of aircraft-backed debt could be  threatened if creditors lost a legal dispute with bankrupt UAL  Corp. UALAQ.OB unit United Airlines over the right to  repossess aircraft.


SPX Board Amends Compensation Programs  CHICAGO (Reuters) - SPX Corp.'s SPW.N board amended its  management restricted stock and director compensation programs  the day after its chairman and chief executive resigned, the  company said on Friday.


Worst Oracle Ever Maybe things would be different for Delphi if it had the forward vision of its ancient Greek namesake.


Chrysler Recalls 98,000 Cars and SUVs DaimlerChrysler #39;s (DCX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) (DCXGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) Chrysler division is recalling more than 98,000 cars and sport utility vehicles because of problems that could cause either engine compartment


Delphi to Cut 8,500 Jobs Auto parts supplier Delphi Corp. (DPH.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it plans to cut 8,500 jobs, or up to 5 percent of its work force, in 2005 because of vehicle


Netflix Testing Networking System (AP) AP - Online DVD rental leader Netflix Inc. is putting social networking on its marquee of coming attractions for next year.


Kazaa can #39;t bar child pornographers, court told Sharman Networks - the company behind peer-to-peer file sharing outfit Kazaa - has denied it is able to block users who use the service to share child pornography.


Telecom Offers Lifetime of Unlimited Calls (AP) AP - Life expectancy is no longer a business concern merely for insurance companies and undertakers. A telecommunications company has more than a passing interest now that it offers a lifetime of unlimited calls over the Internet for  #36;999.


A 24 Per Cent Solution to the NHL Lockout? The one-time salary rollback was part of a new proposal made by the Players #39; Association in Toronto, at the first collective bargaining session since the NHL locked out the players on September 15.


Notre Dame sets sights on Weis New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis may have a golden opportunity to head to the Golden Dome. Seeking a successor to Tyrone Willingham


Pound ends week with modest gain on dollar (AFP) AFP - Sterling remained weak after disappointing trade data as the US Dollar held firm against major currencies.


Intel, AT T in Tie-Up for Voice, Data, Wireless (Reuters) Reuters - Intel Corp.  and AT T\Corp.  have signed a research and product development\agreement covering Internet telephone technology, high-speed\wireless broadband and combination voice-data devices for\businesses, the companies said on Thursday.


Ohio High Court Rejects Bradley's Appeal (AP) AP - The Ohio Supreme Court rejected former Cleveland Indians outfielder Milton Bradley's appeal of a three-day jail sentence he received after driving away from police who were trying to give the player a speeding ticket.


Strategy guides are as hot as video games (USATODAY.com) USATODAY.com - Video games are so popular that even books about them are selling well. Hint-filled strategy guides now can sell more than 1 million copies, and long-awaited games are being given the kind of "making of" treatment typically bestowed on blockbuster movies.


Potential Sprint, Nextel merger suggests consolidating wireless industry (AFP) AFP - Sprint and Nextel were reported to be in merger discussions for a blockbuster deal that would reduce the number of major players in the US wireless industry to four.


Berlusconi Acquitted of Corruption Charges A Milan court today acquitted Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi of corruption charges - a major victory in the billionaire business barons decade-long battle with legal woes he blamed on left-wing prosecutors.


Kenyan environmentalist wins Nobel Peace Prize The first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize was today presented with her award in Oslo against a backdrop of drums and dancers.


Bike Bomb Kills at Least 11 in Pakistan Assailants set off a powerful time bomb next to an army truck parked in a teeming outdoor market in southwestern Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 11 people and injuring


USC's Bush to Start at Tailback (AP) AP - Reggie Bush usually comes off the bench for No. 1 Southern California. He'll start at tailback for the Trojans against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.


JBoss set to shine with JEMS middleware stack (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - JBoss on Monday plans to flesh out details of its open source middleware stack consisting largely of existing software technologies, with the company intending to fill out the stack over time.


In Brief: Cisco acquires startup BCN Systems (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Cisco Systems has finalized an agreement to purchase privately held BCN Systems, a provider of networking software design. Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately  #36;34 million in cash for BCN. The price could increase by as much as  #36;122 million if BCN meets certain development and product milestones. BCN's architecture will be incorporated across Cisco's broad routing portfolio and will support Cisco's delivery of next-generation data, voice, and video services over a converged network.


IBM's Conference Falls Short on Questions (AP) AP - International Business Machines Corp. took the "conference" out of conference call this week when it invited investors to "a discussion" about the sale of its personal computer business to China's largest PC maker.


U.S. iTunes Music Store now accepts PayPal (MacCentral) MacCentral - Apple Computer Inc. announced Friday that the U.S. version of its iTunes Music Store now accepts payments through PayPal, the popular electronic payment service owned by eBay. With PayPal, users can pay for their iTunes downloads using a "virtual wallet" that's linked to a credit card, bank account or stored account balance. Apple also announced that the first 500,000 customers to open a new iTunes account using PayPal as their payment method before March 31, 2005 will receive five free songs.


Company to Aid in DeLay Corruption Probe (AP) AP - A company accused in the campaign-finance investigation that has implicated associates of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay agreed to aid prosecutors in exchange for having charges against it dropped, court papers showed.


Space Station Astronauts Told to Ration Food (Reuters) Reuters - Two astronauts face a not-so-merry\Christmas after being told to ration their food and hope a\cargo ship with extra supplies docks on Dec. 26.


Nobel Winner Maathai Sounds Alarm Over Planet (Reuters) Reuters - Saying the planet is at risk from human\activity, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai urged\democratic reforms and an end to corporate greed when she\collected the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.


EU Seeks More Talks on Kyoto Protocol (AP) AP - The chief European Union negotiator at a United Nations conference on climate change said new talks under consideration could allow countries to expand the ways they meet reductions in greenhouse gases mandated by the Kyoto Protocol.


Ukraine candidate placates 'foes' Ukraine's opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko says there will be no political witch-hunt if he becomes president.


Opposition in Ukraine eases siege KIEV -- Opposition protesters began to lift their two-week siege of Ukraine's Stalin-era Cabinet headquarters yesterday, a day after parliament adopted electoral laws to ensure a fair ballot in the repeat presidential runoff.


At New Delhi talks, India cautions Rumsfeld on Pakistan arms sales NEW DELHI -- The United States will build stronger ties with India, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld vowed yesterday, but New Delhi said proposed US arms sales to Pakistan could affect its relations with Washington.


Sharon's party votes to save Gaza pullout  JERUSALEM -- Israel's plan to pull out of Gaza next year passed a crucial test yesterday when Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, his government crippled by opposition to the withdrawal, easily won Likud Party approval to invite the dovish Labor Party into his coalition.


Death toll of 6-year conflict in Congo put at 3.8 million DAKAR, Senegal -- Six years of continuing conflict in Congo have claimed 3.8 million lives, half of them children, with most killed by disease and famine in the still largely cutoff east, according to an International Rescue Committee study that estimates the toll.


Detainee cites abuse at Guantanamo Bay UNITED STATES SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Prisoners at the US detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been beaten while blindfolded and handcuffed, terrorized by attack dogs, and forced to take drugs, an Australian detainee said in an affidavit released yesterday. David Hicks, 29, was one of the first prisoners to arrive at the camp in eastern Cuba in ...


Poor Salvadorans chase 'Iraqi dream' SAN SALVADOR -- Juan Nerio, a 44-year-old mason's assistant, was sick of living in a mud hut on the side of a volcano. When he heard that an American company was offering six times his \$200 monthly wage, he signed up. Six weeks later he found himself holding an AK-47 assault rifle and guarding a US diplomatic complex in Iraq.


BBC site founder picks up OBE Mike Smartt, founder of the BBC News website, picked up his OBE at Buckingham Palace on Thursday.


British hospital sends X-rays by computer for analysis in Spain (AFP) AFP - A British hospital said it had overcome a nationwide shortage of radiologists by taking the "innovative" step of sending X-ray photographs by digital link to experts at a clinic in Spain.


U.S. Video Games Sales Up 11 Pct in Nov.
\

 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sales of video games rose about 11\percent in the United States in November, analysts said on\Friday, with two key titles responsible for almost 30 percent\of all games sold in the month.


OPEC To Cut Oil Production (CBS/AP) Juggling between its need to keep prices up without having them explode, OPEC agreed Friday to reduce its daily oil output by 1 million barrels a day - and reserved the right to cut deeper early next year if crude turns much cheaper than now.


Delphi Announces Plans to Cut 8,500 Jobs in 2005 That #39;s about one percent of the total work force for the world #39;s largest automotive supplier. The Troy, Michigan-based company had set the same goal for this year and exceeded it through attrition.


American Airlines Raises Domestic Fares American Airlines says it is raising domestic fares by \$5 one-way and \$10 per round trip to cover the high cost of jet fuel. American said Friday that the increase took effect immediately for most domestic flights as well as those to Canada.


Intel, AT amp;T in Tie-Up for Voice, Data, Wireless Intel Corp. (INTC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and AT amp;T Corp. (TN: Quote, Profile, Research) have signed a research and product development agreement covering Internet telephone technology


Blu-Ray or HD DVD? Both, Says Thomson  quot;The problem is that we #39;re getting into another round of format wars and until it shakes out, consumers are not likely to buy much of anything, quot; Michael Gartenberg, research director at Jupiter Media, told TechNewsWorld.


Napster to Provide Mobile Ringtones Napster, one of the world #39;s most well known music downloading services, has signed a lucrative deal with Dwango Wireless that could see a mobile phone capable of downloading ringtones from Napster by 2005.


Scientists Play Chicken A group of international researchers at Michigan State University has decoded the genome of the chicken and found that the main ingredient of McDonald #39;s (NYSE: MCD) Chicken McNuggets has a genetic


Enterprise Windows IT Microsoft Contests Eolas Patent Infringement <b>...</b> Microsoft is appealing a \$565 million judgment awarded to Eolas, a spinoff of the University of California, in a patent infringement case.


Microsoft Readies Five Security Bulletins Outside security researchers say Windows Service Pack 2 has security vulnerabilities, but no confirmation from Microsoft. By George V. Hulme.


Boxing: Williams insists he is better than Tyson display LAS VEGAS, United States : Danny Williams wants to be remembered for more than just his shock victory over Mike Tyson and hopes to do so by completing a remarkable reversal of fortunes if he wins the world heavyweight title on Saturday.


Commission demands Aragones probe MADRID, Spain -- Spain #39;s anti-violence commission has demanded the Spanish Football Federation open disciplinary procedures against national coach Luis Aragones.


Local racing voices agree:  #39;3 #39; earns a 10 Iassembled three of the toughest critics imaginable last week for a private screening of the Dale Earnhardt biopic, which premiers on ESPN Saturday at 9 pm, and not one of them made a pit


Albarado wins 3,000th race Robby Albarado got the 3,000th victory of his career Thursday when he rode Isle of Silver to win the sixth race at Fair Grounds. Albarado, 31, is the defending champion jockey at Fair Grounds


Playoff road will be tough, but Indy #39;s offense will lead team to <b>...</b> The treacherous, treacle-tinged tune began blaring over the Qualcomm Stadium sound system with just over five minutes left in the third quarter, afflicting 65,395 fans with Sunday afternoon fever.


Sharon Invites Labour to Join Coalition Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon asked the dovish Labour Party to join his ruling coalition today, a move that greatly bolsters his chances for carrying out plans to withdraw from the Gaza Strip next year.


Taiwans DPP vows sweeping reforms with victory Taiwan #39;s ruling Democratic Progressive party has promised to pass sweeping economic and political reforms if it gains control of the legislature for the first time in Saturday #39;s election.


Iraqi abductors release Bangladeshi truck driver: World News: Dhaka, Dec. 10 : Iraqi kidnappers have released a Bangladeshi truck driver after holding him hostage for more than a month, a foreign ministry official said on Friday.


Three Stocks for the Scrooge in You Fool contributor Tim Beyers finds that when it comes to stocks, it might pay to be Scrooge.


Delphi announces plans to cut 8,500 jobs; predicts \$350 million <b>...</b> Delphi Corp. said Friday it plans to cut 8,500 jobs -- or 4.6 percent of its total work force -- worldwide next year as part of an ongoing restructuring.


GE OKs \$15 Billion Buyback, Ups Dividend Diversified manufacturer General Electric Co. (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it boosted its quarterly dividend by 10 percent and earmarked up to \$15 billion for share repurchases over the next three years.


US wholesale prices climb in November US producer prices - a measure of wholesale inflation - rose by a faster than expected 0.5 in November, seasonally adjusted Labor Department figures showed this afternoon.


Suns Defeat Trail Blazers, 117-98 (AP) AP - Amare Stoudemire scored a career-high 50 points, including nine straight during a decisive 12-2 Phoenix run early in the fourth quarter, and the Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers 117-98 Sunday night.


Napster Going Mobile To Dial Up Ring Tone Sales  quot;Napster Mobile is a natural extension for the biggest brand in digital music and will enhance our development of wireless delivery, quot; Napster Chairman and CEO Chris Gorog said.


Study: Wild Monkeys Resort to Use of Tools WASHINGTON - Wild South American monkeys routinely use fist-sized rocks to crack open seeds and to dig in dry Brazilian soil for grubs and edible tubers, researchers report in the journal Science.


Microsoft to patch Windows flaws Microsoft plans to release patches for five Windows flaws next week, the software giant announced Thursday. The company posted the information on its TechNet site as part of a new program that gives the general


MTN, Ericsson sign 3G agreement Johannesburg, 10 December 2004 - Mobile operator MTN has announced a strategic partnership with Ericsson, which will become its partner of choice for its third-generation (3G) network.


Chelsea not planning Gerrard move Chelsea have denied rumours that they are planning to try and sign Liverpool #39;s Steven Gerrard this season. Blues boss Jose Mourinho insisted that there would be no big-money bid for the England midfield star when the transfer window opens on 1 January.


Keane injury leaves Spurs short Robbie Keane #39;s knee injury may leave Tottenham with only one recognised striker for its trip to Manchester City. Keane has been carrying the injury in recent weeks but head coach Martin Jol is not confident


Colts' Manning Sets NFL Passing Record (AP) AP - Peyton Manning set yet another NFL passing record Sunday, finishing the season with a rating of 121.1, more than eight points better than Steve Young's previous mark.


Nobel Winner Maathai Sounds Alarm Over Planet Calling humanity a threat to the planet, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai urged democratic reform and an end to corporate greed after becoming the first African woman to collect the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.


Mortar fire kills child PALESTINIANS fired mortar rounds into a Gaza Strip settlement today, wounding at least two Israelis, one of them a child, the army said.


Japan Adopts Major Defense Changes Japan has taken another step towards freeing itself from military restrictions in place since the end of World War II. The changes are a significant retreat from the pacifist policies that


EADS Sees 2005 Earnings Rising 9.1 on Plane Demand (Update1) European Aeronautic, Defense  amp; Space Co., the controlling shareholder of Airbus SAS, expects 2005 earnings before interest, taxes, amortization and one-time items to rise 9.1 percent as sales of aircraft grow.


Consumer confidence improves in December, survey says NEW YORK A new survey says consumer sentiment improved in the first half of December. The subscriber-only University of Michigan  #39;s preliminary index on consumer sentiment for December rose to 95-point-seven from 92-point-eight seen in November.


Wall Street's Designs on '05? A Merger Boom After years of self-doubt and housecleaning in the wake of Enron, corporate America has gotten a bit of swagger back in its step.


Officials Consider Space Station Evacuation The United States and Russia are making contingency plans for an emergency evacuation of the two-man crew aboard the International Space Station .


Red Cross Returns After Fallujah Offensive (AP) AP - The Red Cross team entered Fallujah for the first time since a U.S.-led offensive devastated the city and met with Iraqi technicians and engineers to discuss the city's sewage and water treatment needs, a group spokesman said Friday.


Mubarak, Obasanjo discuss bilateral ties, African crises (AFP) AFP - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with his Nigerian counterpart Olusegun Obasanjo for talks that focused on enhancing bilateral ties and the various conflicts troubling the African continent.


Changes in Homeland Sec. Oversight Sought (AP) AP - Congressional oversight of the Homeland Security Department is "dysfunctional" and must be fundamentally changed to ensure Americans are protected, according to a report issued Friday by former House Speaker Tom Foley and retired Sen. Warren Rudman.


Cricket: Kumble joy over record Anil Kumble is thrilled after becoming India's leading wicket-taker in Tests.


Altria Smokes Up Prices are heading up for the firm's trademark cigs. Is it party time for investors?


Forest City Keeps Building The real estate company seems to have the right results and the right investors.


Crude Oil Falls on Skepticism OPEC Will Adhere to Output Quotas Crude oil fell on skepticism that members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will enact promised production cuts.


The Envelopes, Please As the awards season approaches, it's time again to hand out the prizes for executive incompetence.


PlayStation Portable #39;s tough birth Sony #39;s PlayStation Portable may ultimately live up to company promises of a  quot;Walkman for the 21st century quot; that revolutionizes entertainment, but that #39;s not going to happen next week.


Eye on IT Sometimes if you make believe something doesn #39;t exist it does somehow manage to go away. But that #39;s not the case with the browser security flaw discovered by Danish security research firm Secunia.


Siemens Snaps up Chantry Siemens (Quote, Chart) will acquire wireless LAN technology player Chantry Networks to fill out its HiPath lineup, executives said Thursday.


Title fight underdog is coming on strong He is a sizable underdog in Saturday night #39;s heavyweight title fight, and it #39;s no mystery why. Danny Williams, by all accounts, is taking a major step up in class.


Arsenal face key revival test Can two wins reverse a slide? Arsenal have scored eight times in winning their past two games, but those goals could be as confetti on the breeze if they slip up against Chelsea at Highbury on Saturday.


Sport scene The NHL players #39; association offered an immediate 24 percent salary rollback Thursday in Toronto as the centerpiece of a proposal handed to the league in an effort to end the season-long lockout.


Paceman Pathan sends Tigers packing at 184 A five-wicket haul by Indian paceman Irfan Pathan sent Bangladesh crashing to 184 against India in the first innings of first test when bad light forced an early close of the first day #39;s play due to insufficient light, reports BSS.


Tice: UW job could lure him from NFL Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice said yesterday that there are only two or three college coaching jobs that might lure him away from the NFL.


Klap: Strong backing at first Baseball has barely started breathing again since Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi admitted to using steroids - a scandal that froze the industry for an entire week.


Putin  quot;pleased quot; if Ukraine joins EU MOSCOW : President Vladimir Putin said he would be  quot;pleased quot; to see Ukraine admitted to the European Union because this would only benefit Russia #39;s economy due to its deep and long-standing industrial links with Ukraine.


GE raises dividend, boosts stock buyback General Electric Co. said Friday that it is raising its quarterly dividend by 10 percent to 22 cents per share, and could buy back up to \$15 billion worth of stock over the next three years.


Siemens acquires Chantry for larger WLAN play Siemens AG has acquired Chantry Networks, a step that will extend its enterprise offerings and Voice over Internet Protocol into the wireless local area network space.


Philip Morris Raises Prices on Marlboros, Other Smokes Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA has initiated a long-awaited increase in cigarette prices, providing what some analysts consider the first sign of life in the U.S. cigarette market since 2002.


Florida Orange, Grapefruit Crops Reduced Further Florida's hurricane-damaged orange and grapefruit crop will be even smaller than originally estimated, officials said Friday, raising the prospect of higher prices for orange juice at supermarkets and an even greater scarcity of grapefruit juice.


Dollar Rallies in Year-End Profit-Taking  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar gained broadly on Friday  for the third straight session, as strong U.S. economic data  gave traders additional reasons to take profits in other  currencies before the year's end.


GE OKs \$15 Bln Buybacks, Hikes Dividend  BOSTON (Reuters) - Diversified manufacturer General  Electric Co. GE.N on Friday said it boosted its quarterly  dividend by 10 percent and earmarked up to \$15 billion for  share repurchases over the next three years.


Winn-Dixie Names Rival's Ex-Executive CEO  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. WIN.N said on  Friday it ousted President and Chief Executive Frank Lazaran  after about a year in the post after he failed to revive the  grocer despite ordering 10,000 job cuts.


Supreme Court to take P2P case update The US Supreme Court on Friday said it would hear a controversial case on whether file-sharing software companies could be held legally responsible for copyright infringement on their networks.


Microsoft helps in bogus degrees case With help from software giant Microsoft Corp., officials tracked down two brothers who authorities say sold bogus college degrees over the Internet, including an MBA that was issued to a housecat.


NHL players propose a sizable salary cut The NHL players #39; association stunned the league and even its members with its latest effort to save the hockey season: an offer to roll back all players #39; salaries by 24 percent.


No let down for White this year Oklahoma was tied with Texas A amp;M in College Station, Texas, having already come back from three 14-point deficits. The Corps was screaming.


16 Killed in Venezuelan Plane Crash (AP) AP - A Venezuelan military plane crashed in a mountainous region near Caracas on Friday, killing 16 poeple, including high-ranking officers, a top government official said.


Berlusconi Saved in Graft Trial by Time Ruling Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi escaped conviction in a major corruption trial on Friday after a court invoked a statute of limitations that meant time had run out to sentence him for bribery.


Russia #39;s new mobile N-missile by  #39;06 MOSCOW: Moscow revealed the first hints of its secretive new nuclear weapons priorities on Friday with a top Russian general saying that a new generation of strategic missiles would soon be mobile on land and that this was far from the only thing that


Hostages walk free in Iraq TWO truck drivers from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka kidnapped in Iraq by the same militant group that claims to be holding two French journalists have been released by their captors, officials said today.


Preemptive Shot By cutting back to its official quotas, the cartel is trying to prove it can keep control of prices -- a risky gambit in the face of lots of vagaries.


Nextel, Sprint in advanced merger talks Nextel is reportedly in advanced merger talks with Sprint, a deal that would form the third largest US cell phone company. However, there were indications a third player, Verizon Wireless, might make a run


Daimler Chrysler Asked To Recall 600,000 Vehicles Federal safety regulators have asked Daimler Chrysler AG to recall 600,000 vehicles, because their wheels could fall off. The vehicles in question are 2000 through 2003 Dodge Durango SUV #39;s and Dakota pick-up trucks.


Ford to recall 474 000 SUVs worldwide Ford Motor Company said today it was recalling about 474 000 Escape and Mazda Tribute sport utility vehicles (SUVs) globally because the accelerator cable may prevent the engine from returning to the idle position, which could increase stopping distance


American raises domestic fares FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines has increased most domestic US and US to Canada fares \$5 one way and \$10 round trip, effective Dec. 9, to help offset the continuing high cost of jet fuel, the airline explained in a news release.


Lazio given stadium ban over racist fans Lazio will have to play their next European home game behind closed doors following racist abuse by their fans, UEFA has announced.


A vote for Bush The Heisman Trophy comes with wings, a tail, a flight crew and jet engines. Boeing and Airbus are fighting over its manufacturing rights.


The Crash After the Sugar High Imperial Sugar appears to be a lot sweeter than it was a year ago, but challenges remain.


Rare Day of Joy for Ciena Faithful Disappointment is the usual sentiment for Ciena shareholders -- except for yesterday.


U.S. Posts  #36;57.88 Billion Budget Deficit (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. government posted a  #36;57.88\billion shortfall between receipts and outlays in the month of


Telecom Making a Comeback? It seems that every time I write about the telecommunications industry, my thoughts slip back to my proud days at the Standard  amp; Poor #39;s Equity Group.


Chrysler Recall Possible Federal safety regulators have asked the carmaker to recall Durango Sport utility vehicles and Dakota pickups in the model years 2000 to 2003.


Cinergy to sell 6.1 million shares Cinergy Corp. of Cincinnati, Ohio, said Friday it plans to sell 6.1 million shares of common stock. The sale will be made under Cinergy #39;s effective shelf registration statement previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


Media Companies Get US Supreme Court Hearing on File Sharing The motion picture and recording industries will get a US Supreme Court hearing in their bid to block the catastrophic, multibillion-dollar harm #39; #39; they say is caused by file-sharing software used to pirate movies and songs.


Space telescopes discover more of sun #39;s sisters Astronomers are finding more of the sun #39;s sisters as they train two sharp eyes on the universe. NASA, ESA, DR Ardila, DA Golimowski, JE Krist, M. Clampin, JP


Penn State Tells 80,000 Students To Chuck IE A public university with an enrollment of over 80,000 puts the kibosh on Microsoft #39;s Internet Explorer. A public university with an enrollment of over 80,000 put the kibosh this week on Microsoft #39;s Internet


Apple #39;s iTunes now accepting PayPal com December 10, 2004, 11:28 AM PT. Customers at Apple Computer #39;s iTunes store will now be able to pay for their songs, albums and gift certificates using PayPal, a virtual wallet technology owned by eBay.


Wenger to mull goalkeeper dilemma until last minute Arsene Wenger said he had still not made up his mind about whether Jens Lehmann or Manuel Almunia will be in goal for Arsenal #39;s showdown with Premiership leaders Chelsea on Sunday.


NHL Lockout Glance NEGOTIATIONS: The NHL and the players #39; association held their first negotiating session since Sept. 9 on Thursday. The sides will meet again next Tuesday in either New York or Toronto when the league is expected


Goodman warms up to pitch city to owners While this weekend #39;s Major League Baseball meetings in Anaheim, Calif., will probably be dominated by talk of steroids and big player moves, Las Vegas #39; mayor hopes to grab some attention Saturday


Earthquake Hits Near India; No Damage Seen (AP) AP - A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck in the seas near the remote, tsunami-ravaged Andaman and Nicobar islands, but caused no damage or casualties, officials said Monday.


Court clears Berlusconi of corruption (AFP) AFP - Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi escaped a potentially devastating jail sentence when a Milan court cleared him of corruption charges after a four-year trial, a verdict which he hailed as "better late than never".


France to allow a longer workweek France #39;s prime minister has announced plans to let workers negotiate workweeks that exceed the current 35-hour limit. Jean-Pierre Raffarin also vowed to cut the current 9.9 percent unemployment rate by a 0.1


Doubts Persist About Election Results (AP) AP - As the Electoral College prepares to certify President Bush's re-election on Monday, concerns persist about the integrity of the nation's voting system  #151; particularly in Ohio, where details continue to emerge of technology failures, voter confusion and overcrowded polling stations in minority and poor neighborhoods.


Airport Patdown Procedures Modified (AP) AP - The Transportation Security Administration is slightly altering the way airport screeners conduct patdown searches by allowing passengers to put their arms down after their upper bodies are checked.


Sweden Awards Nobels But Shy Writer Stays Home  STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Scientists and economists from the  United States, Israel and Norway received their Nobel prizes on  Friday at a ceremony marked by the conspicuous absence of  literature laureate Elfriede Jelinek of Austria.


Embattled Ukraine PM Slams Opponent's 'Orange Coup'  KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's prime minister came out fighting  on Friday in the campaign for a re-run of a rigged presidential  election, accusing opposition challenger Viktor Yushchenko of  instigating "totalitarianism" against voters.


Sprinter Suspended Eight Years for Doping (AP) AP - Sprinter Michelle Collins was suspended for eight years for a doping violation linked to the BALCO scandal and will forfeit results that include 2003 indoor world and U.S. titles in the 200 meters.


China Fills Top Sports Post for Olympics (AP) AP - China appointed a party official who has never worked in sports to oversee the preparation of athletes for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.


Air Force Clears Athlete of Cheating (AP) AP - Air Force guard Dan Nwaelele will play Saturday against No. 3 Georgia Tech after being cleared of allegations that he cheated academically.


Bradley's Appeal Rejected The Ohio Supreme Court rejects former Indians outfielder Milton Bradley's appeal of a three-day jail sentence he received after driving away from police who were trying to give him a speeding ticket.


Summary Box: Delphi Corp. prepares for tough start to 2005 THE SITUATION: Squeezed by rising materials and health care costs and lower vehicle production, No. 1 auto supplier Delphi Corp. plans to cut 8,500 jobs worldwide next year after eliminating more than 9,000 in 2004.


Chinas inflation falls sharply in November Chinas annual inflation rate dropped sharply in November, heartening policy makers who have been striving to cool the economy and reducing chances of a further rise in interest rates in the near term.


Local gamer: Grand Theft Auto #39; steals the show Just how excited is Justin Field about the new  quot;Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas quot; video game.  quot;(It #39;s) the best game on the planet, in my mind, quot; said Field, the owner of the Eugene store and gaming center Big City Gamin #39;.


Honda CR-V SUV Gets Top Rating in Side Crash Test Honda Motor Co. Ltd. #39;s 2005 model CR-V compact sport utility vehicle has earned the top safety rating in side impact crash tests, a US research group linked to the insurance industry said on Friday.


Vail Resorts #39; loss widens to US\$31.5 million, real estate revenue <b>...</b> Vail Resorts said Friday that a drop in real estate revenue contributed to a wider loss in the first quarter, one of the company #39;s slowest times.


Nintendo Ready to Take on Sony On Wednesday during a presentation at the Foreign Correspondents Club held in Tokyo, Nintendo Co. Ltd. President Satoru Iwata revealed some interesting bits of information regarding the company #39;s stance towards


Man City v Tottenham Stuart Pearce has placed an early claim on the Manchester City job when Kevin Keegan steps down as manager in 18 months #39; time.


Washington job reportedly interests Tice Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Tice said that there are two or three college football jobs that could lure him from the NFL, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.


Line of Scrimmage: Week 14 - Peyton Will Own All QB Records When Peyton Manning breaks the single- season NFL record for passing touchdowns, an event that will likely occur this Sunday, I won #39;t go nuts celebrating the man.


First tomatoes, now grapefruit It #39;s been a lousy fall for grocery shoppers. First the cost of tomatoes set new records, and now those lucky enough to find grapefruits can expect to pay more than \$1 a piece.


Darfur Talks to Seek Political Pact Amid Fighting (Reuters) Reuters - Sudanese officials and Darfur rebels\arrived in Nigeria on Friday for talks on a political deal to\end two years of conflict in the vast desert region which\observers say is slipping deeper into chaos.


Apple #39;s iTunes now accepting PayPal Customers at Apple Computer #39;s iTunes store will now be able to pay for their songs, albums and gift certificates using PayPal, a virtual wallet technology owned by eBay.


Cisco to acquire BCN Cisco Systems has confirmed that it is to buy routing software start-up BCN Systems for an initial \$34 million (17.6 million). In the week it turned 20, the networking giant announced it will pay around


Microsoft to Judges: Eolas Didn #39;t Invent Patented Tech An appeals court should throw out a half-billion-dollar patent infringement judgment against Microsoft because a lower court failed to recognize that the Web browsing patent was based on a technology that was not invented by the company awarded the money


Enter your e-mail: E-mail users looking to strike back at spammers by installing a controversial screensaver are getting more than they bargained for.


Microsoft Readies Five Windows Fixes As part of its new advance warning policy, Microsoft on Thursday said next week #39;s regularly-scheduled patch day will feature five fixes for Windows, none of them more severe than  quot;Important.


Johnny Ortiz: Retire Maker Train Rolls On Vitali Klitschko is referring to himself as the  quot;Retire Maker, quot; he feels he is responsible for sending Lennox Lewis into retirement after their brutal fight for Lennox #39;s heavyweight title.


COLLINS #39; EIGHT-YEAR BAN American sprinter Michelle Collins has been hit with an eight-year suspension for using a cocktail of banned drugs EPO, testosterone and the designer steroid THG.


Preview: Manchester City v Tottenham Boss Kevin Keegan will again be without Claudio Reyna, Ben Thatcher, Trevor Sinclair and Jihai Sun. Bradley Wright-Phillips, who opened his goal-scoring account after just three minutes on the pitch against


NHL labour meeting set for Tuesday The NHL and NHLPA will be meeting Tuesday in Toronto at 1pm et/10am pt at which time the NHL is expected to respond to Thursday #39;s NHLPA proposal.


Air Force Clears Athlete of Cheating AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. Dec 10, 2004 - Air Force guard Dan Nwaelele will play Saturday against No. 3 Georgia Tech after being cleared of allegations that he cheated academically.


Oprah, Cruise to Co-Host Nobel Concert Nobel Peace show host Oprah Winfrey smiles in the Oslo Town Hall where Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai of Kenya is to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Friday, Dec. 10, 2004.


Palestinian Family Says Girl, 8, Was Killed by Israeli Bullet Israeli gunfire killed an 8-year-old Palestinian girl eating lunch in her home today during an exchange between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers in the southern Gaza Strip, the girl #39;s family said.


Corrupt ways That Indias politicians have been rated among the most corrupt in the world in a report brought out by Berlin-based NGO Transparency International (TI) isnta matter of surprise at all.


Dinesh Rajaratnam freed Sri Lankan truck driver Dinesh Rajaratnam taken hostage in Iraq last October has been released along with his Bangladeshi colleague Abul Kashem, the Foreign Ministry confirmed yesterday.


Watch Lists Glance (AP) AP - Other measures related to transportation security, besides expanded use of government watch lists on flights, cruises and at airports, included in the intelligence overhaul legislation:


Venezuelan plane crash kills 16 A military plane crashes in a mountainous area of Venezuela, killing 16 people.


Gold Standard No More Maybe the reason so many coaches have steered clear of the job at Notre Dame is that they got a look at the people they would be working for, and under what circumstances.


Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Girl Israeli troops shot and killed a 7-year-old Palestinian girl on Friday after militants fired mortar rounds at a Gaza Strip settlement, injuring four Israelis, one of them a child, officials said.


16 Killed in Venezuelan Plane Crash A Venezuelan military plane crashed in a mountainous region near Caracas on Friday, killing 16 poeple, including high-ranking officers, a top government official said.


1,400 Colombian Fighters Begin to Disarm More than a thousand paramilitary fighters began demobilizing Friday in the remote jungles of Colombia, where the main road is marked by crosses, burned vehicles and blown-up bridges - the scars of a protracted and bitter battle between their right-wing faction and leftist rebels for control of the region's cocaine industry.


OPEC to Cut Production After Six-Week Price Decline (Update7) OPEC, the producer of more than a third of the world #39;s oil, agreed to cut output by about 4 percent in a bid to prop up prices after the biggest drop in three years.


Summary Box: Airbus to Develop New Jet NEW PLANE: Airbus gets the go-ahead from its owners to start taking orders for the A350, a new mid-sized passenger plane it hopes will be the nemesis of its rival Boeing #39;s 7E7.


Apple Says ITunes Music Store Now Accepts PayPal Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Friday said customers of its iTunes online music store can now use eBay Inc.


Greed gone wild Let #39;s start with two hockey-related news bits most Americans probably aren #39;t aware of. 1) The NHL season still hasn #39;t started, and 2) On Thursday, union leaders made a new collective bargaining proposal to


Delphi to cut 8,500 jobs worldwide (December 10, 2004) - Delphi Corp. said Friday it plans to cut 8,500 jobs -r 4.6 percent of its total work force  -ldwide next year as part of an ongoing restructuring.


Update 1: Hurricanes Hurt Florida Citrus Crops Because of hurricane damage, Florida #39;s grapefruit crop this season will be the smallest since the Depression, and its orange crop the worst in 13 years, agriculture officials said in a forecast issued Friday.


UPDATE 1-Bank of America says moves 300 more jobs to Boston Bank of America Corp. (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , which in September promised to move 100 wealth and investment management jobs to Boston, on Friday said it would move an additional 300 jobs to that city next year.


Gemstar-TV Guide Taps Fox Executive as CEO Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. said on Friday it replaced Chief Executive Jeff Shell, credited with steering the company through a patch of legal woes, with a Fox


Space holidays may not be happy There may not be a happy holiday in space because Russian and American astronauts have been told to ration their food supply for the next few weeks, until a space shipment can reach them.


Yahoo adds fuel to desktop search rush Yahoo has announced it will join the fray with a new desktop product based on technology from X1 Technologies. Yahoo said it plans to launch a beta version of a new Yahoo Desktop Search tool in the coming


US Supreme Court to hear appeal on music-swapping, copyright WASHINGTON : The US Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear a case to determine whether music-swapping services can be held liable for copyright infringement if their networks are used for illegal digital copies.


Apple #39;s music store now accepts PayPal NEW YORK -- Apple Computer Inc. #39;s online music store, iTunes, will now accept PayPal for purchases of music downloads, audiobooks and gift certificates.


New file system has long road to Windows Microsoft #39;s long-planned new file system is likely still many years away from being a part of the company #39;s server operating system.


Monkeys use tools to forage LONDON - Wild capuchin monkeys can understand cause and effect well enough to use rocks to dig for food, scientists have found. Capuchin monkeys often use tools and solve problems in captivity and sometimes


Cisco purchase of BCN is par for the course Cisco Systems #39; acquisition of BCN Systems, a tiny networking software design company, runs true to form as Cisco continues its practice of buying key techn ologies to advance its product development strategy.


SPECTOR: Players #39; offer not quite good enough Thursday #39;s collective bargaining meeting between the NHL and NHLPA lasted only four hours, but it #39;s still unknown if anything came out of it to save the 2004-05 season.


Valdosta on a roll since loss in opener The Valdosta State Blazers nearly didn #39;t get to the NCAA Division II national championship game against Pittsburg State in Alabama.


Italian team ordered to play without fans The Italian team Lazio was ordered Friday to play its next European game without fans as punishment for a game last month marked by racial taunts from the stands.


D-Backs reportedly to sign Russ Ortiz ANAHEIM, Calif. - The Arizona Diamondbacks continue to make waves in the free agent marketplace, reportedly signing veteran righthander Russ Ortiz on Friday in what could be a precursor to a blockbuster involving Randy Johnson.


AU-sponsored Darfur peace talks postponed to Saturday in Nigeria Peace talks aimed at ending a 22-month-old crisis in Sudan #39;s troubled Darfur region, scheduled for Friday in Nigerian capital Abuja, has been postponed for a day, a spokesman for the African Union said.


Russia glad if Ukraine joins EU: Putin Russia  quot;would only be too glad quot; if Ukraine joined the European Union (EU), Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, the Interfax reported.


Oracle Moves Earnings Forward to Dec. 13 (Reuters) Reuters - Business software maker Oracle\Corp.  on Friday said it had decided to move forward\the release date of its fiscal second-quarter earnings to\Monday, Dec. 13 before markets open instead of Thursday, Dec.\16.


Forsee: Sprint CEO Eyed As Likely Leader If Nextel Deal Inked Haute monde meets mass market. Friday saw Sprint (nyse: FON - news - people ) shares open higher and Nextel Communications (nasdaq: NXTL - news - people ) slide as the market digested news of a possible merger between the telecommunications firms.


America West: Will Not Bid for ATA America West Holdings Corp. (AWA) on Thursday said it would not bid for assets of bankrupt carrier ATA Airlines, saying the value does not justify the cost.


Hurricane damage to Fla. citrus crop even worse than expected Floridas hurricane-damaged citrus crops will be even smaller than originally estimated, officials said Friday, raising the specter of higher prices for orange juice and an even greater scarcity of grapefruit juice.


Halo 2, San Andreas key drivers of Nov. revenue, say NPD stats Absent sales from the killer titles published by Microsoft and Rockstar, November sales would have dropped more than 20 percent. With the two, revenues rose 11 percent.


Community Bancorp Soars in IPO Debut Four new stocks shot out of the starting gates Friday and posted upbeat opening-day gains, riding investor momentum spurred by stronger-than-expected pricings from two initial public offerings while two others came in at the top of expectations.


PeopleSoft scores analyst support LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) -- PeopleSoft Inc., whose board has spurned repeated hostile takeover offers from Oracle Corp,. got a major boost Thursday when several analysts raised their PeopleSoft financial forecasts.


Napster to sell mobile ringtones Los Angeles-based music downloading service Napster has partnered with another company to sell mobile phone ringtones, ITObserver.


Apple #39;s iTunes connects to PayPal Customers at online music store will be able to use eBay #39;s payment service to pay for songs. SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc.


School #39;s out to shun IE Citing security risks, a state university is urging students to drop Internet Explorer in favor of alternative Web browsers such as Firefox and Safari.


Cisco expands router offerings with BCN buy Cisco Systems today confirmed that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held BCN Systems, a Californian networking software design firm.


Microsoft Contests Patent Decision Microsoft is in court today contesting a Federal Court ruling in favour of Eolas for \$565 million. The court upheld a lower court ruling that Microsoft #39;s popular Internet Exporer browser infringed on patents


Allenby predicts Masters surge Defending champion Robert Allenby is confident of quickly bridging the gap between himself and tournament leader Bradley Hughes in today #39;s third round of the Australian Masters at Huntingdale in Melbourne.


Mavericks Defeat Bucks 123-104 (AP) AP - Dirk Nowitzki scored 39 points and Josh Howard scored 11 of his 25 in the fourth quarter in the Dallas Mavericks' 123-104 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night.


New BALCO hit: Collins banned 8 years COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Sprinter Michelle Collins was suspended for eight years for a doping violation linked to the BALCO scandal and will forfeit results that include 2003 indoor world and US titles in the 200 meters.


Ives Galarcep Like James Dean #39;s character in Rebel Without a Cause, Clint Mathis seems to find trouble wherever he goes. The enigmatic former MetroStar and current Hannover 96 striker only needed a year to wear out his


Blast in Quetta market kills 10 ISLAMABAD, DECEMBER 10: At least 10 people, including a soldier, were killed when a bomb exploded near an Army truck in a busy market area in the Pakistani city of Quetta today.


Japan to Ease Weapons Export Ban, Revamps Military (Update2) Japan #39;s government will ease a four- decade ban on weapons exports, opening up new markets for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.


Chaos looms in Darfur as violence increases: Annan Chaos is looming in Sudan #39;s western Darfur region as violence increases, order collapses, and the number of desperate people in need of humanitarian aid reaches nearly 2.3 million, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report to


Turkish Leader Calls for EU Membership Talks Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Brussels to make a final pitch before next week #39;s EU summit for the 25-nation bloc to set a date for his country to begin membership talks.


Sony Prepares For PSP Launch Japan is preparing for the long-awaited launch of Sony #39;s answer to the Nintendo DS, the PSP. The target for the PSP launch is this coming Sunday.


Browser Flaw Leaves Online Shoppers Open to Phishing Scam Security firm Secunia reported that the vulnerability affects nearly all browsers, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Konqueror, Opera, Netscape and Safari.


Dusty discs girdle distant solar systems Cold, dusty discs of debris have been clearly detected around stars in other planet-harbouring solar systems for the first time by NASA #39;s Spitzer Space Telescope.


Drunken British soldier leaves party in suicide bomber costume; prompts alert (Canadian Press) Canadian Press - LONDON (AP) - A drunken soldier sparked a security alert when he left a costume party dressed as a suicide bomber, wearing a turban, false beard and a combat jacket stuffed with pretend explosives, British police said Friday.


Consumers Cheer Up, Budget Deficit Swells  CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. consumers' mood brightened in  early December, which may bode well for retailers in the key  holiday shopping season, a survey showed on Friday.


Sprint in Talks to Buy Nextel for \$36 Bln  PHILADELPHIA/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Corp. is in  advanced talks to buy Nextel Communications Inc. for more than  \$36 billion in a mostly stock deal that would combine the No. 3  and No. 5 U.S. wireless service carriers, sources familiar with  the situation said on Friday.


Stocks Down Slightly; Economic Data Mixed  NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks ended slightly lower on  Friday as a higher-than-expected jump in U.S. producer prices  helped to offset a fall in oil prices and dividend hikes from  General Electric Co. GE.N and SBC Communications SBC.N.


AP: Rehnquist Plans to Swear in Bush (AP) AP - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, suffering from thyroid cancer, still plans to preside at President Bush's inauguration on Jan. 20, The Associated Press has learned.


Dollar Holds on to Gains with Fed in View  NEW YORK (Reuters) - The dollar posted broad gains on  Friday for the third straight session, as traders took more   year-end profits in other currencies in anticipation of higher  U.S. interest rates after next week's Federal Reserve meeting.


Airbus A350 Unleashes New War with Boeing  PARIS (Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus won approval  from its shareholders on Friday to unleash a fresh marketing  battle against arch-rival Boeing by seeking orders for a  fuel-saving, wide-body jet to be called the A350.


Supreme Court to Decide Grokster Case (Reuters) Reuters - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday\agreed to consider whether Internet file-trading networks\should be held responsible when their users copy music, movies\and other protected works without permission.


Venezuelan Military Plane Crashes, 16 Killed  CARACAS, Venezuela, Dec 10 (Reuters) - A Venezuelan  military aircraft crashed into a mountainside west of Caracas  on Friday, killing 16 passengers and crew-members aboard  including several senior officers, authorities said.


Oil Prices Fall Despite OPEC Output Cut Oil prices fell to four-month lows on Friday even though the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries moved to curb production above its official 27 million barrel-per-day output ceiling.


Shrek 3 Postponed Until 2007, James Brown Has Cancer, Kidman Out <b>...</b> com Staff. DreamWorks Animation Studios announced it was pushing the release date for its highly anticipated feature Shrek 3 from November 2006 to May 2007.


White Has Chance to Make Heisman History (AP) AP - Archie Griffin wouldn't mind sharing his claim to fame. The former Ohio State tailback is the only player to win two Heisman trophies, receiving his second in 1975.


iTunes now accepting Paypal payment Today, both Apple and Paypal have announced that the iTunes music store in the US will now accept Paypal purchases for anything on iTunes.


Deep, faint tremors in central California fascinate, worry <b>...</b> Deep beneath the San Andreas Fault in central California, the ground has been erupting in strange, faint tremors that last up to 20 minutes, scientists reported Thursday.


Syria to Offer Iraqi Expat Polling Sites (AP) AP - Iraqi expatriates in Syria will have the opportunity to vote in this month's Iraqi elections under an agreement signed Sunday between the Syrian government and the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration.


Vick more comfortable with Crumpler Is it possible to win a playoff spot, in this era of aerial supremacy, without a single wide receiver posting 40 catches for the season?


Bush Unlikely Heisman Trophy Finalist (AP) AP - In some ways, Reggie Bush is the most unlikely Heisman Trophy finalist. He doesn't start for No. 1 Southern California, and ranks second on the team in rushing and receiving. He's a sophomore, and the previous winners have all been juniors or seniors. Finally, he's often been overshadowed by teammate Matt Leinart, also a finalist for the award.


Faruk talks to wife, brother after release Bangladeshi truck driver Abul Kashem Faruk, who was freed by Islamic Army of Iraq (IAI) Thursday, talked to his family over telephone and the government confirmed his release yesterday.


Russian defense chief reserves right to conduct preemptive strikes Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Friday emphasized Russias right to conduct preventive strikes against terrorists anywhere across the globe, suggesting it has become common


Venezuelan plane crash kills 16  quot;There were 16 people travelling aboard. ... It crashed into a mountain, quot; Col. Antonio Rivero, head of the Civil Protection service, told.


Putin approves of Ukraine #39;s membership in EU RBC, 10.12.2004, Moscow 19:51:19.Russian President Vladimir Putin approves of the possibility of Ukraine joining the European Union.


Italian Team Ordered to Play Without Fans (AP) AP - The Italian team Lazio was ordered Friday to play its next European game without fans as punishment for a game last month marked by racial taunts from the stands.


Business ; Chinese Inflation Drops Sharply Business News, BEIJING, China #39;s annual inflation rate dropped sharply in November, providing further evidence that steps to cool the economy are working and reducing the chances in the near term of a fresh rise in interest rates.


Cut From Longhorn, WinFS Is in Peril The Windows Future Storage (WinFS) technology that got cut out of Windows  quot;Longhorn quot; is in serious trouble, and not just the hot water a feature might encounter for missing its intended production vehicle.


quot;I can take his punches quot; - Williams By Ant Evans in Las Vegas( pic by Mr Will/Hogan Photos): WBC heavyweight title challenger Danny Williams insists he #39;s completely unperturbed by champion Vitali Klitschko #39;s well-hyped punching power on the eve of their Mandalay Bay collision here Saturday


Q amp;A with Metros GM Nick Sakiewicz com Staff. Following Friday #39;s trade involving the MetroStars and San Jose Earthquakes for defender Jeff Agoos, Metros general maanger Nick Sakiewicz took time to answer questions regarding his newest acquisition.


Cyprus warns it could veto Turkey #39;s EU talks NICOSIA: Cyprus has upped the ante in its demands for recognition from Turkey, warning its European Union partners it may otherwise veto the start of accession talks with Ankara, local newspapers reported.


World ; Russia defends anti-terror preventive strikes  quot;Russia is not the only country that has announced the possibility of using or carrying out preventive strikes. I would like to stress that we did not invent it, quot; he added, hinting that Moscow was following a US lead.


Shiite Group Reveals Some Iraq Candidates (AP) AP - Iraq's future political landscape began to take shape Friday, as a coalition led by powerful Shiite Muslim groups revealed a few of its candidates in next month's parliamentary election. They include former exiles, a prominent cleric and members of the interim government.


U.S. Gives OK to China Furniture Duties (Reuters) Reuters - A U.S. trade panel on Friday\approved anti-dumping duties of up to 198 percent on  #36;1.2\billion worth of wooden bedroom furniture from China. However,\many Chinese furniture companies will escape the highest duty\levels.


High Court to Hear File-Sharing Dispute (AP) AP - The Supreme Court said Friday it will consider whether Internet file-sharing services are responsible for their customers illegally swapping songs and movies, a multibillion-dollar case testing the limits of copyright law in the digital age.


Portugal faces general election Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio calls an early general election to end "crisis of credibility".


Randall Wins ACC Honor Bryan Randall, who led a team picked sixth in the preseason to the title,is named The Associated Press ACC player of the year.


US Jet Flight to Vietnam Makes History United Airlines became the first US carrier to fly to Vietnam since the war ended nearly 30 years ago, marking a new milestone in relations between the former enemies as VIPs on board were greeted at the airport with lotus blossoms and silk lanterns.


General Electric raises dividend, announces plans to buy back <b>...</b> General Electric Co. raised its quarterly dividend by 10 per cent and launched a plan to buy back up to \$15 billion US in shares over three years, as it projected double-digit percentage earnings growth for 2005.


Diamondbacks Sign Pitcher Russ Ortiz (AP) AP - The Arizona Diamondbacks kept busy Friday, signing free-agent pitcher Russ Ortiz to a four-year deal a day after agreeing to terms with third baseman Troy Glaus.


Oil Slumps Below \$41, Dealers Shrug OPEC Cut Oil prices settled under \$41 for the first time since July Friday as dealers took profits on a widely expected move by the OPEC cartel to curb production in excess of its official output ceiling.


Sprint in Talks to Buy Nextel for \$36 Bln  PHILADELPHIA/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sprint Corp. is close to  an agreement buy Nextel Communications Inc. for more than \$36  billion in a mostly stock deal that would combine the No. 3 and  No. 5 U.S. wireless telephone companies, sources familiar with  the situation said on Friday.


Apple: ITunes Music Store Accepts PayPal  SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. AAPL.O on  Friday said customers of its iTunes online music store can now  use eBay Inc.'s EBAY.O online payment service PayPal to buy  songs and audio books, becoming the second major online music  store to do so.


High Court To Decide File-Sharing Case NEW YORK - Who should be held responsible for the use of peer-to-peer software program to trade copyright music and video files on the Internet?


Airbus steps up challenge to Boeing #39;s 7E7 PARIS Airbus announced Friday that it would move ahead with two new long-range versions of its widebody A330 aircraft to cobble together a competitor for Boeing #39;s planned new 7E7.


Update 1: Southwest Offers \$100M for ATA Assets The bidding war for bankrupt ATA Airlines #39; assets heated up on Friday when Southwest Airlines offered at least \$100 million in cash and loans for gates at Chicago #39;s Midway Airport and an alliance with ATA, its main rival there.


Bank of America to move 300 jobs to Boston Bank of America plans to move an additional 300 jobs from its Wealth and Investment Management businesses to Boston. The bank was sharply criticized after it cut jobs at former Fleet branches in Massachusetts.


Giants' Barber Leads NFL in Total Yards (AP) AP - Tiki Barber won the NFL yards from scrimmage title and set the New York Giants' all-time rushing record in Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys.


GE to Buy Back \$15 Bln in Stock, Raise Dividend (Update4) General Electric Co., the world #39;s biggest company by market value, will buy back as much as \$15 billion in stock and raise its dividend as Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt #39;s growth strategy generates more cash and profit.


Napster To Enter Mobile Ringtone Arena Thanks two a partnership with Dwango Wireless; the new Napster is prepared to enter the mobile technology realm. But this time, it #39;s not for illegal mp3s.


Kazaa Talked to Record Firms About Music Swaps Kazaa, the world #39;s most popular Internet file-swapping system, told a court on Thursday it was worried about users exchanging unauthorized files and held talks with record companies in the United States about the problem.


Oklahoma #39;s Jason White Wins Maxwell Award Oklahoma quarterback Jason White has taken home the Maxwell Award as college football #39;s best all-around player and won his second straight Davey O #39;Brien quarterback trophy.


Suns Place Voskuhl On IL Phoenix, AZ -- The Phoenix Suns Friday placed Jake Voskuhl on the injured list after the center had an emergency appendectomy surgery.


Magic #39;s Garrity Activated From Injured List Oakland, CA -- The Orlando Magic activated forward Pat Garrity from the injured list on Friday and placed forward Brandon Hunter on the IL with a hyperextended right elbow.


Nobel Peace laureate calls for a greener tomorrow OSLO - Kenyan ecologist Wangari Maathai, who yesterday received the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Oslo, said protecting the environment was vital to promote peace and democracy.


UN: New Darfur displacements reported UN humanitarian agencies report thousands of people displaced for the second time in a month because of fresh outbreaks of fighting in Sudan #39;s Darfur region.


Turkish Leader Wins EU Officials' Backing (AP) AP - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's drive to get his country into the European Union won strong backing from top EU officials Friday, a week before the bloc's leaders decide whether to open membership talks.


Some of Leaders in United Iraqi Alliance (AP) AP - Some of the main leaders in the United Iraqi Alliance:


U.S. Money Helped Opposition in Ukraine (AP) AP - The Bush administration has spent more than  #36;65 million in the past two years to aid political organizations in Ukraine, paying to bring opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko to meet U.S. leaders and helping to underwrite exit polls indicating he won last month's disputed runoff election.


US Supreme Court to hear appeal on music-swapping, copyright (AFP) AFP - The US Supreme Court agreed to hear a case on whether music-swapping services can be held liable for copyright infringement if their networks are used for illegal digital copies.


Yushchenko in hospital for tests Ukraine's presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko is having tests in Austria into his mystery illness.


Sources: Sprint, Nextel closing in on \$36B deal DECEMBER 10, 2004 (REUTERS) - Sprint Corp. is in advanced talks to buy Nextel Communications Inc. for more than \$36 billion in a mostly stock deal that would combine the No.


Mobile phone users double since 2000 A report out yesterday from the International Telecommunication Union says that mobile phone users have doubled since the year 2000.


UPDATE 2-Bank of America says moves 300 more jobs to Boston Bank of America Corp. (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) , which suffered bad publicity over layoffs at former Fleet branches, on Friday said it will move an additional 300 jobs to Boston next year.


Bristol-Myers to Seek Over-The-Counter OK Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. said Friday that it plans to pursue Food and Drug Administration approval to sell an over-the-counter version of its cholesterol-lowering drug, Pravachol.


Update 2: Winn-Dixie Forces Out CEO Frank Lazaran Supermarket giant Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., struggling against competition from Wal-Mart and other grocery chains, named a new president and chief executive officer Friday, forcing out its previous leader after less than 18 months on the job.


Video Gamer Makers Undeterred by Mixed Sales Data Shares of the leading video game software publishers traded higher Friday despite mixed November sales. US sales of console games -- those made for Sony #39;s (SNE:NYSE - news - research) PlayStation 2, Microsoft #39;s


Shell: Gemstar-TV Guide Replaces CEO With Battista, Reportedly <b>...</b> Switching channels. Jeff Shell is out and Rich Battista is in as chief executive at Gemstar-TV Guide International (nasdaq: GMST - news - people ). According to the Los Angeles Times, Shell is resigning to


Search companies vye for the desktop All the major Web portals seem to be rushing delivery on one product this holiday: desktop search software. Microsoft plans to introduce a test version of its desktop search application in the coming days, meeting its stated deadline by a nose.


Access to Kazaa Not Blockable? That #39;s what Philip Morle told an Australian court, and he ought to know--he #39;s Sharman Networks #39; chief technology officer.


JBoss aims high with Enterprise Middleware System DECEMBER 10, 2004 (IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Open-source vendor JBoss Inc. on Monday plans to formally announce a stack of middleware software designed to make it more competitive with the sophisticated products sold by companies like IBM, BEA Systems Inc.


A gentleman and a boxer There was a time when knocking out Mike Tyson was boxing #39;s equivalent to beating Ken Jennings at Final Jeopardy. It was the most Heruculean of labors and when it finally happened, it was an international event


Suns place Voskuhl on IL Phoenix, AZ (Sports Network) - The Phoenix Suns Friday placed Jake Voskuhl on the injured list after the center had an emergency appendectomy surgery.


Magic #39;s Garrity activated from injured list Oakland, CA (Sports Network) - The Orlando Magic activated forward Pat Garrity from the injured list on Friday and placed forward Brandon Hunter on the IL with a hyperextended right elbow.


Arizona Man to Drop Mike Tyson Car-Beating Charges An Arizona man who claims his car was attacked by Mike Tyson, said on Friday he will drop his criminal complaint against the ex-heavyweight champion for damaging the vehicle outside a local nightspot.


Turkish leader wins EU officials #39; backing Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan #39;s drive to get his country into the European Union won strong backing from top EU officials Friday, a week before the bloc #39;s leaders decide whether to open membership talks.


US Soldier Pleads Guilty to Murdering Iraqi Youth A US soldier has pleaded guilty to murdering a wounded 16-year-old Iraqi boy. Staff Sergeant Johnny Horne was convicted Friday of the unpremeditated murder


Next step towards military  #39;normality #39; APART from the decision to relax the 1976 military exports embargo, Japan #39;s National Defence Program Outline is not a revolutionary document.


PayPal and Apple iTunes link-up Payment system Paypal announces a tie-up with Apple's iTunes as it continues to secure new business with online retailers.


Safety Regulators Want Recall of Durango, Dakota Trucks Federal safety regulators and DaimlerChrysler are sparring over a problem with Dodge Durango and Dakota trucks. The government believes the defect could lead to wheels falling off and wants a recall, but the company says the problem isn't that serious.


Vodafone faces US lockout if Sprint merges VODAFONE faces losing its last opportunity to gain an independent foothold in the US as the bidding war for Sprint, Americas top US mobile operator, heats up.


First US flight in 30 years is good morning for Vietnam THE first commercial flight between the United States and Vietnam since their war 30 years ago landed yesterday to open a new chapter of cultural and economic exchange between the former foes.


US and EU trade war to flare up again as Airbus takes on Boeing ROBERT ZOELLICK, the United States Trade representative, suggested last night that talks to settle the EU-US trade dispute surrounding subsidies paid to Boeing and


So who ate all the pies in space? IN SPACE no one can hear you raid the fridge. So the astronauts on the International Space Station orbiting the Earth have found that, despite careful calorie counting, they are running out of food.


Diamondbacks stay active by signing Ortiz The Arizona Diamondbacks kept busy Friday, signing free-agent pitcher Russ Ortiz to a four-year deal a day after agreeing to terms with third baseman Troy Glaus.


Landmark eight-year ban for US sprinter MICHELLE COLLINS, of the United States, the former world indoor 200 metres champion, was suspended for eight years yesterday for drug abuse in a landmark ruling in the fight against doping.


New York bid for Olympic gold tarnished by battle of the titans NEW YORKS rush to build an Olympic stadium has provoked a clash between the citys billionaire mayor and a multimillionaire cable television tycoon that has thrown the Big Apples bid for the 2012 Games into jeopardy.


McGrady puts on finish for the ages against Spurs Tracy McGrady needed only 35 seconds to turn a sure loss into an improbable win and a listless 20-point night into one of the league #39;s most memorable clutch performances.


You know the Bears got jobbed when Pac-10 rivals come to their <b>...</b>  quot;Looks like you were right on about Cal getting passed over for the Rose Bowl bid. I don #39;t think it would have made a bit of difference if Cal had won by 110 points instead of just 10.


Britain welcomes Kufuor victory in Ghana (AFP) AFP - Britain congratulated Ghanaian President John Kufuor on his election victory, and praised the west African state for holding free, fair and transparent elections.


Berlusconi cleared of corruption A TRIUMPHANT Silvio Berlusconi hailed his acquittal on corruption charges by a Milan court yesterday, saying he had never doubted he would be cleared.


Bush to Focus on Tort Reform at Forum (AP) AP - President Bush's main focus during a White House economic conference next week will be big damage awards in lawsuits and the federal deficit, the White House said Friday.


Colombian rebels hand over guns More than 1,400 Colombian paramilitaries hand over their weapons to the country's government.


Two Small SUVs Earn Good Rating In Crash Tests The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety has released new side-impact crash test results for small sport utility vehicles. The 2005 Honda CRV earned a good rating along with the 2005 Ford Escape.


Muglia Updates Windows Server Roadmap In a press tour on Friday, Microsoft senior vice president for Windows Server Bob Muglia updated the Windows Server release schedule for next year.


Hoyer Applauds Decision to Save Hubble WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny Hoyer released the following statement today applauding the National Academy of Sciences National Research Council recommendation to launch a space shuttle mission to save the Hubble Space Telescope.


Some of baseball #39;s biggest names available Christmas time in southern California is strange. Charlie Brown #39;s tree here is a palm. And as the Baseball Winter Meetings opened


Linfield College QB Nears NCAA TD Mark (AP) AP - Brett Elliott started eight games for Utah before breaking his wrist early last season.


US ex-financier jailed for fraud Martin Frankel,  who defrauded insurance companies out of more than \$200m is jailed for 16 years


Stocks Dip as Dollar Rises and Oil Drops (Reuters) Reuters - U.S. stocks inched lower on Friday but\fresh economic data drove the dollar and bonds higher, while\profit-taking pushed oil prices down after OPEC'S widely\expected decision to curb production.


Sprinter Suspended Sprinter Michelle Collins is suspended for eight years for a doping violation linked to the BALCO scandal.


Rangers Sign Hidalgo Wanting another bat to support their young players, the Rangers agree to a \$5 million, one-year contract with Richard Hidalgo.


Business News for Technology Leaders Delphi #39;s global production volumes and commodity price increases are expected to translate to Q4 revenue of \$6.9-\$7 billion, about \$200 million below the company #39;s previously stated expectations.


Oracle Moves Earnings Forward to Monday Business software maker Oracle Corp. on Friday said it will release its second-quarter earnings before US markets open on Monday, instead of Thursday, due to issues related to its takeover bid for PeopleSoft Inc.


Salvation Army bell ringers hushed Maybe you #39;ve noticed already this holiday season - Salvation Army bell ringers are not standing in front of as many stores as they did last year.


Windows Server  #39;R2 #39; Goes to 1,000 Beta Testers Microsoft quietly delivered a first private beta release of Windows Server  quot;R2 quot; to the first of about 1,000 testers Wednesday, company officials confirmed Friday.


Users Still Snookered By Spam falling repeatedly for spam scams that promise software at fire sale prices. In fact, one in five consumers surveyed bought software


Tremors Under San Andreas Studied The faint tremors, which were detected beneath the town of Cholame, are similar to those discovered in the past two years in Japan and the Pacific Northwest.


Tiger and Monty in the lead Colin Montgomerie walked off the 18th green in a tie for the lead with Tiger Woods at the Target World Challenge, and someone told him the tournament was in his hands.


Wenger refuses to go on lookout for replacement ALTHOUGH the world and his wife might be telling him otherwise, Arsne Wenger prefers to back his own judgment, thank you very much.


Pacers players, fans charged in Detroit NBA fight This is not original reporting. All facts have been gathered from ESPN, the Associated Press, Fox Sports Net, The Indianapolis Star, and The Washington Post.


Diamondbacks add free-agent Ortiz CBC SPORTS ONLINE - After adding slugging third baseman Troy Glaus at baseball #39;s winter meetings, the Arizona Diamondbacks have turned their attention to pitching.


Hidalgo agrees to \$5 million, one-year contract with Texas ANAHEIM, Calif. The Texas Rangers today reached a one-year, five (M) million dollar contract with right fielder Richard Hidalgo. Hidalgo split last season between the Houston Astros and the New York Mets.


Search for Thai Tsunami Dead Narrows to Hard Hit Areas (Reuters) Reuters - Teams searching for bodies in\tsunami-devastated Thailand zeroed in on the hardest hit areas\on Monday, as Thai and Japanese navy ships scoured the seas for\more dead.


Dodge Durango, Dakota Trucks Recalled Bowing to pressure from federal safety regulators, DaimlerChrysler AG is recalling 600,000 Dodge Durango SUVs Dakota pickup trucks because of a defect that can cause their wheels to fall off.


Defense policy overhauled to meet new global threats The government announced Friday plans to conduct a sweeping overhaul of its defense policy, adjusting Japan #39;s armed forces to better handle new threats such as terrorism and giving them a greater global role.


US soldier pleads guilty to killing A US soldier pleaded guilty at a court martial yesterday to killing a severely wounded 16-year-old Iraqi boy during fighting in Baghdad #39;s Sadr City district.


Britains HHG sells life services arm for 1bil MELBOURNE: Britains HHG Plc has agreed to sell its life insurance business for 1.025bil to Life Company Investor Group, and plans to return 875mil of the proceeds to shareholders.


Disney to support Blu-Ray Disney announced yesterday that it will support Blu-Ray as its choice for the next generation optical format, instead of the HD-DVD.


Yahoo Plans Desktop Search To Compete With Google, Microsoft Yahoo Inc. plans to release in January the beta version of a desktop search application, as the giant web portal looks to catch Google Inc.


Manchester City vs. Tottenham Nicolas Anelka is fit for Manchester City #39;s Premiership encounter against Tottenham at Eastlands, but the 13million striker will have to be content with a place on the bench.


Militants Claim Responsibility for Bomb Blast in Pakistan Militant nationalists have claimed responsibility for a bomb blast in southwestern Pakistan that killed at least 11 people Friday.


The joys of traveling with a heavy suitcase NEW YORK The holiday season is an especially busy time for global travelers intent on delivering gifts to friends and relatives from faraway places.


How the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 7E7 stack up Seating: The two versions of the A350 would seat between 245 and 285 passengers in a typical three-class configuration. Boeing #39;s 7E7 Dreamliner #39;s three models will accommodate between 217 and 289 passengers.


Xstrata threatens to pull offer Xstrata yesterday threatened to withdraw its hostile 2.9 billion takeover offer for WMC if the Australian miner indicated it would dilute value by paying out up to A\$1 billion in cash to shareholders.


'BitTorrent' Gives Hollywood a Headache (AP) AP - Bram Cohen didn't set out to upset Hollywood movie studios. But his innovative online file-sharing software, BitTorrent, has grown into a piracy problem the film industry is struggling to handle.


Mobile Gadgets Measure Meals on the Go (AP) AP - The most popular dieting brands are now weighing in with calorie counters and nutritional guides designed for personal digital assistants and combination PDA-mobile phones. Just in time for the season of bountiful temptation.


Time for Williams to check his ego into a penthouse suite In a hotel suite in Las Vegas a couple of days ago a fighter unpacked the bags he had carried down from the drab suburban bungalow that had been his rented home.


F1 #39;s plans for London race gather pace Bernie Ecclestone remains in the grip of Christmas spirit. A day after the gift of the British Grand Prix, given a July 10 date at yesterday #39;s FIA world council meeting, Formula One #39;s commercial


Carter placed on injured list with strained Achilles tendon TORONTO (CP) - The Raptors placed Vince Carter on the injured list Friday with a strained left Achilles tendon. The guard/forward injured his Achilles in the first minute of the second half of Toronto #39;s loss at Detroit on Wednesday night.


Union bosses owe players an apology Tough steroid testing is on the way, apparently. It #39;s too bad that it took ugly BALCO testimony and Senate threats to force Don Fehr and Gene Orza, the leaders of the union, to pull their heads out of the sand.


Brazelton wins Tony Conigliaro Award Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Dewon Brazelton captured the Tony Conigliaro Award. The honor is presented annually to the player who overcomes adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage.


With Holiday Season Half Over, Web Sales on Track (Reuters) Reuters - Online holiday spending,\excluding travel and auctions, was  #36;8.41 billion between Nov. 1\through Dec. 5, up 23 percent from the year-ago period and on\track to meet estimates, comScore Networks said Friday.


Thomson To Support Both HD DVD and Blu-ray (NewsFactor) NewsFactor - Thomson, owner of the Technicolor brand and maker of Thomson and RCA DVD players, has announced that it will support both contending next-generation DVD formats. It will manufacture both HD DVD and Blu-ray disks through Technicolor, but manufacture only HD DVD players.


Sprint, Nextel Stocks Up on Merger Reports (AP) AP - Wall Street was abuzz Friday over a potential merger between Sprint and Nextel, though the companies declined to comment on a slew of news reports that they are negotiating to combine to create a celluar provider that would almost rival Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless in size.


Oracle Moves Earnings Forward to Monday (Reuters) Reuters - Business software maker Oracle\Corp.  on Friday said it will release its\second-quarter earnings before U.S. markets open on Monday,\instead of Thursday, due to issues related to its takeover bid\for PeopleSoft Inc. that may come up in court later on Monday.


Search heads toward enterprise desktops (InfoWorld) InfoWorld - Desktop search has its sights set on corporate PCs, leaving enterprise IT wary of potential security issues associated with the highly anticipated tools.


Apple: ITunes Music Store Accepts PayPal (Reuters) Reuters - Apple Computer Inc.  on\Friday said customers of its iTunes online music store can now\use eBay Inc.'s  online payment service PayPal to buy\songs and audio books, becoming the second major online music\store to do so.


Ice-Age Ivory Flute Found in German Cave (Reuters) Reuters - A 35,000-year-old flute made from a\woolly mammoth's ivory tusk has been unearthed in a German cave\by archaeologists, the University of Tuebingen said on Friday.


Ancient Gold Mask to Be Returned to Peru (Reuters) Reuters - A gold mask dating back more than\1,000 years to a pre-Inca civilization in northern Peru will be\returned home next year after being turned in to police by a\collector in Italy, a museum official said on Friday.


'After Kyoto' Takes Center Stage at Climate Talks (Reuters) Reuters - The Kyoto agreement to\reduce greenhouse gas emissions doesn't take effect for two\months, but climate change negotiators are already fixated on\what happens when it expires in 2012.


Strong Meteor Shower Peaks Monday Night (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - If you were disappointed \  with the meager showing put on by this year's Leonid meteor shower, don't fret. \  What could be the best meteor display of the year is scheduled to reach its \  peak on Monday night, Dec. 13.


ISS Crew Counts Calories as Food Supply Runs Low (SPACE.com) SPACE.com - With nbsp;food stores nbsp;running low, the two \astronauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are cutting back \their meal intake and awaiting a critical cargo nbsp;delivery expected to arrive \on Dec. 25.


Development May Endanger Protected Species (AP) AP - The Bush administration said Friday it will allow developers to complete construction and other projects even after belated discoveries that the work could endanger protected species.


What mistakes do Techno Utopians make? Votes, Bits Bytes Boston bound? Speak your brains at our Andrew


In net politics, it's God vs Dog Votes, Bits Bytes Meetup founder puts Pugs against Repubs


US missile defence test delayed Bad weather forces the US to cancel the first full flight test of its national missile defence system in nearly two years.


Paypal and Apple iTunes link-up Payment system Paypal announces a tie-up with Apple's iTunes as it continues to secure new business with online retailers.


Peoplesoft announces meeting date Peoplesoft nominates its four current directors to retain their seats on the company board as it bids to see off a takeover by Oracle.


U.S. Video Games Sales Up 11 Pct in Nov.-Analysts  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sales of video games rose about 11  percent in the United States in November, analysts said on  Friday, with two key titles responsible for almost 30 percent  of all games sold in the month.


Supreme Court to Look At File Sharing The Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider whether two Internet file-sharing services may be held responsible for their customers' online swapping of copyrighted songs and movies.\-AP


U.S. Said Showing New Flexibility in N.Korea Talks (Reuters) Reuters - The United States showed some new\flexibility in recent talks with North Korea on the nuclear\issue but Pyongyang was unimpressed and is resisting\participation in a new round of formal six-party negotiations,\U.S. officials and experts said on Friday.


Why do Workouts Work? Most machines don't improve with use. Old pickup trucks don't gradually become Ferraris just by driving them fast, and a pocket calculator won't change into a supercomputer by crunching lots of numbers. The human body is different...


Crows as Clever as Great Apes, Study Says While crows have a reputation for being clever birds, research now suggests they could be as intelligent as great apes.


Guatemala to Create Mayan University (AP) AP - Guatemalan academics will create a university dedicated to rescuing and developing the ancient knowledge of the country's majority Mayan cultures, the nation's president said Friday.


Deep Tremors Detected Along San Andreas Fault Seismologists have detected deep, non-volcanic tremors lasting up to 20 minutes along the San Andreas Fault in central California. The discovery suggests earthquakes may have deeper origins than previously thought.


"Hotel Rwanda" Portrays Hero Who Fought Genocide When Rwanda plummeted into genocide ten years ago, the event transformed a genial hotelier into an unlikely hero. A new film, <I>Hotel Rwanda,</I> recounts his story.


Rwandan, Kenyan Named Winners of 2004 Conservation Award Two wildlife champions, Michel Masozera, Rwanda country director for the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Ali Kaka, executive director of Kenya's East African Wild Life Society, are this year's winners of the National Geographic Society/Buffett Award for Leadership in African Conservation.


U.S. Jet Flight to Vietnam Makes History (AP) AP - United Airlines became the first U.S. carrier to fly to Vietnam since the war ended nearly 30 years ago, marking a new milestone in relations between the former enemies as VIPs on board were greeted at the airport with lotus blossoms and silk lanterns.


ISPs fear losing broadband rights Small ISPs worry that a FCC decison could take away their ability to offer DSL.